TIME magazine recently published a sprawling list of quirky, unusual and cool new places to stay and visit across the world, with hotels, cruise ships, national parks, beaches and landmarks from Asia to South America all making the cut.
But if you reside in Europe you’re in luck, as a quarter of them are located somewhere on the continent. Yes, a quarter.
In the ‘places to stay’ category is the Matca Hotel, a hilltop stay in Romania’s Brasov County with sweeping views of Bucegi and Piatra Craiului Mountains. It’s named after the Romanian word for queen bee – a symbol for wealth and luck – and opened back in January 2024.
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Why stay here? Well, have you ever considered hay-bathing? TIME describes it as a ‘full-body experience that involves being wrapped in warm, moist hay – in a tiny, wooden hut, and swimming with an awe-inspiring view in the spa’s pool.’ Sounds strangely lush, right?
On the ‘places to visit’ portion of the list is Trosten, a sustainably built floating sauna bobbing around in Oslo. It’s been designed to accommodate wheelchair users and others with mobility impairments and is made from hydro-recycled aluminium scrap and terrazzo tiles. Even when the fjord is frozen over, sauna-goers are taking a cold plunge before warming up.
Elsewhere on the roundups are some brand-new cruises in Greenland, Scotland’s ancient Flow Country, a dazzling new Rome hotel Palazzo Talìa and Warsaw’s shiny new Museum of Modern Art.
The best places to stay in Europe, according to TIME
- HX Grand Greenland, Nuuk, Greenland
- L’Observatoire, Europe
- Alpeta Agrotourism & Winery, Roshnik, Albania
- The Brecon, Adelboden, Switzerland
- Corendon Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Hotel, Badhoevedorp, Netherlands
- Hôtel de la Plage, Cap Ferret, France
- Eriro, Ehrwald, Austria
- Maxx Royal Bodrum, Bodrum, Türkiye
- Tiny Seaside Resorts, Southern Jutland, Denmark
- Palazzo Talìa, Rome, Italy
- AKI Family Resort Plose, South Tyrol, Italy
- Matca Hotel, Simon, Romania
- La Divina, Athens, Greece
- Hotel Baskuca, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The best places to visit, according to TIME
- Stockholm Archipelago Trail, Stockholm, Sweden
- Nicolas Ruinart Pavilion, Reims, France
- The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Notre Dame, Paris, France
- Trosten, Oslo, Norway
- Pas Mus, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Royal Palace of Aigai, Vergina, Greece
- Palazzo Citterio, Milan, Italy
- La Almazara, Ronda, Spain
- The Flow Country, Caithness and Sutherland, Scotland
- Port Ellen, Islay, Scotland
Did you see that one of the biggest Caravaggio shows in history is on in Rome until July?
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