10 Natura 2000 Sites to Visit over Summer

Are you still undecided about what to do over summer? If you are looking for nature and outdoor activities, our Natura 2000 sites are where you need to be! And some may just be around the corner of your house!

Our Natura 2000 network is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world, and a haven for Europe’s most valuable and threatened species and habitats. The sites within Natura 2000 are designated under the Birds and Habitats Directives, extending across all 27 EU countries, both on land and at sea.

Here are 10 Natura 2000 sites, from mountains to seas, from lakes to national parks, that you can explore and enjoy this summer!

1. Mont Saint-Michel Bay, France

The Mont Saint-Michel Bay is not just a Natura 2000 site, but also a UNESCO World Heritage Site located off the coast of Normandy — one of Europe’s most unforgettable sights.

Mont Saint-Michel is one of the most visited sites in all of France with more than three million visitors a year.

It is renowned for its stunning and dramatic phenomenon of the tides, which reveal vast sandbanks during low tide and is known for its treacherous quicksand.

You can explore Mont Saint-Michel on foot during low tide and enjoy guided tours of the bay!

2. Veluwe National Park, The Netherlands

Voted by the Dutch as the most beautiful scenic area in the country, the Veluwe National Park boasts a splendid natural landscape of forests, sand drifts, lichen steppes, and heathlands. In this stunning park, you can spot the Dutch ‘Big Five’: foxes, badgers, roe deer, wild boar, and red deer, along with Highland cattle, beavers, and hundreds of other mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects.

The park is also the most famous and largest terrestrial Dutch Natura 2000 area, which recently won the 1st EU-wide Natura 2000 Day 2024 BioBlitzNatura 2000 Day 2024 BioBlitz with 13.162 observations, 1453 species spotted and 1491 observers.

What are you waiting for? Visit Veluwe National Park to discover the beautiful landscapes, rare animal and plant species, biking paths and walking paths.

3. Mount Kochylas, Greece

Mount Kochylas, a Natura 2000 site in the southern part of the Aegean Island of Skyros, is a biodiversity hotspot. This island gem boasts unique local plants, the world’s largest colony of Eleonora’s falcons, the Skyros lizard, and the Skyrian horse.

The Municipality of Skyros Island is collaborating with partners to work towards more biodiversity-focused tourism, minimising the impacts of mass tourism. We are supporting the initiative through EU LIFE+ funding.

This unique site offers birdwatching routes, routes focused on plants, as well as easily accessible sites with species-to-see information posts. A perfect ecotourism destination for you to visit!

4. Slitere National Park, Latvia

In Slitere National Park Latvia, a sustainable tourism management plan was successfully implemented to harmonise tourism and nature conservation, creating long-term socioeconomic benefits for the park.

The local community played a key role in the project, with the Latvian Country Tourism Association, the European Centre for Ecological and Agricultural Tourism, the park administration, and the community working together to develop nature-based attractions. These include new routes for hiking, cycling, boating activities, a plant finder, informative signs, and guides, especially in less environmentally sensitive areas.

Take the chance to visit Sliere National Park and discover the broadleaf forests, bogs, wetlands and boreal forests this summer!

5. Garajonay National Park, Spain

Located in the heart of La Gomera in the Canary Islands, Garajonay National Park is a prime example of the island’s laurel forest (laurisilva), an ancient ecosystem from the Tertiary Era that vanished from the mainland due to climatic changes in the Quaternary.

The laurisilva forest in Garajonay holds half of the mature tree population of this vegetation type across the archipelago, preserved in optimal conditions.

UNESCO has recognised its unique value by designating both the national park and Silbo Gomero, the island’s ancestral whistle language, as World Heritage Sites.

The Garajonay National Park offers both tranquility and natural beauty! All for you to discover.

6. Oulanka National Park — Finland

At Oulanka National Park, you can explore numerous trails, hanging bridges and some of the country’s most stunning waterfalls.

This Natura 2000 site features a vast diversity of habitats and plant species. However, it is also vulnerable to uncontrolled recreational use. To address this, the Park Administration has focused on planning and implementing sustainable tourism practices.

From witnessing the leaps of wild brown trout to the dives of European dippers, the endless beauty of aapa mires and the charming calypso orchid, a visit to Oulanka National Park will be an unforgettable experience.

7. Atanasovsko Lake — Bulgaria

The Atanasovsko Lake, one of the three lakes near the town of Burgas with varying saltiness, is a lively biodiversity hotspot in Bulgaria.

Because it doesn’t freeze in winter, it’s a popular place for water birds to hibernate. Positioned on the Via Pontica migratory route, this lake, along with others in Burgas, is a favourite stopover for pelicans and storks travelling between the Danube Delta and the Bosporus.

What makes Atanasovsko Lake special is its role as a salt production site using traditional methods. This sustainable practice not only preserves the lake’s natural beauty but also supports a diverse range of wildlife.

Atanasovsko Lake is a great example of how eco-friendly activities can help wildlife thrive.

Visit and discover the incredible nature around the lake, with its charming greenery, fresh air, great diversity of flora and fauna.

8. Pontine Islands, Italy

The Pontine archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea is made up of five islands of volcanic origin divided into two groups: Ponza, Palmarola and Zannone to the north-west, and Ventotene and S. Stefano to the south-east.

These islands feature stunning coastlines and diving opportunities in the surrounding waters. Positioned strategically, the Pontine islands serve as crucial resting and transit points for many bird species during migrations, including peregrine falcons, great shearwaters, and lesser shearwaters, which nest on the rocky cliffs. Nightjars and common shags also inhabit the islands.

These small islands in the heart of the Tyrrhenian Sea are a real paradise for nature lovers. If you love the sea, you need to visit these islands for the crystal-clear waters, beautiful beaches and diverse coastal life.

They play a vital role in supporting birdlife and migrations and are highly popular among passionate scuba divers.

9. Zwin Nature Park — Belgium

Are you up for some stunning bird watching? Then this is your place to go to.

The Zwin Nature Park is a nature reserve along the North Sea coast, on the Belgian-Dutch border.

It’s a rare slice of pastoral landscape in Europe known as a foreshore, and when high tide rolls in, the sea surges through a channel onto the plain behind the beach and dunes.

Only highly specialised plants like marsh samphire and sea lavender — locally known as “zwinneblomme,” can thrive in this unique saltwater habitat.

The mud flats here provide a rich and varied source of food for thousands of birds. It is no surprise that the plain is described as an international airport for foreign birds. All year long, they are around in great numbers to breed, hibernate or look for food.

Every season is an opportunity to discover something new at Zwin, with its changing inhabitants and landscapes. So choose a good moment and visit the Zwin Nature Park.

10. Bieszczady National Park, Poland

The Bieszczady National Park, the southernmost protected corner of Poland, is a Natura 2000 site and in 2021 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site as an extension to the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and other regions of Europe.

The high-mountain vegetation here, characteristic of the Eastern Carpathians, has no equivalent in any other Polish mountains. Similarly, the upper limit of the forest, defined by crooked beeches, is unique to this region. In the montane meadows, you’ll find beds of rowan trees and green alder, but mountain pine is notably absent.

The Bieszczady forests, dominated by beech trees that turn reddish in autumn, appear wild at first glance. However, the Bieszczady Mountains bear traces of past human presence.

Once densely populated, these areas now host relics of abandoned villages that serve as habitats for wild animals.

With its dramatic mountains, forests, open meadows and a variety of wildlife, the Bieszczady National Park offers something for everyone! All the more reason for you to visit this place.

See more: 

• Natura 2000 Network
• Natura 2000 Viewer
• Nature in Europe
• All Natura 2000 sites