Dreaming of a train ride through stunning green landscapes and snow-capped mountain peaks? Join us for an evening watching some of the most picturesque train journeys through the Swiss, German, Italian, and the Austrian Alps.
Stop reading now if you can’t handle heights well. We’ve looked high and low all over Europe (mostly high) for the most terrifying – or fantastic, depending on your preference for deep abysses – and dangerous mountain roads. Now it’s time for you to watch some of Europe’s most challenging drives.
A via ferrata is a protected path in a mountainous area supported with wire ropes and other climbing aides. Via ferrata is Italian for “iron path”, and has its historical origins in the Alps centuries ago. Initially, the predecessors to via ferratas were used by shepherds to reach their higher pastures. In recent decades, via ferratas have gained in popularity with the climbing community and are today primarily used for sport and recreation. Although via ferratas have been developed in other countries around the world, the hardest and most extreme routes are still within the European Union. We’ve found 12 of them – Watch them all being climbed here!
Suspension bridges, also known as rope bridges, are an age-old bridge type. The bridge deck rests on two or more parallel cables that carry the entire bridge load. If you’ve ever crossed one, you’ll remember the feeling when the bridge’s deck moves under your feet as you walk. There’s everything from old wooden bridges to modern, architectural masterpieces with glass floors. You will find them all in this list of the world’s 28 most terrifying and dangerous suspension bridges. You can walk over them all – But should you?
Have you ever wondered how old the world’s oldest tree is – or city, restaurant, or country? We’ve found 12 things that are all the oldest in the world. Some of them will most probably surprise you.
A zip ride is not for the faint of heart nor those with a fear of heights as you’re literally flying through the air at speeds of up to 160 km/h, usually from the top of a mountain. A zipline can carry cargo or a person from the top to the bottom of a long steel wire. It has been a mountainous way of transport for more than 2,000 years.
Some of them look like the ostentatious home of a notorious Bond villain, while others have all the hallmarks of an eerie edifice straight out of a Lord of the Rings movie. There are a lot of remarkable buildings on top of mountains – We’ve put together a selection of 20 architectural and technical masterpieces. Watch videos of all the mountaintop buildings here!
Ever felt the urge to wake up with nothing but air above you, or below you – for about 1,000 meters? Then sleeping on a portaledge hanging from a big rock wall in Yosemite National Park might be your thing. Vertical camping involves climbing up a mountain, often by a high, vertical wall, and stopping for the night somewhere on said wall, setting up a tent on a portaledge, or just sleeping on it in the open air. Watch these 20 videos of exciting vertical camping trips all around the world and enjoy the breathtaking views – or feel your vertigo come creeping. You’ll also learn the best way to go number one and number two, “vertically”.
Do you wanna feel the wind in your hair going down a mountainside at a high velocity? There’s a safe way of doing that. Summer toboggan is a ride that uses a bobsled-like cart to run down a track, usually built on the side of a hill. The world’s longest track can be found in Andorra, Europe, with 5,300 meters. Summer toboggan has many names and forms and is often called mountain coasters, alpine slides or coasters, and Sommerrodelbahn in German. The first summer toboggan rides were built in the 1970s.
If you are prone to vertigo, this is not for you. We’ve gathered the most horrifying and insane mountainous dirt roads Europe can muster – some of them dubbed “death roads”. These roads are for hiking by foot or very experienced drivers with extreme caution.
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