Cyprus

Cyprus, an island in the eastern Mediterranean, has rich, turbulent history stretching back to antiquity. Known for its beaches, it has a rugged interior with wine-growing regions. It’s separated into a Greek south and Turkish north, with the capital Nicosia also divided. Coastal Paphos is famed for its archaeological sites relating to the cult of Aphrodite, including ruins of palaces, tombs and mosaic-adorned villas.

Finland

Finland is a Northern European nation bordering Sweden and Russia. Its capital, Helsinki, sits on a peninsula and coastal islands in the Baltic Sea, and is home to the 18th-century fortress Suomenlinna, the Seurasaari open-air museum and a neoclassical cathedral. The Northern Lights can be seen from its Arctic Lapland province, also home to the country’s main ski resorts. 

Poland

Poland is an eastern European country on the Baltic Sea known for its medieval architecture, Jewish heritage and hearty cuisine. In the city of Krakow, 14th-century Wawel Castle rises above the medieval Old Town, home to Cloth Hall, a Renaissance trading post in Rynek Glówny (market square). Nearby is the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp memorial, and Wieliczka Salt Mine, with tunnels to explore.

Estonia

Estonia, a country in Northern Europe, faces the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. Including more than 1,500 islands, its diverse terrain spans rocky beaches, old-growth forest and many lakes. Formerly part of the Soviet Union, it's dotted with castles, churches and hilltop fortresses. The capital, Tallinn, is known for its preserved Old Town, museums and the 314m-high Tallinn TV Tower’s observation deck.

Lithuania

Lithuania is a country and the southernmost of Europe’s Baltic states, a former Soviet bloc nation that borders Poland, Latvia and Belarus. Its capital, Vilnius, near the Belarus border, is known for its medieval Old Town, subsequent Gothic, Renaissance and baroque architecture, and its 18th-century cathedral. Hilltop Gediminas' Tower, a symbol of the city and the nation, offers sweeping views.

Indonesia

Indonesia, a Southeast Asian nation made up of thousands of volcanic islands, is home to hundreds of ethnic groups speaking many different languages. It’s is known for its beaches, volcanoes and jungles sheltering elephants, tigers and Komodo dragons. On the island of Java lies Indonesia's vibrant, sprawling capital, Jakarta, and the city of Yogyakarta, known for gamelan music and traditional puppetry.

Palmeral of Elche, Spain

The Palmeral of Elche, a landscape of groves of date palms, was formally laid out, with elaborate irrigation systems, at the time the Muslim city of Elche was erected, towards the end of the tenth century A.C., when much of the Iberian peninsula was Arab. The Palmeral is an oasis, a system for agrarian production in arid areas. It is also a unique example of Arab agricultural practices on the European continent. Cultivation of date palms in Elche is known at least since the Iberian times, dating around the fifth century B.C.