15 Dec 2017
Slow holiday specialist Inntravel continues to seek out the lesser-taken path with a bumper collection of new self-guided walking, cycling and SlowMotion journeys in Europe, available from spring to autumn 2018.
With plenty of time to stop-off and soak up places of interest along the way, visitors follow Inntravel's meticulously planned itineraries using the route notes and maps provided, and stay in welcoming and characterful hotels. As Inntravel's holidays are for individuals and families, not groups, guests can discover idyllic European landscapes at their own pace.
On the hotel-to-hotel walking and cycling holidays, visitors travel light while Inntravel transports the luggage between the hotels by road. Inntravel's SlowMotion journeys also allow guests to travel at their own pace, whether by train or by car, to wonderful destinations both on and off the beaten track, and enjoy uniquely memorable experiences along the way.
NEW WALKING TRIPS FOR 2018
Manor Houses of the Minho – Portugal
The historic region of Minho is Portugal's greenest corner, with fertile meadows and verdant valleys. It isn't just the landscapes that are green but the wine too, with the lightly sparkling vinho verde the region's most famous product. On this self-guided trip from manor house to manor house, guests will stroll across valleys adorned with vineyards, follow the course of the Lima river and also visit Ponte de Lima, Portugal's oldest town whose eponymous bridge celebrates its 650th birthday in 2018. The holiday ends with a fabulous stay at the home of a local Count, with whom you'll enjoy wine from his own estate. Price: from £758pp sharing, including 7 nights' B&B, 5 dinners, 3 picnics, maps and notes, and luggage transfers. Available 1 April to14 July and 25 August to 31 October 2018.
The northernmost of the Cyclades archipelago, it is hard to believe that Andros is just a short hop from Athens and the mainland. The pace of life here is different; it is simple, authentic and unspoiled. The island is also a walker's paradise and guests will explore the hinterland along restored kalderimi (cobbled mule trails), past old olive presses and windmills. A real highlight is the authentically Greek town of Chora, with its proud seafaring heritage and even a Museum of Contemporary Art. Price: from £720pp sharing, including 6 nights' B&B, maps and notes, and luggage transfers. Available 15 April to 30 June and 1 September to 15 October 2018.
Shores of Lake Constance - Germany
Dubbed the 'German Riviera', Lake Constance captures the eye with shorelines fringed with orchards and vineyards, and panoramas stretching towards the Alps. This holiday is perfect for those looking to relax, combining easy half day strolls with plenty of time for visits, exploring the lovely gardens of this area, and using the efficient local boats, trains and buses to flit around. Staying at very comfortable hotels, highlights will include the monastic island of Reichenau and floral Mainau. Price: from £675pp sharing, including 6 nights' B&B, maps and notes, and luggage transfers. Available 28 April to 15 October 2018.
A Stroll Through History: Across the Etruscan Plain into Tuscany – Italy
There's a romance and wildness to La Maremma, a remote region of Tuscany that was once home to only migrant charcoal burners, wandering shepherds and butteri (cowboys tending the region's oxen and horses). It is, therefore, an ideal place to explore on foot, descending from the Etruscan Hills to the sparkling Ligurian Sea. The week is full of gentle circuits through woodlands to hilltop villages and paths along the sea cliffs past Etruscan caverns gazing towards the Tuscan archipelago. Price: £975pp sharing, including 7 nights' B&B, 5 dinners, 4 picnics, maps and notes, and luggage transfers. Available 31 March to 30 June and 25 August to 31 October 2018.
