Chasing the Wow

Sellaronda Ski Circuit: One of the World’s Great One-Day Ski Adventures

The Sellaronda Ski Circuit is the famous 42km / 26miles route in the Italian Dolomites, encircling the Sella Massif by linking four valleys – Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Arabba and Val di Fassa. If you’re a skier, this is a must-do and a maximum Wow-factor rating for 5 reasons:

1. Its a genuine adventure. Skiing can sometimes feel repetitive – the same lifts, the same slopes. The Sellaronda is the opposite. It’s a full-day journey using around 16–17 different lifts and roughly 26 km of downhill skiing, all of it new terrain, with a clear goal: make it back before the lifts close.

The Sellaronda Ski Circuit – orange indicates the anti-clockwise route and green the clockwise route as it snakes its way around the Sella Massif

2. The Dolomites are UNESCO World Heritage listed, the most wow dramatic mountains in the world, and the Sellaronda Ski Circuit passes through the heart of them – the Sella Massif. In my opinion, the mountains surrounding Machu Picchu in Peru and Interlakken in Switzerland are more classically beautiful, but there is nothing else in the world that comes close to the dramatic of the Dolomites.

The Sassolungo massif towering behind chairlift 51 in the Val Gardena (Gardena Valley) – one of the 16-17 different lifts that make up the Sellaronda Ski Circuit.

3. The Dolomiti Superski area is the largest interconnected ski network in the world, with around 1,200 km / 750 miles of pistes. That means if you want to deviate from the Sellaronda – or turn it into a multi-day ski safari – you have an absurd number of options.

The Dolomiti Superski Map – 12 ski valley areas all interconnected, of which the Sellaronda Ski Circuit passes through 4 (numbers 3, 4, 5, 6 on the map). See the interactive map at Dolomiti Superski Interactive Map (Eng)

4. It’s Italy and the Alps – forget the single mountain-style resorts of North America and Japan, this is Italy which means endless picture-perfect alpine villages that offer a wonderful range of lunch spots and apres ski.

The Sellaronda Ski Circuit is littered with pretty alpine towns, such as Arabba in the Arabba Valley

5. You can combine the Sellaronda with nearby Lagazuoi – one of the best mountain views anywhere on the planet, a 8.5km / 5miles single ski run through alpine wonderland and being pulled on your skis by horses at the end. All included in the Superski pass.

Views from the Lagazuoi Rifugio, which is accessed from the Lagazuoi Cablecar starting at the Falzarego Pass. You ski down to the small town of Armentarola from there

Venice in January

I first visited Venice around ten years ago and left thinking it definitely had the wow factor, but I wasn’t blown away. At the time, I rated it a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Wow-factor, rather than anything higher.

I went back again in 2026, made a few deliberate changes to how I approached the city, and was utterly blown away. Venice jumped straight to the maximum Wow-factor category of ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️. I left thinking it was world’s premier city break, and as of 2026 it is the only city break – other than Cape Town – that reaches this top tier for me.

This entry explains why Venice is so wow, and more importantly, how to experience it in a way that gets you that ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ feeling.

In a nutshell:

One of the most beautiful and distinctive cities on Earth.
The only city that combines world-class stellar attractions with such an ease for avoiding crowds that lets you enjoy the magic of a water-based world.
To jump from Wow ⭐️ to Wow Wow Wow ⭐️⭐️⭐️, you must visit in winter and mix the famous sites with the “real Venice”, which is just as impressive.
Be sure to go on a cicchetti crawl – super fun and great way to see Venice.

2 week Greece Itinerary in October

Greece is one of the best places to travel in Europe in October. While the rest of Europe is starting to get the chills of winter and closing down, Greece is the standout for not only being open, but also still having the summer vibe pumping, especially in the islands. This 2 week Greece itinerary gives you the “must dos” and the route to take.

Nutshell:

The mega wows are Santorini, the monasteries of Meteora and western Crete
Any Greece trip has a split between mainland Greece and the Greek Islands. If you only have a week, do one. If 2 weeks, do both.
Athens will be the hub for the journey by ferry to the islands and by car through the mainland.
Islands – don’t miss Santorini. If pressed for time chose between Mykonos (high end fancy, lash, closer) and Crete (natural beauty, big nature, like a separate country).
Mainland – Delphi and Olympia are similar so, if pushed for time, go for Delphi as its closer to Meteora.

Corfu Town

Corfu Town is definitely worth the visit:

✅ Lived in Old Town with narrow lanes, washing lines above your head, old pastel buildings with peeling shutters.

✅ Harbour and a pair of Venetian fortresses for views and to learn about the Venetian and Ottoman history.

✅ Sea surrounding it a ridiculous shade of blue, and with a string of islands all around.

