Spiritual Travel and Pilgrimage in Europe
62 sacred sites across 23 countries, for every faith and for curious travelers.
This guide lists 62 sacred sites in Europe , connected to 25 spiritual traditions: Christianity, Prehistoric Religion, Druidry, Islam, Ancient Greek Religion, Hellenism, Ancient Celtic Religion, Old Norse Religion and more. 42 of them belong to UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 20 are archaeological sanctuaries of ancient faiths. Each guide covers history, what to see, dress code, opening hours and the best time to visit.
Sacred sites in Europe
Acropolis and Parthenon, Athens
Visit the Acropolis of Athens and the Parthenon, the marble temple of Athena Parthenos and the most celebrated sacred site of ancient Greek religion.
Ancient Olympia, Sanctuary of Zeus
Visit ancient Olympia in the Peloponnese, sanctuary of Zeus and birthplace of the Olympic Games, where athletic contests were acts of worship.
Avebury Henge and Stone Circles
Wander through Avebury, the largest stone circle in Britain, a Neolithic sacred landscape in Wiltshire where Druids still gather for seasonal rites.
Bahá'í House of Worship, Langenhain
Visit the Bahá'í House of Worship in Langenhain near Frankfurt, Europe's Bahá'í Mother Temple, a domed house of prayer open to people of all faiths.
Basílica de la Sagrada Família
Explore Gaudí's Sagrada Família in Barcelona, a still unfinished basilica whose forest-like nave and story-filled facades draw visitors worldwide.
Basilica of San Clemente and its Mithraeum
Descend beneath Rome's Basilica of San Clemente to a 2nd century Mithraeum, a layered sacred site of Mithraism and early Christianity.
Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi
Make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi, the Umbrian hill church holding the tomb of St. Francis and Giotto school frescoes.
Bhaktivedanta Manor
Visit Bhaktivedanta Manor near Watford, the Hare Krishna temple donated by George Harrison and one of Britain's most visited Hindu pilgrimage sites.
Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James)
Walk the Camino de Santiago, Europe's best loved pilgrimage route, from the Pyrenees across northern Spain to the apostle's tomb in Galicia.
Canterbury Cathedral
Visit Canterbury Cathedral, mother church of the Anglican Communion and site of Thomas Becket's martyrdom, a pilgrimage goal since Chaucer's day.
Cape Arkona and Jaromarsburg
Visit Cape Arkona on the island of Rügen, site of the last great temple of the Slavic god Svantevit, destroyed in 1168 and honored by modern Rodnovers.
Carnac Stones
Walk among the Carnac stones in Brittany, thousands of Neolithic standing stones in long alignments, one of Europe's great prehistoric sacred sites.
Chartres Cathedral
Visit Chartres Cathedral, a High Gothic Marian pilgrimage church famed for its medieval stained glass, its labyrinth and the Veil of the Virgin.
Château de Montségur
Climb to Montségur in the French Pyrenees, the last great Cathar stronghold, where more than 200 Cathar believers were burned in 1244.
Cologne Cathedral
Visit Cologne Cathedral, the soaring Gothic church on the Rhine built to house the Shrine of the Three Kings, a pilgrimage goal since the Middle Ages.
Croagh Patrick
Climb Croagh Patrick, Ireland's holy mountain in County Mayo where St. Patrick fasted for forty days, on the Reek Sunday pilgrimage or any clear day.
Dohány Street Synagogue, Budapest
Visit the Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest, Europe's largest synagogue, a Moorish Revival landmark with a Holocaust memorial garden.
Etruscan Necropolis of Tarquinia (Monterozzi)
Explore the painted Etruscan tombs of Tarquinia's Monterozzi necropolis, revealing Etruscan beliefs about banquets, dance and the afterlife.
Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala)
Visit Gamla Uppsala in Sweden, royal burial mounds and site of the famed pagan temple of Thor, Odin and Freyr, a key place for Norse heritage travel.
Glastonbury Tor
Climb Glastonbury Tor in Somerset, the terraced hill crowned by St. Michael's tower, sacred to Christians, Druids and Wiccans and linked to Avalon.
Ħaġar Qim Temples, Malta
Visit Ħaġar Qim on Malta, a megalithic temple older than Stonehenge, part of a Neolithic sacred tradition known for its corpulent figurines.
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was for centuries the greatest church of Christendom, later a mosque and museum. Today it is a mosque open to visitors.
Hill of Crosses
Visit the Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai, Lithuania, a pilgrimage mound covered with over 100,000 crosses, a symbol of faith and national resistance.
Hill of Tara
Explore the Hill of Tara, ancient seat of the High Kings of Ireland and a sacred landscape of Celtic myth, with the Stone of Destiny and a Neolithic tomb.
Iona Abbey
Travel to Iona Abbey in the Scottish Hebrides, where St. Columba founded a monastery in 563, now a place of pilgrimage, prayer and ecumenical retreat.
Jasna Góra Monastery, Częstochowa
Make a pilgrimage to Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, Poland's holiest shrine and home of the Black Madonna icon, visited by millions every year.
Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church
Visit the Jelling stones in Denmark, 10th century runestones and royal mounds marking the shift from Norse religion to Christianity, a key heritage site.
Kernavė Archaeological Site
Visit Kernavė in Lithuania, a medieval capital of five hillforts above the Neris valley, tied to Baltic pagan heritage and the Romuva revival.
Kizhi Pogost
Learn about Kizhi Pogost on Lake Onega, two wooden Orthodox churches and a bell tower built without nails, a masterpiece of Russian sacred architecture.
