Semmes’ Southern Europe Bucket List
My bucket list is a never-ending work in progress. I am continuously adding, altering, changing, and updating it. I love discovering new things, learning about new destinations, being inspired to try something new, etc. So, my bucket list serves as a reminder to me of the massive, exciting, ever-changing world. Do I think I will accomplish everything on my bucket list? I sure hope so! Anything is possible!
Make sure you check out all my other Bucket Lists! Here is my ultimate Southern Europe Travel Bucket List. I break my Bucket List down into countries. I even include links to more detailed city Bucket Lists. Keep in mind that I will be constantly adding and editing items on this list. And, let me know if I should add anything else!
* The numbers refer to the items from Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel book
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Albanian
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – April to October
- CAPITAL – Tirana
- #392. Butrint, Albania’s best-preserved Roman ruins (UNESCO)
- Explore the Berat Fortress, a near-perfect preserved Ottoman town of whitewashed houses climbing up a hillside (UNESCO)
- Go to the Shkodra Lake
- Visit one of the Blue Eyes water springs
- Visit the mountain top town of Gjirokastra with its imposing viers, castle, and the grand Ottoman mansions
- Admire the crystal clear turquoise waters of Ksamil
- Discover the idyllic beaches down the Ionian coast
- Go on a ferry on Lake Koman for a trip into Albania’s mountainous interior
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Catalan
BEST TIME TO VISIT – Mid-December to early April for skiing and June to September for hiking - CAPITAL – Andorra la Vella
- Explore the cobbled streets and hidden squares of the quaint historic quarter in Andora la Valla
- Enjoy the valley views from the rooftop of Placa del Poble
- Hike around Madrid-Perafita-Claror Valley (UNESCO)
- Enjoy the thermal, mineral waters in Caldea, Europe’s largest spa complex
- Ski on the slopes of Soldeu in the heart of Grandvalira, the largest ski area in the Pyrenees
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – April to September
- CAPITAL – Sarajevo
- #113. See Stari Most in Mostar (UNESCO)
- The medieval town of Jajce
- See the Tekija in Blagaj
- See the Kravice Falls
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- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Croatian
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – April to June and September to October
- CAPITAL – Zagreb
- Go to the Carpe Diem Island
- ✓ Go to Krka National Park
- ✓ Sail down the sublime Adriatic coast
- ✓ Island hop in Croatia
- ✓ Lay on a beach all day in Croatia
- ✓ Visit Rovinj
- ✓ Visit Split
- ✓ See the Historical Complex of Split (UNESCO)
- ✓ #376. Palace of Diocletian (UNESCO)
- Snorkle in the Blue Lagoon
- #129. See the Plitvice Lakes (UNESCO)
- Explore the town of Trogir (UNESCO)
- Explore the historic old town of Zadar
- Visit Hvar
- Have a wonderful meal in Istria, Croatia’s ecotourism capital
- Paklinski Islands
- Explore Cres Island
- Visit Galesnjak, the heart-shaped island
- ✓ Visit Dubrovnik, “the pearl of the Adriatic” (UNESCO)
- ✓ #22. Walk the Old Walls in Dubrovnik
- ✓ Go up to the mountain above the city in a cable car
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Greek and Turkish
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – April to May and September to October
- CAPITAL – Nicosia
- #433. Paphos Archaeological Site (UNESCO)
- See the birthplace of Aphrodite, Petra Romiou (Aphrodite’s Rock)
