Europe

Albania has the least developed coastline in the Mediterranean, a mountainous interior with Ottoman-era stone towns, and prices well below its neighbours. Travel is slower than in Croatia or Greece — roads are winding and buses informal — but the payoff is beaches and valleys that still feel unmanaged. Summer on the Riviera is now genuinely busy; the mountains and the south in shoulder season are not.

Austria pairs imperial cities in the east with alpine valleys and lake districts in the west, linked by a reliable rail network. Vienna and Salzburg carry the classical music and Habsburg heritage; Tyrol and the Salzkammergut carry the mountains and lakes. Distances are short, so a week can cover both sides without long drives.

Croatia is mostly coast: a 1,700-kilometre Adriatic shoreline with more than a thousand islands, walled towns built on Roman and Venetian foundations, and karst mountains a short drive inland. Ferries link the islands from Split and Dubrovnik, and the inland national parks hold the country's lakes and waterfalls. Summer is crowded and hot; late spring and September are easier.

Czechia is compact and largely medieval in its town centres, with Prague at the middle and castle towns, sandstone rock towns and spa resorts within two hours by train or bus. Beer is cheap and central to eating out. Outside Prague, prices drop sharply and crowds thin out fast.

Finland is forest and water: some 188,000 lakes, long Baltic archipelagos and an Arctic north where the sun does not set in midsummer or rise in midwinter. Sauna is an everyday routine rather than a spa treatment. Public transport is good between cities, but the wilderness areas need a car or a tour.

France covers Atlantic surf coast, alpine valleys, Mediterranean beaches and a dense network of historic cities within a few hours of each other by train. The TGV network makes a multi-city trip realistic without a car, while the countryside regions reward slow driving. Food and wine are regional rather than national, so the route you choose changes what you eat.

Germany is a country of distinct regions rather than one centre: Baltic coast in the north, forested uplands in the middle, Alps and beer culture in the south. Intercity trains connect the major cities in a few hours, and every city has a walkable core. Museums and industrial heritage are unusually strong, and the Christmas market season reshapes the calendar.

Greece is really two trips: the classical mainland, and an island system of six main groups with very different characters. Ferries make island-hopping straightforward but slow, so most itineraries pick one group rather than crossing between them. Spring and autumn give the best mix of open businesses, swimmable sea and manageable crowds.

Hungary is centred on Budapest and the Danube, with thermal water under much of the country feeding public bath houses that are part of ordinary life. Beyond the capital, the wine regions of Tokaj and Eger and the shallow expanse of Lake Balaton carry the summer trade. Prices stay well below western Europe.

Iceland concentrates glaciers, active volcanic zones, waterfalls and black-sand coast along a single ring road, which is why self-drive dominates. It is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, and costs are driven mostly by accommodation, food and vehicle hire. Weather and road conditions change hourly, so itineraries need slack built in.

Ireland is a small island with a long, broken Atlantic coastline and a green, low-lying interior. Most of the landscape draws are in the west, along the Wild Atlantic Way, while Dublin holds the literary and museum weight. Weather changes hourly year-round, which shapes how any itinerary should be planned.

Italy is a country of layered cities, coastal villages and food worth planning a whole trip around. Rome alone holds three thousand years of history within walking distance.

Montenegro fits a fjord-like bay, a wall of limestone mountains and glacial lakes into an area smaller than Wales. The Bay of Kotor and Budva carry almost all of the summer traffic, while Durmitor and the northern canyons stay quiet even in August. Driving is the practical way to combine the coast and the mountains.

The Netherlands is flat, dense and built around water management, which shaped its canal cities, polders and dykes. Trains link the main cities in under an hour, and cycling is the default way to move within them. Spring bulb fields and the Wadden islands are the seasonal draws outside the cities.

Norway is a long country where the attraction is the coastline: fjords cut deep inland in the west, and the Lofoten islands and the Arctic north sit above the circle. Trains, ferries and coastal boats cover much of it well, which softens the high cost of driving. Prices are among the highest in Europe, though self-catering and public transport bring them down considerably.

Poland runs from Baltic dunes to the Tatra mountains, with rebuilt historic cities in between and prices well below western Europe. Rail links between the main cities are fast and cheap. The country carries a heavy twentieth-century history that its museums and memorial sites address directly.

Portugal offers Atlantic coastline, tiled hillside cities and some of western Europe's friendliest prices.

Slovenia packs alpine lakes, karst caves, a short Adriatic coast and a compact green capital into a country you can cross in three hours. Distances are small enough that a single base can reach mountains in the morning and the sea in the afternoon, which makes it unusually efficient for a one-week trip. Public transport works between the main towns, but a car unlocks the valleys where the country is at its best.

Spain has the range to support very different trips: Moorish Andalusia, the green Atlantic north, Catalan modernism and two island groups. High-speed rail links the major cities in a few hours, making a multi-city trip practical without a car. Interior summers are extreme, so timing matters more here than in most of Europe.

Sweden stretches 1,500 kilometres from the Baltic archipelagos in the south to Arctic Lapland in the north, with the right of public access allowing walking and wild camping across most of the countryside. Stockholm and Gothenburg carry the design and food scene; the north carries the midnight sun, northern lights and Sami culture. Trains reach a long way north but slowly.

Switzerland is small, mountainous and organised around one of the densest public transport networks in the world, where trains, boats and cable cars run to a shared timetable. That makes high alpine terrain reachable without a car or technical skill. Costs are high, so many travellers shorten the trip rather than lower the standard.