Its town washed away centuries ago, this lonely tower by the sea tells the tale of a mermaid and a curse.

Devious political maneuvering and four ancient, working telescopes are central to the world's second-oldest observatory.

This bird-loving brewery is situated in an old municipal bathhouse, nestled beside a 300-year-old windmill.

A seven-century-old jail tells a not-so-pleasant history of crime and punishment.

Go inside a revolutionary, cage-less zoo where 70 species of monkeys roam free alongside their human visitors.

Crouch down, stretch tall, and be sure to flail your legs to pay homage to the Monty Python classic.

Unsurprisingly, Holland is home to one of the most magnificent flower gardens in the world.

The Bloemen Route, or “Flower Route”, stretches 25 miles through prime Dutch tulip country as a result of “tulip mania,” the world’s first economic bubble.

Established in 1638 to battle the Black Death, Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is a treasure trove of rare flora.

A floating cat sanctuary on an Amsterdam canal.

Cat art as far as the eye can see.

Inside this museum, visitors venture through ghost stories entrenched in Icelandic folklore.

A fantastic reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking longhouse.

This valley of hot springs and boiling mud pots is home to the record-holding "Geysir," which originated the English word.

Iceland's "Smoky Valley" is a beautiful river that is shrouded in a constant cover of steam clouds.

Staves, storm-calling, and of course, necropants.

Medicinal spa created with the discharge from a geothermal energy plant.

World's largest barrel containing an inn.

A historic steam train meanders along one of the most scenic rail routes in Germany's Black Forest.

This bakery and museum offers tours of the tastes and mythology of Aachen's signature spice biscuit—just don't ask for the recipe.

One of the oldest wine cellars in Germany is now a restaurant beneath Bremen's town hall.

Beer lovers thirsty for knowledge can now visit a museum devoted to the world's largest hop-growing region.

The traditional Polish croissant, folded 81 times into the shape of a horseshoe, is a legally protected cultural treat.

A modern museum dedicated to the fairytales and dictionary work of the Brothers Grimm.