NEW CYCLING TRIPS FOR 2018
In the Shadow of the Julian Alps – Slovenia
The majesty of Slovenia's Julian Alps has to be seen to be believed. It is lucky then that these towering mountains will be a constant companion on this week of cycling, albeit often in the distance. Beginning on the shores of Lake Bled, the region's jewel, guests cycle the Lake's shores past the castle and visit the Vintgar Gorge, too, where a pathway of boardwalks leads past waterfalls and rapids. The rest of the week is spent cycling through timeless landscapes: green meadows dotted with traditional hayracks and brightly painted beehives. Finish in Radovljica, home to Gothic and Renaissance mansions and, rather charmingly, a museum dedicated to Slovene beekeeping traditions. Price: £798pp sharing, including 6 nights' B&B, 4 dinners, cycle hire, maps and notes, and luggage transfers. Available 1 May to 31 October 2018.
Lagoons and the Silver Coast, Aveiro – Portugal
Aveiro, in the country's northwest, is one of the most quietly evocative corners of Portugal, characterised by shallow lagoons and mud flats. Taking its name from the Roman 'aviarum', meaning 'place of birds', wildlife enthusiasts will love this self-guided cycling holiday, with numerous bird spotting opportunities throughout. But that's just one of the compelling reasons to visit. Aveiro – known as Portugal's Venice – also boasts a fascinating nautical past, revealed by the area's candy-striped fisherman's houses and tales of salt-cod-seeking derring-do across the Atlantic. Stay in five different hotels including stylish beach-front gems. Enjoy traffic-free cycling close to the Costa de Prata, along cliffs and coastal paths and past sand dunes. Price: from £770pp sharing, including 6 nights' B&B, 2 dinners, cycle hire, maps and notes, and luggage transfers. Available 29 March to 31 July and 1 September to 31 October 2018.
Normandy's Beaches & Bayeux – France
The beguiling orchards and farmland of Normandy belie its location for some of Europe's most interesting historical events. Guests will both experience the bucolic and reflect on the brutal on this week of cycling. Highlights include visiting the sites of the Normandy beach landings during WWII, the city of Bayeux, with its timeless charm and medieval tapestry, and the quiet villages such as Creully – itself home to a handsome château and Port-en-Bessin, France's leading fishing port for scallops. Add an extra night to enjoy a small group guided bike ride to spectacular Mont St Michel. Price: from £945pp sharing, including 6 nights' B&B, 4 dinners, cycle hire, maps and notes, and luggage transfers. Available 1 May to 30 September 2018.
Salzburg's Lake District and Traunsee – Austria
Carefully planned routes take in no fewer than four Austrian lakes – Wolfgangsee, Mondsee, Attersee and Traunsee – on this splendid, two-wheeled holiday to the mesmerising scenery of Salzkammergut. Highlights will include a visit to the elegant spa town of Bad Ischl, former summer residence of Emperor Franz Josef, and to St Gilgen, birthplace of Mozart's mother and home to a museum dedicated to the musician. It is the symphony of soaring peaks though that are the holiday's true star, with monumental views around each corner. Price: from £1,118pp sharing, including 9 nights' B&B, 6 dinners, cycle hire, maps and notes, 2 ferry journeys and luggage transfers. Available 2 June to 7 October 2018.
Istria is a heart-shaped peninsula in the north of Croatia, and one that cyclists will quickly fall in love with. It is an amazing blend of captivating coastline, historic towns and villages and a fine, burgeoning foodie scene. Guests will cycle along wine roads, through timeless scenery, to places such as the village of Brtoniglia, or the medieval Buje, home to cobbled streets and romantic buildings, stopping at rustic restaurants and staying in stone-built guesthouses. The week ends along the coast in the charming towns of Rovinj, with its Baroque palaces, and Pula, famous for its Roman amphitheatre. Price: £895pp sharing, including 7 nights' B&B, 3 dinners, cycle hire, maps and notes, and luggage transfers. Available 24 March to 23 June and 8 September to 31 October 2018.
