If you look through a typical European highlights itinerary it will invariably be dominated by the cities. For instance, the Lonely Planet’s top itinerary for Europe is 12 cities and nothing else, and of its 24 overall European highlights, only 6 are not cities (the Norwegian Fjords, the Matterhorn, Greece’s Santorini, Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor, Transylvania, North Macedonia’s Lake Ohrid . . . if you’re interested). It’s understandable – Europe is a centre for culture and stunning capital cities, but it also has some world class experiences to be found outside of the cities and this itinerary gives you a flavour of those with a focus on its mountain and wine regions
With this itinerary you will enjoy:
- Mountains – the most spectacular views of Europe’s premier mountain regions with Switzerland’s “big three” of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau from Interlaken, and the Pyrenes’ Cirques de Gavarnie
- Wine regions – 4 of the best wine regions France has to offer with Bordeaux, Provence, Alsace and Champagne
- Lakes – 2 of the world’s truly stunning lakes with the simply magnificent Lake Como and the Swiss Lakes surrounding Interlaken
- Coastline – the epitome of luxury and style with the most famous stretch of coastline in Europe with the Cote d’Azur, its trio of corniches and Monaco
- Hilltop villages and rural regions – the prettiest in Europe with the hilltop villages and elegant treelined streets of Provence and the timbered fairytale villages of the Black Forrest
- Roman Ruins – some of the best preserved Roman Ruins with the Pont du Garde and the Arles Amphitheatre
- Driving – and of course, some of the best driving scenery in all of Europe as you pass from one mountain range to another and along some of the prettiest countryside on the continent
Interlaken is the gateway to the legendary Jungfrau region with its 3 immortal peaks of Switzerland’s “big three” – the Eiger (Ogre), Monch (Monk) and Jungfrau (Virgin). It is quite simply one of the most stunning mountain view areas found anywhere in the world . . . difficult to split it against the likes of the mountains next to Machu Picchu (see Hiking the 4 day / 3 night Inca Trail) and the the Dolomites in summer. True wow.
Top tips:
#1 There are many viewing spots and cable cars to chose from to get the views, but my top tip is to take the Mannlichen Cable Car from Grindelwald. It’s Europe’s longest cable car, so you have extended views on your 6.3km / 4mile, 19min journey to the top, and when up there, even in busy season, you’ll have loads of room because of the wide plateau at the top to make the short 10min walk to the crown of the hill for the amazing views of the “big three”. From here you also have a range of world-class hiking options.
#2 For the extra wow, consider the train up to the Jungfraujoch – at 3454m / 11,332ft its the tallest railway station in Europe, you get the best views of the best spots as you ascend the Eiger and the Jungfrau, get to go on a bit of an adventure (its railway + cable car as you adjust which route you take), the glacier you get to see at the top is cool, and the station complex itself is actually surprisingly engaging (ice caves, history, view points etc). Pricey (USD275 per person), but wow. For more details see the entry for Train up to Jungfraujoch, Europe’s tallest railway station.
#3 As an extra slightly more unusual recommendation, if you’re driving through this stunning part of the world and heading south or east, see if you can work your route through the Murmeltierpark Grimselpass. You’ll be rewarded with daunting views over the Grimselsee reservoir and dam which dominate the surrounding area.
As part of the trip up the stunning west coast of New Zealand, one of the must-do activities is to see one of the fastest moving accessible glaciers in the world, and, even better, to climb through it
5 tips:
- Climbing – climbing through the glacier with the crampons on and the ice axe at the ready was what made this such a great experience, so be sure to give yourself the day to include this. The only issue is the price. A few years ago you were able to simply rock up to the glacier and climb through it (NZ$250), whereas unfortunately now you often need to take a helicopter further up the glacier and explore from there (NZ$795). On the plus side, you’ll get some amazing views of the glacier from the helicopter
- Climbing can get a bit hairy! – when climbing, be prepared for it to be a little scary at times. We thought it would just be a walk but, depending on your guide, you may be climbing up sheer slopes and starring down into the ice abyss below – you’ve been warned!
- Fans Joseph or Fox? – both are similar, but their nearby towns make it a choice between bigger with wider facilities but a bit busier (Frans Jospeh) and smaller with few facilities but quieter (Fox). When I visited, I went for Frans Jospeh and it was a great experience. It also has Glacier Hot Pools which would be great to enjoy after the climbing
- Hiking – if you don’t want to climb, one activity that you simple must do is a hike to get a feel for the scale of the glaciers. The Glacier Valley walk for Frans Jospeh is fantastic as its gives you a nice walk past the small lakes and view out across the glacier. 6km / 3.7miles return and will take around 1.5hours
- Two things we wish we’d done – we left thinking that we would have loved to have taken a scenic flight to see the glaciers from the sky (you can cover this now with the helicopter trip) and also kayaked in the more tranquil nearby Lake Mapourika, with the “Classic Trip” taking 3 hours in the early morning
New Zealand’s South Island has some of the most rugged natural beauty of anywhere in the world. World famous sites such as the fjords of Milford Sound, the Frans Joseph and Fox glaciers, and the adrenaline sports of Queenstown. Yet is also super accessible by road and very compact to get around. The combination of these factors makes it one of the most appealing places for a roadtrip, scores the maximum Wow-factor rating and I’ve listed below a great 10 day itinerary to get the best of the island.
