5 unusual summerholidaydestinations
We've been creating holidays for globetrotting solo travelers for over 40 years.
It’s not just beaches that are swathed in sunshine over the summer. Give the Mediterranean’s turquoise shores a miss this year and check out these 5 unusual but rewarding summer holiday destinations.
When summer hits, it’s easy to head straight for the whitest beach you can find. While sun, sea and sand is a holiday cocktail made in heaven, stepping away from the shoreline can lead you to some beautiful, off-the-beaten track destinations you never even knew existed.
Let us inspire your next summer holiday with these six unique and off-beat destinations that guarantee you a summer holiday to remember…
1) Bankso, Bulgaria
A skiing resort in winter and a lush, green mountainous town in summer, Bankso is where hiking, cycling and good food combine to create the perfect summer holiday.
Reaching highs of 28°C during July and a pleasant 23° throughout September, it’s the perfect temperature to be active and enjoy the great outdoors – without getting hot and sweaty.
Climb the beautiful Pirin mountain range, sample speciality wines in the charming village of Melnik and relax by the gorgeous glacial Bunderitsa Lakes. Paradise!
Join us on a summer holiday to Bankso
2) Slovenia
Slovenia has a way of stopping you in your tracks. Lake Bled is the kind of place that defies expectation—an island church rising from mirror-still water, a clifftop castle surveying it all, and the Julian Alps forming a backdrop that feels almost theatrical in its beauty. It's one of Europe's most quietly arresting landscapes, and it earns every bit of the wonder it inspires.
An hour away, Ljubljana offers something altogether different. Small enough to feel like a secret, characterful enough to hold you for days—the capital moves at its own unhurried pace, all cobbled streets, castle-topped hills, and a riverside lined with terrace cafés that seem designed for long afternoons. There's a creative, slightly bohemian edge to the city that makes it endlessly easy to inhabit. Together, they make for a pairing that's hard to beat: grand natural drama balanced with the pleasures of a city that knows how to live well. Join us on a solo holiday to Slovenia or try a walking holiday to Slovenia.
3) Flåm, Norway
The Norwegian village of Flåm is what fairy-tales are made of. Sitting amongst staggering fjords and surrounded by lush greenery, the village is a scene straight from a children’s illustration book.
Be sure to board the main attraction: a stunning mountain railway that creeps up the surrounding peaks to offer astounding panoramic views.
Although relatively remote, Flåm’s beauty hasn’t gone unnoticed. This means that the village can get quite busy during summer, but September is a much quieter month to visit.
Join us on a summer holiday to Norway and Flåm
4) Umbria, Italy
A summer holiday isn’t a summer holiday without amazing food – and that’s exactly what the Italian region of Umbria offers.
Situated away from the beach in the rugged, green heart of Italy, this is a region that’s known for its medieval hilltop towns, dense forests and delicious cuisine – including foraged truffles and wine.
For a summer holiday with a difference, head off the beaten track to the ancient town of Trevi and go truffle hunting through the forest while soaking up the gorgeous Italian sunshine.
Join us on a summer holiday to Trevi
5) Pula, Croatia
Pula, Croatia remains one of the Adriatic's best-kept secrets—a coastal city where ancient Roman ruins stand alongside crystalline waters and rolling hills carpeted in vineyards and olive groves. While crowds flock to Dubrovnik and Split, Pula offers an authentic slice of Istrian life, from its remarkably preserved amphitheatre (one of the world's six largest surviving Roman arenas) to the labyrinth of cobbled streets in its old town, all without the tourist masses.
The region's gentle coastal roads and quiet countryside make it ideal for exploration by bike, which is exactly how our Cycling in Croatia tour reveals the peninsula's hidden beauty. Over eight days, you'll pedal through medieval hilltop villages like Motovun and Grožnjan, pause for wine tastings at family-run estates, and cycle coastal paths where the scent of pine forests mingles with sea salt—discovering why those in the know consider Istria, with Pula as its coastal jewel, to be Croatia's most enchanting and unspoiled corner.