✅ Easy to reach with ferries from the mainland every hour or so and only 75mins.

Doesn’t quite make it into the 2 week Greece Itinerary in October . . . mainly just because its a little out of the way and doesn’t have the wow factor of the Cyclades Islands . . . but if anywhere nearby it is 100% Worth It (on the Wow Factor Scale) to visit for a couple of days.

Ancient Olympia

Ancient Olympia, much like Delphi, hits you with the weight of history the moment you step inside. Its astonishing to think that the ancient games ran for 1169 years – think of what happened in those years 776BC to 393AD!; that the Ancient World stopped for those days to allow free travel to attend; its legacy now with the modern version and how events like the discuss and running track events sit firmly in our world-psyche; and that it represented the the valley of the gods, home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – the statue of Zeus. A truly globally significant site.

The ruins themselves are also just generally pretty atmospheric and beautifully set in the quiet valley to walk around, with enough standing columns, temples and foundations to fire the imagination. Add in a cute nearby town for lunch or a wander, and you’ve got a genuinely fascinating day that connects ancient history with the world we live in now. 3.5hours from Athens, but totally Worth it.

Chasing summer in November in Plakias on Crete’s South Coast

You can’t get much further south (or east) in Europe than Plakias on Crete’s south coast. With a warm microclimate influenced by North Africa, the weather holds far better than northern Crete, Greek islands like Santorini, or even southern Spain. Even in late October and early November, the sea is warm, the skies are blue, and it genuinely feels like summer.

Beaches are fab — giant, nice sand, quiet, and with that crystal-clear south Crete water that feels almost tropical. Plus with the hiking of the gorges and nearby vineyards, there’s enough to keep you busy.

If you’re chasing warm weather in late October or early November, Plakias is one of the best bets anywhere in Europe. Very much Worth it.

Staying in Chania Old Town

The Lonely Planet has staying in Chania Old Town (Hania / Chania) as the highlight of Crete, and I think that’s right. So many atmospherically tangled little lanes all eventually wrapped around the Venetian harbour, with wonderful sunsets, a sense of history through the Turkish / Venetian / Cretian architecture and some of the best food on the island in the hundreds of restaurants. Plus it’s a great launching pad for the likes of the nearby Samaria Gorge, the beaches of Falasarna and Elafonsi, and some wineries.

We liked its so much we stayed a week.

Hiking the Samaria Gorge

Hiking the Samaria Gorge is one of the best days out in Crete — dramatic canyon walls, shaded pine forests, a simple downhill trail, and at the end-of-day you get to collapse onto a gorgeous beach before the ferry ride along the south coast. Being a touch critical – the hike itself isn’t itself a ‘wow’, but the full day – the walk, the scenery, the beach, the ferry – was brilliant and totally Worth it if you’re in Crete.

To see how it fits into a one or two week Greece itinerary – see the 2 week Greece Itinerary post full of the route, things to prioritise and general tips for the trip.

Santorini

Santorini lives up to the hype. Before I went, I thought it was all about the Instagrammers lining up for that famous white-roofed sunset shot overlooking the sea. But it’s so much more than that. Consider the following:

The giant volcano caldera that is the basis for Santorini and its surrounding islands is one of the most impressive sights I’ve seen anywhere in the world. Its eruption was so intense, it isn’t an exaggeration to suggest it changed Europe’s historical trajectory forever.
The walk from the two famous spots from Fira to Oia rivals any walk in the world for its dramatic views and the combo of snaking through uber-high end restaurant spots and complete wilderness.
The island itself is packed with beautiful vineyards, separate isolated beaches, and some of the best-preserved prehistoric Bronze Age settlements anywhere in the world.

Its an Instagrammer’s wet dream, and also just about any traveller’s wet dream too. Blown away by Santorini and a maximum Wow-factor score of ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.

In a nutshell:

Why go: most wow of the Greek islands and a highlight of Europe
Best base: Fira (cheaper, better sunsets, less crowded)
Must-do hike: Fira → Oia in the morning
Don’t miss: seeing the islands by boat and Akrotiri ruins if a history geek
Budget tip: stay east side (we used Michelangelo Beach Villa)

Heraklion

You’ll likely pass through Heraklion / Iraklio when you enter Crete by plane or ferry, but don’t spend much time there other than for potentially the Archaeological Museum if you’re a history buff and for the nearby Palace of Knossos (see The Palace of Knossos). It’s a gash Greek city that should be way down your list of the other wonderful things to explore in Crete . . . in particular head west for Staying in Hania’s Old Town, Hiking the Samaria Gorge and Chasing summer in November in Plakias on Crete’s South Coast.

Or, to see how it fits into a one or two week Greece itinerary – see the 2 week Greece Itinerary post full of the route, things to prioritise and general tips for the trip.