Semmes’ Western 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 Western 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 – German
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – Year-round
- ✓ CAPITAL – Vienna
- ✓ Visit Vienna (UNESCO)
- Go to the Palace and Gardens of Schonbrunn (UNESCO)
- Ride the Riesenrad (Ferris wheel)
- See a show/opera at the Vienna State Opera House
- ✓ Listen to classical music in Vienna
- Visit the Tiergarten (oldest zoo in the world)
- #338. Museums Quartier
- ✓ Visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral
- ✓ Explore the Imperial Palace
- ✓ See the opulent state apartments and the jewels in Vienna’s palatial Hofburg
- Go to the Christmas market
- Visit Salzburg (UNESCO)
- Sing “Sound of Music” tunes in Salzburg, Austria
- Admire the baroque music, art, and architecture
- Visit Hallstatt (UNESCO)
- Rent a boat in Hallstatt
- #412. Salzwelten
- #344. Grossglockner Road
- #419. Melk Abbey
- #432. Eisriesenwelt, the largest ice cave in the world
- Visit the colorful capital of Tirol in Innsbruck
- Dip into several lakes in the glassy-blue Salzkammergut lake district
- Ski down Harakiri, Austria’s steepest slope, in Mayrofen
- Explore the historic center of Graz (UNESCO)
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Dutch, French, and German
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – May to September
- ✓ CAPITAL – Brussels
- ✓ #174. See the Grand Place (UNESCO)
- ✓ Find the Tin-Tin walls
- ✓ Find the 3 “peeing statues”
- ✓ Drink Belgian beers at Delirium cafe
- ✓ Shop at the Galeries Royales St-Hubert
- ✓ Eat a Belgium Waffle in Belgium
- ✓ Eat Belgian Chocolate
- ✓ Eat Belgian Fries
- ✓ Try a Belgium Beer
- ✓ Visit Bruges/Brugge (UNESCO)
- ✓ Visit Ghent
- ✓ Visit Bastogne
- Visit Antwerp
- See Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, Belgium’s largest Gothic cathedral
- #478. Flanders Fields
- Explore the fairytale castle of Gravensteen
- Visit Waterloo Battlefield
- Visit the French-speaking town of La Roche-en-Ardeen
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- OFFICIAL LANGAUGE – French
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – April to June and September to October
- ✓ CAPITAL – Paris
- ✓ #40. Go to the Eiffel Tower
- ✓ Eat at Jules
Vernes - ✓ #3. Go to the Louvre
- ✓ Go to the Arc de Triomphe
- ✓ See the Mona Lisa
- ✓ See the Eiffel Tower Sparkle
- ✓ #55. Visit the Notre Dame
- ✓ Sacré-Cœur Basilica
- ✓ Go to the “Phantom of the Opera” Opera House
- ✓ Banks of the Seine (UNESCO)
- Put a Love Lock on Pont des Arts Bridge
- Musse d’Orsay
- Explore the catacombs
- ✓ Eat a croissant at a French café
- Spend the night in a beautiful French château
- See a couple of the Fortifications of Vauban (UNESCO)
- #96. See Cimetiere Du Pere Lachaise
- Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region
- #185. Visit Mont Blanc
- Visit Lyon (UNESCO)
- Go skiing at Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
- Bourgogne-Franche-Comte Region
-
Burgundy’s Climats (UNESCO)
- Dijon
- Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay (UNESCO)
-
- Brittany Region
- Dinan
- Stroll around Locronan, one of the most beautiful villages of France
- Rennes
- Dinan
- Centre-Val de Loire Region
- See the Chartres Cathedral (UNESCO)
- #260. Chateau de Chenonceau
- Explore the Loire Valley (UNESCO)
- Bourges Cathedral (UNESCO)
- The Château de Chambord
- Orleans
- Corsica
- Learn a little about Napoleon at Maison Bonaparte
- Scandola Nature Reserve
- Gulf of Porto (UNESCO)
- Relax on the beaches in Corsica
- Explore the hilltop villages
- Visit the two historic citadel towns
- ✓ Grand Est Region
- ✓ Visit Strasbourg (and the Grand-Ile) (UNESCO)
- Visit Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Reims (UNESCO)
- Drink Champagne in Champagne
- Alsace
- Visit Colmar, the town that inspired “Beauty and the Beast”
- Metz
- Hauts-de-France Region
- Visit Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Amiens (UNESCO)
- #123. Aiguille du Midi
- Visit Annecy, “the Venice of the Alps”
- ✓ Ile de France Region
- ✓ Paris (see above)
- ✓ #29. Visit the Chateau de Versailles (UNESCO)
- See the medieval fairs of Provins (UNESCO)
- Visit the Chateau Fontainebleau (UNESCO)
- Occitanie Region
- Explore the Medieval City of Carcassonne (UNESCO)
- #234. Pont du Gard, Roman Aqueduct (UNESCO)
- #143. Visit the Carcassonne Walled City
- Canal du Midi (UNESCO)