- Visit the Kykkos Monastery
- Larnaca salt lake
-
Cape Greco
- Visit Nicosia and see the Frankish churches, Ottoman mosques, and Byzantine city walls
- Swim with the turtles in the Karpas and Akamas Peninsulas
- See the miles of untouched golden sand in the Karpas Peninsula
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Greek
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – March to June
- CAPITAL – Athens
- #28. See Acropolis (UNESCO)
- Visit the Acropolis Museum
- Visit the Parthenon
- See the Hephaestus Temple
- Explore Plaka
- Have cocktails on a rooftop
- Visit Crete
- Relax on the pink sands of Elafonissi Beach
- Place of Knossos (UNESCO)
- Visit Mykonos
- Visit Delos (UNESCO)
- Discover ancient Corinth
- Epidaurus Theater
- Temple of Apollo
Epicrious at Bassae (UNESCO) - Archeological Site of Delphi (UNESCO)
- #18. Go to Santorini
- See the sunset in Oia
- Explore the old town of Corfu (UNESCO)
- Go to the underground museum in Vergina
- Mount Olympus
- See the Archaeological site of Olympia (UNESCO)
- Sail around the islands of Greece
- Watch the sunset over the Aegean Sea
- Dive the shipwreck cove in Zakynthos
- Go diving in Ios
- Experience a Greek Easter
- Visit Rhodes Island
- #255. Rhodes Old Town (UNESCO)
- See the cliff-
top monasteries in #119. Meteora (UNESCO)
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Italian
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – April to June and September
- ✓ CAPITAL – Rome
- ✓ Explore Rome (UNESCO)
- ✓ Make a wish at the Trevi Fountain in Rome
- ✓ #7. See the Colosseum
- ✓ Marvel at the Roman Forum
- ✓ #51. See the Pantheon
- ✓ Walk up and down the Spanish Steps
- ✓ Visit Palatine Hill
- ✓ Visit the Fountain of Four Rivers
- ✓ Pet the cats in Torre Argentina, the Roman cat sanctuary
- Look through the Aventine Keyhole
- Ride a Vespa in Rome
- ✓ Visit Venice (UNESCO)
- ✓ Ride a gondola
- ✓ #26. Visit the Piazza San Marco
- ✓ Walk inside St. Mark’s Basilica
- ✓ Cross the Rialto Bridge
- ✓ Drink a Bellini at Harry’s Bar
- ✓ Browse the books at Acqua Alta Bookstore in Venice
- ✓ See the Bridge of Sighs
- ✓ Go watch glassmaking in Murano
- ✓ Explore the Doge’s Palace
- Celebrate the Venetian Carnival
- Aosta Valley and Friuli-Venezia Giulia Regions
- Go skiing (or hiking) in the Dolomites (UNESCO)
- Valle d’Aosta
- Visit Aquileia, its immense archaeological site, and its Patriarchal Basilica (UNESCO)
- Basilicata Region
- See the ancient sites in Matera
- The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera (UNESCO)
- Calabria Region (the “toe” of Italy)
- See the Calabrian Coast
- Watch the sunset over the horizon of the Tyrrhenian sea
- ✓ Campania Region
- ✓ Take a boat ride along the Amalfi Coast (UNESCO)
- #303. Capri
- See the Blue Grotto
- Go on a chairlift to the top of Capri
- ✓ Visit Positano
- Visit Sorrento
- Naples (UNESCO)
- Eat pizza in Naples (the origin of pizza)
- Mount Vesuvius
- Naples National Archaeological Museums
- #41. See the ruins of Pompeii (UNESCO)
- Excavations of Herculaneum
- See Paestum, the Greek ruins
- Grotta Azzura
- The Royal Palace of Caserta
- Go on the exhilarating drive on the cliff roads of the Amalfi Coast
- Emilia-Romagna Region
- See the University of Bologna, the oldest university in Europe
- Go to “Motor Valley” and see where Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati are made
- See the mosaics in Ravenna
- The Renaissance city of Ferrara (UNESCO)
- See the Cathedral, Torre Civica, and Piazza Grande in Modena (UNESCO)
- See the Byzantine mosaics at Ravenna (UNESCO)
- ✓ Lazio Region
- ✓ Rome (see above)
- Tivoli
- Hardrian’s Villa (UNESCO)
