A coastal landscape from the Along the Coast project.

A Photography Project by Michael Backes

Europe, coast by coast

It's easy to trace your way around Europe with your finger on a map. Actually making the trip takes a little longer.

I decided to give it a try anyway. Since then, I've been heading out with my camera whenever I can, curious to see what the next stretch of coast has in store.

Continue to the map

The Coastal Atlas

The journey on the map

I'm still a long way from finishing. Every now and then, I add a few more places. You can click on a stretch of coastline on the map and see what I've photographed and written about there so far.

Find the travel notes on the map.

More about the journey
Archipelago Sea & Åland Archipelago Sea & Åland Åland, Finland – open place chapter Åland Naantali, Finland – open place chapter Naantali Turku, Finland – open place chapter Turku {"asset":"sheets/archipelago-sea","profile":"atlas-finland","render_hash":"d5417a204e825b90bbd0918fefe628dbd183c9a088ef996420928c31fc7e822a","stage":"progressive-navigation","source":"gshhg-h-2.3.7","layers":{"land":true,"coast":true,"lakes":true,"boundaries":true,"rivers":true},"projection":"local-north-up-equirectangular","projection_family":"finland","north_up":true,"level":"sheet","node_key":"sheet:finland:archipelago-sea","parent_node":"region:finland","parent_asset":"regions/finland","child_assets":[],"canonical_url":"/en/atlas/finland/archipelago-sea","focus_bounds":{"west":18.7,"south":59.4,"east":23.2,"north":61.0},"viewport":{"mode":"fill-container","projected_bounds":{"minimum_x":-479.1811699748799,"minimum_y":-115.56013361572357,"maximum_x":86.82764773478658,"maximum_y":148.57731464878745}},"source_clip":{"mode":"inverse-projected-viewport-v1","bounds":{"west":15.00937711984626,"south":58.97070883720931,"east":26.89062288015374,"north":61.72622139534884},"vertices":257},"sheet_coverage":"markers-only","route":false,"chronology":false,"coverage":{"components":0,"gap_count":1,"selection_mode":"markers-only"},"labels":{"layout":"collision-aware-priority","visible":3,"hidden":0,"overlap_count":0,"maximum_overlap_px2":0.0,"association_conflicts":0,"rescued":0,"markers":3,"leaders":{"visible":2,"conditional":0,"reasons":{"distance":2}}}}
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Show places

New travel notes

  • Channel Islands

    Guernsey

    Independent by Nature

    Between cliffs, bays, and wartime bunkers – Guernsey reveals itself in shifting light. A photographic walk through streets, harbors, and coastal landscapes.

    Read the travel note
    A scenic harbor with an array of boats, colorful buildings lining the shore, and calm waters reflecting the clear sky.

  • Channel Islands

    Sark

    Small, Wild, Its Own

    Every turn on Sark becomes a composition: weathered façades, steep coastal paths, and the crunch of carriage wheels in between..

    Read the travel note
    A traditional stone house with a pitched roof, nestled among greenery, featuring a stone pathway and gate.

  • Channel Islands

    Jersey

    The Scent of Fish and Money

    Light, wind, and sea - Jersey shifts from golden beaches to steep cliffs and timeless villages. A visual journey through the island’s Franco-British mix.

    Read the travel note
    A corner building with a blue facade features the sign for 1823 Grill, surrounded by streets and parked cars on a cloudy day.

  • Finland

    Gulf of Bothnia | Finnish Bothnian Sea & Kvarken

    Mäntyluoto

    Mission Impossible

    Mäntyluoto shows clear lines of steel and water. Only a few images before the visit ended abruptly

    Read the travel note
    A wooden walkway winding through sandy dunes, with sparse vegetation and a cloudy sky in the background.

  • Finland

    Gulf of Bothnia | Finnish Bothnian Sea & Kvarken

    Uusikaupunki

    A Town of Wood and Water

    Hearty dishes, plain facades, clear urban lines — Uusikaupunki invites the camera to capture both everyday life and architecture.

    Read the travel note
    A wooden dock with two chairs overlooks a calm waterway lined with red buildings and lush greenery.

  • Finland

    Gulf of Finland & Archipelago Sea | Archipelago Sea & Åland

    Naantali

    Sunshine Optional

    Even without sunshine, Naantali shows its colors: yellow and red wooden houses, seaside terraces, and a gray Baltic sky.

    Read the travel note
    A charming pink wooden house with a grey door, featuring white metal furniture and a small table on the porch.

  • Finland

    Gulf of Finland & Archipelago Sea | Archipelago Sea & Åland

    Åland

    Islands of Stone and Steeples

    On Åland, medieval churches rise on nearly every island – from plain fieldstone chapels to 13th-century buildings, all set within the archipelago landscape.

    Read the travel note
    An ornate iron gate opening onto a pebbled path leading to a historic stone church surrounded by trees.

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