hellolaurathompson's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal

The Village of Monsanto

Houses are tucked between, on, and underneath giant boulders.
Sintra, Portugal

Quinta da Regaleira

This eccentrically decorated palace is replete with grottoes, fountains, tunnels, and caves.
Lisbon, Portugal

Santa Justa Lift

This Industrial Age architectural and engineering gem helps visitors and residents alike traverse Lisbon, “The City of Seven Hills.”
Esperança, Portugal

The World’s Shortest International Bridge

You can cross from one country to another in a single hop on this little bridge.
Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal

Montemor-o-Novo Castle

This crumbling Portuguese ruin overlooks the populace it once ruled.
Jämtland, Sweden

The Dead Falls of Lake Ragunda

A botched 18th-century canal silenced one of Sweden's most magnificent waterfalls.
Norway

Keiko's Memorial Cairn

Mound of stones marking the burial site of the world's most famous orca.
Feldbach, Switzerland

Synergy Village

A communal oasis on Lake Zurich.
Zurich, Switzerland

MFO Park

Vines grow up the metal bars in this public park created from an old machine factory.
Bourg-en-Lavaux, Switzerland

Lavaux

Swiss vineyards in a UNESCO heritage site.
Evionnaz, Switzerland

Evionnaz Adventure Labyrinth

World's largest permanent maze made of 18,000 conifers.
Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Sphinx Observatory

A historic observatory precariously perched at the "Top of Europe."
Schwyz, Switzerland

Stoosbahn Funicular

The steepest classic funicular in the world glides along a dizzying incline.
Andermatt, Switzerland

Teufelsbrucke

A breathtaking bridge that crosses a vast gorge over a river's torrents, and has a tale of a devil architect attached.
Schattenhalb, Switzerland

The Reichenbach Falls

The alpine falls where Sherlock Holmes apparently met his demise can actually be visited.
Boudry, Switzerland

Saut de Brot

This lovely little bridge hidden in a Switzerland gorge is essentially a fairytale.
Gadmen, Switzerland

Trift Bridge

This amazing pedestrian suspension bridge in the Swiss Alps would give Indiana Jones nightmares.
Beatenberg, Switzerland

St. Beatus Cave

Caves famous for the dragon-slaying saint who lived there.
Neuheim, Switzerland

Höllgrotten Caves

These spooky and unusual stone formations create an underworldly landscape.
Ennetbürgen, Switzerland

Hammetschwand Elevator

The tallest outdoor elevator in Europe rockets passengers on a dizzyingly precarious ride to the top of a mountain.
Postojna, Slovenia

Olm

The "dragon babies" of southeastern Europe.
Postojna, Slovenia

Postojna Caves

A miniature train-ride through Slovenia's largest cave system.
Bled, Slovenia

Bled Island and Castle

This one-time health resort was used by aristocrats around the world.
Matavun, Slovenia

Skocjan Caves

This massive subterranean fissure is known as the "underground Grand Canyon."