The 10 Best Panoramic Views of European Ciities + Where to Find Them

August 23, 2023

The 10 BEST Panoramic Views of European Cities (+ Where to Find Them!)

Sara Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Europe, France, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Travel, Travel Inspiration Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dubrovnik, Edinburgh, Florence, France, Iceland, Innsbruck, Italy, Panoramic Views, Paris, Porto, Portugal, Prague, Prague Castle, Reykjavik, Salzburg, Scotland, Strasbourg, Things to do in Dubrovnik, Things to do in Edinburgh, things to do in Paris, Things to do in Strasbourg, Travel Photography 0 Comments

I’m a firm believer that cities are best viewed by all angles. Every time I visit a new city, I love to wander around and roam the streets and explore what the city has to offer (and, of course, people watching). But I also love viewing it from above. There’s something about seeing all of the buildings and colors from overhead that give you a whole new perspective of a place. European cities in particular are even more beautiful from a panoramic bird’s-eye view, with their winding webs of streets and beautiful old buildings. So that’s why I had to share the best panoramic views of European cities that I’ve seen to date!

Whether it’s climbing flights of stairs, hiking up a hill, or taking a cable car, I always try to find some way to see a city from above if at all possible. It clears my head and shows a city in a whole new way. Plus, aerial views are always so damn pretty (even though pictures never really seem to do them justice).

Sure, climbing up stairs or a mountain is killer (I will NEVER forget my throbbing calves after climbing to the top of the Notre Dame in Paris), but the breathtaking views from above are ALWAYS worth the trek in the end. I have yet to regret making my way up steep stairs or a steep hill for a panoramic view of a city. And sometimes, you’ll even get lucky and realise a city has a cable car or funicular, meaning you don’t have to do any physical exertion to get some amazing views!

Here are some of my favorite panoramic and aerial views of cities around Europe, and how to see them for yourself!

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August 14, 2023

Postcards from Porto, Portugal: A Photo Diary

Sara Europe, Photo Diaries, Photography, Portugal Porto, Porto photos, Portugal, Portugal photography, things to do in Porto 0 Comments

Welcome to my lil photo diary of postcards from Porto, Portugal!

Although I’ve been to Lisbon a few times and consider it one of my favorite cities in Europe, up until recently that was the only place I had ever been to in Portugal. But, I recently visited Porto and loved it. I loved it SO MUCH. I couldn’t believe it was only my first time there, or that it had never even been on my radar before. Like… what!? Well let me tell you, I definitely underestimated Porto! It’s the second-largest city in Portugal, home of Port wine (which is absolutely DELISH, but more on that later), and it’s honestly one of the most photogenic places I’ve ever been. The “old town” is so amazing that it’s actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site!

Even though I didn’t love Porto in a “I could see myself living here sort of way” like I did with Lisbon, there was definitely something really special about the city and surrounding region. I found it captivating and ended up taking so many photos of Porto because I was just in awe of how beautiful the city was. I thought I’d share a few photos I took, because a lot of them look like they could be postcards!

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April 12, 2016

Top 5 Things to do in Lisbon (if you’ve never been)

Sara Europe, Portugal, Travel, Travel Advice feira da ladra, lisbon in 2 days, Lisbon on a budget, mercado da ribeira, Portugal, things to do in Lisbon 12 Comments

I haven’t thrown together one of these “Top 5” lists in a while, but I’ve got Portugal so much on the brain lately so I figured now’s the time to share what you should do in Lisbon, ESPECIALLY if you’ve never been!

Lisbon was one of my favorite stops on my last Europe trip. After a month traveling through Europe, Lisbon was our last stop. And I was frickin’ exhausted by the time we arrived. But, when I got to Lisbon I was immediately revitalized by the city’s vibrant culture and bright, sunny landscape.

After visiting Lisbon, I’ve come to realize that Portugal may just be one of Europe’s most underrated countries. It’s pretty cheap, there’s so much to do, and it’s obviously beautiful. Lisbon specifically is such a feast for the senses.

