The new year is here, and the time to start planning your travels. To inspire you I listed some of the best places to travel in winter, spring, summer and autumn. Portugal, Italy, Finland, France… See the list of my favorite places to travel.
You can make more trips if you don’t travel that far. As I live in Finland this post will show you my home country and Europe, and a little bit of Africa.
In Finland we are blessed with fantastic lakes in summer and (hopefully) powder snow in winter. They are there to enjoy for free, it only needs that you do it.
We also have very reasonably priced flights to Rome, Nice, Marrakech and more destinations, and of course charter flights in addition.
Kicking of the year of travel
So that’s it, time to start thinking about your best places to travel this year! Hope I can help you find your next trip.
The Top Places to Travel in Winter
Enjoy the winter wonderland and frozen waters of Finland
During the first months of the year Finland is expected to be covered with snow, less of it on the coast but there’s more if you travel inland and north. Enjoy the sunshine, the white soft powder snow the covers it all and ski, skate and walk on the frozen lakes. I have made a winter Finland post for more photos to inspire you.
Finland: a frozen lake
A freezing lake
The further north you travel, the more snow you’re going to have. If you really want to try something extreme, go to Lapland and take a ski tour in the Saariselkä wilderness.
Finland: skiing in Lapland wilderness
Drive around the flower island of Madeira
But what if snow and skiing is not your thing? In that case take a winter break and enjoy a warmer climate zone, a week or maybe two.
Most people go to Canary Islands or Thailand but why not try Madeira? Rent a car and drive around the whole island. Yes, the island is small and the roads good, they have built hundreds of tunnels through the hills. You can see the island in a week. But probably you will want to return and see more of Madeira, at least if you have found the levadas.
Madeira is famous for its many levadas , water channels that you can walk along. The Madeirans have marked hundreds of kilometers of hiking trails up and down the hills. And not the least, after the day’s hike you can enjoy a glass of good Madeiran wine and then dive into the pool.
Places to travel at different times of the year, driving in Madeira
Levada at Ribeiro Frio
Our Funchal hotel pool
Read my travel tips to the green flower island of Madeira:
The Top Places to Travel in Spring
Jump on a train on the French Riviera
If you need a spring (or autumn) trip the French Riviera makes the ideal destination. Walk in the old town of Nice or jump on a train and explore the whole coast. It’s easy, the train track follows the coast all the way.
You can spend one day in Monaco, the next day in Cannes and the rest of your time in hill towns and walking along the coast.
Villefrance-sur-Mer train station from the hills
The hilltop village of Eze on the French Riviera
Places to travel at different times of the year, Cannes
The Top Places to Travel in Summer
Sail the Finnish Lake Country
Summer is a time you should definitely spend in Finland. There’s a lot of light both day and night and nothing compares with the Finnish lakes. Cruise the lakes with a steamship or rent a boat and camp on small islands. Or rent a lakeside cottage with a private lakeside sauna.
Places to travel at different times of the year, sail the Finnish lake country
Näsijärvi waterway in Western Finland
Camping on an island
And don’t forget the Finnish national parks, there are many of them, all around the country. This is Southern Konnevesi National Park where I spent a day in the summer, hiking and boating. I definitely want to go back to this place:
Smoke sauna at Majaniemi, Southern Konnevesi National Park
Southern Konnevesi Naitonal Park lake view
Places to travel at different times of the year, Southern Konnevesi National Park
The Top Places to Travel in Autumn
See Rome, Florence and Tuscany in one trip
Buy flights to Rome and stroll the eternal city with all its world-class sights. Then take a train to Florence and in 1,5 hours you are in the beautiful capital of Tuscany.
After you’ve seen Florence rent a car and drive back to Rome, taking the smallest winding country roads through Tuscany’s rolling landscape and staying in agriturismos.
Reserve at least two or three days to each of these three destinations and you will fall in love with Italy. And still better if you can stay longer. I made this itinerary at the end of the summer and so much enjoyed my trip to Italy!
Pantheon, Rome
Ponte Vecchio and River Arno, Florence
Places to travel at different times of the year, driving in Tuscany
San Gimignano, Tuscany
To plan your trip to Italy, read more here:
- Italy by Train and Car: Rome, Florence and Tuscany
- What to see in Rome: A Rome Weekend: The Top 10 Sights in Rome
- What to see in Florence: The Best of Florence in One Day
- A scenic road trip itinerary through Tuscany: Tuscany Scenic Drive
Get lost in the souks of Marrakech
In late autumn when it’s getting cold and rainy at home you might desperately need some sunlight. If that’s the case you can take a flight to Marrakech, Morocco. Marrakech offers both sun, noisy culture, colors and spices, and much more. Marrakech is an ancient African city with a maze of streets and selling stalls in its souk (old town).
And as you can see in the photo all houses in Marrakech are the same color, pink. Since they all are made of desert stone. Marrakech is in the middle of the desert so there are no beaches nearby. But if you book a hotel with a pool you combine city break and beach holiday. Or why not make a day trip to Essaouira on the Atlantic coast?
Landing in Marrakech, the pink desert city
Places to travel at different times of the year, Marrakech
Koutobia Mosque, the highest building of Marrakech
Read more to plan this trip:
- Travel tips to Marrakech: The Top Things to Do in Marrakech
- Day trip from Marrakech, the Atlantic coast: Places to Visit in Morocco: the Historic Essaouira
Where do you want to travel this year?
Flying to your dream destination
And now to all of you, happy travels in the coming year!
More Travel Ideas
I hope you found my trip ideas inspiring. If you want more trip ideas, check out my other posts in the Trip ideas category:
Would like to travel to Lapland but this time in the summer, despite your nice winter photos????
I’ve always been dreaming of a trip to the French Riviera.
I will enjoy Finnish nature in 2018 by visiting Koli national park in the winter and Konnevesi national park in summer time.
Many countries visited but not yet Laos and Sri Lanka, really eager to see those!
I’d love to visit Finland and Konnevesi.
Scotland or Greece for my birthday in May
I would like to travel to northern norway and Lofoten in the summer!
I’d love to visit Oslo this year. Never been there before and it’s quite near!