Stunning national parks and wilderness areas in Europe
Stunning national parks and wilderness areas in Europe
Lists by region
National Park in United Kingdom
North York Moors
Heather moorlands meet rugged coastline
The park covers 1,430 square kilometres from inland dales to cliffs on the North Sea. Steam trains on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway run 24 miles from Pickering to Whitby. The full trip takes about 1 hour 40 minutes. The Cleveland Way trail follows the coast. Robin Hood's Bay has Jurassic fossils in the cliffs.
National Park in United Kingdom
Snowdonia National Park
Mythic Peaks and Wild Welsh Beauty
Yr Wyddfa, also called Snowdon, is the highest peak in Wales at 1,085 metres. The Llanberis Path is a 14.6 kilometre round trip with 1,000 metres of climbing. It takes about 7 hours. The Snowdon Mountain Railway climbs 7.6 kilometres from Llanberis to the summit. The railway closes from November to mid March.
National Park in Spain
Teide National Park
Mars-Like Landscapes and Epic Views
The Guanche, Tenerife's first people, believed the demon Guayota lived inside Teide. A cable car climbs 8 minutes from 2,350 to 3,555 metres. A free permit is needed for the last 170 metres of climbing. The summit is 3,718 metres, Spain's highest point. Reserve the permit ahead on the national park website.
National Park in United Kingdom
Cairngorms National Park
Scotland’s Wild Heart of Adventure
A Swedish herdsman brought reindeer to the Cairngorms in 1952. About 150 now roam the hills near Glenmore. Guided hill trips from the Reindeer Centre reach the herd on most days. The park covers 4,528 square kilometres and has 55 mountains over 3,000 feet. Winter trips depend on the weather.
National Park in Slovenia
Triglav National Park
Slovenia’s Natural Beauty
Triglav National Park took its present form in 1981 and covers 880 square kilometres. Triglav, the highest peak of the Julian Alps, stands near the centre. Lake Bohinj is the largest glacial lake. The walk to Savica waterfall is 1.8 kilometres round trip and climbs 140 metres. Entry to the falls costs 3 euros.
National Park in Spain
Picos de Europa National Park
Jagged Peaks, Deep Gorges, Wild Spain
The Cares Route follows the Cares gorge from Poncebos to Cain. Spain created this park in 1918 around the lakes of Covadonga. Torre de Cerredo is its highest point at 2,648 metres. The park covers about 670 square kilometres across Asturias, Cantabria and Castile and Leon. Iberian wolves and brown bears live there.
National Park in Croatia
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Cascading Waterfalls and Turquoise Lakes
Swimming has been banned here since 2006 to protect the travertine barriers between lakes. The park has 16 lakes linked by waterfalls. Veliki Slap drops 78 metres. Route A is a 3.5 kilometre walk from Entrance 1 that takes 2 to 3 hours. Electric boats cross Lake Kozjak.
National Park in Ireland
Wicklow Mountains National Park
Wild Irish Peaks and Ancient Valleys
Pilgrims walk St Kevin's Way, a 30 kilometre medieval route from Hollywood to Glendalough. Saint Kevin founded the monastery there in the 6th century. The 9 kilometre White Route loop starts at the Upper Lake car park. It passes the Spinc viewpoint and takes 2 to 3 hours.
National Park in Croatia
Krka National Park
Waterfalls and Pristine Nature
Boats to Visovac island leave from Skradinski Buk from April to October. The 2 hour trip includes 30 minutes on the island with its Franciscan monastery founded in 1445. Skradinski Buk is a series of 17 travertine cascades with a total drop of 47.7 metres. Skradin is 15 kilometres from Sibenik.
Nature Reserve
Wadden Sea
World's largest tidal flats ecosystem
Wadlopen is mudflat walking at low tide with a guide. The easiest route is a 6 kilometre walk from Pieterburen. The trip to Schiermonnikoog from Lauwersoog takes 8 hours with a boat ride. The Wadden Sea covers about 10,000 square kilometres across Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Harbour seals live on its sandbanks.
Nature Reserve in Portugal
Sintra-Cascais Nature Park
Where Europe meets the Atlantic
Cabo da Roca has cliffs more than 100 metres high at the westernmost point of continental Europe. A lighthouse has stood there since 1772. The park covers 145 square kilometres and reaches Guincho beach near Cascais. Pena Palace and the Castle of the Moors sit on the Sintra hills, which peak at 528 metres.
National Park in Portugal
Peneda-Gerês National Park
Portugal's Only National Park Paradise
Portugal's only national park covers 696 square kilometres along the Spanish border. Garrano horses roam freely across the border. At Soajo, 24 granite granaries called espigueiros still dry corn. An out and back trail from the Cascata do Arado reaches the Poco Azul, a pool for swimming.
National Park in Spain
Sierra Nevada National Park
Spain’s Rooftop of Sun and Snow
Sierra Nevada became a national park in 1999 and covers 85,883 hectares. Mulhacen is 3,479 metres, the highest peak on the Iberian Peninsula. Hikers can climb it in a single day from Capileira or Trevelez. Nearly 50 high mountain lakes sit on the south and west faces.
National Park in Iceland
Vatnajökull National Park
Glaciers, Volcanoes and Ice Caves
Black basalt columns frame Svartifoss, a 20 metre waterfall. The trail is 1.5 kilometres one way from the Skaftafell visitor centre and takes about 45 minutes. The park covers 14,967 square kilometres, about 14 percent of Iceland. Guided ice cave tours run in winter. Hvannadalshnukur, Iceland's highest peak, rises at its southern end.
