The style is characterized by raw, exposed concrete and bold geometric forms. You've certainly seen it before in many cultural and civic buildings built between the 1950s and '70s. With countless examples spanning countries and continents, the look has both historical significance and remains popular-particularly in residential design-today.
Luxembourg City takes first place with 18.15 percent of reviews mentioning 'beautiful.' Travelers often highlight its clean streets and strong mix of old and modern areas. Even though the capital is small, people seem to appreciate how easy it is to walk around.
Alexandra Timpau + 14 Category: Residential Architecture, Houses Design Team: Cyril Pederencino, Dominika Cizmarova Technical Team: Jakub Killnar, Vaclav Losik Office Lead Architects: Jan Mackovic General Contractor: Rembrandt Homebuilders More SpecsLess Specs Alexandra Timpau Text description provided by the architects. Soft southern light and a carefully considered site
The most recent final resting place for 91 members of the family is Berlin Cathedral's crypt, which opens to the public this weekend after a €29m, six-year renovation. Sonja Tubbesing, the cathedral official responsible, describes it as the church's biggest building project since its post-war reconstruction.
We didn't have any specific guidelines; rather, there was complete trust and a lot of fun. Since they're my friends, we understood each other very well. That creative freedom led to a complete transformation of the small apartment, which is in a modernist townhouse from the 1930s.
I just couldn't live in one of those bland houses, but I didn't have a plan for the interior design here. I simply love colour and I wanted to make the house feel warm and vibrant. The trend for grey and black, or beige and white interiors, has led to a plethora of samey-themed rooms that can look dreary, lack personality, and are unlikely to age well.
Travelers often overlook tiny European countries, but, as I discovered on a recent trip to Luxembourg-Europe's seventh-smallest nation, with a population of just 699,000-there's much to discover in these hidden gems. Last summer, I visited my aunt, who has lived in Europe for over 20 years, with stints in Paris, Vienna, Zug, Switzerland, and now, Luxembourg. We spent three days touring the historic city nestled between Belgium, Germany, and France. It's built on a rocky plateau overlooking deep gorges, a sweeping canyon, and surrounding countryside.
Whether it is Scandinavian innovation, a handmade rope crossing in the Peruvian Andes, or a skyline-defining landmark in a global city, the world would look very different without bridges. For centuries, people have found ways to span rivers, valleys, and rainforests, sometimes working with nature itself to create structures that feel as much like art as engineering. There are millions of bridges across the planet and countless candidates for any best-of list.
On the southern edge of Vienna, a cluster of monumental terraces rises above the cityscape, their stepped balconies cascading with greenery and their rooftops crowned with swimming pools. This is the Wohnpark Alterlaa, one of the most ambitious social housing projects in postwar Europe. Designed by Austrian architect Harry Glück and built between 1973 and 1985, the complex was founded on a provocative principle: municipal housing should not only provide affordable shelter but also offer the pleasures and amenities usually reserved for the wealthy.
Paris has long been considered the ultimate symbol of European beauty, romance, and culture. However, younger retirees, digital nomads, and lifestyle seekers are increasingly discovering that many smaller European towns offer equal or greater charm without the high costs and crowds. These destinations provide historic architecture, walkable streets, vibrant local culture, and stunning natural surroundings, often at a fraction of the price associated with major capitals. From coastal villages to medieval hill towns, Europe offers countless alternatives that feel authentic, relaxed, and deeply rewarding.
If you're an art deco architecture geek, you'll no doubt know all about Ibex House. The shimmering pale office building, which you'll find on the east side of the Minories in the City, is renowned for its long streamline moderne curves and mesmerising black-framed windows. The vast H-shaped structure is Grade II-listed and one of London's most remarkable surviving art deco buildings.
Set within a large agricultural garden in a coastal village near Lezhë, Albania, Red House by Pacarizi Studio explores how a single-family dwelling can respond to changing social structures, climatic conditions, and local building cultures. Designed by Gezim Pacarizi, the 350-square-meter home is organized around an open, partially covered courtyard with a pool at its center. The project approaches domestic architecture as a sequence of perceptual experiences shaped by light, movement, and framing, an idea articulated by the architects themselves. 'What you see through a window can be a landscape, a tree, or architecture itself,' they note.
It's hard to name the best cities in Europe-there are so many great bustling hubs (not to mention charming small towns) spread across a relatively small continent, making it more a question of what you're looking for. Sure, some travelers just beeline to the best-known landmarks, eager for the chance to cross Rome's Colosseum or Paris's Eiffel Tower off their list. But we're in favor of taking a step back and asking yourself what you're most interested in.
Europe has never been short on spectacle. Yet beyond the headline cities and endlessly recycled itineraries lies a quieter, deeper continent; one that's best encountered through patience and a willingness to detour from the obvious itinerary. Our 7 wonders of Europe for 2026 in Europe are not places that beg for attention. Instead, they reward those prepared to explore more than a few miles from the nearest airport and linger a little longer than planned.
Sometimes it's fun to step out of our comfort zones and pick an accommodation that's a total contrast from our own homes. These colourful Airbnbs are all one-of-a-kind and operate on their own palette to create character and dimension. From the furniture to the light fixtures, colours can be found everywhere; electric oranges, deep reds, pastel yellows, and the boldest of blues. These unique spaces are made for themed trips, Instagrammable moments, and to help you find your creative spark.
Take one eyebrow-raising look at Vienna and you might think staying here would be seriously pricey. But beyond the city's whirl of imperial palaces, monumental boulevards, big-hitter art galleries and five-star splendour, you'll find a flurry of hotels offering next-gen affordable luxury - many with impeccable green credentials. I've been treading the back alleys of the Austrian capital for two decades and there are plenty of hotels where you can snag a bargain without sacrificing style.
There are several reasons Hallstatt, a hamlet in Austria's Salzkammergut region, is one of the most-visited destinations in the country. For many travelers, its storybook appearance is the primary draw. "This postcard-worthy destination...delights with its colorful houses, a historic market square, the country's largest bone house, and a 7,000-year-old salt mine that is still active today and fun to tour," says Michaela Muhr, an Austrian guide with ToursByLocals.
PORT's building in Dobrzeń Mały reflects the re-emergence of viticulture in through a compact architectural structure designed to support wine production and storage. Positioned within rows of cultivated vines, the building is conceived as a restrained and functional volume informed by local agricultural typologies of the Opole region while addressing contemporary production requirements. The architecture consolidates multiple functions, including storage, warehousing, and small-scale wine production, within a single structure.
Fiona Twycross, the heritage minister, is to be congratulated for finally giving London's Southbank Centre Grade II listing (Campaigners welcome long overdue' listing of brutalist Southbank Centre, 10 February). I remember being shocked when I first saw it in the 1960s, but it has become a remarkable symbol of the zeitgeist. Its grey concrete and its childlike composition together express the fatalism and despair of a nation in economic and political decline.
According to the jury chaired by Smiljan Radić, the finalist projects are exemplary contributions to the future of European architecture, demonstrating how the discipline can respond simultaneously to specific local conditions and broader social, cultural, and environmental challenges. The selected works range from interventions in former industrial sites, small villages, and peripheral urban areas to carefully calibrated projects within larger cities.