In Europe, 76 destinations off the beaten path

Image 23 of 76

Arezzo, ItalySalina, ItalyCrete, GreeceRoquefort, FranceKvarner Islands, CroatiaTaormina, ItalyBonn, GermanyMonschau, GermanyCanterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, EnglandSt. Albans, EnglandCambridge, EnglandBrighton, EnglandCarnac, FranceCotswold Way, EnglandIstanbul, TurkeyGiglio, ItalySpain's Basque CountryAlbaniaAndorraViennaArdennes, BelgiumHay on Wye, BritainGiant's Causeway, Northern IrelandScotland's Tweed ValleyBulgariaZagreb, CroatiaHvar, CroatiaOsijek, CroatiaKladska, Czech RepublicTallinnHelsinki, FinlandBarbizon, FranceVerdun, FranceLourdes, FranceBeaujolais, FranceLyon, FranceChâteau des Milandes, FranceMillau, FranceLacoste, FranceMunich, GermanyIceland's countrysideGalway City, IrelandSkibbereen, IrelandCampania region, ItalySiena, ItalySperlonga, ItalyCinque Terre, ItalyPuglia, ItalyGenoa, ItalyPiedmont, ItalySicily, ItalyLipari, ItalyCastel del Monte, ItalyRiga, LatviaJurmala, LatviaLiechtensteinVilnius, LithuaniaLuxembourgMoldovaMonacoMontenegroOslo, NorwayTransylvania, RomaniaDanube River Delta, RomaniaSt. Petersburg, RussiaSan MarinoBelgrade, SerbiaSloveniaCatalonia, SpainSegovia, SpainIcehotel, Jukkasjarvi, SwedenZurich, SwitzerlandVals Valley, SwitzerlandCappadocia, TurkeyLviv, UkraineVatican City

The Giants Causeway, at the foot of basalt cliffs in Northern Ireland, is made up of 40,000 black basalt columns jutting out of the ocean. Volcanic activity 50 million to 60 million years ago created these step-like columns on the edge of the Antrim plateau.<br>
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Three periods of volcanic activity created the different parts of the causeway, also referred to as the Lower, Middle and Upper Basalts; the Middle Basalt portion features the famous hexagonal columns of the Causeway.<br>
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The 40,000 stone columns are mostly hexagonal, or six-sided, but some have four, five, seven or eight sides. The tallest are about 40 feet. The thickest can be up to 90 feet.<br>
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Read more: <a href="/travel/la-tr-offbeattraveler15-pg,735,6598693.photogallery">Offbeat Traveler: The Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland</a><br>
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<i>Pictured: The columns of Giant's Causeway.</i>

Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

( Causeway Coast & Glens )

The Giants Causeway, at the foot of basalt cliffs in Northern Ireland, is made up of 40,000 black basalt columns jutting out of the ocean. Volcanic activity 50 million to 60 million years ago created these step-like columns on the edge of the Antrim plateau.

Three periods of volcanic activity created the different parts of the causeway, also referred to as the Lower, Middle and Upper Basalts; the Middle Basalt portion features the famous hexagonal columns of the Causeway.

The 40,000 stone columns are mostly hexagonal, or six-sided, but some have four, five, seven or eight sides. The tallest are about 40 feet. The thickest can be up to 90 feet.

Read more: Offbeat Traveler: The Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

Pictured: The columns of Giant's Causeway.