- See the gardens of the Villa d’Este (UNESCO)
- See St. Benedict’s monastery in Subiaco
- Odescalchi Castle
- Unwind at the town and spa of Viterbo
- See the ruins of Ostia Antica
- Villa Farnese in Caprarola
- Le Marche Region
- The historical center of Urbino (UNESCO)
- Liguria Region
- Visit Genoa and the Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli (UNESCO)
- #241. Visit Cinque Terre (UNESCO)
- Visit Portofino
- Lombardy and Trentino-Alto Alldige Regions
- Visit Milan
- #245. Milan’s Duomo
- View Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper (UNESCO)
- Go shopping at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
- Pinacoteca di Brera
- Nights at the opera at Milan’s La Scala
- Lake Como
- Take a boat ride through Lake Como
- Bellagio
- Ville d’Este
- Lake Garda
- Sirmione
- Mountain buke through the hills around Lake Garda
- Bergam
- Crespi d’Adda (UNESCO)
- See the towns of Mantua and Sabbioneta (UNESCO)
- Visit Milan
- Piedmont Region
- Walk like an Egyptian at the Egyptian Museum
- Visit Turin
- See the industrial city of Ivrea (UNESCO)
- See the chapels and the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy (UNESCO)
- Visit the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy (UNESCO)
- Sip wines at the Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato (UNESCO)
- Puglia Region (“heel” of Italy)
- See the Trulli Alberobello (UNESCO)
- Bari
- Castel del Monte (UNESCO)
- Sardinia
- Relax on the beaches of Sardinia
- Climb the cliffs of Sardinia
- The resort town of Costa Smeralda
- Su Nuraxi di Barumini (UNESCO)
- ✓ Sicily
- ✓ #153. See Mount Etna (UNESCO)
- ✓ See the theaters of Ancient Greece and Rome in Taormina in Sicily
- Archaeological area of Agrigento (UNESCO)
- Palermo
- Villa Romana del Casale (UNESCO)
- ✓ Tuscany Region
- ✓ Florence (UNESCO)
- ✓ #66. See the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore
- ✓ See the statue of David at Galleria dell’Accademia
- ✓ #89. Visit the Uffizi
- ✓ Scroll down the Ponte Vecchio
- Medici Villas and Gardens (UNESCO)
- The landscape of Tuscany’s Val d’Orcia (UNESCO)
- #491. See the leaning tower of Pisa (and take that cheesy tourist picture)! (UNESCO)
- Siena (UNESCO)
- #229. Piazza del Campo
- Siena Cathedral
- #205. Historic Centre of San Gimignano (UNESCO)
- Lucca
- The historical city of Pienza (UNESCO)
- Barga
- Carrara
- Soak in the natural hot springs at Saturnia
- ✓ Florence (UNESCO)
- Umbria Region
- Get some olive oil in Trevi
- Visit Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco, and Other Franciscan Sites (UNESCO)
- Perugia
- ✓ Veneto Region
- Ride the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula and Bernina Landscapes, which brings together two historic railway lines in the Swiss Alps (UNESCO)
- Visit Ponza Island
- Visit the Aeolian Islands (UNESCO)
- Take a cooking class in Italy
- Go on a romantic date in Italy
- Ski in the Alps
- ✓ Try pasta in Italy
- ✓ Eat lots of Gelato
- ✓ Drink wine in Italy
- Ride a Vespa in Italy
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Albanian and Serbian
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – May to September
- CAPITAL – Pristina
- Visit Old Prizren
- Visit a Monastery (Decani, Gracania, etc.)
- Kalaja Fortress
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Maltese and English
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – February to June
- CAPITAL – Valletta
- Explore Valletta (UNESCO)
- See the New City Gate
- Explore the Parliament Building
- See the Opera House
- Attend a preformance at the Manoel Theatre, one of Europe’s oldest theatres (dating back to 1731!)
