The Itinerary Couples & honeymoon
Routes that trade pace for atmosphere: fewer stops, longer evenings, and hotels chosen for the room rather than the location alone.
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Best for: The Moorish south, done in the right order
Andalusia in 8 days: Seville, Córdoba, Granada and Ronda
Seville → Córdoba → Granada → Ronda → Málaga
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Best for: Three days of city and five on a reef, on a routing most people fly anyway
Dubai and the Maldives in 8 days: the stopover done properly
Dubai → Malé → resort island
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Best for: Four cities, one visa, no hire car and no internal flights
France and Italy in 12 days: Paris, the Riviera, Florence and Rome
Paris → Nice → Florence → Rome
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Best for: Two separate chances at the aurora, from two countries, in one trip
Iceland and Norway in 10 days: the south coast, and the lights from Tromsø
Reykjavík → the Golden Circle → Vík → Jökulsárlón → Oslo → Tromsø
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Best for: The aurora, and the caves that only exist in winter
Iceland in winter in 6 days: northern lights and ice caves
Reykjavík → the Golden Circle → Seljalandsfoss → Vík → Jökulsárlón → Reykjavík
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Best for: The south of France without Paris
Provence and the Riviera in 7 days: Nice, the Luberon and Avignon
Nice → Èze → Antibes → Aix-en-Provence → the Luberon → Avignon → Marseille
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Best for: Two empires and one skyline, on a four-hour flight
Istanbul, Cappadocia and Dubai in 9 days
Istanbul → Cappadocia → Dubai
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Best for: The newest skyline in the world and the oldest monuments in it, three hours apart
Dubai and Egypt in 9 days: the skyline, the pyramids and a Nile cruise
Dubai → Cairo → Luxor → Edfu → Kom Ombo → Aswan
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Best for: The shortest two-country trip in Europe, and the one most people get slightly wrong
London and Paris in 7 days: two capitals, one train
London → Windsor → Paris → Versailles
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Best for: Two properties instead of four, and the drives cut down to two
Bali honeymoon in 7 days: an Ubud villa and an Uluwatu cliff
Ubud → Uluwatu
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Best for: Two nights facing a 5,000m mountain and two on a working wine estate, three hours from the Gulf
Georgia honeymoon in 6 days: Kazbegi lodges and Kakheti wine estates
Tbilisi → Kazbegi → Kakheti → Tbilisi
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Best for: The two weeks the country is at its best, booked before anyone knows the dates
Japan cherry blossom in 7 days: routed around the bloom forecast
Tokyo → Kyoto → Osaka
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Best for: The classic valley honeymoon, slowed down — and read the advisory section before you book
Kashmir honeymoon in 6 days: a houseboat, Gulmarg and Pahalgam
Srinagar → Gulmarg → Pahalgam → Srinagar
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Best for: The season Kerala is cheapest, greenest and the one locals book treatments in
Kerala in the monsoon: Ayurveda season, green Munnar and low rates
Kochi → Munnar → Alleppey
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Best for: One island, one villa, and a plan that protects the two or three things worth leaving it for
Maldives honeymoon in 5 days: overwater villa, sandbank, reef
Malé → resort island → Malé
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Best for: Two coasts with different weather, and a mountain in the sea to finish on
Mauritius honeymoon in 6 days: the north, Le Morne and a catamaran
North coast → Port Louis → Chamarel → Le Morne
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Best for: The one week Jaipur lights every bazaar and competes with itself over it
Rajasthan at Diwali in 6 days: Jaipur's lit bazaars and Udaipur's lakes
Jaipur → Udaipur
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Best for: Four nights on the caldera rim, booked on the terrace rather than the postcard
Santorini honeymoon in 6 days: a caldera suite and one night in Athens
Athens → Santorini → Athens
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Best for: Granite boulders, two islands and a bicycle — the beaches that actually look like the photographs
Seychelles honeymoon in 5 days: Mahé, Praslin and La Digue
Mahé → Praslin → La Digue
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Best for: Three bases instead of four, and the train journeys treated as the destination
Switzerland honeymoon in 7 days: lake towns and the panoramic trains
Lucerne → Lauterbrunnen → Montreux
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Best for: The balloon morning and then four days of doing nothing on a turquoise coast
Turkey honeymoon in 7 days: a cave suite, the balloon and the Lycian coast
Istanbul → Cappadocia → Kaş → Antalya
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Best for: A cruise suite, a lantern town and an island finish, with the sightseeing cut back
Vietnam honeymoon in 8 days: Ha Long, Hoi An and Phu Quoc
Hanoi → Ha Long → Hoi An → Phu Quoc
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Best for: Three days with one museum done properly instead of three at a trot
