Europe is a captivating destination for birders, offering a rich tapestry of habitats and avian diversity set amid centuries of history and culture. Field Guides tours showcase the continent's best birding hotspots, blending unforgettable wildlife encounters with scenic landscapes and local traditions. Continue reading our overview of all Europe tours or click an image below for a specific destination.
Europe Birding Destinations
Europe Overview & Highlights
To the north, discover birding in Finland with its fantastic displaying grouse and fine diversity of must-see owls, a great variety of other landbirds, and a chance to see some spectacular large mammals, from Eurasian Brown Bear to Wolverine.
Our Iceland tour is rich in seabird colonies and amazing landscapes (the West Fjords and Latrabjarg among them), while Gyrfalcon and remarkable numbers of waterfowl are on the to-see list as well.
In Britain, discover classic countryside alive with songbirds, shorebirds, and seabirds, from East Anglia's woodlands to Scotland's rugged coasts (which we include in an optional extension to the Scottish Highlands).
Join us on a cruise to Arctic Norway's Spitsbergen to get up close and personal with Dovekies, Ivory Gull, Great Skua, Walrus, Polar Bear, and more against the backdrop of some of the most beautiful high-latitude landscapes.
In Eastern Europe, explore Hungary & Romania. In Romania's Danube Delta--Europe's largest wetland--lagoons and reed beds teem with waterfowl, Pygmy Cormorants, Dalmatian Pelicans, and White-tailed Eagles. Venture into the Carpathian Mountains for Wallcreeper, Red Crossbill, and Firecrest, then cross into Hungary's steppe grasslands at Hortobagy National Park, home to Great Bustard, Saker Falcon, and a mosaic of migratory birds.
The Field Guides tour to Greece is scheduled for the peak of spring migration while we also make time for important archaeological stops, including the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens, plus Delphi and Vergina.
Our itinerary to southern France dazzles with the Camargue's flamingo-filled marshes and the dramatic peaks of the Pyrenees, where Bearded Vulture, Alpine Accentor, and Rock Bunting await. Enjoy French cuisine and the charm of small villages as you birdwatch in these iconic regions. Or join us in France's Loire Valley for our itinerary in our Birds & Wine series combining birding, chateaux, and wine.
Spain offers a journey from the highlands of the Sierra de Gredos to the vast wetlands of Coto Doñana, where you'll find Spanish Imperial Eagle, White-headed Duck, and Great Bustard, plus a wealth of raptors and steppe specialties. The Spanish steppes and Extremadura are famed for their diversity of birds of prey and striking landscapes.
Next door, in Portugal, we offer another of our classic Birds & Wine itineraries--satisfy your urge to see some great birds as well as sample some fine wines, from the Douro Valley to the Alentejo!
Or if you want a different combination, try our Birds & Art tour to Holland. This offers some exciting late-fall continental birding, in particular for large gatherings of waterfowl, as well as a chance to get up close to and learn more about famous artworks by such greats as Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh.
Each European tour with Field Guides is enriched by cultural highlights--medieval castles, Roman ruins, and vibrant local traditions--making birding here a feast for both the senses and the soul.
Photo credit: Our thanks to participant Don Taves for the nice image of a Eurasian Hoopoe in flight at the top of this page.