- #447. Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, a mysterious subterranean necropolis (UNESCO)
- Swim in the Blue Lagoon
- Take pictures of the Azure Window on Gozo Island
- Check out the ‘Three Cities’ of Cottonera
- Mdina, the elegant “silent city”
- See Malta’s Megalithic Temples: Ggantija, Hagar Qim, and Mnajdra (UNESCO)
- Visit Marsaxlokk, a fishing village
- Visit Vittoriosa’s Maritime Museum
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Montenegrin
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – April to September
- CAPITAL – Podgorica
- ✓ Kotor
- ✓ Admire the views from various points of the Bay of Kotor
- ✓ #47. Visit the Bay of Kotor and town of Kotor (UNESCO)
- ✓ Visit the little town of Perast
- #444. Ostrog Monastery, dramatically carved into a vertical cliff and the spiritual heart of Montenegro
- The Island of St. Nikola
- Hike around Durmitor National Park (UNESCO)
- Stay on the island of Sveti Stefan on the Bay of Budva
- Mount Lovcen National Park
- Lake Skadar, one of Europe’s most important wetlands
- Go to the beaches around Budva
- Go rafting down the Tara River
- Visit the historic capital of Cetinje
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Macedonian and Albanian
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – April to September
- CAPITAL – Skopje
- Shop at Skopje’s Carsija, the Turkish bazaar
- #446. Church of Sveti Jovan Bigorski
- Explore the city of Ohrid (UNESCO)
- Lake Ohrid
- Hike into Mt Pelister National Park
- Explore the Tikves wine region
- See the Roman remains and tombs and the frescoes at the Treskavec Monastery
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Portuguese and Mirandese
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – March to June, July to August for the popular beaches, and September
- ✓ CAPITAL – Lisbon
- ✓ #336. Walkthrough the Alfama Neighborhood
- ✓ Go to Sao Jorge Castle
- ✓ Go to Rua Augusta Arch
- ✓ Tower of Belem (UNESCO)
- Ride the streets in a sidecar
- Dine Miniature at Mini-Bar
- #372. Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (UNESCO)
- National Tile Musuem
- #142. Sintra (UNESCO)
- #151. Bairro of Ribeira
- Visit Porto
- Visit the historic center of Oporto (UNESCO)
- Go to a wine tasting in the Douro Valley (UNESCO)
- Visit the Convent of Christ in Tomar (UNESCO)
- See the walled 14th-century Evora (UNESCO)
- Explore the Azores
- Douro River
- Cabo de Sao Vicente
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Italian
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – May to June and September
- CAPITAL – San Marino
- Explore the San Marino’s historic center (UNESCO)
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Serbian
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – May and September
- CAPITAL – Belgrade
- #366. Kalemegdan, Belgrade’s fortress
- See where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated
- Party on a river-barge nightclub, splavovi
- Learn about the great scientist’s inventions at the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade
- Medieval Monuments in Kosovo (UNESCO)
- Visit the well-preserved churches and frescoes of Studenica Monastery (UNESCO)
- See the stone towers of Djavolja Varos, Devil’s Town
- Admire the architecture in Hungarian-influenced Subotica
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Slovenian
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – May to September
- CAPITAL – Ljubljana
- Explore Ljubljana’s old town
- See the ramparts of Castle Hill
- #76. Go to Lake Bled
- #230. Postojna Cave & Predjama Castle
- Visit Piran with its Venetian ambiance
- Take a dip in the Soca River Gorge in Triglav National Park
- See the snow-white horses of Lipica
- Hike in the Julian Alps
- Sip wine in Maribor, location of the world’s oldest living grapvine
- Skocjan Caves (UNESCO)
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Castilian Spanish
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – May to June and September to October
- ✓ CAPITAL – Madrid
- ✓ #225. Visit Museo del Prado
- ✓ Wander around Buen Retiro Park (Madrid’s largest park)
- Visit Madrid’s golden mile of art
- ✓ Visit Barcelona
- ✓ #16. See Sagrada Familia
- ✓ #371. Visit the Museu Picasso
- ✓ View Gaudi’s famous works (UNESCO)
- ✓ Palau de la Musica Catalana (UNESCO)
- #470. Camp Nou
- Explore the area of Casa Batllo
- See the Islas Cies
- #273. Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa
- Walk the Camino de Santiago (UNESCO)
- ✓ Watch a flamenco show
- ✓ Drink Sangria
- ✓ Eat Tapas
- ✓ Eat Patatas Bravas
- ✓ Eat Paella
- Aragon Region
