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
Belgian Coast & Zeeland Belgian Coast & Zeeland De Panne, Belgium – open place chapter De Panne Nieuwpoort, Belgium – open place chapter Nieuwpoort Ostend, Belgium – open place chapter Ostend De Haan, Belgium – open place chapter De Haan Zeebrugge, Belgium – open place chapter Zeebrugge Knokke-Heist, Belgium – open place chapter Knokke-Heist Cadzand, Netherlands – open place chapter Cadzand Breskens, Netherlands – open place chapter Breskens Vlissingen, Netherlands – open place chapter Vlissingen Domburg, Netherlands – open place chapter Domburg Renesse, Netherlands – open place chapter Renesse {"asset":"sheets/belgian-coast-and-zeeland","profile":"atlas-north-sea","render_hash":"795431de7e4037351597e3f1645fb7408d42f644736736c2a11715808c39025b","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":"north-sea","north_up":true,"level":"sheet","node_key":"sheet:north-sea:belgian-coast-and-zeeland","parent_node":"region:north-sea","parent_asset":"regions/north-sea","child_assets":[],"canonical_url":"/en/atlas/north-sea/belgian-coast-and-zeeland","focus_bounds":{"west":2.3,"south":50.9,"east":4.05,"north":51.95},"viewport":{"mode":"fill-container","projected_bounds":{"minimum_x":-366.21384294660606,"minimum_y":-383.0722232687185,"maximum_x":-1.2871052127411815,"maximum_y":-212.7730789929149}},"source_clip":{"mode":"inverse-projected-viewport-v1","bounds":{"west":-0.0790458073467395,"south":50.632430697674415,"east":6.429045807346739,"north":52.4090111627907},"vertices":257},"sheet_coverage":"markers-only","route":false,"chronology":false,"coverage":{"components":0,"gap_count":0,"selection_mode":"markers-only"},"labels":{"layout":"collision-aware-priority","visible":11,"hidden":0,"overlap_count":0,"maximum_overlap_px2":0.0,"association_conflicts":0,"rescued":1,"markers":11,"leaders":{"visible":9,"conditional":0,"reasons":{"cluster":3,"distance":6}}}}
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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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