The Peloponnese tops Lonely Planet's list of best places to visit in Europe this year

The Greek region came top in the travel publisher's annual Best in Europe list

Travel publisher Lonely Planet has revealed its top 10 European countries to visit this year. This list is topped by the Greek Peloponnese peninsula, the southernmost region of mainland Greece characterised by a mountainous interior and indented coastline, as well as historic sites such as Olympia and Mycenae and the Nemean wine region, which is gaining international recognition. British Airways recently launched flights to its largest city, Kalamata, from Heathrow.

Greece was closely followed by Aarhus, the Danish city poised to take up the post of European Capital of Culture next year, as well as European Region of Gastronomy. As part of ongoing regeneration, the country's second-largest city - on the east coast of Jutland - has seen its harbourfront enhanced with new public spaces such as Dokk1 and ARoS mueseum, which is crowned with a striking, multicoloured glass walkway.

As well as big-hitters such as Venice and the Dordogne, Lonely Planet's list includes more controversial destinations, including Lviv in western Ukraine, which is hosting 100 festivals this year; and Texel in the Netherlands. Two-thirds of the Dutch island is protected as a nature reserve - a haven of sand dunes and pine forests favoured by migratory birds.

The list was compiled by Lonely Planet's global team of experts, whose recommendations took into account recent experiences, current and up-coming projects, destinations on the up and favourites that have put into practice surprising innovations. Last year's top 10 was topped by Akureyri in Iceland, with Baku in Azerbaijan also making the cut.