When planning out-of-country trips and vacations, most of us choose cities with well-known tourist attractions and destinations. However, there’s a lot more the world has to offer other than the lights and sounds of cities and urban centers.
We have listed a few of the most breathtaking rural destinations across Europe where instead of seeing cars and skyscrapers, you will be greeted with a vast and luscious green landscape adorned with tractors with disc harrow blades and livestock roaming in pastures. Some might even say it’s the stuff fairy tales are made of.
8 of Europe’s Most Beautiful Rural Landscapes
-
Aosta Valley, Italy
This tiny Italian region may seem like a second-stringer compared to the likes of Tuscany or Lombardy but that doesn’t mean it’s not equally attractive. Tourists can enjoy Aosta Valley’s magical surroundings including the Alps’ highest peaks.
-
Maramures County, Romania
Maramures, as a center of culture and civilization in the country, is an ethno-cultural destination where tourists can still see and experience traditional Romanian ways incorporated into the locals’ daily lives.
-
Marvão, Portugal
A trip to this Portuguese municipality will feel like you’re going back in time to the middle ages, with the Castle of Marvão standing proudly amongst white houses and cobbled streets inside its fortified walls.
-
Zlatibor, Serbia
While Serbia is quite known to have plenty to offer as far as rural tourism is concerned, a visit to Zlatibor, one of the country’s most popular tourist resorts, will be one of the most memorable trips you will ever take.
-
Slavonija i Baranja, Croatia
Croatia may be known for its coastline, but you will be surprised to find such exceptional and breathtaking greenery sprawled on the other side of the country. Old customs, wine trails, and great traditional food, a trip to Slavonija i Baranja won’t go to waste.
-
Brest, Belarus
Located 350 kilometers away from Minsk, the country’s capital, Brest is one of the most majestic and magical places you will ever set your eyes and foot on. Discover how Belarusians lived in the olden days and enjoy some of the finest traditional food and drinks that the country has to offer.
-
Waldviertel, Austria
If you’re very much into organic products, then Austria is the place for you, Waldviertel, specifically. Austrians are known to have a great and deep respect for the environment which is why it has plenty of organic and health and wellness farms all over the place.
-
Wielkopolska, Poland
Teeming with farmhouses filled with organic products for tourists to try out, Wielkopolska, or Greater Poland, is filled with a lot of wonderful places to see, fun things to do, and exquisite food to try.
There’s more to see in the world than just cities and urban centers. Some of the best sights you will see in your life are found outside them. So the next time you’re in Europe, why don’t you swing by some of these rural destinations to enjoy and appreciate the simple things in life?