Best Books About Europe [Top 10] [2024 Update]

Do you already know Europe like the back of your hand? You often have a favorite holiday destination in Europe, but there is more to read about and more to see. Just look at the following books about Europe that are considered the best…

The best books about Europe of all time

We start our recommendations with the top 10 best books about Europe of all time. This list has been updated this year, including all the recent titles.

Best Books About Europe	Author
The Iliad and the Odyssey	Homer
The Sleepless World	Stefan Zweig
The Leopard	Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
The Threepenny Opera	Bertolt Brecht
Discourse on Colonialism	Aimé Césaire
The Truce	Primo Levi
Letters to a German Friend (in Resistance, Rebellion and Death)	Albert Camus
In Europe	Geert Mak
Compass	Mathias Énard
The Life of Ismail Ferik Pasha: Spina Nel Cuore	Rhea Galanaki

The updated top 10 list: the best books about Europe

The top 10 of the most interesting books about Europe:

Rick Steves Best of Europe

Rick Steves is an expert on everything that you need to do, see and visit in Europe. Check his advice for shorter or longer stays in every European country and how to act like a local. Plan your trip with ‘Best of Europe’ and you will benefit from it when you are there.

The Best Loved Villages of France (Langue anglaise)

If you will be visiting France during your trip to Europe, don’t just go to Paris. Although you must have been to Paris at least once in your life, French villages will take your breath away. This book shares some of France’s best kept village secrets.

Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces: Art for the Traveler (Rick Steves)

Art lovers visiting Europe must know of the 100 European masterpieces that are worth making a detour for. There are paintings, historic buildings and sculptures in this second book by Rick Steven on this top ten list.

Great Battles for Boys: WW2 Europe

This book was written especially for boys age 8 to 14, and even those who don’t like reading will enjoy ‘Great Battles for Boys’. What we like about this book is that it doesn’t just want you to read; there are also maps and photographs, and there is even a list with movies to watch on the subject.

The Everything Travel Guide to Ireland: From Dublin to Galway and Cork to Donegal – a complete guide to the Emerald Isle

Culture, history, landscapes; Ireland has got it all. This travel guide includes itineraries, cultural sites, where to eat, shop or do what type of other activities, and how to plan your own route.

Rick Steves Spain 2020 (Rick Steves Travel Guide)

Another Rick Steves favorite on our list today, but this one is for those who will be travelling to Europe and visit Spain. Find out what you must see, how to save time or money, and what to eat, drink and do. We especially like the self-guided walking tours.

Surviving The Forest (World War II Brave Women Fiction)

When World War II starts, life changes completely for Shurka. She was living in Poland with her husband and two children, but now they are looking for shelter and hoping to escape from the hands of the Gestapo.

Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish Adventure Like No Other

If you are travelling to Scotland on your trip to Europe, ‘Clanlands’ is both a fun and informative book to read. There is no doubt that whiskey has something to do with Sam’s and Graham’s  remarkable journey through Scotland, but their means of travel and what they experience is pure adventure.

Invading Hitler’s Europe: From Salerno to the Capture of Göring – The Memoir of a US Intelligence Officer

What we like about this book is that it is written from the view point of a US intelligence officer taking part in World War II. He went to North Africa, Italy, France and, eventually, Germany.

Rick Steves Eastern Europe

The last book on our top ten list today is also from the hands of Rick Steves. This book is a must-read if you are planning to visit Eastern Europe. Go off the beaten path and see the other side of Europe.