Paris in 3 days: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Versailles
Louvre and the Seine → Eiffel Tower and Montmartre → Versailles
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Best for: Four days that get the beach right and the day trip in the right boat
Phuket in 4 days: the beaches, Phi Phi and the old town
Kata or Karon → Phi Phi day trip → Phuket Old Town → Big Buddha and the south
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Best for: Three days on the rim, with the sunset crush planned around
Santorini in 3 days: the caldera, Oia and Akrotiri
Fira and the caldera rim → the Fira–Oia walk and sunset → Akrotiri, the wine and a black beach
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Best for: Two slow days in the one Rajasthani city built around water
Udaipur in 2 days: the City Palace, Lake Pichola and the old city
City Palace and Jagdish Temple → Lake Pichola by boat → Monsoon Palace and the old lanes
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Best for: Two days, and getting lost on purpose for half of them
Venice in 2 days: San Marco, the Doge's Palace and the lagoon
San Marco and the Doge's Palace → Murano, Burano and the quiet sestieri
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Best for: One island, three nights, and the best beach in India
Andaman in 5 days: Port Blair and Havelock
Port Blair → Havelock → Port Blair
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Best for: A long weekend in the north, without the drive south
Goa in 4 days: north beaches, Old Goa and the Latin Quarter
North Goa → Old Goa → Panjim → North Goa
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Best for: A first taste of Kerala on a short break, without the drive to Thekkady
Kerala in 5 days: Kochi, Munnar and one night on the backwaters
Kochi → Munnar → Alleppey → Kochi
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Best for: The full hills-and-water circuit, with spice country added to the short version
Kerala in 7 days: Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady and the backwaters
Kochi → Munnar → Thekkady → Alleppey → Kochi
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Best for: The three great cities, two nights each, no desert detour
Rajasthan in 7 days: Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur
Jaipur → Jodhpur → Udaipur
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Best for: A three-hour flight from the Gulf to petroglyphs, mud volcanoes and a fire that has burned for centuries
Azerbaijan in 5 days: Baku, Gobustan, Absheron and Gabala
Baku → Gobustan → Absheron → Gabala → Baku
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Best for: A city break three hours from Dubai, with prehistoric rock art and a burning hillside attached
Baku in 4 days: the old city, Gobustan and the fire sites
İçərişəhər → Gobustan → mud volcanoes → Absheron → Baku
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Best for: A first Bali trip with two bases and no day lost to traffic
Bali in 5 days: Ubud and the south
Ubud → Uluwatu → Seminyak
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Best for: Two bases, one island day trip, and no two-hour transfer every morning
Bali in 7 days: Ubud, Uluwatu and Nusa Penida
Ubud → Uluwatu → Seminyak → Nusa Penida
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Best for: A three-night break from the Gulf that still reaches the Caucasus
Georgia in 4 days: Tbilisi, Mtskheta and Kazbegi
Tbilisi → Mtskheta → Ananuri → Gudauri → Stepantsminda → Tbilisi
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Best for: A long weekend from the Gulf that still gets you to the Caucasus and the wine country
Georgia in 5 days: Tbilisi, Mtskheta, Kazbegi and Kakheti
Tbilisi → Mtskheta → Kazbegi → Sighnaghi → Tbilisi
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Best for: One city, one island, and no day lost to a second ferry
Greece in 7 days: Athens and Santorini
Athens → Santorini → Athens
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Best for: The south as well as the centre, which is the half the classic week leaves out
Italy in 14 days: Rome, Naples, the Amalfi coast, Florence, Venice and Milan
Rome → Naples → Pompeii → Amalfi coast → Florence → Venice → Milan
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Best for: Two cities instead of three, which on five days is the difference between seeing them and passing through
Italy in 5 days: Rome and Florence
Rome → Florence → Rome
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Best for: The classic three, with the train times that make them fit
Italy in 7 days: Rome, Florence and Venice
Rome → Florence → Venice
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Best for: A city and an island on a short break, with one 70-minute flight between them
Malaysia in 5 days: Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi
Kuala Lumpur → Langkawi → Kuala Lumpur
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Best for: A short resort stay, structured so the four days are not all the same day
The Maldives in 5 days: a resort stay, day by day
Malé → resort island → Malé
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Best for: Lakes and one mountain valley, without the Zermatt leg that needs a week
Switzerland in 5 days: Zurich, Lucerne and Interlaken
Zurich → Lucerne → Interlaken → Zurich
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Best for: Four stops, all by train, with the mountain excursions costed honestly
