9 Most Photogenic Places in Europe

Full disclosure: everything in Iceland is photogenic, from the people to the food to the sparkling silvery seas. But Skaftafell National Parks tops it all, thanks to the Svartifoss waterfall, which cascades over jet-black lava-formed columns covered in verdant green moss.

Medieval monasteries tend to wow, but when they sit on a seaside island half a mile from the coastline, they’re otherworldly. Built in the 8th century, Mont Saint-Michel now plays host to some three million visitors a year, and has a population of…about 50.

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Venice is essentially Disneyland for grownups, with jaw-dropping views at every turn (plus thick pours of wine). The 16th-century Rialto Bridge is a prime destination for snapping jealousy-inducing images that include more than a few passing gondolas— and it’s not (quite) as touristy as Piazza San Marco.

Italy’s fashion center has its own capital of cool in the form of this 1877 mall, with a four story (!) barrel-vaulted roof made of glass and iron, quite useful in protecting those Prada bags during an afternoon downpour.

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Rumor has it a literal giant created the Giant’s Causeway when he got into fisticuffs with a Scottish giant across the North Channel (scientists beg to differ; according to them, the 40,000 basalt columns are what’s left of a volcanic eruption that happened some 60-million years ago). You’ll have to check out the new ++visitor’s center++, overlooking the kerry green cliffs, to decide what to believe.

Bibliophiles, put down your Kindle and make a beeline for this 700-year-old former Dominican Church, now the prettiest book shop on earth. Check their online calendar before you go; they often host readings and lectures, with local and international literary stars.

As far as fairytale sights go, Lake Bled is the one to beat: a mirror-like lake high in the Julian Alps, with an island topped by a spired 17th-century Gothic church. Make sure to tour the adjacent Bled Castle, built during the 11th- century on a precipice overlooking the water.

Cliffside Oia village is what screen saver dreams are made of—whitewashed cottages, blue-domed churches, all looking out over the shimmering Aegean. Go at sunset to capture it bathed in the most otherworldly light.

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You may recognize this humble home from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, or Sleeping Beauty, or any film that showcases what’s arguably the dreamiest castle on the planet. As castles go, this one is a new-build, finished in 1886; unfortunately, it’s owner King Ludwig II only got to live there for less than a year before he passed and it was opened to the public.