Top 10 Destinations for a Summer Holiday

With summer now here, it’s time to start thinking about planning those trips that you’ve dreamed about all winter. Big city? National park? Beautiful beach? America has it all.

Explore our Top 10 Destinations for a Summer Vacation.

Malta

This is the Malta of the sun and sea worshipper, the long miles of sand of the north coast at Mellieha Bay, and the natural pools such as St Peter’s Pool. Not to be outdone, Malta’s incredible prehistoric temples at Hagar Qim and Mnajdra – which are perched up high on headland sites with enormous megaliths of historical significance – and Mdina – in its medieval Silent City – are also not to be missed.

Croatia

Eased restrictions on travel to Croatia are now welcoming tourists who have an appetite for adventure as well as relaxation, and there is great scenery to be found, with some of the best rocky islands to explore. Wander old footpaths and sample the local food (cheeses made in-house, roast dishes like calves and boar, Zlahtina white wine, Zlahtina red wine). Go in shoulder season, spring or autumn, for warmer temperatures, less expensive prices and no summer crowds.

Spain

Spain is a fantastic place to travel – whether it’s the bright colours and festivities, the beautiful beaches and undulating landscape, the country sanctuaries and UNESCO World Heritage sites – all the requirements of a great summer vacation are topped up in Spain. You cannot miss the large Sagrada Familia, the beautiful plazas of Barcelona. Don’t forget to look at some of the wonderful smaller beaches if you need a break from the touristy areas closer to the city; and take a nice hike in the mountains if you’ve felt rushed in the city. If you want a bit of a change from daily life, then Tarifa is a good place to go to see where the seas of Europe meet in the Gibraltar Strait from the beaches there.

Italy

There are so many great places for a summer holiday in Italy: think of Venice and its romantic canals that you can traverse like the locals in a misty gondola, or Tuscany, with its breathtaking coastline and mountains of Cinque Terra. Lake Como, also in Italy, is a beautiful destination made even more alluring by its scenery and villas. Bellagio and Varenna are two of the attractive towns there. You’ll want to add Tuscany’s lovely medieval hilltop villages and fabulous wines on your list, as well as the ruins of the Roman city of Pompeii, destroyed by the volcano Mount Vesuvius about 2,000 years ago.

Greece

Santorini is one of the Greek Islands where you’ll find whitewashed villas and church domes in hues of cotton-candy pink and baby blue. Stroll down Instagram-ready cobbled streets at sunset before dining on local seafood at a waterfront taverna. A trip to any part of Greece can be enriched with culture – just look at Milos island as an example. With 16th-century windmills dotting the cliff-top streets of Little Venice and its own UNESCO-listed monasteries held tensely in the air by spindly stilts (Meteora), it surely deserves your visit.

Portugal

Photo-friendly attractions such as Aveiro (dubbed the Venice of Algarve on account of its largely waterborne fluvial city centre, plus its moored Moliceiro boats on its lagoon, and wild Atlantic beaches) abound in Portugal. Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon is one of the great examples of European Gothic and is the burial place of the great explorer Vasco da Gama.

France

The splendours of Paris – the Arc de Triomphe, brilliant and expensive, the cathedral of Notre Dame (soon to be rebuilt in 19th-century style), the Opera Garnier – will overwhelm the culture crazies. Whether you love big cities, national parks or beachside getaways, these travel lists are brimming with the best summer vacations from U.S. News.

Turkey

Turkey is one of the top tourist spot in the world, known as a magnificent nation located in both Asia and Europe. This summer people from all over the world, visit Turkey to explore its old historical monuments and spectacular natural beauty. In addition, Turkey is also well renowned for its beautiful panorasic views, folk-dances and cultural vibes one can spend there for many days! Its fairy chimneys are brightly coloured volcanic rock formations that naturally erode into peaks. Tourists can stay in luxury cave hotels and float above them in hot air balloons as the sun comes up.

Greece

The popular Greek island group of Santorini – with those cute white churches with blue domes, set against the cobbled streets and attracting Instagrammers – is just one of the hundreds of shorelines, or the islands themselves for that matter. Other places of beauty include Kamari beaches or the red-rocked Chryssi Akti in Anavissos. Corfu – one of the most verdant of the Greek islands – might be perfect for families; nature lovers could walk Europe’s longest gorge at Samaria; and culture buffs could indulge in its historic old towns and UNESCO-listed museums.

Croatia

Croatia is blessed with beautiful nature but also has numerous big cities and wonderful old towns – not to forget Zadar’s outstanding architecture and history, Split’s vibrant nightlife, or Rijeka’s lovely Venetian harbour! There is one reason why you might want to avoid Dubrovnik in the summer: not because there are more people there, and thus you can’t enjoy its beauty properly – we already argued for peak season – but it’s because the seas in Croatia are at their coldest. If you want to swim in the clean Mediterranean in Croatia, spring or autumn would be the ideal times for you. Then you can truly enjoy the country’s cuisine, which definitely deserves a special place in any gastro-travel report.