Switzerland in 7 days: Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken and Zermatt
Zurich → Lucerne → Interlaken → Zermatt → Zurich
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Best for: Four Andaman stops by ferry, with no backtracking and no Bangkok
Thailand island hopping in 8 days: Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi and Koh Lanta
Phuket → Phi Phi → Krabi → Koh Lanta
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Best for: A long weekend that still gets you the balloons, if you accept the risk
Turkey in 5 days: Istanbul and Cappadocia
Istanbul → Cappadocia → Istanbul
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Best for: Two places, one short flight, and the balloon morning you came for
Turkey in 7 days: Istanbul and Cappadocia
Istanbul → Cappadocia → Istanbul
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Best for: The falls from both banks, which are two completely different sights
Argentina and Brazil in 13 days: Buenos Aires, Iguazú from both sides, and Rio
Buenos Aires → Iguazú → Foz do Iguaçu → Rio de Janeiro → Paraty
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Best for: The city and the mountains, joined by a three-hour train
France and Switzerland in 11 days: Paris, the Jungfrau and the Matterhorn
Paris → Annecy → Zermatt → Interlaken → Lucerne → Zurich
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Best for: The classical world in the order it actually happened
Italy and Greece in 14 days: Rome, Pompeii, Matera and the ferry to Meteora
Rome → Pompeii → Matera → Bari → ferry → Meteora → Delphi → Athens
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Best for: The three Lapplands in one winter, and four separate chances at the lights
Lapland in 10 days: Rovaniemi, the aurora, Tromsø and the Icehotel
Rovaniemi → Saariselkä → Tromsø → Abisko → Kiruna → Jukkasjärvi
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Best for: Two countries that have argued over one sea for three thousand years
Turkey and Greece in 14 days: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and the Aegean islands
Istanbul → Cappadocia → Kuşadası → Samos → Santorini → Athens
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Best for: The two countries everyone combines, done in the order that actually works
Australia and New Zealand in 16 days: Sydney, Uluru, the Reef and the South Island
Sydney → Uluru → Cairns → Queenstown → Milford Sound → Mount Cook → Christchurch
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Best for: Three countries in nine days, and no journey longer than three hours
Benelux in 9 days: Amsterdam, Bruges, Ghent, Brussels and Luxembourg
Amsterdam → Delft → Bruges → Ghent → Brussels → Luxembourg
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Best for: Two countries people assume are similar, which is the reason to do them together
Japan and South Korea in 14 days: Tokyo, Kyoto, Busan and Seoul
Tokyo → Kyoto → Osaka → Busan → Gyeongju → Seoul
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Best for: Two of the ancient world's great sites, and a river between them
Jordan and Egypt in 12 days: Petra, Wadi Rum, the Pyramids and the Nile
Amman → Jerash → Petra → Wadi Rum → Aqaba → Cairo → Luxor → Aswan
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Best for: Both halves of the same migration, then a week's worth of beach in three days
Kenya and Tanzania in 12 days: the Mara, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Zanzibar
Nairobi → Masai Mara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Zanzibar
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Best for: A glacier that calves while you watch it, and the two best trekking massifs in the Americas
Patagonia in 13 days: Perito Moreno, Fitz Roy and Torres del Paine
El Calafate → El Chaltén → Torres del Paine → Puerto Natales → Punta Arenas
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Best for: Three capitals and the best railway journey in Europe, with no flights needed
Scandinavia in 12 days: Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and the Norway fjords by train
Copenhagen → Stockholm → Oslo → Flåm → Bergen
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Best for: Five cities, four high-speed trains and one short flight
Spain and Portugal in 12 days: Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Lisbon and Porto
Barcelona → Madrid → Seville → Lisbon → Porto
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Best for: Eight days of everything, then four of nothing at all
Sri Lanka and the Maldives in 12 days: Sigiriya, the hill country, Yala and an atoll
Colombo → Sigiriya → Kandy → Ella → Yala → Galle → Malé → an atoll
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Best for: Two square kilometres with a Grand Prix circuit running through them
Monaco in 2 days: the Rock, the Casino and the Oceanographic Museum
Monaco-Ville → the Palace → the Oceanographic Museum → Monte-Carlo → Larvotto
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Best for: Two volcanic spires rising straight out of the sea, and a crater you can drive into
Saint Lucia in 7 days: climbing Gros Piton, the drive-in volcano and Marigot Bay
Castries → Marigot Bay → Soufrière → the Pitons → Rodney Bay
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Best for: The Pacific's best lagoon
Cook Islands in 8 days: Rarotonga and the Aitutaki lagoon
Rarotonga → Aitutaki → Rarotonga
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Best for: Deep history, short distances
