"Plitvice Lakes" in Croatia – one of the most beautiful national parks in Europe
Sarek (Sweden)
Since the Swedes founded the first national parks, Gazeta.ru suggests starting the overview with them. Visiting this park will be not just a wild vacation. Guides strongly advise not to bring children or faint-hearted adults. No marked trails, snack bars, or any other achievements of civilization – only 2000 square kilometers of completely untouched land with forests, glaciers, mountains, and waterfalls.
You must be an advanced traveler to manage even the shortest walk in such terrain. For those who are not so confident, there are organized tours with guides, but even there, every participant is required to have good physical fitness and hiking experience.
Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia)
The park received World Heritage status for a reason. This place is so beautiful that photos seem edited. The park has many rivers, and all of them have water of different shades due to different minerals dissolved in it. The park is so large that it has several microclimates at once.
Wild bears live here, which is quite unusual for Europe and quite dangerous for humans, so it's better not to embark on this adventure without a good guide.
Vatnajökull (Iceland)
Glaciers, ice mountains, glacial valleys, glacial caves – in short, ice in all its beauty and diversity. The journey can be as unforgettable as it is deadly if you have no experience in rock climbing or surviving at extremely low temperatures.
Nevertheless, you can find easier tours for beginners, and the impressions will be no less. This is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, and if global warming continues to intensify, it won't last long, so you should go.
Helvetinjärvi (Finland)
The name translates to "Hell's Lake", but it is beautiful there like paradise. The main advantage of this park is its accessibility. You can even travel through it in a wheelchair. No special preparation is required.
In short, there is no excuse not to go there. The only thing is that in summer, blood-sucking insects run rampant near the lake, so stock up on sprays and patience. This is no joke, it's still wild nature.
Bay of Orosei and Gennargentu (Italy)
Another park where you don't have to endure any particular hardships. It is very popular with climbers, but it is famous not for that, but for dozens of wild beaches where there is not a soul, not an umbrella, but the water is crystal clear and you can splash around in complete solitude.
I recommend travelers to rent a boat and sail from one magnificent beach to another stunning one. There is no particular reason to walk all this beauty on foot.
Berchtesgaden (Germany)
The park is on the border with Austria, and it is a paradise for climbers and sympathizers. The park has dozens of tiny lakes with clear water, which can only be reached by climbing a mountain. Snowy peaks and mountain valleys are well marked with trails of all difficulty levels, so even beginners can have a great and, importantly, safe time.
Nevertheless, this park is not Disneyland, do not expect any civilization. When going on a hike, you need to keep in mind that help – neither medical nor in the form of a burger – will reach you quickly. The place is wild.
Lake District (England)
English poetry of the 19th century emerged because creative English souls came here, precisely here, to get inspired by the views. Lakes, forests, absolutely fairytale nooks, and all this very close to people.
If you are traveling around Great Britain, be sure to set aside a couple of days to visit this park, you won't regret it. When people talk about the grandeur of English nature, they mean precisely these places. A few kilometers from the highway – and you are in Jane Austen's novels.
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park (Scotland)
Well, since we are in these parts, let's not forget the largest national park in Scotland. It is full of forests, lakes, and tiny bays. The places are very beautiful but wild. Without a guide, you risk getting lost, but no special preparation except moral is required.
Find yourself a good local guide, spend a few days in the park – and you will immediately understand why the Scots so fiercely want to secede and think they don't need anyone in the world. Live in this beauty, and you too won't need anyone in the world.