- Nimes
- Hang out in the foothills of the Pyrenees in Lourdes
- See Toulouse, the “Pink City”
- Montpellier
- See all the animals at the Regional Nature Park and the Africa Reserve in Sigean
- The landscape of Causses and Cévennes (UNESCO)
- Normandy Region
- #201. Visit Mont St Michael (UNESCO)
- #340. See the Normandy beaches
- See the beaches of Omaha and Utah
- Arromanches
- American Cemetery
- Visit Le Havre (UNESCO)
- #473. See Monet’s Garden in Giverny
- Rouen
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region
- #333. Grotte de Lascaux
- Go wine tasting in Bordeaux
- Sip cognac in Cognac
- Marvel at the 17,000 years old rock paintings in the Cave of Lascaux at Montignac
- Dip your toes in the Bay of Biscay at La Rochelle
- Relax at Ile de Ré
- Pays De La Loire Region
- ✓ Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur Region
- ✓ Sunbathe in the French Riveria
- ✓ Wander around Nice
- ✓ Visit Saint-Paul-de-Vence
- Visit Avignon (UNESCO)
- #179. Visit Gorges du Verdon
- Get a photo of the lavender fields in Provance
- Visit Cannes
- Relax on the beaches of Saint-Tropez
- Saint-Remy-de-Provence
- See the Roman Theatre and the “Triumphal Arch” of Orange (UNESCO)
- Visit the Calanques National Park
- Marseille
- Arles
- Drive on the coastal roads on the French Riviera
- Bike through the vineyards, lavender fields, or the cherry orchards in rural PRocence
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – German
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – June to August for the beer gardens, September for the beer festivals, late November to late December for the magical Christmas Markets
- ✓ CAPITAL – Berlin
- See Below
- ✓ Visit Munich
- ✓ See the famous Marienplatz
- ✓ Wal Drink a beer at Hafbrauhous
- ✓ Walk around the English Gardens
- Experience the true Oktoberfest in Munich
- ✓ Drive on the German Autobahns
- ✓ Eat a Schnitzel
- ✓ Drink a beer in a famous German beer garden
- ✓ Go on a World War 2 Tour
- ✓ See a concentration camp
- ✓ Explore a Christmas Market in Germany
- Drive down the Romantic Road with someone I love
- Float past vineyards and castles on a river cruise along the picturesque, romantic Rhine
- ✓ Baden-Wurttemberg
- Stuttgart
- ✓ Visit Heidelberg
- ✓ Enjoy a spa day in Baden-Baden
- ✓ #458. See the Black Forest
- ✓ Freiburg
- Europa-Park
- Maulbronn Monastery Complex (UNESCO)
- Monastic Island of Reichenau (UNESCO)
- ✓ Bavaria
- ✓ Munich (see above)
- ✓ Drink at a Bavarian beer hall or garden
- Nuremberg
- Explore the Würzburg Residence (UNESCO)
- Visit Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber
- Enjoy a riverside walk in Regensburg
- Fussen
- Bamberg (UNESCO)
- Enjoy the mountain views at Berchtesgaden
-
See the Wies Church in Bavaria (UNESCO)
-
Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth (UNESCO)
- Ski or hike the German Alps
- ✓ Berlin
- Attend the Berlin Love Parade in Berlin
- ✓ #435. See the Brandenburg Gate
- ✓ #63. See the remnants of the Berlin Wall
- ✓ See Checkpoint Charlie
- ✓ #221. Visit Reichstag
- ✓ Visit the Holocaust Memorial
- ✓ Museum Island (UNESCO)
- Explore the old town of Regensburg (UNESCO)
- Brandenburg
- Potsdam
- Hamburg
- Speicherstadtand Kontorhaus Districts (UNESCO)
- Wadden Sea (UNESCO)
- ✓ Hesse and Thuringia
- ✓ Frankfurt
- Erfurt
- Lorsch Abbey (UNESCO)
- Classical Weimar (UNESCO)
- Walk around in the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel (UNESCO)
- Lower Saxony and Bremen
- Hanover
- Goslar (UNESCO)
- St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. Michael’s Church at Hildesheim (UNESCO)
- See the old sites in Bremen (UNESCO)
- ✓ North Rhine – Westphalia
- ✓ Cologne
- ✓ #297. Cologne Cathedral (UNESCO)
- ✓ Visit the Chocolate Museum
- Dusseldorf
- Bonn
- Schloss Drachenburg
- Town of Monschau
- Aachen Cathedral (UNESCO)
- ✓ Cologne
- ✓ Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland
- ✓ Visit Tier and its ancient Roman sites (UNESCO)
- Mainz
- Worms
- St. Goar
- Saarburg
- ✓ Cochem
- ✓ Upper Middle Rhine Valley (UNESCO)
- Speyer Cathedral (UNESCO)
- Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt
- Visit Dresden
- #425. Zwinger
- Frauenkirche Church
- See one of the world’s richest treasure chests in Grünes Gewölbe
- Leipzig
- Naumburg Cathedral (UNESCO)
- Vist Germany’s first capital, Quedlinburg (UNESCO)
- Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Worlitz (UNESCO)
- Visit Dresden
- Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Lubeck (UNESCO)
- Rugen Island
- Historic Ccentres of Stralsund and Wismar (UNESCO)
- Visit the Famous Castles
- ✓ #159. See the Neuschwanstein Castle
- ✓ Heidelberg Castle
- ✓ Eltz Castle
- Wartburg Castle (UNESCO)
- Hohenzollern Castle
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – German
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – December to March for winter sports and May to late September for summer hikes
- CAPITAL – Vaduz
- Visit Schloss Vaduz
- See Liechtenstein’s State Art Gallery
- Ski on the slopes of Malbun
- Toast His Majesty on August 15th
- Hike Furstensteig
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – French, German, and Letzebuergesch
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – May to August
- ✓ CAPITAL – Luxembourg City
- ✓ #469. Capital Castles
- ✓ Luxembourg City and its fortifications (UNESCO)
- ✓ Admire the superb views of the Old Town and river valleys from the Passerelle, Luxembourg City’s dramatic 19th-century viaduct
- ✓ Stroll Luxembourg City’s Old Town and tree-lined Plae d’Armes
- ✓ See the castle in Vianden
- See Mullerthal region, also known as Luxembourg’s “Little Switzerland”
- Visit the town of Ecternach
- Wander the remains of teh Chateau Beaufort
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – French
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – April to June and September and October
- ✓ CAPITAL – Monte Carlo
- #347. Gamble in the Casino de Monte Carlo
- Go to the Grand Prix
- ✓ See where Grace Kelly is buried
- ✓ See the billionaire yachts moored at the port
- ✓ See the changing of the guards at the Palis du Prince
- #493. Musee Oceanographique de Monaco
- Have lunch at Le Louis XIV
- Hike in the Jardin Exotique
- Drive into France between the sea and cliff along the Grande Corniche
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – Dutch
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – April for tulips and May to October for weather
- ✓ CAPITAL – Amsterdam
- ✓ Explore the canals in Amsterdam by a saloon boat
- ✓ #59. Visit Ann Frank’s house
- ✓ #128. Prinsengracht Canal
- ✓ Canal Ring area (UNESCO)
- ✓ #190. Visit the Van Gogh Museum
- ✓ #233. Rijksmuseum
- ✓ Walk the steers of Jordaan
- ✓ Visit the flower market
- ✓ Walkthrough Dam Square
- ✓ Ride a bike
- ✓ See the Red Light District
- See the tulips at Keukenhof, the Garden of Europe
- See the Hague
- ✓ Drink a Heineken
- ✓ Eat Stroopwaffles
- ✓ Tour or see a windmill
- Walkthrough the endless, rolling fields of tulips in Holland
- #445. Kinderdijk Windmills (UNESCO)
- Visit Delft
- See the cutting-edge architecture of Rotterdam
- Bike along tthe North Sea Cycle Route between The Hague and Zandvoort, one of the best cycle paths in the world
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – German, French, Italian, and Romansch
- BEST TIME TO VISIT – Year-round
- CAPITAL – Bern
- Basel & the Jura
- Basel
- ✓ The Bernese Oberland
- Explore the old town of Bern (UNESCO)
- Interlaken
- Grindelwald
- Wengen
- ✓ Go to the top of Mount Titlis
- #465. Eat at the Schilthorn
- Walk along the stunning waterfall valley in Lauterbrunnen
- #154. Eiger
- Build an igloo at the Igloo Festival in Adelboden
- Enjoy the medieval chateau-village of Gruyeres
- ✓ Geneva
- ✓ See Lake Geneva
- The Grisons & the Engadine
- Play at the winter resort of St. Moritz
- Lausanne & the Shores of Lake Geneva
- Lausanne
- #305. Lake Geneva
- ✓ Lucerne & Central Switzerland
- ✓ Lucerne
- ✓ Go on a boat ride across Lucene Lake
- ✓ Northeastern Switzerland
- St. Gallen
- Visit the Abbey of St. Gallen (UNESCO)
- ✓ See the Rhine Falls
- Explore the medieval city of Schaffhausen
- Go on a boat ride on Lake Constance
- Lugano
- Monte Brè
- ✓ The Valais
- ✓ #98. See the Matterhorn
- ✓ Visit Zermatt
- #483. Aletsch Glacier, Europe’s largest glacier
- ✓ Zurich
- ✓ Ski the Swiss Alps
- ✓ Eat Swiss chocolate
- ✓ Eat cheese fondue or just a lot of Swiss Cheese
- Sit in the outdoor Jacuzzi at Iglu-Dorf Hotel
- Buy a swiss watch in Switzerland
- Take the famous glacier express train
- Hike through the beautiful Swiss National Park
- Travel on the Rhaetian Railway (UNESCO)
- #427. Stand on the Jungfraujoch (mountain) (UNESCO)
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Travel around the world with Semmes!
xx,
Semmes
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