Whether you want one more getaway or you haven’t gotten away quite yet, you still have time for a summer vacation—even if only for a long weekend.

Need some quick ideas? Here are a few spots from our summer wanderings that make for great quick-getaway options:

The United States

• New York City makes for the perfect playground for a week or a weekend (and you can reach it easily from almost anywhere, including Europe). No excuses.

Belgium

• Consider a weekend in Ghent—a gorgeous small city filled with history and culture.

France

• Spend a weekend in the fairy-tale-feeling Alsace region, with a base of stay in stunning Colmar.

• Spend a week in Provence: Visit Aix-en-Provence and its environs, the Luberon, and Avignon and the Pont du Gard.

• Try a visit to the city and the region of Bordeaux. (There’s more than just wine, I promise!)

• See offbeat and off-the-beaten-path châteaux in Burgundy.

• Spend time in the Champagne region, with a base in Reims.

• Want to see castles and have a long weekend or even a few weeks? The Loire Valley is a once-in-a-lifetime, can’t-miss experience.

• Spend a week or a weekend (you’ll find plenty to do!) in Lyon.

• Toulouse doesn’t get enough love from tourists, in my opinion. If you get a chance to visit the city and its surrounding areas, you should.

• We had more fun than expected in Troyes, where you can combine outdoor activity, great food, and historical tours.

Italy

• No matter how much time you have, you’ll never get bored in Florence.

• Prepare for the summer heat, but if you can find a way to get to Rome, you will still love it.

Switzerland

• Take a hike or two in the stunning Swiss Alps, eating cheese along the way.

• Visit the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Lavaux. The area’s annual Caves Ouvertes festival takes place in the early summer, yet you can hike through the region at any time of the year (they even have an app to assist you!) and you can arrange to visit the wineries at any time.

• Spend a weekend in Geneva, where you’ll find art and culture from today back through the middle ages, including a museum of the Reformation.

• See Lucerne, with its medieval bridges over the glittering Reuss River and its outstanding modern art museum. (Seriously. Don’t miss the art museum.)

• Take a trip to Gruyeres, visiting the gruyère cheese factory, feasting on fondue, and touring the incredible château.

• Get on The Chocolate Train from Montreux and visit the Callier chocolate factory in the home country of milk chocolate. At the end of the tour, you can taste as much chocolate as you like. (Who could complain?)

• Before they dock for the winter, get to Lake Geneva to take a steamboat ride along the lakefront (and stop in Chillon Castle, no matter what else you do).

The Netherlands

• In late summer, the crowds will have abated a bit, which makes Amsterdam a good spot for a visit. Book tickets to the Anne Frank House well in advance, if you do. While there, stop in at The Van Gogh Museum and the national museum of the Netherlands, the Rijksmuseum.

The Caribbean

• We spent our honeymoon at two resorts in the Caribbean—on St. Lucia and on Antigua—yet you can go for any reason or no reason at all. When would you find relaxing on beautiful beaches a bad idea?

If you visit any of these spots, I want to hear your impressions!

Trip Planning Tips and Tricks

For a few thoughts from me based on my lessons around travel planning tips and tricks, click here.

And if you’d like to know what you need to pack that you might not have considered—especially for summer travel—read my article with packing ideas!