Wide open spaces
Gdańsk and the Baltic coast, from Malbork to the Łeba dunes
A red-brick city on the Motława, white sand beaches and a pine-covered peninsula 35 kilometres long. A six-day loop from Gdańsk, from Malbork Castle to the Łeba dunes.
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Wide open spaces
The Curonian Spit, from Klaipėda to the dunes of Nida
A 98-kilometre strip of sand between the Baltic and a lagoon, covered in pine forest and great dunes. This three-day trip starts in Palanga and Klaipėda, takes the ferry and runs down the spit to Nida.
Wide open spaces
Bohemian Switzerland, from Děčín to Pravčická brána
In the north of the Czech Republic, the Elbe runs through a sandstone massif cut into towers, gorges and arches. This trip goes round it in four days from Děčín, taking in Pravčická brána, the Kamenice gorges and the basalt “organ pipes”.
Coast and islands
Istria, from Pula to the hilltop villages
Istria is a largely Croatian peninsula at the top of the Adriatic, between a Venetian coast and hills covered in vineyards and forests. This trip goes round it in five days from Pula, by way of Rovinj, Motovun, Mount Učka and Opatija.
Coast and islands
The white villages, Ronda and the Costa de la Luz
Whitewashed villages clinging to the sierras, a town split in two by a ravine, then the Atlantic, its dunes and the wind of Tarifa. Six days on a loop from Jerez, between the mountains of Cádiz and the wildest coast in Andalusia.
Coast and islands
Sicily, from golden mosaics to Greek temples
Greeks, Carthaginians, Arabs and Normans all coveted this island, and each left their mark: Doric temples, golden mosaics, Baroque towns rebuilt after an earthquake. Eleven days on a loop from Palermo, by way of Etna, Syracuse and the salt pans of the west.
Wide open spaces
The Slovenian Karst and its coast, from Postojna to Piran
Vast caves, a castle set in a cliff, white horses, then three small Venetian towns on the Adriatic. A four-day loop from Ljubljana, across the Karst to the sea.
Heritage and culture
The Cotswolds, from Blenheim to Castle Combe
Villages of honey-coloured stone, churches paid for by wool and roads between dry-stone walls and sheep. A five-day loop from Oxford, from Blenheim Palace to Castle Combe.
Coast and islands
Southern Sweden, from Skåne to Småland
From the cliffs of Kullaberg to the stones of Ales stenar, then from the forests of Småland to Kalmar Castle. A one-week loop from Malmö, through Sweden’s southernmost province and the land of Astrid Lindgren.
Wide open spaces
Luxembourg, from Little Switzerland to the Moselle
Mossy sandstone rocks, castles above the rivers and vineyards along the Moselle. A four-day loop from Luxembourg City, in a country that measures 82 kilometres from north to south.
Scenic roads
The Route des Grandes Alpes, from Thonon to Menton
From Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean by the passes, never dropping back to the plain. A week is enough provided you do not try to do everything, and you leave at least two short days.
Mountains and passes
Graubünden and the Engadine, a loop over the passes
Seven passes, lakes at 1,800 metres and villages with decorated façades, in the only Swiss canton with three official languages. A week on a loop from Chur, with a stretch through Italy, from Tirano to the Stelvio Pass.