- Admire the architecture in Zaragoza
- Teruel
- ✓ Andalusia Region
- ✓ Seville
- ✓ #235. Visit the Real Alcazar (UNESCO)
- ✓ Watch a Flamenco show
- ✓ Visit Plaza De Espana
- Watch a bullfight at Plaza de Toros (personal note, I am against this ethically, but it is a cultural event)
- Cordoba
- Historic Center of Cordoba (UNESCO)
- #73. Explore the incredible Mezquita de Cordoba (UNESCO)
- Caliphate City of Medina Azahara (UNESCO)
- Historic Center of Cordoba (UNESCO)
- ✓ Granada
- ✓ #9. See Alhambra in Granada (a place that once was called “heaven on earth”) (UNESCO)
- Marbella
- ✓ Cadiz
- ✓ Malaga
- Enjoy the beautiful waters at Zahara da la Sierra
- Ski-in the Sierra Nevada
- ✓ Seville
- Basque County, La Rioja, and Navarre Regions
- Museo Guggenheim in Bilbao
- Run with the bulls in Pamplona
- Vizcaya Bridge (UNESCO)
- San Sebastián
- Hondarribia
- Guernica, the town that is “a symbol of peace”
- Go wine tasting in the La Rioja region
- Sample pintxos (Basque tapas)
- ✓ Catalonia Region
- ✓ Barcelona (see above)
- #361. Teatre-Museu Dali
- Enjoy the beaches of Costa Brava
- Girona
- Tarragona
- See the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres
- Castile & Leon and Cantabria Regions
- #439. Segovia’s Acueducto (UNESCO)
- Visit Salamanca (UNESCO)
- Leon
- Basilica de San Isidoro
- Burgos Cathedral (UNESCO)
- Old town of Ávila (UNESCO)
- Las Medulas, a former Roman gold mine (UNESCO)
- See the prehistoric drawings and paintings at Cueva de Altamira (UNESCO)
- ✓ Castilla-La Mancha Region
- The historic walled town of Cuenca (UNESCO)
- ✓ Visit Toledo (UNESCO)
- La Ciudad Encantada
- Tilt at the windmills like Don Quixote
- Extremadura Region
- Old Town of Cáceres (UNESCO)
- Merida
- Galicia and Asturias Regions
- #383. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral (UNESCO)
- Climb the Tower of Hercules (UNESCO)
- Roman walls of Lugo (UNESCO)
- Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias (UNESCO)
- Gijon
- ✓ Madrid (see above)
- ✓ Murcia Region
- ✓ Cartagena
- Murcia
- Valencian Community
- Take part in the La Tomatina festival, where locals and tourists throw tomatoes at each other, in Buñol
- Las Fallas Festival
- The City of Arts and Sciences
- La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia (UNESCO)
- Enjoy Spain’s “White Coast” at Altea
- See the pink waters of Torrevieja
- ✓ Balearic Islands
- ✓ Visit Mallorca
- Party like there is no tomorrow in Ibiza (UNESCO)
- Relax on a secluded beach on Ibiza or Formentera
- Canary Islands
- Teide National Park (UNESCO)
- San Cristóbal de La Laguna (UNESCO)
- Tenerife
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Turkish
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – April to June and September to October
- CAPITAL – Ankara
- Visit Istanbul
- Wander the Grand Bazaar
- Explore the historical areas in Istanbul (UNESCO)
- #10. Aya Sophia
- Take a ferry across the Bosphorus
- #111. Topkapi Palace
- #146. See the Blue Mosque
- Have a drink at one of Istanbul’s iconic rooftop bars
- Climb down into Basilica Cistern
- Take in the view from Galata Tower
- The Rainbow Steps
- Go to one of the bathhouses in Turkey
- #67. Hot Air Balloon in Cappadocia (UNESCO)
- #138. See Ephesus (UNESCO)
- Library of Celsus
- Street of Curetes
- Temple of Artemis
- The Great Theatre
- The Basilica of St. John
- Ephesus Archaeological Museum
- House of the Virgin Mary
- #253. Gallipoli Cemeteries
- #349. Ishak Pasa Palace
- #375. Pamukkale (UNESCO)
- #484. Mt. Ararat
- The archeological site of Troy (UNESCO)
- Selimiye Mosque (UNESCO)
- Hattusha: the Hittite Capital (UNESCO)
- Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği (UNESCO)
- See Bursa and Cumalikizik, the Birth of the Ottoman Empire (UNESCO)
- See the elegant Ottoman-era mansions of Safranbolu (UNESCO)
- Sultan Ahmed Mosque
- Enjoy the glassy blue waters of Oludeniz Lagoon
- Take some photos of the ruins of Nemrut Dağ (UNESCO)
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Latin and Italian
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – April to June (the low season) and on Wednesdays, when the Pope meets the people
- ✓ CAPITAL – Vatican City (UNESCO)
- ✓ See the Sistine Chapel
- ✓ Explore the Vatican Museums
- ✓ Pay your respects at St. Peters Basilica
- ✓ Take a picture of the Swiss Guard in their uniforms
- ✓ Explore St. Peter’s Square
- See the Pope
- Take a tour of the “City of the Dead” and see St. Peter’s tomb
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Travel around the world with Semmes!
xx,
Semmes
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