Just outside the Connewitz quarter of Leipzig, you'll discover beautiful woods and green spaces that serve as a habitat for a variety of animals. Wild pigs are a big attraction, but the area is also home to owls, deer, geese, ducks, bison, moose and foxes. If you're fortunate, you might even spot a raccoon or a lynx. In addition to its wildlife, this area is a fantastic place for hiking or cycling.

One of the most impressive aristocratic residencies in Poland is located in Rogalin. The 18th century, late-Baroque palace hosts the museum of the Raczyński family, as well as a carriage house, a painting gallery and a church from 1820, stylised as a Roman temple. The palace is surrounded by a park with the largest concentration of oak trees in Middle-Eastern Europe, whose history dates back nearly 700 years - the most famous of which are Lech, Czech and Rus.

With its romantic grounds, Sofiero Palace makes for a popular destination. The grounds are perhaps best known for their unparalleled rhododendrons, with an incredible 5,000 bushes bursting into flower in the spring. The fairytale of Sofiero began in 1864, when Crown Prince Oskar and his wife Sophia had their summer residence built here. In 1905, Oskar — by now King Oskar ll — gave the palace to his grandson Prince Gustav Adolf and his bride Princess Margareta as a wedding present. This is when the gardens literally flourished. Princess Margareta was a keen and creative gardener, and it was she who first laid out the grounds that we can enjoy to this day. She arranged flower beds and gardens, had paving laid and wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Every summer, the Crown Prince couple travelled from Stockholm with their four young princes and Princess Ingrid, who eventually became Queen of Denmark. When Margareta died in 1920, Gustaf Adolf carried on the work in the garden, particularly with the rhododendrons. The palace was the summer residence of the Swedish royal family up until 1973, when it was given to the town of Helsingborg. This small palace, which lies like a jewel amid the extensive lawns, is home to a restaurant where the food is prepared by some of Sweden’s finest chefs. There’s also a café with views of the Öresund Sound and Denmark.