Guess where Tre Cime di Lavaredo is? | ©Marco Bottigelli/Moment/Getty Images
A great park surprisingly close to Venice, Prague, Berlin and more.
When you think of national parks, it’s easy to think of the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Zion. But we must not become hemisphere-centric. In fact, there’s an international park in Europe that should be on everyone’s bucket list, from serious outdoors enthusiasts to those just getting started.
Although some parks are more isolated than others due to the continent’s population density, European parks are generally more easily accessible than American parks. As a result, many of them are easy day trips from popular tourist cities, rather than multi-day trips. Due to the overlapping bureaucratic authorities of various European countries and institutions, some are not technically national parks, but they all deserve the prestigious honor. Here we will introduce the top 8.
germany and czech
Straddling the German-Czech border outside Dresden are the mountains of the curiously named Saxon Switzerland National Park (German: Saxony Schweiz National Park, Czech: Narodny Park Ceske Świkarsko). These mountains may not match the Alps in scale, but they more than match them in terms of majesty. These dramatic sandstone cliffs have inspired artists and mountaineers alike for centuries. The most important of these is the bath tie. Jagged rows of finger-like rock pillars are connected by unlikely stone bridges that soar some 200 meters (650 feet) above the Elbe Valley below.
Popular with hikers, mountain bikers and rock climbers (it has around 14,000 climbing routes), this park is easily accessible from Dresden, Berlin and Prague. It’s easiest to rent a car, but train buffs can also travel from Dresden or Prague’s central station to Bad Schandau National Park station. From there, take a short ferry across the Elbe River and then take a bus to the park entrance. Visitors from Berlin must access the park via Dresden Central Station.
Pro tip: The park is open year-round, but visit in the fall to enjoy the spectacular fall foliage.
Nearby cities: Dresden, Berlin, Prague
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Iceland
About 1,100 years ago, a group of Vikings gathered in a field in Iceland to make decisions about the pressing issues of the day. This meeting eventually became a regular event and gave rise to the world’s first parliament, the Althing. In 1930, the Icelandic Parliament dedicates Thingvellir National Park (also spelled Thingvellir), his 35 square mile (90 km2) reserve in the middle of Iceland’s habitable zone. , celebrated his 1,000th anniversary of the first Althing.
It’s small by world standards, but it packs a punch. In addition to hiking trails typical of national parks, Thingvellir also offers horseback riding, fishing, and even scuba diving. An earthquake in 1789 created deep fissures across the land, forming canyons that quickly filled with Iceland’s pure groundwater. Thingvellir also straddles the boundary between the Eurasian and North American plates, making it the only place in the world where divers can breaststroke between her two plates. Getting to Þingvellir is easy. Perhaps the most visible stop along Iceland’s tourist-heavy Golden Circle, it is a 50 km (30 mile) drive from the capital, Reykjavik.
Pro tip: Iceland is small but popular, so it’s best to visit during the off-season. May and September offer relatively warm temperatures, avoiding the summer heat. This goes double for popular sites like Thingvellir.
Nearby city: Reykjavik
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Spain
About 150 million years ago, the land that would become Spain was a vast inland sea where millions of shellfish, snails, and a variety of slimy shelled animals lived and died. Fast forward to the present day, and their remains have fossilized and eroded into the stunning limestone karst landscape in the heart of Spain’s Andalusia Autonomous Region. Just outside the city of Antequera and easily accessible from Seville, Malaga, and Granada, El Torcal offers visitors stunning views of strange rock formations, rare wildlife, and prehistoric tombs.
Marked trails criss-cross the park, leading hikers through naturally carved rock formations. Popular sights include interesting stone formations such as El Sombrero, La Jara, and the Cathedral. If you’re lucky, you might spot the elusive Iberian ibex climbing the jagged stones or griffon vultures soaring above.
Pro tip: It’s easy to get lost in the maze of limestone formations, so be careful not to stray too far from the marked route.
Nearby cities: Malaga, Granada, Seville, Cordoba
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Croatia
It’s been a few years since Game of Thrones catapulted Croatia to its well-deserved place near the top of the world’s tourist destinations, and perhaps the buzz has subsided somewhat, but this Adriatic gem has… There’s much more to King’s Landing (also known as Dubrovnik) than just King’s Landing. ). And Plitvice Lakes National Park should be at the top of everyone’s list. If you’re a travel geek, and let’s be honest, if you’re reading this, you’ve probably already seen photos of bright turquoise pools and waterfalls gridded with wooden causeways and boardwalks. There may be. And let me tell you, they’re not all that impressive in person.
