Top 20 Europe, Unesco World Heritage sites | Unesco world heritage sites in Europe | Travel video

Choosing which sites to include on your schedule in a continent as gorgeous and diverse as Europe may be difficult. It's usually a good idea to do some study before setting out with a backpack and a U-rail pass, and UNESCO has done some of that homework for you. This United Nations organization selects towns, national parks, and architectural wonders from throughout the world that are vital to mankind, and it has recognized almost 400 sites in Europe alone. We propose starting with these 20 stunning locations, which range from Bavarian cathedrals to arctic fjords and all in between. Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia. A central Croatian forest reserve noted for its tiered lakes, waterfalls, caverns, and limestone canyons and threatened by selfie-taking visitors. Red Square of Moscow, Russia. A municipal square just east of the Kremlin, official residence of the President of Russia. It has impressive structures like Azeste, Basel's Basilica, and the State Historical Museum. Luhkalinac, Slovakia. A 45-building village in Ruamberok, Central Slovakia, with records reaching back to the late 13th century. The settlement has the conventional characteristics of a central European village, including log cottages, stables with haylofts, and a wooden bell tower. Rila Monastery, Bulgaria. The largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria, founded in the 10th century and rebuilt in the mid-1800s. Mont Saint-Michel, France. A Gothic-style abbey, situated on an islet exposed to spectacular tides in northern Normandy between the 11th and 16th centuries. Monastery of Alcabaca, Portugal. A Roman Catholic church in Alcabaca, north of Lisbon, erected in the 12th century by King Alfonso I. It symbolizes the introduction of the early Gothic style in Portugal. Budapest, banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, and Andrássy Avenue, Hungary. The center section of the city depicts important periods of Hungarian history via spectacular architecture, such as the Parliament, Schoen, Opera House, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Market Hall. Churches of Peace in Jar and Swidnika, Poland. These churches, the biggest timber-framed religious buildings in Europe, were erected by Lutherans in the Roman Catholic sections of Silesia, Poland, within a year of the Treaty of Westphalia, treaties that ended the Thirty Years' War in 1648. And Stave Church, Norway. In the picturesque county of Saan og Fjordane in western Norway, is an amazing specimen of traditional Scandinavian timber building. Pont du Gard, Roman aqueduct, France. An historic Roman aqueduct in southern France that spans the Gardon River. It transports water 31 kilometers to Nîmes and is 160 feet tall on three levels, making it a technological and artistic marvel. Pilgrimage Church of Weiss, Germany. A surviving Bavarian rococo church in a picturesque alpine region about 50 miles southwest of Munich. West Norwegian Fjords, Norway. Görangerfjord and Nærrefjord, Schoen, are two of the world's longest and deepest fjords, located in southwestern Norway. Their breathtaking scenery includes multiple waterfalls, glacier lakes, and woods. Vatican City, Holy See. The Pope rules over one of the most hallowed sanctuaries in Christendom. St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums are among the numerous artistic and architectural marvels housed in Vatican City. Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Panenhalma, Hungary. A monastic community and one of Hungary's oldest historical monuments, founded in 996. Pirin National Park, Bulgaria. A 154-square-mile national park in southwest Bulgaria's Pirin Mountains, with alpine meadows, glacial lakes, coniferous woods, and two approved ski slopes. Le Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium. Brussels Centre Plaza, featuring architecturally magnificent structures originating from the late 17th century. Old City of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. A ancient city on the Neretva River in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Old Bridge, erected in the 16th century and regarded one of the finest architectural feats in the Ottoman-controlled Balkans, is well known in the town. Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona, Spain. A notable concert hall, and one of the greatest specimens of Catalan modernista style, by Art Nouveau architect Les Domenechis Montaner, together with the city's Hospital de Sant Pau.