Seasonal Travel Ideas

Whether watching summer’s rays reflect off a tranquil river or finding ways to play on snow-packed peaks, nature’s glory is on display year-round. We’ve hand-selected a few destinations that flawlessly embody each season’s splendor, along with a few active ways to experience them fully.

FALL ADVENTURE

Harvest Time in Tuscany
As autumn arrives in Tuscany, the famed region becomes awash in rich gold and russet, with plump purple grapes veritably bursting off the vines. During September and October, epicureans reap the rewards of vendemmia, the grape harvest, as well as the discoveries sniffed out by Lagotto retrievers: the region’s coveted white truffles. Get the full flavor of the season on a six-day bike vacation, one of a new series of gourmand-themed journeys from the active tour company Backroads. Custom-designed titanium bikes outfitted with ergonomic saddles and terrain-specific tires allow you to comfortably pedal the cypress-lined hills. Coast at your own pace between ancient rampart walled villages, detouring for an exclusive Chianti Classico tasting at the esteemed Fèlsina estate, to sample pecorino cheese in Pienza and learn the nuanced flavor profiles of olive oil — Tuscany’s “liquid gold” — during a private tasting at an osteria in Gaiole. Then imbue a dish with these star Tuscan ingredients during private cooking classes with local chefs, learning to make beloved, rustic pasta dishes and home-cooked favorites like focaccia, pizza and tiramisu. If Europe is not on your list this year, then perhaps a New England Fall Foliage vacation.

WINTER ADVENTURE

Seeing White in Yellowstone
With the first snowfall, Yellowstone National Park turns into the very definition of winter wonderland. Acclaimed PBS filmmaker Ken Burns calls Yellowstone “God’s laboratory” and, during winter, nature’s alchemy transforms the park’s cascading waterfalls into veils of ice, while its 300 geysers — more than New Zealand and Iceland combined — send bursts of steam into the chilly air. Adventure travel company, Tauck, teamed up with Burns to craft a nine-day tour that takes small groups into Yellowstone’s ethereal silence, broken only by the crunch of fresh snow underfoot. Go snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, watching for bison, wolves and other creatures that are easier to spot against the blanched backdrop. Huge herds of elk are undisturbed as you sled past them in the National Elk Refuge, and witnessing Old Faithful erupt is even more dramatic against the crisp blue winter sky. Browse these and other National Parks vacations.

SPRING ADVENTURE

Breezing By Holland’s Tulip Fields
Since Dutch farmers planted their first tulip bulbs back in the 1500s, springtime in Holland has made every world traveler’s must-do list. The Netherlands are literally blanketed in flowers, with rows of alternating colors that turn the countryside into a continuous rainbow. To experience the full effect, visit in April and May when these iconic tulips — along with daffodils, irises, narcissi and hyacinths — reach their blossoming glory. It’s this time of year that specialist in luxury active travel, Butterfield & Robinson, leads six-day biking tours from Amsterdam. Glide past Kinderdijk’s 19 windmills to the seaside village of Yerseke to taste the famed Zeeland mussels in season through mid-April. See the beautiful Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse — the world’s second-largest flower garden — and pedal to charming Leiden, Rembrandt’s birthplace along the water of the Rhine River. Exclusive experiences, from learning the secrets of making Gouda cheese from a local farmer to savoring a two-starred Michelin dinner, will make your love for Holland spring eternal.

SUMMER ADVENTURE

Sun-dappled Days on the Danube
Immortalized in composer Johann Strauss II’s “The Blue Danube,” Europe’s second-longest river is as enchanting as the tempos of its namesake waltz. The 1,780-mile waterway meanders through four capital cities and takes you to the doorstep of UNESCO World Heritage sites like the imposing Dürnstein Castle, stunning Melk Abbey and the Holy Roman Empire town of Nuremberg. Long summer days give you even more time to experience these treasures tucked along the winding banks; to provide you with the best of both land and water, Backroads has newly partnered with luxury river cruise line AmaWaterways to offer a unique eight-day summer sailing on the Danube River. Disembark on foot or via bicycle to pedal through the Bavarian Forest, visit local heurigen (wine taverns) in the vineyard-laced Wachau Valley or picnic at Schloss Hof castle and working farm with a Backroads trip leader. Relaxation proves just as paramount aboard your river cruise vessel, where you can simply soak in the sun’s rays on the private terrace while sipping a refreshing Grüner Veltliner and toasting to summer. Endless exploration of the world’s wine regions awaits with cruises also offered on the Douro, Rhine, Rhone and Seine Rivers.

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