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
Learn about Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, the Monastery of the Caves above the Dnipro, founded in 1051 and a cradle of Orthodox monastic pilgrimage.
Lejre, Seat of the Skjöldung Kings
Explore Lejre on Zealand, legendary seat of the Skjöldung kings and a Viking cult site of great halls and ship settings, ideal for Norse heritage trips.
Lindisfarne (Holy Island)
Walk the tidal causeway to Lindisfarne, the Holy Island of Aidan and Cuthbert, a cradle of Celtic Christianity and site of the Lindisfarne Gospels.
Medjugorje
Plan a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in Herzegovina, where six young people reported Marian apparitions in 1981, now a busy Catholic place of prayer.
Monasteries of Meteora
Visit the Meteora monasteries in Thessaly, Orthodox communities perched atop sandstone pillars, among the most dramatic sacred sites in Europe.
Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey
Cross the tidal flats to Mont-Saint-Michel, the Norman island abbey of the Archangel Michael, a medieval pilgrimage goal rising from the sea.
Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba
Visit the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, a forest of red and white arches from Umayyad al-Andalus with a Renaissance cathedral built at its heart.
Mount Athos
Learn how to make a pilgrimage to Mount Athos, Greece's self-governing Holy Mountain of twenty Orthodox monasteries, open to male visitors by permit.
Newgrange
Visit Newgrange in Ireland's Boyne Valley, a 5,000 year old passage tomb whose chamber is lit by the winter solstice sunrise, a Neolithic sacred site.
Notre-Dame de Paris
Visit Notre-Dame de Paris, the Gothic cathedral on the Île de la Cité, reopened after the 2019 fire with its rose windows and Crown of Thorns relic.
Old New Synagogue, Prague
Visit Prague's Old New Synagogue, Europe's oldest active synagogue, a Gothic house of prayer linked to Rabbi Loew and the legend of the Golem.
Palace of Knossos
Explore the Palace of Knossos on Crete, ceremonial center of Minoan religion, with its throne room, bull frescoes and the legend of the Labyrinth.
Pantheon, Rome
Visit the Pantheon in Rome, a Roman temple to all the gods turned Christian church, with the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome and its oculus.
Rila Monastery
Visit Rila Monastery in the Rila Mountains, Bulgaria's greatest Orthodox monastery and pilgrimage site, famed for its striped arcades and frescoes.
Saint Basil's Cathedral, Moscow
Learn about Saint Basil's Cathedral on Red Square, Moscow, with its colorful onion domes, built for Ivan the Terrible and named for a holy fool.
Sanctuary of Apollo, Delphi
Visit ancient Delphi on Mount Parnassus, home of Apollo's oracle and the navel of the Greek world, a sacred site still honored by modern Hellenists.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima
Visit the Sanctuary of Fátima in central Portugal, where three shepherd children reported Marian apparitions in 1917, a major Catholic pilgrimage.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
Plan a pilgrimage to Lourdes, the Pyrenean Marian shrine where Bernadette saw the Virgin in 1858, known for its grotto, baths and candle processions.
Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey
Ride up to Montserrat Abbey near Barcelona to venerate the Black Madonna, hear the boys' choir and hike among the saw-toothed sacred peaks.
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
Reach Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, the goal of the Camino pilgrimage, to embrace the apostle's statue and see the giant botafumeiro censer swing.
Sistine Chapel, Vatican City
Plan a visit to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums, home of Michelangelo's ceiling and Last Judgment and the room where popes are elected.
Skellig Michael
Visit Skellig Michael off County Kerry, a dramatic island where early Irish monks built beehive cells on a sea crag, a remote pilgrimage of ascetic faith.
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Visit St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the great Renaissance church raised over the tomb of the Apostle Peter and a focus of Catholic pilgrimage.
Stonehenge
Visit Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain, the prehistoric stone circle aligned to the solstice sun and a gathering place for modern Druid celebrations.
Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul
Visit the Süleymaniye Mosque on Istanbul's European side, Mimar Sinan's Ottoman masterpiece and the tomb of Suleiman the Magnificent.
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), Istanbul
Visit the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque, with six minarets and Iznik tiles. A working mosque open to respectful visitors.
Tomb of Allan Kardec, Père Lachaise Cemetery
Visit Allan Kardec's dolmen tomb in Paris's Père Lachaise Cemetery, the most visited grave for Spiritists worldwide and a quiet pilgrimage site.
Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Sergiev Posad
Learn about the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius in Sergiev Posad, the spiritual center of Russian Orthodoxy and a major Golden Ring pilgrimage site.
Ukko-Koli Hill, Koli National Park
Visit Koli in North Karelia, whose summit Ukko-Koli is named for the Finnic sky god Ukko, a sacred hill with famous views for nature and heritage travel.
Ukonsaari Island, Lake Inari
Cruise Lake Inari to Ukonsaari, a rocky island sacred to the Inari Sámi as a sieidi offering place, one of Lapland's most respected sacred sites.
Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii
Visit the Villa of the Mysteries at Pompeii, whose vivid frescoes depict a Dionysian initiation rite, a rare window into Roman mystery religion.
Voroneț Monastery, Painted Churches of Bukovina
Visit Voroneț, jewel of Bukovina's painted monasteries in Romania, whose exterior frescoes in vivid Voroneț blue tell biblical stories in the open air.
Westminster Abbey
Visit Westminster Abbey in London, coronation church of English monarchs and shrine of Edward the Confessor, with royal tombs and Poets' Corner.