Independent trip planning across Europe, from the Netherlands
Travel to the Alps.eu
We plan holidays across the European Union: the right flights, stays we would pick for ourselves, a hire car if you want one, and a clear list of what to arrange before you travel.
Trips from 5 to 30 days · Couples, families and small groups · We reply within a few working days
Destinations
Six places we keep going back to
Fly in, and then decide whether you want a car. These are the regions we know well enough to plan properly, with the months we'd actually book them.
Switzerland · AustriaThe Alps
Lakes and passes from the Bernese Oberland to Tyrol. A car opens up the valleys; the mountain trains do the rest.
- Best
- Jun–Sep · Dec–Mar
- Fly to
- Zürich or Innsbruck, ~1h30
- Car
- Useful, not essential
PortugalThe Algarve
Cliff walks between Lagos and Carvoeiro, and the quiet eastern coast towards Tavira.
- Best
- Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct
- Fly to
- Faro, ~3h
- Car
- Recommended
ItalyThe Amalfi Coast
Base in Sorrento or Ravello and move by ferry and bus. This is the one place we advise against a car.
- Best
- May–Jun · Sep
- Fly to
- Naples, ~2h30
- Car
- Skip it
Estonia · Latvia · LithuaniaThe Baltics
Three capitals, three old towns, and empty coast and forest between them.
- Best
- May–Sep
- Fly to
- Tallinn, Riga or Vilnius, ~2h30
- Car
- Useful between cities
PortugalThe Azores
Crater lakes on São Miguel, whale season off Pico, and the greenest roads in the EU.
- Best
- Jun–Sep
- Fly to
- Ponta Delgada, ~4h30 or via Lisbon
- Car
- Essential
SpainAndalusia
Seville, Córdoba and Granada, with a white-village loop if you have the days.
- Best
- Mar–May · Oct
- Fly to
- Seville or Málaga, ~3h
- Car
- Recommended for the villages
Before you go
What to know before you go
Europe's entry rules changed in 2025 and change again in 2026. This is a plain summary of what applies to most visitors from outside the EU. It is not legal advice.
- ETIAS
Travel authorisation
Visa-exempt visitors will need an ETIAS authorisation before boarding, expected to start in late 2026. It is an online form, costs €20, and is valid for three years. You apply yourself on the official EU site; we note it on your itinerary as a reminder.
- EES
Biometric border checks
The Entry/Exit System registers your passport, fingerprints and photo the first time you cross a Schengen border. Allow extra time at your first arrival airport, and keep day one light.
- 90/180
The Schengen day count
Visa-free stays are capped at 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area, not per country. Keeping count is your responsibility, but we plan itineraries that stay comfortably inside it.
- € · 21/27
Money and phones
Twenty-one EU countries use the euro. Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Czechia, Hungary and Romania don't, and cards work nearly everywhere. Any EU SIM roams across the Union at home rates.
Entry rules depend on your nationality and are set by the EU and its member states, not by us. We are travel planners, not immigration advisers: we point you to the official sources, and you should check them for your own passport before booking.
Journal
Spain, region by region
Notes from the country we know best. Written after the trips, not before them, with the airports, drive times, dates and prices we'd actually book.
Catalonia
Six ways to see one region
NatureCatalonia beyond the beach: volcanoes, wetlands and one national park
From the beech forest of La Garrotxa to the lakes of Aigüestortes, an hour or two inland from Girona or Barcelona.
Party sceneHow Catalonia parties: from Sónar to the fire runs of La Mercè
Barcelona's club calendar, Sitges carnival, and the village festes majors that outlast any nightclub.
BackpackingCatalonia on €55 a day: a backpacker's route from Girona to the Ebro
Regional trains, the Camí de Ronda, menú del dia lunches and the hostels worth the extra euro.
RetirementRetiring to Catalonia: where to live, what it costs, and the paperwork
Sitges, Girona or the Empordà? Healthcare, the non-lucrative visa, and the towns that stay open in winter.
Sports & activitiesA year of sport in Catalonia: ski in March, kayak in June, ride in October
Baqueira and La Molina, the Noguera Pallaresa, Girona's cycling roads and a free via ferrata over the sea.
Local customsHuman towers, a log that poops presents, and other Catalan customs to know
Castells, Sant Jordi, the calçotada and why saying bon dia instead of buenos días gets you a better table.
Across Spain
One post per region, from the Basque coast to the Canaries
RouteAndalusia in eight days: Seville, Córdoba and Granada, with or without a car
Fly into Seville, out of Málaga. Booking the Alhambra, timing Semana Santa and the Feria, and why we skip July.
FoodEating your way through the Basque Country, one pintxo bar at a time
San Sebastián's Parte Vieja, Bilbao's Casco Viejo, txakoli in Getaria and the etiquette of the counter.
WalkingGalicia on foot: the last 100 km of the Camino, then the coast the pilgrims miss
Sarria to Santiago in five days, the Cíes islands permit, and octopus in Melide.
CityMadrid as a base: three museums, four neighbourhoods and Castile in under an hour
Toledo in 33 minutes, Segovia in 28, and how to eat dinner at 22:00 without falling over.
Festivals & foodValencia: where paella comes from, and the week in March the city sets itself on fire
Las Fallas, the Albufera, a nine-kilometre park in a dry riverbed and the Euromed from Barcelona.
IslandsMallorca, Menorca or the Canaries: choosing a Spanish island by month
The Tramuntana in May, the Camí de Cavalls in October, and Tenerife when the mainland is cold.
Contact
Tell us where you want to wake up
Send a few lines about your trip and we'll reply within a few working days with a first idea and a time for a call.
hello@traveltothe.eu
Mon–Fri, 09:00–18:00 CET
Based in the Netherlands, travelling most of the year