Swimming is prohibited, but walking the trails that traverse the park’s 16 named lakes and countless smaller, unnamed lakes gives you ample opportunity to soak it all in. protected area of the park. The park has several marked hiking trails of varying difficulty, and the roads surrounding the park are also popular with cyclists.
Pro tip: If you can’t resist the urge to get into the water, head to the small nearby Krka National Park. Swimming is allowed in several lakes there.
Nearby cities: Zagreb, Split
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And that national park is like a dream.
Italy
South Tyrol is not unknown, but it is one of the lesser-known regions of Italy. Located in the Dolomites, part of the Alps between Italy and Austria, South Tyrol is famous for its unique culture, cuisine and landscape. And nowhere do you see more of the Dolomites than in Torre Cime di Lavaredo. Tre Cime di Lavaredo is named after the UNESCO-recognized rock formations preserved here. Like many of the parks on this list, this park has several marked hiking trails.
Tre Cime di Lavaredo’s main hiking trail is an easy 10 km (6 mile) walk through mostly flat terrain, roughly circling the park’s main attractions. And how fascinating that is! Three famous mountains rise more than 1,800 feet (500 meters) in height, all with near-vertical cliffs of slightly pinkish rock that give this landscape its name. is. You’ll find several rifugios along the way. It’s a small restaurant where you can stop by for a beer or a snack. This is Italy after all.
Pro tip: Follow the route counter-clockwise to keep the summit within sight for most of the hike.
Nearby cities: Venice, Innsbruck
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Greece
If your vacation to Greece brings to mind images of sun-drenched beaches and sparkling turquoise waters, you’ll be surprised at how diverse this Mediterranean country’s landscapes are. And nowhere is this more evident than on the island of Crete. Visitors to eastern Crete may be surprised to observe snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance. These are the Lefke Ori Mountains, or the White Mountains. And deep within its jagged peaks lies the magnificent Samaria Gorge, one of the longest canyons in Europe.
Here, an 8-mile (13 km) hiking trail winds through the canyon’s winding course, crossing back and forth over small rivers that have carved it. At 7 miles, hikers reach The Gates, where the canyon narrows to just a few feet wide. Here, the tops of the canyon walls are nearly 1000 feet high, and the sky is visible only as a thin streak of blue between the walls. At the end of the hike, you will arrive at the cute fishing village of Agia Lomeli. There you can wash away sweat and dust in the cool waters of the Libyan Sea.
Pro tip: Keep an eye out for the native ungulate called the kulikri, which is the pride of Crete. Locals say it resembles a goat, but it’s actually quite different. I don’t know much about it, but it makes for a great view.
Nearby cities: Chania, Rethymno
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poland and belarus
Deep in the nature-rich eastern part of Poland, a fantastical and ancient creature lurks in a forest that has remained unchanged since time immemorial. This is Białowieża National Park, the last remaining unspoilt remnants of Europe’s primeval forest, which once stretched from the Ural Mountains to the French coast. The center of the park is a strictly managed zone, home to Europe’s last herd of wild bison (known as Wycents), the forest’s unofficial mascot. You will need a guide to visit the center, but this area is only a small part of the entire forest. The rest of the forest is criss-crossed by great cycle paths and roads.
Pro tip: Wizents are wild animals and tend to avoid humans. Luckily, you can gorge yourself on bison pierogi (literally) at Reservat His Dzubrov, a bison sanctuary dedicated to protecting the forest and its furry inhabitants. try it).
Nearby cities: None, but it takes 4 hours by bus from Warsaw to the forest.
Germany
Enjoy a long night of partying at one of Berlin’s recently reopened nightclubs, then relax and decompress in the countryside the next day. Located on the outskirts of Berlin and easily accessible by train, the town of Lübenau awaits. This is the heart of the Spreewald, a vast network of wetlands and forests crisscrossed by hundreds of canals. This wetland area is historically inhabited by Slavic-speaking groups related to the Czechs and forms the closest natural park to Berlin. Rent a kayak or a traditional punt boat and explore what’s known as the “Venice of Germany.”
Spreewald is known for its nostalgic pickles, famous for the movie “Goodbye, Lenin.” Here, right next to the canal, you can buy pickles, which are sold directly from the seller by an enterprising grandmother. Other than that and the occasional beer garden, it’s just you, your boat, the occasional cow stopping for a drink, and the Spreewald.
Pro tip: Lübenau is the center of the Spreewald, but the area stretches out for many miles. Many towns are connected by the Gürkenradweg (Pickle Bike Path), marked by a sign with a pickle on a bicycle.
Nearby city: Berlin
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Conor O’Rourke is a freelance writer and translator living in Berlin. His work has appeared on his Matador Network, Serious Eats, Sprudge, and more. Follow him on Instagram @whatupconor.
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