Section 03 · Itineraries

Six trips you can steal.

Each of the six itineraries below has actually been walked, driven or rowed by one of us — with a person we're still speaking to. We list the room, the day, the dinner we booked twice, and the argument we didn't quite avoid. None of them run longer than a week.

Ravello & Praiano — a four-day conversation.

4 nights Late May → October Fly to Naples

Not the wedding photos version. Base in Ravello for the mornings and Praiano for the afternoons; one long boat day between Amalfi and Positano. A trip designed for people who used to be very tired.

Day 1

Naples → Ravello, slowly.

Skip the taxi. Take the SITA bus to Amalfi, then a small car up the switchbacks to Ravello. Check into Palazzo Avino by three. Dinner at Rossellinis — order the tasting menu, split the wine, walk it off on Via San Giovanni del Toro.

Day 2

Villa Cimbrone at 9am, boat by noon.

Enter the gardens as they open — you'll have the Terrace of Infinity to yourselves for twenty minutes. Down to Amalfi, private gozzo boat for four hours: cove-hop between Furore and Positano. Lunch on the boat. Nap on the boat. Late aperitivo at Il San Pietro.

Day 3

The Path of the Gods, in reverse.

Bus to Bomerano, walk down to Nocelle (three hours, downhill). 1,700 stairs into Positano — take them slowly, in old sneakers. Reward: lunch at Chez Black on the beach. Ferry back to Amalfi, cab up to Ravello, sit somewhere with a view for the rest of the night.

Day 4

Praiano and out.

Move down to Casa Angelina in Praiano for the last night — the terrace faces west, which is the whole point. Sunset at Africana Famous Club (yes, really). Late dinner at La Conca del Sogno in Nerano. Cab to Naples in the morning. Leave hungry.

Book twice

Rossellinis in Ravello, La Conca del Sogno in Nerano — both accept reservations six months out and reward planning. Everything else can be walked in.

Six mornings in Kyoto, one afternoon in Nara.

6 nights Late Nov, first week of April Fly to Osaka Kansai

Two nights in a Gion ryokan, four in a Nishijin machiya. Written for people who care about breakfast more than they care about sunset.

Day 1

Arrival & kissaten.

HARUKA express from Kansai to Kyoto. Check into a small ryokan in Gion — Motonago is a good first-time choice. First meal at kissaten Efish, second meal wherever the ryokan says.

Day 2

Fushimi Inari before six.

Yes, that early. Walk the whole loop, breakfast on the way back down at a shop by the station. Afternoon: nap. Evening: kaiseki. Give up on your phone for the day.

Day 3

Move west — Nishijin.

Machiya rental (we like Yoshi-Ima). Walk to the Silver Pavilion via the Philosopher's Path. Lunch at Omen. Dinner: a very small izakaya someone at the machiya will book for you.

Day 4

Arashiyama, in the rain if possible.

Bamboo grove at 7am. Tenryu-ji. A ferry up the Hozu River to somewhere quiet. Back for a bath at the machiya. Late meal at Menami — order the obanzai set.

Day 5

Day trip to Nara.

Todai-ji, Kasuga-taisha, the deer. Have dinner at Kikusuiro if you can, or come home for ramen at Honke Daiichiasahi. Bookshop in Ichijoji if there's an evening left.

Day 6

A market, a temple, a train.

Nishiki Market at nine, Ryoan-ji at eleven, one last kissaten. Return the machiya keys. Shinkansen to Tokyo if you're extending, or back to Osaka. Buy sencha at Ippodo before the airport.

Northern lights over a lone farmhouse in Iceland

Snæfellsnes — five nights, one long silence.

5 nights Late Feb, early Oct Fly to Keflavík

Do not attempt the full Ring Road on a first trip; you'll fight. The Snæfellsnes peninsula is Iceland at the right scale for two people: one glacier, one volcano, one very good sweater each.

Day 1

Reykjavík, briefly.

One night at the Reykjavík EDITION or Sand Hotel. Late dinner at Dill. Do not go to the Blue Lagoon on arrival — save it for the return.

Day 2

West to Búdir.

Two-hour drive. Check into Hotel Búdir. Walk to the black church at dusk. Dinner at the hotel; the lamb is the point.

Day 3

Peninsula loop.

Hellnar, Arnarstapi, Kirkjufell, Djúpalónssandur. Pack a thermos and lunch — nothing is open. Home to Búdir for a hot bath and a book.

Day 4

Farm stay by Hellnar.

Move to a working farmhouse — Lýsuhóll or similar. Horse ride if the weather holds; a very long nap otherwise. Watch for aurora between 10pm and 1am.

Day 5

Slow drive back, Blue Lagoon.

Back to Keflavík via the lava fields. Book the Retreat at Blue Lagoon for the last afternoon — private lagoon, five hours minimum. Redeye home.

Book twice

Dill in Reykjavík (six weeks out) and Hotel Búdir (three months out in shoulder season). Everything else can move around the weather.

Medina, mountains, a very good rug.

6 nights Nov → March Fly to Marrakech

Four nights inside the medina, two in the Atlas foothills. This itinerary assumes one of you speaks a little French. It rewards the couple who can share a small breakfast.

Day 1

Into the medina.

