With explosions of color and soft floral aromas, spring in Europe is a festival for the senses. There is a long list of options when it comes to celebrating this season of rebirth—some well-known, others off the beaten path. Here are some of our favorites. The Patios Festival in Cordoba, Spain For one week in…
Every ten years the Netherlands hosts a massive exposition on plants and flowers, a nod to its role at the international epicenter of all things green and blooming. Each decade’s show is a big deal, drawing visitors from around the world and appealing to horticultural professionals and the general public in equal measure. The next…
Alsace is a unique destination, one of France’s most picturesque corners. This region is so rich with history and so linked with its traditions, it feels like a bridge to Old World Europe. It also vibrates with color, and is one of France’s most photogenic corners. Wendell Rogers is a regular UnTourist who has traveled…
La Fiesta de los Patios da Cordoba, the Patios Festival, is a uniquely colorful tradition in Cordoba that dates back to 1918. So much of the city’s beauty is cultivated in the private courtyards of local people, who lovingly fill their outdoor spaces with layers of geraniums and other potted flowers. Many of these picturesque…
As spring merges into summer, gardens in much of Europe are at their most vibrant and colorful. Whether you seek out gardens as a main sight for your day or duck into them as a respite from sightseeing in built environments, it is hard not to fall in love with these lovingly cultivated spaces. They…
The gardens of impressionist painter Claude Monet are a must see for art lovers and gardeners alike. Monet fans will recognize many of its features and settings: the water garden with its lilies, the wisteria-covered Japanese bridge, and the tulip garden. Indeed, art enthusiasts may have an odd feeling of déjà vu here even on their…
Vienna has so much to offer for the culturally curious. Its museums are well worth your time and money, and a concert, a cafe, and some fine dining are a good use of your travel funds. But two of Vienna’s biggest draws, its gardens and its music, can be enjoyed for free. Be sure to…
Above: Tarot Gardens photo by s9-4pr, CC Interested in contemporary sculpture? Tuscany is a surprisingly furtile place for it! See how the shock of the new and surreal commune with the deep natural beauty of the Tuscan landscape. There are some fantastic sculpture gardens to explore near our farm house apartments on the Tuscany UnTour. Here…
UnTourists Jerry and Deena Koffler have traveled with us at least 18 times, sometimes taking more than one trip per year. They are worldly, curious, and up for adventures, whether they find themselves combining UnTours regions in a sampler or sailing off on far-flung adventures on an UnTours Venture. They recently shared their photos of…
Photographer David Hessell joined us on the Tuscany UnTour a few years ago and brilliantly captured the region in the full flush of late summer. As we face a cold and drab January, here are some of his beautiful images. We like to think of sunflowers as nature’s antidepressant, a perfect foil for the short,…