The Best of Western Europe by Drone

The Western Region of Europe is made up of seven countries and is one of the most visited regions in the world. The strong tourism infrastructure and interlocking countries makes visiting each of these top destinations very attainable. Like tourists, drone pilots are drawn to the beautiful landscapes, architecture and history of Western Europe. Take in some of the most breathtaking aerials of France, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, and Belgium in this video compilation edited by AirVuz.

Enjoy these magnificent drone views of France, compliments of former Drone Video of the Week Winner Bastien Nvs.  Just before the :40 mark, there's a great shot of a train crossing a viaduct somewhere in the French Alps, followed by the Saône River and the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière in the eastern city of Lyon.  Other featured locations include the town of Bonifacio at the southern tip of the island of Corsica (1:05), the Notre-Dame de la Garde (1:22) and the island fortress of Château d'If (1:30) in Marseilles, and more. 

Check out these magnificent drone views of Ireland, compliments of contributor Dronescapes Ireland.  This DVOW nominated video features footage of some of the most well-recognized locations across the Emerald Isle, including Mount Errigal;  Achill Island in County Mayo; Connemara National Park, in County Galway, in the western part of the country; a stone fort in the Ring of Kerry in the southwestern part of the country; Loughcrew in County Meath; the Grianan of Aileach hill fort and Malin Head in County Donegal; and more.

Top AirVuz contributor and pilot Beemflights brings us this breathtaking drone video from one of the most iconic sites in the Netherlands.  The location is near the town of Zaanse Schans in the province of North Holland, just west of the city of Amsterdam.  Part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage, the area is famous for its collection of Dutch windmills.  The windmills of Zaanse Schans are one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Netherlands. This video won DVOW in June 2020.  

New AirVuz contributor Maxim Termote brings us this fantastic drone demo showreel.  The reel opens with some beautiful footage from the city of Brussels in his home country of Belgium; at the :06 mark, there's a great shot looking toward the Place Royale and beyond it the gold-domed Palais de Justice.  Then you'll head to the giant port of Antwerp, the EU''s second-busiest seaport. The video also features some excellent footage of some of the country's wind turbines, as well as some "action" shots involving factories, cars, and bikes.  

While it's generally known that Netherlands is one of the world's most colorful countries during the tulip harvest in the Spring, the country offers other colorful attractions at other times during the year.  In this DVOW nominated film by top AirVuz contributor BeemFlights, you'll get an aerial view of fields of purple heather.  Dutch heather fields typically turn their distinctive shade of purple in the late summer.  This video was filmed over a field in the middle section of the country, during the month of August.

Carreg Cannen is a famous Welsh castle near the town of Trap in the southwestern part of Wales.  Surrounded by massive limestone rock formations, the 12th century castle, which has not been functional since the 15th century, has a daunting appearance.  Contributor Nethan Jermy shot this impressive aerial video of the great ruins using a DJI Phantom drone.  The castle, located in Brecon Beacons National Park, was named by Touropia as one of the top 10 Welsh castles.  It's in Carmarthenshire, one of the counties of southwestern Wales.

Contributor Zdronu presents his spectacular adventure in Ireland from a drone. In one week, he visited iconic places like the Cliffs of Moher, Rock of Cashel, Kilkenny Castle, Drombeg Stone Circle, Burren National Park, Galway, and Charles Fort. It's especially impressive given the weather: due to hazardous conditions created by hurricane Ophelia, there were times he couldn't even fly. The aerial footage he managed to capture of Ireland's lush green landscapes and ancient structures is outstanding.

For a first upload to AirVuz, new contributor and pilot GraemeForrest brings us this DVOW nominated video from the Outer Hebrides islands of Scotland.  The 65 islands (only 15 of which are inhabited) form a chain off the western coast of Scotland, a semi-autonomous region of the United Kingdom.  Shot in the Summer of 2019, the video includes footage of the following islands: Vatersay, Barra, Eriskay, South Uist, North Uist, Benbecula, Baleshare, Grimsay, Berneray, Vallay, Lewis, Harris, Scalpay and Great Bernera.  

Some of the most iconic sights of the Netherlands are its windmills.  While the Dutch did not invent windmills, the windswept North European Plain proved an ideal environment to perfect the technology.  One of the best place to see Dutch windmills is around the town of Zanse Schans, which lies in the province of North Holland, just west of Amsterdam; It's home to hundreds of these wooden marvels.  Check out this DVOW nominated drone video of the windmills around Zanse Schans, compliments of JS Videography.  

