Ruse
Ruse's city hall is a hulking brutalist building from the mid-1980s and typical of communist-era public architecture. Local residents sometimes refer to…
Must-see attractions in Eastern Europe
Martyr-Heroes of the December 1989 Revolution Cemetery
Bucharest
Going west from the southern end of Carol I Park, near metro Eroii Revoluţiei, the road curves past this cemetery, where many of the 1000 victims of the…
Zagreb
The park at the northern end of Opatovina is brightened up by this 30m long mural of a sleeping Gulliver, tied up by the Lilliputians, on its eastern wall…
Bulgaria
This romantic park on Shumen’s western edge has walking trails in the shade of sycamore and maple trees. You’ll see and hear the humming of the city’s…
Belarus
Built between 1584 and 1593 in early Italian baroque style, this Roman Catholic church features a splendidly proportioned facade and, inside, brilliantly…
Our-Lady-of-Mercy Church-Fortress
Hvar Island
From the outside Our-Lady-of-Mercy is very much a castle, with only the cross and three bells at the top marking it out as a church. It was fortified in…
Minsk
Market buffs should not miss Minsk's air-hangar-like main market, one of Minsk's collectivist masterpieces. It's a colourful smorgasbord of seasonal (and…
Plovdiv
This butterscotch-coloured 1863 mansion has a leafy courtyard and a marble fountain. Its interior design showcases the European classical and baroque…
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
As Lenin statues go (and there are still around 1800 in Russia still standing), this is an impressive one, with the revolutionary leader in a dramatic…
St Petersburg
Marked by four domed, stone pavilions at each of its corners, this attractive draw bridge is one of the last examples in the city of what used to be a far…
Sveti Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church
Varna
This elegant church was built in 1842 and features a barrelled wooden ceiling and a wonderful collection of naive icons. It’s normally closed, but the…
Dzūkija National Park Ethnographic Homestead
Lithuania
Housed in an early-20th-century homestead, this exposition explores the everyday life, traditions and material culture of Dzūkian people. There are great…
Kaunas
Maironis was the pen name of Kaunas priest and poet Jonas Mačiulis (1862–1932) whose writings helped to awaken the country’s nationalist longings in the…
Western Siberia
To the right of Selskhoz Academy (Сельсхоз Академия), this monument is dedicated to locals who died during battles against the Western-backed White Army…
Vilnius
The Great Synagogue of Vilna, built in the 1630s on the site of an earlier synagogue, was destroyed by the Soviets in the 1950s, after the Nazis had a go…
Kaunas
The Field of Sacrifice – a name engraved on paving slabs in front of the City Garden – is a tragic tribute to the 19-year-old Kaunas hero Romas Kalanta,…
Wallachia
Not far from the Museum of Oil, you’ll find the decent History & Archaeology Museum. Housed in a former girls’ school dating from 1865, it has a room…
Belarus
This twin-spired beauty is a 2009 reconstruction of an 18th-century baroque church and features gorgeous interior frescoes. It lies at the base of vul…
Pakleni Islands
The largest of the Pakleni Islands by far, Sveti Klement supports three villages in its 5 sq km. Palmižana is set on a beautiful horseshoe bay, with a…
Latvia
The small stone memorial commemorates poor Maija Roze, otherwise known as the Rose of Turaida – a character in Sigulda's romantic legend.
Sarajevo
Originally built in 1899 as an evangelical church, this riverfront academy resembles a mini version of Budapest's magnificent national parliament building…
Bulgaria
At the northern end of ul Angel Kânchev, off the roundabout, stands Sveti Georgi Church (completed in 1852). A pale yellow bell tower tops its stone frame…
Braşov
The old City Hall houses the two-floor, by-the-numbers Braşov Historical Museum, in which the region's history from Roman times via medieval military…
Western Siberia
Built in 1887 for the 300th anniversary of the founding of Tobolsk, the Gubernsky Museum has displays on the history of Tobolsk, a hugely impressive and…
Northern Dalmatia
With your own car you can easily drive to the fishing village of Kali, south of Preko, where the nearby islet of Ošljak is covered with pine and cypress…
Museum Complex of Pancho Vladigerov
Bulgaria
One of several National Revival and early 20th-century baroque houses dotted along ul Tsar Osvoboditel's cobblestoned western section, this house-museum…
Moscow
Out front of St Basil’s Cathedral is a statue of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, one a butcher and the other a prince, who together raised and led the…
Osor Archaeological Collection
Cres Island
On the main square in the 15th-century town hall, this outpost of the Lošinj Museum contains a collection of stone fragments, reliefs, ceramics and…
Bulgaria
Built on the grid of an ancient Roman city, Stara Zagora has yielded some amazing discoveries. One of the most impressive is a 4th- to 5th-century…
Zadar
This impressive museum in a Benedictine convent boasts a fine collection of reliquaries, sculpture, embroidery and paintings. Of particular note are works…
Latvia
Built in 1875 out of cast iron, this 21m-tall lighthouse stands over a popular beach that mixes gravel patches with white sand and dunes. The views of the…
Kaunas
This untitled installation by Giny Vos, unveiled in 2018, is a memorial to the Dutch diplomat Jan Zwartendijk, who saved thousands of Jewish lives during…
Western Siberia
Lovers Bridge is a local landmark covered in appropriately romantic graffiti and a ridiculous amount of padlocks symbolising ever lasting love…
Trogir
This 15th-century building beside the cathedral has a Gothic courtyard decorated with coats of arms, a monumental staircase and a well carved with the…
Transylvania
Out-of-sight Michael the Brave Church, brought to Alba Iulia in 1992 from Maramureş, stands on the site of a former Metropolitan cathedral built by Mihai…
Lake Skadar National Park
Moračnik island's monastery dates from at least the early 15th century. Its small domed stone church dedicated to the Holy Virgin is watched over by a…
Gjirokastra
The 'Neck of the Bazaar' makes up the centre of the Old Town but what were once artisanal workshops are today mainly tourist souvenir shops. There are a…
Black Sea Coast
This modest, single-nave church was built in 1609, below ground level, as dictated by the Ottoman authorities of the time. It features some well-preserved…
Lithuania
This well-maintained wooden prayer house, with its interior dome, is a rare surviving example of Karaite architecture. Arrange a visit at the Karaite…
Lithuania
Special exhibitions shine a spotlight on Lithuania's contemporary photography talent, while the gallery's permanent collection features photography from…
