Top 5 Cathedrals to See in Europe

If you've been travelling to different European cities for a while, the churches and cathedrals start to blend in. But there are still some that stand out and are genuinely worth a visit.

4. Milan Cathedral

One of the best known cathedral backdrops set in the middle of Europe's fashion capital. Milan Cathedral is a massive, elaborate Gothic cathedral famed for its intricate façade, rooftop accessible terraces with thousands of statues, and for being one of the largest churches in the world.

3. Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence

Famous for its distinctive red-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and its ornate pink, white, and green marble façade.

The audacious and innovative engineering required to complete the dome, specifically Brunelleschi's double-shell structure and construction machinery, is regarded as a pivotal moment, symbolizing the ingenuity and ambition of the early Renaissance.

5. Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík

This 20th-century Lutheran parish church is a striking, starkly modern structure inspired by the basalt columns found in Iceland's volcanic landscape. The curved concrete fins flanking the main tower create a spectacular, almost spaceship-like profile that reflects the country's unique geology.

2. St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow

Commissioned by Ivan the Terrible, this Orthodox church (now a museum) is instantly recognizable for its kaleidoscope of colours and the unique shape of its nine onion domes. The design is deliberately asymmetrical and is said to represent the flames of a bonfire rising into the sky—a revolutionary style in 16th-century Russian architecture.

1. Sagrada Família, Barcelona

Antoni Gaudí's masterpiece is unlike any other cathedral, combining elements of Gothic and Art Nouveau with a natural, almost biological structure. The interior columns resemble a forest of trees, with branches supporting hyperbolic vaults, while the facades are complex sculptural narratives of birth, death, and glory.