On Europe holidays, the options veer from sun-baked Sardinia to snow-smothered Lapland, and sand-skirted Ibiza to volcano-dotted Tenerife.
For lots of sun-seeking Brits, beaches are the beginning, middle and end of European holidays. Mainland Spain’s Costas have been setting the benchmark for years, and the family-friendly Canary Islands are toasty throughout the year. In Portugal, the Algarve has its own line-up of stellar sands, backed by pro-designed golf links. You get everything from party towns to out-of-the-way islands in Greece, and Cyprus’ golden beaches need little introduction. Bulgaria’s beach resorts, meanwhile, are newest to the party, so there’s a real buzz to the place.
If you’re not just about days on the sand, Italy’s blend of colourful coastlines, ancient sites and good food is just the ticket. Turkey’s got everything from Roman ruins to boisterous bazaars in its locker, and Malta’s historic capital, Valletta, earned it the European Capital of Culture title in recent times. Picture-perfect lakes and Medieval castles are on the cards in Slovenia. And the shores of the Adriatic Sea are dotted with Croatia’s islands and bays, plus the pine-smothered hills of Montenegro.
Flip-flops and flaking out aren’t all you can do on this continent, though. Holidays in Europe also venture to cooler climes – from seeking the Northern Lights in Iceland to husky rides in Lapland. Mountain scenery’s part and parcel of trips to Austria and Switzerland, and Germany’s pointy pine forests are dotted with castles and lakes. Kraków’s underground museums are joined by the lofty Tatra Mountains in Poland, and the Norwegian fjords are enough to max out your mobile’s picture memory.
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