La Rochelle, Island & Beaches - France
There's much more to La Rochelle than sandy beaches and sunshine, with history, wildlife and some of the finest seafood in France. This week of gentle maritime cycling begins in the Belle Époque resort of Fouras, from where excursions are made to Aix, home to pleasant pine forests and a Napoleonic sea fort and to Rochefort, where 300 ships were built in the 18th-century, including General Lafayette's Hermione. The holiday's second leg is in La Rochelle itself, staying in a charming converted convent with a fabulous rose garden, from which the city can be explored, so too the Île de Ré, home to urbane villages and pristine beaches. Price: from £770pp sharing, including 6 nights' B&B, 1 dinner, cycle hire, maps and notes, and luggage transfers. Available 7 April to 30 September 2018.
NEW SLOWMOTION JOURNEYS
Slow Trains through Asturias – Spain
On this trip, guests will ride the FEVE, a slow, trundling narrow gauge railway which winds its way along the north coast of Asturias through lush hills and pastureland. Hopping on-and-off the train, guests will explore the astonishingly green landscapes and beautiful beaches of northern Spain, the colourful fishing villages of Cudillero and Ribadesella, and the characterful city of Oviedo - all against a backdrop of the towering jagged peaks of the Picos de Europa. Price: from £625pp sharing, including 7 nights' B&B and train travel aboard the FEVE. Available 15 April to 23 July and 1 September to 31 October 2018.
Castles, Caves & Gardens of the Dordogne – France
Famed for its gastronomic cuisine featuring duck and goose, the honey-coloured region of Dordogne boasts a gluttony of travel experiences too. On this week-long self-drive exploration of this flawless corner of France, guests will marvel at the medieval city of Sarlat and the multitude of chateaux perched on cliffs above the river. They can explore Marqueyssac and Eyrignac, two of the great classical gardens of France, and visit the prehistoric cave paintings of Rouffignac, Les Eyzies and Lascaux. Price: from £795pp sharing, including 7 nights' B&B, 4 dinners and car hire. Available 1 April to 30 July and 25 August to 31 October 2018.
Three truly is the magic number, with this new journey visiting a trio of Nordic cities, by cruise and by rail. Beginning with two nights in the cool Danish capital of Copenhagen, home to the colourful Nyhavn harbour and some of the world's finest food, guests then cross the iconic Øresund Bridge and rail across Sweden to Stockholm. A further two days are spent in the waterborne city, spread out over 14 islands, before an overnight cruise to Helsinki, a city bursting with boutiques, workshops and galleries. Price: from £1,190pp sharing, including 7 nights' B&B and rail/cruise between the cities. Available 1 May to 30 September 2018.
Great Swiss Lakes - Switzerland
While it may be its mountains that dominates Switzerland's skyline, it is the country's lakes that pull hardest at the heart strings; their picturesque shorelines peppered with pretty villages and their bright blue waters criss-crossed by the gentle trundle of paddle steamers. This new holiday begins on the shores of Lake Geneva, before journeying by rail to Lake Lucerne with highlights en route including the Chateau de Chillon, the lakeside town of Brienz, famous for its woodcarving, and Europe's oldest cog railway to Rigi Kulm. This 'Rigi Royal Tour', made famous by Queen Victoria in her sedan chair 150 years ago in 1868, has stood the test of time spectacularly well. Price: from £1,275pp sharing, including 7 nights' B&B, 3 dinners, Swiss Rail Pass and transfers. Available 19 May to 7 October 2018.
There's an extraordinary quality of light in eastern Catalonia and it is little wonder that the region has such an artistic legacy. It is through a search for Salvador Dalí, Catalonia's most famous son, that guests will explore this beautiful region on a self-drive adventure. They will visit the fascinating Theatre-Museum in Figueres, the city where Dalí was born and died; the Castle of Pubol, which the artist gifted to his wife and muse, Gala; and Port Lligat, near Cadaqués, where Dalí spent most of his youth. Price: from £935pp sharing, including 7 nights' B&B, 2 dinners and car hire. Available 1 April to 31 October 2018.
For further information on Inntravel call +44 (0)1653 617000 or visit www.inntravel.co.uk.
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