THE High Tatras mountain range in Slovakia has been named as the best place to visit in Europe in 2019 by a prestigious travel guide.

The region has topped Lonely Planet’s Best in Europe 2019 list, with well-traveled judges praising its “mythical landscape of crooked peaks and plunging waterfalls,” as well as the opportunity to spot rare brown bears, which “thrive in the wild rugged region.”

The U.K.’s northernmost point, the Shetland Islands, has also bagged a place on this year’s European hotlist, coming in at number six, with Lonely Planet describing the archipelago as “enchanting.”

Lonely Planet’s Best in Europe is compiled annually by the travel company’s European experts to reveal their pick of the most exciting and underrated destinations to visit across the continent.

The unheralded High Tatras also impresses thanks to its hiking possibilities — “to the summit of Slovakia’s highest peak, Gerlach — boating on the glacial Strbske Pleso and traditional hospitality in high-altitude mountain huts.”

Madrid has bagged the No. 2 spot, with the travel guide adventurers claiming that it is “springing back into step with renewed vigor” and now boasts “one of the continent’s coolest nighttime streets,” Calle de Ponzano — a strip of standing-only tapas spots and minimalist cocktails bars.

(SD-Agencies)