National Park in Iceland
Þingvellir National Park
Where History Meets Nature’s Power
Silfra is a fissure where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart. Snorkellers float through water between 35 and 39 degrees Fahrenheit with views up to 100 metres. The Althing parliament met at nearby Almannagja canyon from the year 930. The park is 40 kilometres northeast of Reykjavik.
National Park in Lithuania
Curonian Spit National Park
Dunes, Forests and Baltic Magic
The Curonian Spit is 98 kilometres long and as narrow as 400 metres. Its northern 52 kilometres are in Lithuania. At Nida, the largest town on the spit, a path leads to Parnidis Dune. The dune is 52 metres high with a granite sundial built in 1995. Stay on marked paths.
National Park in Italy
Vesuvius National Park
Walk the Rim of a Volcano
Path No. 5 climbs from the parking area at 1,000 metres to the crater rim at 1,175 metres. The round trip is about 4 kilometres and takes about 2.5 hours. The crater is 580 metres across. Tickets cost 10 euros and are sold only online. Vesuvius last erupted in March 1944.
National Park in Norway
Jotunheimen
Home of giants and glaciers
Boots scrape rock on the Besseggen ridge in Jotunheimen, a 1 kilometre scramble above two lakes. Bessvatnet is deep blue and Gjende is turquoise. A boat crosses from Gjendesheim to Memurubu from mid June to mid September. The 14 kilometre hike takes 7 to 8 hours. Book boat seats ahead in summer.
National Park in Italy
Dolomites National Park
Towering peaks and pristine wilderness
The Val Canzoi loop takes 10 to 11 hours and climbs over 1,800 metres. It passes Lago Stua and Rifugio Boz. The park has 32,000 hectares of high mountain, with peaks to 2,395 metres. Chamois, marmots and golden eagles live here. The park office is in Feltre.
National Park in Germany
Harz National Park
Legendary mountain wilderness in transition
30 April is Walpurgis Night, when Goethe's Faust gathers witches on the Brocken. The Brocken rises 1,141 metres. A narrow gauge steam railway from Wernigerode has run to the top since 1899. The Goetheweg trail follows the route Goethe walked in 1777. Lynx were reintroduced to the park from 2000.
National Park in Slovakia
Low Tatras National Park
Slovakia’s Wild Ridges and Hidden Caves
Slovakia set up the park in 1978 and it covers 728 square kilometres. Dumbier is the highest peak at 2,043 metres. Chopok at 2,024 metres is on the E8 European walking route. The Jasna ski centre has two cable cars and five chairlifts on its north side. The Demanova Ice Cave is open to visitors.
National Park in Bulgaria
Pirin National Park
Alpine Peaks, Glacial Lakes, Wild Beauty
Arrive before half past 8 on busy days, when forest police close access to Vihren hut. From the hut at 1,950 metres a 6.3 kilometre trail passes Fish Lake and Frog Lake. It takes about 3 hours. The park has 118 glacial lakes. Vihren peak reaches 2,914 metres. Bansko is the nearest town.
National Park in Slovakia
Slovak Paradise National Park
Ladders, Gorges and Wild Waterfalls
The Sucha Bela gorge in Slovak Paradise is closer to a climb than a walk. The 3.7 kilometre gorge gains 420 metres on ladders and steps beside waterfalls. Misove waterfall drops 29.5 metres. Hikers start at the Podlesok tourist centre and go upstream only. The crossing takes about 2 hours.
National Park in Montenegro
Durmitor National Park
Montenegro’s Wild Peaks and Deep Canyons
Tara River Canyon is 1,300 metres deep and 80 kilometres long, a size often compared with the Grand Canyon. Day rafting trips cover 18 kilometres of whitewater. Black Lake is a flat 3.5 kilometre loop near Zabljak. Durmitor has 48 peaks above 2,000 metres, led by Bobotov Kuk at 2,523.
Nature Reserve in Czech Republic
Adršpašsko-teplické skály
Czechia’s Labyrinth of Stone Towers
Adrspach Rocks sit in northeast Czechia near the Polish border. The Adrspach train station is across from the park entrance. Paths pass the Great Waterfall, which is about 16 metres high. A small lake above it has had rowboat rides since 1857. Reserve tickets online because entry is limited.
National Park in Portugal
Serra da Estrela Natural Park
Portugal’s High Peaks and Wild Beauty
Cold air sweeps the Torre plateau at 1,993 metres, the highest point in mainland Portugal. A glacial valley carved by the Zezere river runs across it. The park covers about 890 square kilometres and is the largest protected area in Portugal. Villages make Serra da Estrela cheese from sheep's milk.
Nature Reserve in Portugal
Área de Paisagem Protegida das Sete Cidades
Twin Lakes and Volcanic Wonders
Walk the crater rim from Vista do Rei viewpoint to Lagoa Azul in about 1 hour 40 minutes. The route is 8 kilometres one way. Lagoa Verde and Lagoa Azul are green and blue lakes in one caldera. Legend says they formed from the tears of a princess named Antilia and a shepherd boy.
National Park in Ireland
Connemara National Park
Wild Bogs, Peaks and Ponies
Diamond Hill is a 6.2 kilometre trail that starts at the visitor centre near Letterfrack. The climb to about 400 metres takes 2 hours. From the summit you see Kylemore Abbey and Ballynakill Harbour. The islands of Inishbofin and Inishturk are also in view. The Connemara pony is the largest mammal in the park.
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