32 destinations in this category
Costa da Morte · Spain
Galicia's answer to the heat: August highs sit around 24 degrees while inland Spain hits 40. Huge, nearly empty beaches.
Heads up: The water is genuinely cold. And the weather turns: expect two rainy days a week even in August.
Islas Azores · Portugal
Volcanoes, crater lakes and naturally heated pools. Green year-round and barely touched by resort development.
Heads up: It rains often and cloud hides the viewpoints. Book more days than you think to leave yourself margin.
Picos de Europa · Spain
Trails at every level within a short distance of each other, and villages where you eat well and cheaply.
Heads up: The Cares Gorge route is long (about 22 km return) and not suitable for small children, whatever the guidebooks say.
Dolomitas · Italy
The most dramatic mountain scenery in western Europe, with a hut network that lets you do multi-day treks without carrying a tent.
Heads up: Huts book out months ahead. In August, without a reservation, you don't sleep.
Sierra de Gredos · Spain
Natural river pools, short trails and affordable rural houses two hours from Madrid. A good first mountain trip with kids.
Heads up: The best-known gorges fill up on July weekends. Go midweek or start early.
Pirineo aragonés · Spain
Valleys with trails at every level, glacial lakes to swim in and villages with good value. Comfortable highs in high summer.
Heads up: The Ordesa car park fills by 8am in summer; you have to use the shuttle bus.
Marruecos (Atlas) · Morocco
Real mountains three hours from Spain at a very low cost, easy to combine with Marrakech.
Heads up: Hire a local guide for the Toubkal routes: it's required in many areas and it puts money into the valley.
Islandia · Iceland
Landscape unlike anywhere else in Europe, with near-24-hour light in summer and the interior roads open.
Heads up: It is expensive. A simple meal can hit 30 euros. Cooking where you stay isn't stinginess, it's survival.
Andorra · Andorra
Skiing in winter and high mountain trails in summer, within driving distance of Barcelona or Toulouse.
Heads up: No airport and no train: road access only, with long queues in ski season.
Baviera · Germany
Munich as a base with the Bavarian Alps an hour away by train, and lakes to swim in during summer.
Heads up: Oktoberfest sends accommodation prices soaring; if that's not why you're going, avoid those two weeks.
Berna e Interlaken · Switzerland
The world's most convenient access to high mountains: trains that reach passes above 2,000 metres.
Heads up: The most expensive country in Europe. Eat from supermarkets and buy the transport pass that fits your route.
Bucarest y Transilvania · Romania
Among the cheapest in the European Union, with medieval Saxon towns and the Carpathians nearby.
Heads up: Road distances are long and slow; don't try to see the whole country in a week.
Dublín y el oeste · Ireland
Dublin as an entry point and the cliffs and peninsulas of the west as the real reason to go.
Heads up: It rains a lot year-round and Dublin accommodation is pricey; rent a car for the west.
Escocia · United Kingdom
Highlands and islands with Atlantic mountain scenery and very long summer days.
Heads up: Midges, tiny biting insects, are a genuine nuisance from June to August: bring specific repellent.
Fiordos noruegos · Norway
Europe's most striking fjord scenery, with day routes accessible from Bergen.
Heads up: Extremely expensive. Cooking where you stay and using public ferries instead of cruises cuts costs sharply.
Laponia finlandesa · Finland
Northern lights, guaranteed snow and activities organised for families.
Heads up: Auroras are never guaranteed: allow several nights and don't book solely for them.
Liechtenstein · Liechtenstein
A tiny alpine principality with well-marked trails and very few people.
Heads up: There's barely any accommodation and it's expensive: most people visit on a day trip from Switzerland or Austria.
Liubliana y los Alpes Julianos · Slovenia
A small country where you have a capital, alpine lakes and a strip of coast within a two-hour radius.
Heads up: Lake Bled is crowded in summer; neighbouring Bohinj is prettier with a tenth of the people.
Montenegro · Montenegro
The Bay of Kotor and mountains over 2,000 metres half an hour from the sea, all at low cost.
Heads up: The bay road gridlocks in August and parking is scarce.
Prizren y los Alpes · Kosovo
The Dinaric Alps from the Kosovan side, with serious mountains and some of Europe's lowest prices.
Heads up: The least tourism-ready country on the continent; check entry requirements and insurance coverage.
Reikiavik y el sur · Iceland
Waterfalls, glaciers and black sand beaches concentrated along the south route, reachable without a special vehicle.
Heads up: Interior roads require a 4x4 and only open in summer. Wind can damage rental car doors.
Sofía y Rila · Bulgaria
Mountains accessible from the capital and some of the lowest prices in Europe.
Heads up: The Black Sea coast in July and August is low-grade mass tourism: the interest is inland.
Tiflis y el Cáucaso · Georgia
High mountains, a winemaking tradition thousands of years old and very low prices, with growing direct flights from Europe.
Heads up: Mountain roads are rough and close in winter; for Kazbegi and Svaneti use a local driver.
Tirol · Austria
Valleys with summer cable cars that lift you to 2,000 metres without walking — ideal with children.
Heads up: Many villages include transport and lift passes with accommodation: ask before booking separately.
Canarias · Spain
The only part of Spain with comfortable swimming temperatures twelve months a year. Each island differs: Tenerife and La Palma have serious mountains, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are beach and volcano, and La Gomera and El Hierro are the quiet ones.
Heads up: Northern Tenerife and Gran Canaria are cloudy many days while the south is clear; if you're going for sun, check which side your accommodation is on.
Mallorca · Spain
Far more than the beach cliché: the Serra de Tramuntana has real mountain trails and stone villages, and the northeastern coves rank among the Mediterranean's best.
Heads up: In July and August prices double and small coves fill before ten. A rental car is effectively essential.
Cusco y Machu Picchu · Peru
Inca remains, high-altitude mountains and one of South America's best cuisines, all at contained prices.
Heads up: Cusco sits at 3,400 metres and altitude sickness is real: allow two days to acclimatise before any trek. Machu Picchu tickets are capped and sell out.
Toscana · Italy
Florence and Siena as bases, with walled villages, vineyards and hill roads in between that are part of the point. Few places combine art, landscape and food this well.
Heads up: Without a car you're limited to the cities. And many historic centres are restricted traffic zones with automatic camera fines: ask at your accommodation before driving in.
Asturias · Spain
Mountains and sea less than an hour apart: you can walk a Picos de Europa trail in the morning and be on a sandy beach by afternoon.
Heads up: The water is cold, 17 to 19 degrees, and it rains often even in summer. Always keep an indoor plan B.
Madeira · Portugal
A vertical island with trails alongside irrigation channels running through the interior, volcanic natural pools and mild temperatures twelve months a year.
Heads up: There are almost no sandy beaches: swimming is in natural pools and off platforms. Roads are tight-cornered and steep.
Costa Rica · Costa Rica
Volcanoes, cloud forest and two distinct coastlines in a small country, with well-established tourism infrastructure and abundant wildlife visible without effort.
Heads up: Road distances are slow despite looking short on the map. And in the rainy season many secondary roads become difficult without a 4x4.
Patagonia · Argentina and Chile
Glaciers, lakes and granite massifs with some of the best trekking in the world, between El Chaltén and Torres del Paine.
Heads up: It's the southern winter when it's summer in Europe, so the season runs in reverse. The wind is constant and strong, and distances between towns are vast.