Malta in 7 days: Valletta, the megalithic temples and Gozo
Valletta → the south → Mdina → Gozo → Comino
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Best for: Slow coast + Tannat
Uruguay in 8 days: Montevideo, Colonia and the wild east coast
Montevideo → Colonia → Punta del Este → Cabo Polonio
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Best for: Old towns + short hops
Belgium in 6 days: Bruges, Ghent and Brussels
Brussels → Bruges → Ghent → Antwerp
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Best for: Old towns + history
Bosnia and Herzegovina in 7 days: Sarajevo, Mostar and the waterfalls
Sarajevo → Mostar → Blagaj → Kravice
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Best for: Old towns + monasteries
Bulgaria in 8 days: Sofia, Plovdiv and the Rila mountains
Sofia → Rila → Plovdiv → Veliko Tarnovo
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Best for: Three capitals, one visa
Central Europe in 10 days: Prague, Vienna and Budapest
Prague → Vienna → Budapest
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Best for: Cities + coffee country
Colombia in 11 days: Cartagena, the coffee region and Medellín
Cartagena → Salento → Medellín → Bogotá
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Best for: Wildlife + rainforest
Costa Rica in 10 days: Arenal, Monteverde and the Pacific
San José → Arenal → Monteverde → Manuel Antonio
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Best for: Music + old cities
Cuba in 9 days: Havana, Viñales and Trinidad
Havana → Viñales → Trinidad → Havana
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Best for: Design + cycling
Denmark in 6 days: Copenhagen and the coast
Copenhagen → Helsingør → Roskilde
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Best for: Islands + reefs
Fiji in 9 days: the Yasawas, Viti Levu and a village stay
Nadi → Yasawa Islands → Coral Coast → Nadi
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Best for: Island-hopping, not one resort
French Polynesia in 10 days: Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine and Bora Bora
Tahiti → Moorea → Huahine → Taha'a → Bora Bora
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Best for: Fjord bay + mountains
Montenegro in 7 days: Kotor Bay, Durmitor and the coast
Kotor → Perast → Durmitor → Sveti Stefan
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Best for: Castles + old towns
Romania in 8 days: Transylvania, Bucharest and the mountains
Bucharest → Brașov → Sighișoara → Sibiu
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Best for: Lakes + fairy tale
Slovenia in 6 days: Ljubljana, Bled and the caves
Ljubljana → Lake Bled → Bohinj → Postojna
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Best for: Design + islands
Sweden in 7 days: Stockholm and the archipelago
Stockholm → Archipelago → Uppsala
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Best for: Coast + old towns
Croatia in 8 days: Dubrovnik, Split and the islands
Dubrovnik → Split → Hvar → Krka
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Best for: Old towns + castles
Czech Republic in 7 days: Prague and Český Krumlov
Prague → Kutná Hora → Český Krumlov
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Best for: Couples + first-timers
Greece in 10 days: Athens, Mykonos and Santorini
Athens → Mykonos → Santorini
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Best for: City + thermal baths
Hungary in 6 days: Budapest and the Danube Bend
Budapest → Danube Bend
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Best for: First-time visitors
Bali in 10 days: Ubud, Uluwatu and the islands
Ubud → Nusa Penida → Uluwatu
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Best for: Three nights in a local guesthouse and three in a water villa, which is why a week costs less than the resort five
Maldives in 7 days: the split-stay that beats the price myth
Beach island → water villa
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Best for: Beaches + road trip
Mauritius in 8 days: the two-base island loop
North coast → Port Louis → Chamarel → Le Morne
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Best for: Cities + coast
Portugal in 8 days: Lisbon, Sintra and Porto
Lisbon → Sintra → Porto → Douro valley
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Best for: Beaches + island-hopping
Seychelles in 8 days: Mahé, Praslin and La Digue
Mahé → Praslin → La Digue
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Best for: First-time visitors
Switzerland in 10 days: Lucerne, the Jungfrau and Zermatt
Lucerne → Jungfrau → Zermatt
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Best for: First-time visitors
France in 9 days: Paris and the Riviera
Paris → Versailles → Nice → Monaco
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Best for: First-time visitors
Spain in 10 days: Barcelona, Madrid and Seville
Barcelona → Madrid → Toledo → Seville
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Best for: First-time visitors
Turkey in 11 days: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale
Istanbul → Cappadocia → Ephesus → Pamukkale
Other ways to travel
- Beach escapes Sand, snorkelling and somewhere to do nothing.
- Mountains & nature Peaks, parks, deserts and the long views.
- Culture & history Old cities, great museums, food worth travelling for.
- Family travel Short hops, real breaks, nothing that needs queueing for an hour.
- Multi-country Several countries, one trip — and one set of paperwork.
- Budget-friendly Great trips under $100 a day.