Europe travel highlights and routes
Start with a clear thread: culture, landscapes and accessible travel routes that make planning straightforward. For history and countryside choose historic towns and coastal villages in England , where compact market towns, chalk cliffs and country estates reward short drives and easy walks. For compact urban experiences and low effort cycling look to canal cities and cycling routes in the Netherlands , a network of flat lanes linking museums, cafés and riverfront neighbourhoods. For art, food and scenic driving incorporate art cities, coastal drives and vineyards in Italy , pairing Renaissance centres with coastal roads and wine country tasting rooms. Use these three threads as practical building blocks: plan two to four days in each area, favour trains where corridors are dense, and leave time for weather or a memorable detour.
From 1 January 2025, Bulgaria and Romania are full members of the Schengen Area, so checks on people at their internal land, air and sea borders with other Schengen countries have been lifted. This makes overland itineraries between Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary quicker in normal conditions.