A Road Trip Through History: What Can We Learn From Visiting Europe?

From mystic caves that date back 20,000 years to magnificent castles and monuments, Europe is indeed a history enthusiast’s dream destination. Besides the region’s rich history, Europe hosts a diverse culture and heritage that can be felt by visiting historical sites, experiencing local festivals, and exploring museums. As the region has hundreds and thousands of historical sites portraying a distinct part of history, exploring each one’s history could take a lot of time. In this article, we will discuss the most influential places that showcase Europe’s history and take you on a trip through the timeline.

France

France is one of the most visited destinations in Europe. The capital city, Paris holds historical gems that reveal great historical details about the region. The city of Paris hosts mesmerizing architecture, has a lot of historical sites like ancient churches to explore, and neo-classical buildings that leave you stunned. Paris itself has nearly 1800 monuments and hundreds of museums that can unravel a lot about history. It might seem a bit harsh to mention one site but the Château de Versailles is a significant historical landmark in French history. The palace shows the extravagance, architecture, and grandeur of the past kings and queens that ruled over the region. The area was formerly used for hunting purposes until King Louis XIV took over and reworked it into a palace that shows his dominance. 

As mentioned earlier, the palace is of great historical importance as the last king and queen of France used to live there. It was their infamous lifestyle that completely changed the political scenario and kick-started the french revolution. You can visit orchids, acres of gardens, and various other attractions within the estate to explore. The palace is now used to display thousands of pieces of artwork that showcase around five centuries of French history. 

Ireland

Irish history starts from the Mesolithic Age and has numerous sites that are worth the visit. For starters, the Newgrange Monument is a prehistoric site that is even older than the pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge. Ireland hosts several castles that will take you through time and let you feel the grandeur, mesmerizing architecture, and amazing construction capabilities of the respective timelines. A notable mention includes the Dublin Castle that was built around the 13th century and was used by the viceroy of Ireland as an administrative building. Currently, the castle serves as a tourist attraction and is used by the Irish government for official purposes. Another medieval castle to visit is the Dunluce castle that was built by the 2nd Earl of Ulster along the coastal cliffs of Antrim. Each historical site in Ireland has a unique historical background, so do research a bit to check the sites that interest you the most. 

Bulgaria

Located in the southeast of Europe, Bulgaria embodies a vivid historical timeline, a diverse terrain, and a mix of different cultural influences from the Greeks, Turks, Slavic, and Persians. The Tsarvetes fortress is a site in Bulgaria that truly depicts the region’s history. The Bulgarian kingdom stood strong till the 11th century until they became a part of the Byzantine Empire after a series of wars held between the two empires. The period from the 11th to the 13th century was a golden period for the country as the region focused on literature, sophisticated construction, and celebrated art that had realism and depth to it. You can visit the fortress to experience a light show depicting the rise and fall of Bulgarian kingdoms in an entertaining manner. Nevertheless, there are a plethora of different places with a historical significance, like those you can explore during cheap holidays in Bulgaria, which you can visit to know more about their roots. 

Greece

This European country’s capital, Athens is one of the oldest cities mentioned throughout ancient history. The city was built on terrain with surrounding mountains and hills with a beautiful scenic view. Athens was the city where the idea of democracy was born and marked the origin of western civilization. The Acropolis of Athens is an important historical landmark that portrays Greek architecture at its best. The citadel houses various temples, theaters, and artifacts to explore. Before you plan a visit, remember that the site hosts very valuable archaeological findings that should not be missed if you want to experience the true gist of Greek civilization. 

The history of Europe is incredibly vast that cannot be summarized down to a few sentences. Still, we have tried to highlight some not-to-miss historical sites that will help you learn their history and the lessons that led to the fall of these civilizations. We hope that you find the above-mentioned information useful. Nevertheless, researching on your own is also useful as you will be focusing on the specific timelines that interest you the most.