Spending a night in ice and snow is possible in the far north of Europe. The "Icehotel" in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, was built back in 1989, making it the first of its kind ― and therefore part of our "Extreme Places" series.
An airport on the beach
Flying to the Scottish island of Barra, you ll experience something unique in Europe: a landing directly by the sea. The flight schedule is based on the tides. Find out more in part 7 of our series Extreme Places .
The airport on the Scottish island of Barra
Baggage chaos, long queues at check-in, and endless security procedures – travellers struggle with these problems at most of the world s airports at least in normal times beyond a pandemic. This is not the case in Barra, however. Things are a whole lot more sedate at this small Scottish island s airport, as the staff here only have around 8,000 passengers a year to process. The pilots, on the other hand, face a very specific challenge when flying into Barra, as the airport is on the beach; or more precisely, the beach
Exploring the eternal ice
In winter, Iceland is transformed into a world of ice and snow. Visitors can explore Europe s biggest and most formidable glacier here: Vatnajökull. A frontier experience and part III of our Extreme Places series.
Eternal ice on the Vatnajökul glacier in Iceland offers exciting scenery
Warm jackets, gloves and hiking boots with ice crampons are part of the basic equipment for a tour on Vatnajökull. And a camera because if you re out and about on the eternal ice of Iceland, you ll see spectacular scenery every few meters.
From gigantic glacier ridges and lagoons full of swimming icebergs to waterfalls fed by meltwater, the dramatic landscape, which glows in shades from radiant white to azure blue, seems almost magical.
In the realm of the polar bear
Halfway between the Norwegian mainland and the North Pole lies Longyearbyen. The small settlement on Spitsbergen is the northernmost in Europe and our part six of the series Extreme Places.
Beware polar bears! This is a warning sign that should be taken seriously at all times
Beware: polar bears! When you approach the edge of Longyearbyen, this stark warning leaps out from official signposts. And it is no joke: On the archipelago surrounding the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, there are many more polar bears than people. For safety reasons, tourists are only allowed to leave the town accompanied by an armed guide.