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7 destinations
The Balkans' most underrated coastline, backed by dramatic mountains and some of Europe's lowest prices.
Ottoman old towns, emerald rivers and mountain scenery, still one of Europe's best-value trips.
Grand thermal baths and Danube views in Budapest, easily paired with Vienna and Bratislava.
Atlantic coastline, tiled cities and port wine, priced noticeably lower than Spain or Italy.
Everything from Gaudí's Barcelona to Andalusian palaces and Mediterranean beaches, in one large, varied country.
Ancient ruins, whitewashed islands and some of Europe's best food, at the cost of serious summer crowds.
Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Tuscany and the Alps — extraordinary depth, extraordinary crowds and prices to match.
41 itineraries
Sarajevo's layered history followed by Mostar and the Herzegovina countryside, reachable by bus or car.
Sofia's Roman ruins in the metro station, Plovdiv's ancient theatre, and Veliko Tarnovo's fortress built into a river canyon.
A loop from Tirana through Ottoman old towns to the Riviera coastline and back, best with a rental car.
Prague's fairy-tale old town, the storybook riverside village of Český Krumlov, and student-city Brno to finish.
Istanbul's mosques and bazaars, a Cappadocia balloon sunrise, and Pamukkale's white terraces, by flight and coach.
The rebuilt capital, medieval Kraków and Auschwitz-Birkenau, gnome-covered Wrocław, and the Baltic port of Gdańsk.
Marrakech's souks, a Sahara desert camp, and the imperial cities and blue-washed Chefchaouen, by private driver.
India's classic first-timer route — Delhi's Mughal monuments, the Taj Mahal at dawn in Agra, and Jaipur's pink-hued forts.
Three capitals, three countries, entirely by train — no rental car needed at any point.
Ancient Athens, the Peloponnese's castles and coastline, and the monasteries of Meteora — no islands required.
Bangkok's temples and street food, Chiang Mai's mountains, and the Andaman coast's islands, by domestic flight.
Hanoi's Old Quarter, an overnight cruise through Ha Long Bay, lantern-lit Hoi An and the fast pace of Ho Chi Minh City, end to end by domestic flight.
Croatia's coastline and Plitvice Lakes combined with a day trip into Bosnia's Mostar for contrast and value.
Lisbon's hills and trams, the fairy-tale palaces of Sintra, port-wine Porto, and Algarve beaches to close.
Colombo's brief city stop, Kandy's hill-country temples and tea estates, and Galle's Dutch colonial fort on the south coast.
Three of Southeast Asia's classic backpacker highlights — Angkor Wat, Vietnam's coast, and Ha Long Bay — by short flights.
Valletta's fortress walls and Baroque churches, the silent walled city of Mdina, and a ferry day trip to Gozo's slower pace.
Bogotá's altitude and street art, Medellín's spring-like climate and cable cars, and Cartagena's colourful colonial old town on the Caribbean coast.
Amsterdam's canal ring, laid-back Utrecht, and Rotterdam's bold modern architecture with a Hague day trip.
Portugal's coastal cities and Spain's Andalusian south, linked by train and one short flight.
Italy's classic first-timer route — ancient Rome, Renaissance Florence, a Bologna food stop and canal-side Venice, all by high-speed train.
Mexico City's museums and street food, Oaxaca's markets and mezcal, then Mayan ruins and Caribbean beaches on the Riviera Maya.
Seoul's palaces and K-culture energy, Busan's beaches and fish markets, and volcanic Jeju Island to close.
Jerusalem's Old City, floating in the Dead Sea, and the beach-and-nightlife energy of Tel Aviv, with a Haifa detour.
Nicosia's divided old town, beach time in Larnaca and Limassol, and Paphos's mosaics and mythology on the west coast.
London's icons bookended by a day trip to Roman Bath and a rail hop to medieval York.
Berlin's Cold War history through baroque Dresden and Bavarian Munich to romantic Heidelberg and the Cologne Cathedral.
Stockholm's island-spread old town, a day trip to Uppsala's university and cathedral, then west by train to Gothenburg's canals and archipelago.
Dublin's pub culture, Galway's bohemian west coast, the Ring of Kerry from Killarney, and Cork's food scene to finish.
Tokyo's density, Kyoto's temples, and Hiroshima's history, connected entirely by Shinkansen bullet train.
Madrid's museums into Andalusia's Moorish palaces, a Costa del Sol stop in Málaga, then Gaudí's Barcelona to finish.
Santiago's mountain-ringed skyline, colourful Valparaíso on the coast, then a flight north to the otherworldly Atacama Desert.
Copenhagen's design and cycling culture, Aarhus's arts scene, and Hans Christian Andersen's hometown of Odense.
From Paris's grand boulevards through Lyon's food scene to the Mediterranean glamour of Nice and Marseille, all by TGV.
Dubai's skyscrapers, desert and souks, with a day trip to Abu Dhabi's Grand Mosque and Louvre.
Buenos Aires' tango and steakhouses, Mendoza's wine country beneath the Andes, and lake-and-mountain Bariloche in Patagonia.
The Great Wall and Forbidden City in Beijing, the Terracotta Army in Xi'an, Guilin's karst rivers, and Shanghai's skyline to finish.
Rio's beaches and Christ the Redeemer, the thundering Iguazu Falls, and Salvador's Afro-Brazilian old town on the northeast coast.
Singapore's futuristic gardens and hawker food, then north overland through Malacca's colonial old town to Kuala Lumpur and George Town's street art and heritage.
Cape Town's Table Mountain and Winelands, then a flight north for a safari in Kruger National Park.
Toronto's skyline and a Niagara Falls day trip, then east by train to Montreal's bilingual charm and the cobblestone streets of Old Quebec.