Content creator and pilot DivaneFilm used a DJI Phantom 4 drone to create this beautiful video of Vianden, a town in the tiny West European country of Luxembourg (the "L" in the "Benelux" countries).  The castle which dominates the town was built beginning in the 11th century.  The castle was owned by members of the Dutch royal family until 1977, when it was given to the government of Luxembourg.  Located near the country's eastern border with Germany, the Vianden area saw heavy fighting during World War II.

Top contributor vitaliy.karpovich garnered another DVOW Finalist spot in July, 2020 with this stunning drone tour of Bruges, Belgium.  The capital of West Flanders, Bruges is connected to the North Sea via canal.  Founded in 1128, it went on to become one of the world's most important cities, serving  as the hub through which the northern Hanseatic League towns traded with the ports of Southern Europe.  Eventually losing its position to Antwerp, its fortunes revived in the 1800's as one of the world's first tourist destinations.

With its long, dark winters, the coming of spring in England is a magical time.  In the space of just a few short weeks, the marvelous English landscapes transition from brown and grey to many shades of green.  This marvelously cinematic video by contributor JamesTravels captures this annual rite of spring from an aerial perspective.  It was shot in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, two counties in southern England.  Specific featured locations include Faringdon, Lechlade, Great Coxwell, and Bradbury Hill.

Soarscape is one of the top commercial drone piloting firms in Northern Ireland, and their work covers the span of the six counties which make up this region of the UK.  Their video includes aerial views of some of the most amazing sites in Northern Ireland, which is sometimes called Ulster (although Ulster also includes County Donegal of the Irish Republic).   You will be treated to bird's eye views of the majestic cliffs, ancient baronial estates, historical fishing villages, and shimmering castles.  

In this drone video by TheAstralPilot, you'll get some spectacular aerial views of two towns in the hills of the Alpes-Maritimes Department in southeastern France. The video opens with shots of Chateau Germaine, a manor just west of the Var River and about 20 km (around 12 mi.) northwest of Nice. The next stop is the town of Bouyon, a hilltop town a bit west of the chateau but still within sight of the river. The last spot is the town of Bouyon, another hilltop town, which overlooks the Var River.

For a bird's eye view of the Brittany region of northwestern France, it's hard to beat this video by contributor Lewieque.  Shot with a Mavic Pro drone, the video features footage from across the Breton Peninsula, which is the heart of the region.  With epic shots of the province's famous rocky shorelines, bridges, the ancient city of Brest at its western extreme, and the one-time pirate enclave of Saint-Malo on its northern coast, the video will give you a flavor of this distinctive Celtic region.  

Drone pilots aspiring to become professionals will appreciate this inspiring reel from Kelly's Heroes, one of the top pro aerial filming companies in Belgium.  The video features a beautifully-edited mix of cinematic landscape, action, and "people" shots, mostly shot on the plains and in the cities of this West European country.  From highway chase scenes to beautiful shots of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and the Atomium spheres in Brussels, you're sure to enjoy this well-narrated piece.  

This magnificent video by top contributor LukeMaximoBell will take you over some of the most beautiful and well-known sights of Scotland.  Featured locations include (in order of appearance): Eilean Donan Castle, Dunnottar Castle, Collieston, Pennan, Wick, Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Duncansby Head, the Isle of Skye, the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Falls, Neist Point Lighthouse, Glenfinnan Viaduct, Edinburgh, and the Firth of Forth Bridge.  The video was a Drone Video of the Week Finalist in December, 2018. 

AlexUKexplorer created this amazing drone tour of the three regions of the island of Great Britain: England, Wales, and Scotland.  Scotland, the northernmost region, is probably the most distinctive, as it never came under Roman control and wasn't formally united with England until the early 18th century.  Wales, in the west, came under Roman control but was generally unaffected by the Anglo-Saxon and later Norman invasions of England.  It came under English control in the late 13th century.

In this Drone Video of the Week nominated video, top contributor Scientik takes us on a glorious aerial tour of Ireland's west coast, otherwise known as the Wild Atlantic Way.  Shot on a DJI Inspire 2 with the incredible X7 camera, this piece the country's rugged coast line, green fields, and miles of undeveloped land.  The other-worldly look of the coastline led to the Wild Atlantic Way being a primary filming location for the 2017 blockbuster Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the eighth in the series.  

