10 Tours That Celebrate Women’s History in Europe

Westminster’s landmarks, from Trafalgar Square to Big Ben, spark stories of London’s pioneering women on this walking tour. Learn about the city’s queens, nurses, suffragists and suffragettes, and other historymakers, while also discovering London’s can’t-miss and lesser-known sights.

Butte aux Cailles in Paris’ 13th arrondissement is typically overlooked by visitors to the French capital. But this historically working-class, village-like neighborhood is ground zero for artists, political activists, and yes, hipsters. This walking tour focuses on the artsy enclave's woman-made and feminist street art, and the fight for gender parity.

Few diaries have had the enduring impact of Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl. Anne’s account of her family’s 761 days in hiding, which she wrote aged 13–15, is one of the most widely read accounts of the Holocaust. This private tour of Amsterdam explores the young diarist’s life before the annexe, and includes visits to her family home and the store her diary was purchased from.

Ancient Rome’s history isn’t exactly unchartered territory for most of us, but have you heard of the sainted and martyred women who died during early Christianity when the religion was persecuted by the Roman Empire? Probably not and this tour’s your chance.

Witches, mothers, business owners, murderers, and doctors all feature in the narrative of this tour dedicated to Edinburgh’s notable and often-forgotten women. Walk the Royal Mile and hear about the likes of Dr Sophia Jex-Blake, who blazed a trail for women to work and study in the UK, and Mary King, who operated her own market stall and had a seat on the Edinburgh council.

A guided walk through Ljubljana's Old Town and city squares reveals both historic Slovenia’s struggle for women’s rights and modern-day Slovenia’s progress toward gender equality. Get to know the women who moved the needle, and hear the herstory behind Ljubljana's landmarks.

Look past the Alcázar and Plaza de Españaon this tour that tells Seville’s history from a female perspective. Venture off the beaten path to visit sites associated with the Andalucian capital’s most notable women, and hear the stories that traditional sightseeing experiences overlook.

Did you know women outnumber men in Vilnius by almost 20 percent? (Fun fact: Lithuania also has more women scientists and engineers than men.) This tour, which begins at Vilnius Cathedral and visits top sights like the Presidential Palace, showcases the brilliant women who influenced the city over the centuries, including realist female author Žemaitė.

The Palace of Versailles is top of the list for travelers planning a day trip from Paris, but Marie-Antoinette's Estate—located within the Gardens of Versailles—less so. Her name is famously associated with decadence, but there’s more to Marie Antoinette’s story. On this tour, you’ll visit her palace and its grounds, and separate the facts from the fiction (she never said “Let them eat cake.”) surrounding the teenage queen.

Find out about Vienna’s most influential women on this interactive puzzle hunt that leads from the statue of Maria Theresa (the only female ruler in the House of Habsburg) to sites connected with the women who shaped Austria. Fun, games, a mysterious treasure chest, and women’s history? Sign us up.