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Route ideas

Slow summer.

Some trips are about ticking off attractions and moving on. Others are simply about going — and letting the road become the destination itself. Both routes this summer are about the latter: fjords that hold your gaze, and Tuscan hills where time runs differently.

Ferry + train

Norwegian Fjords

Norwegian Fjords

Bergen — Flåm — Geiranger: this route works best when you have nowhere to be. In the morning you board the Bergen Railway and watch mist drift across the water; then you change to a ferry and glide between cliff walls as tall as a twenty-five-storey building. Three or four days here pass in a flash, but stay with you for years. A detailed day-by-day breakdown is in the complete fjords itinerary, including how to combine train and ferry without getting lost in the timetables. And remember to pick up an eSIM in advance: in mountain valleys coverage can be limited to local carriers, and offline maps alone won't get you far in the fjords.

Car rental

The hills of Tuscany

The hills of Tuscany

Siena, Montalcino, Val d'Orcia — names that sound like poetry, and in reality they're even better. The real secret of Tuscany is simple: you can't feel it through a bus window. It's only behind the wheel, on a dirt track between cypress trees, that you understand why people keep coming back. Where to turn, where to pull over for sunset, and how much time to allow each village — it's all in the Tuscany guide. We've also written separately about how to choose a rental car without any nasty surprises at the desk. And if you want to do more than just drive — the vineyard tours are worth it: some end with dinner on a terrace overlooking the hills.

More ideas and guides — on the blog. And sign up for the Friday digest.