Europe is full of iconic landmarks, but some of the most memorable trips come from stepping away from the obvious and embracing something a little different. With Brits increasingly seeking unique, experience-led holidays, unusual activities and destinations are becoming a key part of modern travel planning.
Here are some of the more unexpected ways to experience the continent this year.
Travel Back In Time With Historic Luxury Journeys
There’s something irresistible about slow, scenic travel done properly, and few experiences capture that quite like a vintage rail journey through Europe. Rather than rushing between destinations, these routes turn the journey itself into the holiday, with restored carriages featuring fine dining and landscapes unfolding gently outside the window.
For a genuinely unforgettable taste of old-world glamour, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a great experience to take in, threading through the Alps and across the continent in beautifully restored 1920s and 1930s carriages, complete with white-glove service and candlelit dinners. It’s the sort of journey that feels less like transport and more like stepping into another era entirely, making it ideal for couples marking a special occasion or anyone wanting to travel at a different pace.
Stay Somewhere Truly Out Of the Ordinary
Where you sleep can be as memorable as what you see during the day. Finland’s glass igloos, scattered across Lapland, allow guests to take in the Northern Lights from the comfort of a heated bed, while Sweden’s treehouse hotels (tucked into forest canopies near the Arctic Circle) offer a quieter, more whimsical take on woodland living.
Further south, Cappadocia’s cave hotels, carved into the soft volcanic rock of central Turkey, combine ancient history with genuine comfort, often set against the backdrop of hot air balloons drifting over the valley at sunrise. These unusual stays turn accommodation into an experience worth planning a holiday around.
Discover Europe’s Lesser-Known Festivals and Traditions
Timing a trip around a local festival is one of the most reliable ways to experience a destination authentically. Across Europe, countless smaller, quirkier celebrations offer a far deeper connection to local culture than the headline tourist trail: from tomato-throwing festivals in Spain to fire festivals marking the turn of the seasons in Scotland, or harvest celebrations tied to centuries-old agricultural traditions in rural villages.
These events often reveal a place’s personality in ways that sightseeing alone can’t, offering genuine interaction with locals and with customs passed down for generations.
Explore Natural Wonders Off The Beaten Path
For those drawn to dramatic landscapes, Europe’s lesser-visited natural wonders offer adventure without the crowds. Iceland’s volcanic lava caves, accessible on guided tours, reveal an otherworldly underground landscape formed by ancient eruptions, while Slovenia’s underground rivers and cave systems (including the vast Škocjan Caves) rank among the most spectacular subterranean landscapes in Europe.
Albania, meanwhile, has quietly become known for its hidden beaches along the Ionian coast – pristine stretches of coastline that remain refreshingly free of the development found elsewhere in the Mediterranean.