Christmas and New Year’s Eve at home are a dream for us all, but the winter holiday can also be a chance to plan a few days (or a short trip) away in a new and interesting place. The most beautiful European winter destinations offer you a few great ideas when it comes to places to visit which you may (not) have considered before.
There are great cities outside the rich North-Western part of Europe. The rest of the Old Continent contains countless unexpected surprises and for today, we thought we would talk about a few of them.
Brno (or Brunn, by its German name), is the second largest city in the Czech Republic and the biggest in Moravia. It attracts thousands of visitors annually with its architecture and over 100 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In fact, Brno has the largest protected historical area in the country. Spilberk Castle, Saint Tomas Abbey, the Brno Ossuary (second in size on the continent) and the modern AZ Tower, inaugurated in 2013 and measuring 111 m in height (making it the tallest buildings in the country) can be counted among the main attractions.
As a matter of fact, Brno spends 30 million Euro annually on cultural events and features theatres, museums and priceless monuments. Another symbol of culture is Sibiu. In Romania, of recent years, no visit to Transylvania could be conceived without including a stop in Sibiu.
Old burgh established by the Saxon who settled in Ardeal in the Middle Ages, Hermannstadt was the capital of European culture in 2007. Apart from multiple churches of all confessions, Sibiu hosts museums (Brukenthal Palace, the History Museum, the Steam Engine Museum and Astra Museum) and symbols like the Bridge of Lies, the Tower and the Stairway Passage.
In its surroundings, you can explore Fagaras Mountains (and the homonymous Citadel), Balea Lake and Cascade, the Sibiu Mine and the famous Transfagarasan route, which you can easily conquer behind the wheel of a rental car.