Riad El Fenn if you want to be recognised, Dar Kandi if you don't. Late lunch at Café Clock. Rooftop drink somewhere before nine. Do not go to Jemaa el-Fna on the first night.

Day 2

Souks with a rule.

Nothing until noon. Whoever finds their patience last buys dinner. Lunch at Le Jardin. Afternoon at the Yves Saint Laurent gardens. Dinner at Nomad — book a fortnight ahead.

Day 3

The rug day.

One shop. Take the whole morning. Buy the smaller one you both agree on, ship it home rather than carry it. Hammam in the afternoon. Casual dinner at Kilim.

Day 4

Move to the mountains.

Drive to Kasbah Bab Ourika (90 minutes). Do nothing after arrival. Dinner on the terrace facing the peaks. Bath. Book.

Day 5

Berber village walk.

Three-hour hike with a guide from the kasbah; lunch at a village home. Pool in the afternoon. Sunset from the rocks.

Day 6

Back to Marrakech, out.

A last lunch in the medina at La Famille. One argan-oil detour. Airport by five. Do not check a bag with a rug in it.

Menton to Cap Ferrat — five nights, three corniches.

5 nights Late May → June Fly to Nice

Not Cannes, please. This is the quiet Riviera: two people, one manual car, three corniche roads, and a swim before every lunch.

Day 1

Nice → Menton.

Pick up a small manual (Fiat 500 or 208). Drive the Basse Corniche to Menton. Room at Napoléon or Château Eza. Late dinner at Mirazur if you booked six months ago; a market pizza otherwise.

Day 2

Villages perchés.

Sainte-Agnès in the morning, Gorbio for lunch, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in the afternoon. Swim from the little cove below Cap-Martin. Come home tired.

Day 3

Move west to Cap Ferrat.

Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat if there was a bonus. Villa la Roche otherwise. Rothschild villa and gardens. Sunset drink at Paloma Beach.

Day 4

Boat day, Villefranche.

Half-day skippered boat from Villefranche around the peninsula. Lunch on the boat. Nap on the boat. Sea urchin at Le Cabanon in the evening.

Day 5

Èze, and out.

Sunrise walk on the Sentier de Nietzsche. Coffee in the village. Drop the car in Nice by two. Fly out having said nothing important all week.

Tulum and Holbox, a week.

7 nights Dec → early May Fly to Cancún

Three nights in Tulum, four on Holbox. Written for the couple that likes a beach but doesn't want the beach club. If your hotel has a DJ, you've booked the wrong one.

Day 1

Cancún → Tulum, no highlight reel.

Two-hour transfer south. Check into a small property — Kimpton Aluna or Papaya Playa Project — and stay off the beach road tonight. Casual dinner at Arca or Hartwood, whichever fits your patience for lines.

Day 2

Cenote before eight.

Cenote Zacil-Ha or Gran Cenote at opening — 8am. Beach afternoon at your hotel. Ceviche and margaritas at Rosa Negra. No beach club today.

Day 3

Tulum ruins, sunrise.

Walk to the ruins at 7am — they open at 8, but the light before is the reason. Come home for breakfast and a long swim. Pack for Holbox.

Day 4

Move to Holbox.

Three-hour drive to Chiquilá, ferry across. Golf cart to the hotel — Casa Nalum or Ser CasaSandra. Watch the sunset with your feet in the sand and your phone in a drawer.

Day 5

Bioluminescence night.

A slow beach day. Book a small boat for the bioluminescence tour at 10pm — it depends on the moon, so plan the trip around a new moon.

Day 6

Punta Cocos, hammocks in the water.

Bike out to Punta Cocos in the late afternoon. Warm-water hammocks, a beer, a book. Dinner at Painapol, cheap and perfect.

Day 7

Slow ferry back.

Ferry, drive, airport. Do not book a red-eye — leave in the afternoon so you land at home in daylight and don't have to rebuild your marriage in customs.

Six trips you can steal.

Ravello & Praiano — a four-day conversation.

Naples → Ravello, slowly.

Villa Cimbrone at 9am, boat by noon.

The Path of the Gods, in reverse.

Praiano and out.

Book twice

Six mornings in Kyoto, one afternoon in Nara.

Arrival & kissaten.

Fushimi Inari before six.

Move west — Nishijin.

Arashiyama, in the rain if possible.

Day trip to Nara.

A market, a temple, a train.

Snæfellsnes — five nights, one long silence.

Reykjavík, briefly.

West to Búdir.

Peninsula loop.

Farm stay by Hellnar.

Slow drive back, Blue Lagoon.

Book twice

Medina, mountains, a very good rug.

Into the medina.

Souks with a rule.

The rug day.

Move to the mountains.

Berber village walk.

Back to Marrakech, out.

Menton to Cap Ferrat — five nights, three corniches.

Nice → Menton.

Villages perchés.

Move west to Cap Ferrat.

Boat day, Villefranche.

Èze, and out.

Tulum and Holbox, a week.

Cancún → Tulum, no highlight reel.

Cenote before eight.

Tulum ruins, sunrise.

Move to Holbox.

Bioluminescence night.

Punta Cocos, hammocks in the water.

Slow ferry back.

Next issue lands in a month.