Although I wasn’t in Lisbon for long, I managed to do some amazing things! So if you’re ever in Lisbon and have absolutely no idea where to begin, or if you only have a short time there and want to make the most of it, here are my recommendations of the Top 5 things to do in Lisbon, Portugal!

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November 10, 2015

Lisbon and the 5 Senses

Sara Europe, Portugal Portugal, things to do in Portugal 9 Comments

Ah, Lisbon, Portugal. To me, this place is extremely underrated and was actually my favorite stop during my Europe trip last summer. It was a last-minute addition to the trip, and the last stop, but oh my goodness was it worth it!

Not only was it the cheapest city (that uses the Euro) that I visited, but there was SO much to do there and it was absolutely gorgeous! I wish we could’ve spent about a week more there, but it just gives me an excuse to go back.

I’ve decided instead of doing a typical “5 things to do in (insert city name here)” list, I would make my list a little different by breaking it up into the 5 senses. Lisbon is definitely a lively, beautiful, bustling, unique place, and really is a feast for all of the senses!

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July 21, 2015

Nos Alive Music Festival in Lisbon, Portugal

Sara Europe, Gigs + Festivals, Portugal 2014, European music festivals, Festivals, Lisbon, Nos Alive, Portugal 12 Comments

I’ve mentioned before in a few posts how much I adore Lisbon. I absolutely fell in love with it when I visited last summer and am already dying to go back!

There is SO much to see and do in Lisbon (check out this post) and I could go on and on about recommendations! But when we went, there just so happened to be a major music festival happening. So (OF COURSE) we had to go for a day! So just a few short weeks after having an amazing day at the Isle of Wight music festival in England, our last stop in Lisbon was to see my favorite band (which is the Arctic Monkeys FYI) headline NOS Alive music festival 2014, right outside of Lisbon city centre!

With this year’s NOS Alive having been recently, I’ve been reminiscing on my time there last year!

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March 17, 2015

The Mystical, Magical, Marvelous Quinta da Regaleira

Sara Europe, Portugal Lisbon day trip, Portugal, Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra, things to do in Portugal 12 Comments

Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal – the perfect day trip from Lisbon!

The Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal is the most magical, perfect day trip from Lisbon.

I mean, this place has everything. A palace with velvet walls, lush gardens, hidden caves, grottoes, statues, AN INVERTED TOWER. (Someone PLEASE tell me they read that in Stefon’s voice. Anyone? Please?)

What I’m saying is…you need to go. OK? Ok great. Now, onto the more formal breakdown…

When leaving Lisbon, Portugal to visit nearby Sintra one afternoon, we decided on a whim to visit the Quinta da Regailera. This Gothic palace and chapel is located in the historic area of Sintra and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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December 15, 2014

Winter in Portugal

Sara Europe, Photo Diaries, Photography, Portugal Azores Islands, Collette Tours, Lisbon, Portugal, Sintra, travel photos 5 Comments

My mom recently went on a Winter trip to Portugal with one of her good friends through Collette tours. I was super excited for her. Not only because Lisbon was one of my favorite cities I visited this summer, but also because she hadn’t been to Europe since she was a little girl. I wanted her to have an incredible experience in a different culture.

She came back a couple of weeks ago with tons of pictures and stories from her travels to Lisbon and surrounding areas, the Azores Islands, and Barcelona. She had an absolutely amazing time!! I can’t wait to get stories from her. For now I just wanted to share some of her photos of winter in Portugal! Looks pretty gorgeous, if you ask me!

And I have to say, I’m very proud and impressed with my mom. She’s not much of a photographer, but she took some pretty beautiful photos on her trip!

Although Portugal is normally viewed as a sunny destination and is more popular in the summer, these photos have me convinced it would be great to visit in the winter, too! Probably less crowded, less hot, and just as gorgeous as always. It’s probably cheaper to visit Portugal in the winter, too!