All the best bits of Andalucía, southern Spain
870 miles
Two weeks
Fly into Málaga (1), pick up a hire car and drive east along the coast. An obvious place to stop for a day on the beach is Nerja (2): there are some quieter sands off the coast road towards Herradura.
You could spend months hiking in the Sierra Nevada national park (3), so if you can spare a few days, do. One of the white villages in the foothills of the Alpujarras would make for a magical base for hiking. Bubion has incredible views, and Casa la Sevillana B&B, where doubles cost from €55.
Dominated by 10th century fortifications, Almería (4) is an attractive port that still has a north African feel, and there's a new movie museum, Casa del Cine. The beaches of the Cabo de Gata (5) are gorgeous, sweeping and almost deserted.
Then head on to Murcia (6), which many say has the best tapas in the land. Tour and chomp around the cathedral and bishop's palace, trying squid, mussels, and cazo (spiced hake), and enjoy the Moorish architecture.
Córdoba (7) is another attractive Arabic city. Established in 1908, the Bodegas Campos is a recommended restaurant for dishes such as tiny fried fish with gazpacho or Iberian pig's cheek casserole.
Colourful Seville (8) is the place for art, architecture, flamenco and late-night fun in the cobbled streets. The grand finale is Granada (9), for the Alhambra, free tapas and Granadina guitar music. Cortijo del Marques, has stunning doubles from €90 a night.
Historic villages and sites: Castille-Leon, north-west Spain
578 miles
One week minimum
Pick up a car in Madrid (1), and drive to Segovia (2), a stunning walled town with a Roman aqueduct, and fortress. Try the suckling pig, a local speciality, at the Parador Hotel. Avila (3) is a Unesco-protected city with medieval fortifications.
Head to Salamanca (4), a lively university city easily explored on foot, with good nightlife. Nearby Hacienda Zorita is a wine resort in a converted monastery, with rooms from €147(chicretreats.com).
After seeing the Renaissance buildings of Valladolid (5) , its National Sculpture Museum and Cervantes' house, enjoy a lunch of suckling lamb, then relax at Playa de las Morenas on the river Pisuerga. Just over an hour away is Burgos (6) , with a famous cathedral, a lovely Old Quarter, and Teodoro, an 1860s hat shop. For tapas and wine for €1.50, try La Favorita.
Fossil fanatics will like the archeological site at the caves of the Sierra de Atapuerca (7) (book ahead, +34 902 024246, atapuerca.org) and the Museum of Human Evolution. Hikers should head for the Sierra de la Demanda (8). There are villages and churches, lots of routes – and a dinosaur museum.
Lastly, Soria (9) has Romanesque architecture and a beautiful square. Stay at La Posada de Numancia (doubles from €70) and admire its antiques.
Fly back from Madrid.
Wine and vineyards, Douro Valley, northern Portugal
367 miles
One week
Start in Porto (1) with a visit to the port wine lodges (the first of many tastings this week), hang out at the waterfront cafes of the Ribeira district and take a vintage tram to the beach at Foz do Douro.
Drive 22 miles east to Penafiel (2) to sample vinho verde at Quinta da Aveleda (aveledaportugal.com). Continue to beautiful Amarante (3), set in a dramatic gorge with an 18th-century bridge over the Tâmega. Eat at Largo do Paço (casadacalcada.com), a Michelin-starred restaurant serving inventive tasting menus with matching wine.
Next head east. Peso da Régua (4)isn't the prettiest place you'll stop, but it's well worth a visit for the Museu do Douro for the history of the area, and its Solar do Vinho do Porto (for a history of the wine).
Take a detour to the Casa de Mateus, a baroque mansion that is home to the famous rosé wine of the same name. It has beautiful gardens and hosts concerts in the summer. A mile or so up the road is Vila Real (5), where you can stop overnight, and visit the Parque Natural do Alvão the following day.
Back in the Douro valley, there is a great viewpoint at Galafura, en route to the little town of Pinhão (6), the centre of port production. Check out Pinhão's train station, with its tiles depicting the grape harvest, a wine museum and a wine shop. The Vintage House Hotel (doubles from €150) is right on the river, surrounded by vineyards.
Cross to the south side of the river and continue through the Alto Douro region for 37 miles to Vila Nova de Foz Côa (7). At the Côa Valley Archaeological Park you'll find rare open-air Paleolithic rock art, some 22,000 years old. On your way back to the airport, stop to admire the medieval bridge in Ucanha and the monastery in Tarouca. In Lamego (8), climb the 600 steps to the church of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios and try the local raposeira, Portugal's sparkling wine.
Surf safari, Portugal's Atlantic coast
550 miles
Two weeks
Fly to Porto (1), hire a car, then head south. Any dirt track off the N109 towards the ocean will most likely bring your own private breaks. Roughly halfway between Porto and Lisbon, Figueira da Foz (2)has a wide beach, two main breaks, lots of bars and the Paintshop hostel ( dorms €20 a night, private room €50).
Drive down the coast to Peniche (3), the famous surf town, with eight top wave is Medão Grande, also called Supertubos. See penichesurfguide.com for where to eat and sleep.
To the south again is Ericeira (4), a World Surfing Reserve, which regularly hosts a round of the ASP World Tour Championship. Ribeira d'Ilhas, a mile north of town, is the best beach. Then head on to Cascais (5), another surfing mecca and a very pretty town, too. The big-name beach is Praia do Guincho, home to swanky beach Bar do Guincho. There's a campsite nearby at Orbitur Point (campings.com/camping-orbitur-guincho-cascais).
Stay in Lisbon (6) for a night or two and try Carcavelos beach and Costa da Caparica over the river. Lisbon's Bairro Alto is the place to party, or try cocktail specialist Cinco Lounge (cincolounge.com).
Take the motorway south to Sagres (7), a historic port town on the southwesterly tip of Portugal (and of mainland Europe). There are more surf beaches a little way up the coast at Arrifana and Carrapateira.
The south-west coast is quiet, which is great if you want a beach to yourself, but the Algarve is an up-and-coming surf region: Praia da Rocha, in the big tourist resort of Portimão, is one of the best-known.
Fly home from Faro (8).
