Although bite-sized by European standards, Trondheim is in fact Norway’s third largest city, and lies in the Trøndelag county where the Nidelva River empties into the Trondheimsfjord. The city was rebuilt according to a Baroque plan following a fire in the 17th century and is under the watch of the second largest cathedral in northern …
The undisputed oil and energy king of Europe, Stavanger’s fortunes were transformed when Norway discovered the Ekofisk oil field 200 miles off the coast in 1969. True to its title of Oljebyen (The Oil Capital) Stavanger has a world-class museum about the Norwegian petroleum industry, opened in 1999 and looking like a small oil platform …
The capital of Southern Norway, Kristianstad is a summer getaway that has family attractions and untouched nature on land and water. Behind Kristiansand’s allure is a pretty historical quarter, a green seaside promenade and the adorable wooden wharfs where fishermen once sold their catch. The east and west harbours are both screened from the Skagerrak …
Norway’s second city was the home of kings in the Middle Ages and a trading post for the Hanseatic League. A remnant from that era is Bryggen, a photogenic quayside district of painted wooden houses with triangular gables. Bergen’s city centre is watched by an arc of seven mountains capped with snow for much of …
An industrial centre on the Glomma River, Sarpsborg has the most powerful waterfall in Europe moments from its city centre. Sarp Falls is very much part of an industrial landscape and its force is captured by three power stations. Despite the paper mills and factories, Sarpsborg has a rich cultural heritage. There are Bronze Age …
On the northern shore of the Oslofjord, Norway’s capital and the third largest city in Scandinavia is a trendy and sophisticated metropolis that has grown rich from shipping and oil. Key to the high quality of life, nature is everywhere in Oslo, as the fjord is right in the city’s backyard and you’re never more …
Draped across two hills by the River Danube, the royal city of Esztergom is the place where St Stephen, the first King of Hungary was crowned at the start of the 11th century. The city is also the seat of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest and in keeping with its dignified status, Esztergom’s Neoclassical basilica is …
A regal city in Northern Hungary, Eger stands out for its thermal waters and opulent Baroque mansions and churches. This architecture dates to the city’s revival in the 18th century after it was liberated from the Ottoman Empire, which had been in charge throughout the 1600s. In the 1700s Eger’s bishop Eszterházy Károly established the …
At the junction of three rivers in northwest Hungary’s Western Transdanubia region, Győr is a city with a whole raft of Baroque architecture. The centre of attention is the Káptalan Hill at the confluence of the Danube, Rába and Rábca, where landmarks like the episcopal castle and cathedral basilica have been raised and then demolished …
Kent’s historic trading centre had a handy position on the navigable River Medway, which joins the Thames Estuary not far north at Chatham. Even now, Maidstone is in a great location to see the best of Kent, known as the Garden of England. Resting in this verdant landscape are monuments like Leeds Castle, which floats …