The South of France: the Riviera by road

This long, lavender-sewn coast of Le Sud – where on one side there are craggy cliffs and beautiful hilltop towns and on the other, bright blue seas – is filled with farm-fresh markets and an overflowing amount of smart places to bed down. But, knowing whether to kick things off in Nice (a city that’s quickly turning into a destination in its own right) or possibly in Provence before scuttling along from one end to the next is often the difficult question. We know the routes to take though, and of course, the hotels to book for the breaks in between – this one in particular hits the hills and the cities, with the ocean in between.

Skiing and snow tyres: Switzerland to France

Along windy mountain roads, past powder-laden slopes and glitzy vin chaud stops, this route that runs around the border of Switzerland and into France is a snow-sure adventure for serious ski folk. And beyond the peaks and high-altitude playgrounds of one of the most glamorous stays in St Moritz, we’ve threaded in a pit stop through Zurich (popping into the Fraumünster church to see the Chagalls is worth every stiff leg), down through Bern and into the French hills for nights of sleep at hotels that help to shut off, slow down and fuel up. Just make sure you have the right tyres for this one.

Beyond Lisbon: leaving the city for the coast

It’s often the starting point: spending a long weekend in Lisbon before venturing out west. The capital is so full of interesting spots to eat and, of course, drink (peep the creative cool kids sipping port and tonics in Bairro Alto all night). But, outside the city limits is breezy beachy beauty, all the way to the Comporta coast. So, here’s our best route to tootle along through the Portuguese countryside, from a sleek urban guesthouse to a cool cabin over towards the country’s answer to the Hamptons: a stretch of soft sand for slow and steady days.