A monastery perched high in a gorge, a quiet riverside bar serving cocktails … from Albania to the Netherlands our tipsters know how to hop off the tourist trail
Winning tip: Val Trebbia, Italy
Val Trebbia is a quiet corner of Italy that Ernest Hemingway called “the most beautiful valley in the world”. Crossed by the stunning green waters of the Trebbia river, it is dotted with castles, hamlets and minor Roman ruins (Hannibal faced the Romans here with his elephants). The monastery of Bobbio, founded by the Irish monk Columbanus, a great medieval cultural hot spots, is the crown jewel. You can swim, kayak, hike and cycle, then stop for lovely Gutturnio wine, fresh porcini mushrooms, Ligurian focaccia and culatello (like prosciutto but better). The Trebbia river meets the Po near Piacenza, which is a good base from which to explore the region.
Lara Fiorani
Sperlonga, Italy
Last year I was travelling by train from Rome to Naples when a strike left me stuck at the little station of Formia. The panini seller on the platform drove me to his brother’s little pensione in Sperlonga 20 minutes away, and I stayed there for a week. It’s a lovely town of winding, hilly streets with white stone houses, largely free of international tourists, full of gelato bars and pizzerias. Its soft sandy beach has great sunsets with views of 541-metre Monte Circeo with its caves, such as Grotta delle Capre, where goats have sheltered since antiquity. I was told Roman emperors used to come here for their summer breaks – since then it seems to have gone undetected.
Alex Hughes
Berat, Albania
Berat is known as the city of a thousand windows for its beautiful hillside filled with pretty Ottoman cottages. There’s also a castle to explore with views over the whole valley. After dark, cosy tavernas welcome patrons with hearty Balkan fare and potent grappa. Living is cheap, with loads of affordable places to eat and drink and you can get a double room in the cute Hostel Maya Berat for only €24. Either fly to Corfu, get the ferry over and combine it with some beach time or head to Tirana and make your way down from the capital, a 90-minute drive away.
Tim Alderson
Ohrid, North Macedonia
Ohrid is a town that clings on to the edge of the beautiful Lake Ohrid. We travelled there by car from Albania so it really felt like a journey into the unknown. The town is a bustling – but not with tourists – lake resort; I don’t think we bumped into anyone from western Europe let alone the UK. It offers great value and beautiful scenery, especially for walking or cycling, but the jewel is the crystal-clear lake. There is great swimming, fishing and water sports, and you never feel crammed in. Surprisingly the nightlife has something for everyone, from superb restaurants to bars and a rather-dated funfair.
Darryl
Laroles, Alpujarra mountains, Spain
An hour and a half’s drive from both the historic city of Granada and the unspoilt beaches of Cabo de Gata in Almeria, and nestled high in the stunning Alpujarras, the white-washed village of Laroles, and the cluster of villages around it, offer a rare glimpse of life in a rural Spanish community. Step back in time among olive groves and almond trees and enjoy the local wine and honey. This is old men on donkeys territory. Laroles is also home to the vibrant and award-winning Me Vuelves Lorca theatre festival (this year 2-11 August), which is held every summer in a beautiful, Greek-style open-air theatre that was handcrafted by the local community in 2013. Concerts under the stars … truly magical!
Helen Rogers
Lapa dos Dinheiros, Portugal
In the Serra da Estrela, we stayed in the tiny village of Valezim and walked through pine forests and clouds of butterflies to Lapa dos Dinheiros, where there is a river beach above a dam with large boulders – and, crucially, a very quiet bar selling eye-wateringly strong caipirinhas.
Felix Macpherson
Arcadia, Greece
In the heart of Greece’s jellyfish-shaped south-west lies the stunning region of Arcadia. For an area so far south, it is surprisingly lush and green, with clear mountain rivers slicing through steep gorges. After a couple of hours’ driving through twisty mountain roads, pausing only to let tortoises cross the road, we arrived in pretty Stemnitsa village. A 20-minute walk down a stony path led us to the Monastery of Prodromou. Cut into the sides of the Loussios gorge and home to seven monks who welcomed us in for bitter Greek coffee, its small rock chapel and meditative views left us inspired. Such a special, untouched place.
Susie Lee-Kilgariff
Zeeland, The Netherlands
The Dutch coast features long sandy beaches backed by vast dunes. The sun sinks over the sea as you finish an after dinner beer on the terrace of the local beach restaurant and all you can hear is the waves, the last of the day’s gentle laughter and the troughs and peaks of the Dutch language. I love Vlissingen in the south on the former island of Walcheren It can be driven to in under two hours from Calais (grab a spot of lunch in Bruges on the way) or train from Rotterdam or Amsterdam. It’s the Netherlands, so bikes can be rented and there are many trails among the dunes.
Jeremy
Ardennes, Belgium
We stayed in the Belgian portion of the Ardennes and found it to be one of the most understated yet delightful places in Europe. There are meandering walks over hills, through forests and along rivers, which are never too strenuous, but always seem to emerge in some cosy village overlooking a grand vista. Glasses of hearty Belgian beer flow freely: the Trappist brewery Rochefort is in the heart of the Ardennes, and there are plenty of Abbey-style breweries hidden within the forests. We stayed at the excellent Au Plaisir B&B (doubles from €90pn, discounts on extra nights) south of lovely Dinant, 100 metres from the Meuse river and with cycling and walking trails on the doorstep. It serves delicious homemade food that’s sourced locally.
Chris Pickles
Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Where east meets west, Sarajevo is a rising star on the tourist trail. This beautiful, captivating city is rapidly emerging from the dark shadows of the war-torn years of the 1990s. With mosques and churches seemingly at every corner, it richly deserves its moniker “Jerusalem of Europe”. The narrow alleyways and trading streets of the old Ottoman bazaar district of Baščaršija teem with cafes that fill the air with the delicious fragrance of Bosnian coffee and the sumptuous local cuisine. Sarajevo truly is a feast for all the senses.
Sarah
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