There are many ways to explore the Dolomites – the dramatic, jagged peaks that graze the skies of north-east Italy. Few Dolomite experiences, however, are quite as relaxing as this holiday. With a week in Val Gardena, you are ideally placed to discover both the bucolic valleys and high mountain landscapes of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nestled between the illustrious art cities of Florence, Siena, and Pisa, the Chianti hills are celebrated not only for their distinguished dark red wines but also for their charming vistas. This exceptional self-guided walking holiday invites you to traverse landscapes that inspired some of the world’s most revered artists, guiding you through lush vineyards and gently undulating scenery.

In the upper Dordogne, early morning mists dissipate to reveal a rich tapestry of wooded slopes, rolling farmland, and thick orchards, heavy with ripening fruit. It’s a place of idyllic villages, and natural abundance – celebrated at each hotel with flavoursome dinners, featuring duck, truffles, and wild mushrooms.

For centuries, Portuguese nobility sought refuge from summer heat amid the wooded hills of Sintra. Our delightful route ends among their extravagant palaces, following a journey that takes you beside a spectacular coast and then sweeps inland, delving into the region’s rich past, culture, and cuisine along the way.

Enjoy first-rate Cretan hospitality from your base in a relaxed rustic hideaway, a stone’s throw from the ancient olive trees of Vouves. With car hire included, you’re free to delve into Crete’s millennia of history, breathtaking scenery, and renowned hiking trails – including some of Europe’s most captivating gorge walks.

Just a stone’s throw from Lisbon, the little-known Arrábida Natural Park has a glorious coastline, unspoiled hinterland, and some of the country’s finest wines and seafood. Discover it on this delightfully varied walk of abandoned forts, pilgrim places, and seaside towns, which finishes with a stay in a medieval castle.

Easy routes and spectacular surroundings are a winning combination, and this laid-back holiday also offers idyllic swimming spots, magnificent castles, and a pioneering eco hotel with excellent facilities. Take advantage of your included guest card, which gives free local bus travel, to extend your exploration of this diverse region.

Forget the party image of Ibiza and head straight to its north-east coast – as laid-back and unspoiled as any corner of the Balearics. Sail to Formentera and step further back in time: onto a serene island of white sands and salt flats – preserve of traditional Balearic life.

Mallorca’s most dramatic scenery – and its prettiest villages – are to be found in the island’s north-west corner. Staying for a week in charming Sóller, you are perfectly placed to discover panoramic paths, enticing coves and those exquisite villages, and also to take the famous narrow-gauge railway to Palma for a day of sightseeing.

With a delightful hideaway hotel as your base, explore one of Europe’s most serene valleys on foot and by included hire car. The Logar Valley remains remarkably free of crowds – allowing panoramic walking among its velvet-green meadows, conifer-carpeted slopes, and unspoiled, tradition-rich farmland.

Purple lavender, houses of honey-coloured stone, ochre mines, yellow sunflowers tilted towards the blue sky, the white chalk of towering Mont Ventoux… Provence delights with its colours. The region was made for leisurely exploration and, with a week with a hire car in the medieval village of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, you can do just that, walking and exploring – or even canoeing – as the mood takes you.