The historic region of the Scottish Highlands are seen from a bird's eye perspective in this dramatic drone video by Drone Video Awards' winning pilot davidaguilar. He’s taken his DJI Mavic Air through this legendary area dominated by ancient mountain ranges, medieval castles, lochs, and glens. This cinematic, 4K piece features those incredible mountains, rivers, and lakes, as well as the magnificent looking rocks that dominate the Isle of Skye and the majestic castles of Glencoe. This video won DVOW in August, 2019.

Top contributor Boyanoo created this marvelous DVOW Finalist drone video of the island of Jersey, one of the geographical oddities of Europe. The largest of the so-called Channel Islands, it sits off of France's Normandy coast in the English Channel. Jersey is technically a sovereign nation, but its defense and foreign relations are the responsibility of the United Kingdom. It's a historical relic of the Duchy of Normandy, which conquered England in the 11th century and then became part of France. 

Multiple Drone Video of the Week/Month Winner By_ewold brings us this stunning drone video from one of the Netherlands' most famous tulip fields.  It's called Keukenhof (aka the Garden of Europe), and it's located near the town of Lisse in the province of South Holland.  Actually one of the world's largest flower gardens of any type, the park covers about 80 acres, over which an astounding 7 billion bulbs are planted annually!  In addition to tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, lilies, roses, carnations and irises are also planted here. 

French drone pilot Thibault Menu does high end commercial aerial videography work throughout the country.  His extensive portfolio includes work for TV commercials, documentaries, and other technically complex jobs.  He uses a DJI Inspire 2 drone with a Zenmuse X7 camera as well as a DJI Mavic Pro model.  This demo reel shows the range of his work, including a broad mix of landscape and action oriented shots.  This reel was nominated as a finalist for the AirVuz Drone Video of the Week Contest in July, 2018.

If you are looking for some aerial inspiration to travel to Ireland, this video by contributor Huettehuette will do the trick.  He spent two weeks traveling through the legendary Emerald Isle with a motorcycle and a DJI Mavic Pro drone. The video he created to memorialize the trip will give you a breathtaking view of the sights and sounds of modern Ireland.  You'll see iconic forests, spectacular coastal cliffs and rock formations, lively villages, mossy valleys, and gorgeous streams and waterfalls.  

Check out this fantastic drone video of a beautiful spot on France's Emerald Coast, compliments of top contributor Julien Hulin.  The video was filmed near Saint Lunaire, a town which lies roughly in the middle of the Emerald Coast, just west of the famous "pirate port" of Saint-Malo.  The Côte d'Émeraude stretches for about 40 km (around 25 mi.) between Cap Fréhel and Cancale on the northern side of the Breton Peninsula, in the Department of Ille-et-Vilaine.  This video was a Finalist for the Drone Video of the Week in July, 2020.

The island of Jersey is one of the geographical oddities of Western Europe.  It's the largest of the Channel Islands, a group of about 20 islands and islets which lie in the English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France.  Jersey is what's known as a British Crown dependency.  While it's not formally part of the United Kingdom, it relies on the UK for defense and certain aspects of foreign policy.  In this drone video, you'll get a bird's eye view of Jersey, which was once part of the great Duchy of Normandy.   

Check out these magnificent wintertime drone views from a forested, semi-mountainous area Western Europe, compliments of AirVuz contributor Galliano.  The area covers bits of western Germany, southeastern Belgium, the extreme southern tip of the Netherlands, bits of northeastern France, and tiny Luxembourg.  It includes the Eifel Mountains and the Ardennes Forest area immediately to their west.   The video features footage from the Eifel range in Germany, the Ardennes Forest in Belgium, and the area around the Dutch town of Valls.  

The Netherlands offers some of the most iconic winter scenery in Europe.  While the (mostly) dead-flat landscapes of the North European Plain generally preclude skiing, it's a paradise for ice-skating as well as more adventurous action sports which take advantage of its wide-open frozen expanses.  It's also simply beautiful, whether it be the windmills of the Zaanse Schans region west of Amsterdam or its colorful medieval towns.  Those are the takeaways from this fantastic DVOW-winning drone video of the Dutch winter by contributor By_ewold.

Talented content creator benhawkinslive earned a third Drone Video of the Week Finalist spot with this fantastic drone video from the UK.  The video features footage from five different types of English landscapes: (1) the countryside, (2) the coast, specifically Godrevy Lighthouse on St. Ives Bay in Cornwall, near the southwestern corner of England; (3) the cityscape of London, focusing on the bridges of the Thames River, the City of London, and the Shard District; (4) woodlands; and (5) wetlands.  The video was shot with a DJI Mavic 3.