Experts pick: The best holidays of all time - part two

California is an exciting destination for families, thanks to its theme parks, natural wonders, buzzing cities and easy road trip routes. Photo / Christian Thompson, Disneyland Resort

In part two of our series, international travel writers pick the greatest holidays of all time.

1. The ultimate family holiday… in California

By Chris Leadbeater

A brilliant family holiday requires a careful balance of elements. It needs a hearty dose of fun to keep the younger members of the group happy. It warrants a pace of itinerary that won't exhaust everybody involved. It doesn't have to contain a beach and a comfy hotel next to it, though this tends to help. Equally, while it's impossible to arrange fair weather in advance, sunny days and pleasant temperatures will always make a getaway go better.

Most important, though, is a sense of adventure – that magic extra something, sprinkled on top, which turns a good holiday into a great one. This can be provided by epic geography and a sense of scenic wonder. It can be served up by the gravity-taunting rush of a thrill ride in motion. But it has to be there, to avoid that clarion call: "I'm boooored."

You can source this combination of ingredients in several corners of the planet, but you won't fail to find it in the US. America exhilarates and excites; it welcomes and wows.

At least, it does if you look in the right location. Such as California. The Golden State is a perfect playground for family escapes. It flirts with the Pacific for 1350km – most persuasively in the bends of Highway 1 between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Each city is an essential part of the experience. San Francisco has the sort of visual X-factor that even the surliest teenager will appreciate – the grand steel expanse of the Golden Gate Bridge, the remarkable as-seen-in-the-movies steepness of Lombard and Filbert Sts, the gangster stories and striking isolation of Alcatraz. LA is no shrinking violet either – a moving gallery of images whether you are people-watching at Venice Beach, riding the Ferris wheel on Santa Monica Pier, or gazing up at the Hollywood sign.

But it is the journey between them which particularly inspires – whales breaching the waves of Monterey Bay, the road clinging daringly to the rocks at Big Sur. And if this isn't enough, California also soars in high places. Not least Yosemite National Park, a wonderland where waterfalls splash and bears lumber. It also works in a winning placidity where Lake Tahoe marks the state line with Nevada, kayaks gliding across its surface – and sinks to heat and sun-glare where Death Valley unfurls its ferocious desert.

And yet for all this, California isn't so rugged or fierce as to spurn the giddy amusements of the theme park. Disneyland, in Anaheim, is as much a child-friendly delight now as when it opened (in 1955). A little of everything will ensure everything goes swimmingly.
visitcalifornia.com

2. The ultimate rail holiday… in India

By Christian Wolmar

There's something about the country's attachment to the iron horse that means a train ride around India deserves a place on everyone's travel wish lists. One could explore this vast and fascinating country by plane, of course, but it just wouldn't seem right; the trundling pace of a train is far more suited to the laid-back way of life.

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Photo / Getty Images

One key facet of Indian rail travel, even on luxury trains, is that speeds rarely exceed 95km/h, which is a positive, not a negative – providing time to see life slowly unfolding before you. This serves as a constant source of entertainment; there's always something to see as the train trundles gently but purposefully through the vast distances between major cities.

One moment you are watching the local farmers plough their fields – usually with the help of an ox, often accompanied by an egret pecking away at the insects on its back, rather than a tractor – while the next you almost feel like an intruder as the train passes so close to the little bungalows in which most people live that you can see them going about their daily chores.

In contrast, there are long stretches through the little populated ghats that run parallel to the coastline, or in the wetlands of Kerala, where the scenery is as spectacular as anywhere on the planet. It's a truly unforgettable adventure through one of the world's most seductive countries.
incredibleindia.org

3. The ultimate walking holiday… in Greece

By Richard Madden

Walking holidays need to be carefully chosen to ensure the right level of exertion and the perfect combination of excellent food, accommodation, opportunities to relax, and most importantly, inspirational landscapes. An honest assessment of your own physical capabilities and those of your group, coupled with detailed on-the-ground research and trail notes from a well-trusted and reliable operator are all desirable ingredients.

The other element to grapple with is whether you are looking for a guided or self-guided holiday. Both have their attractions. The former is excellent for meeting like-minded people with a shared love of walking, while the latter is best for a romantic adventure as a couple or with a group of friends who have known each other for years. Choosing a destination that is relatively unknown can also add to the appeal.

The Vikos Gorge in Greece is one of the world's deepest gorges. Photo / Getty Images

A destination that ticks all the boxes is the Vikos Gorge in the Pindus Mountains of northwestern Greece, near the border with Albania. Even though most people have never heard of it, it is one of the world's deepest gorges and its sheer, 200-million-year-old limestone walls are nearly 1400m high at its deepest point. You'll find some of the most impressive landscapes in Europe, while the route is punctuated by traditional stone villages and delightful guest houses.

After a flight to Corfu and a ferry ride over the Ionian Sea to Igoumenitsa on the Greek mainland, a bus transfers walkers to the village of Kapesovo. Your base for the next three nights is a delightful family-run guest house in this traditional stone village. From here you will set out each morning to explore the surrounding countryside.

These expeditions include a walk into another nearby gorge and up a zig-zag series of more than 1000 stone steps before following an 18th-century cobbled track built for caravans of mules carrying supplies to the region's remote mountain villages. Along the way, you will descend into wooded valleys and cross some of the region's trademark arched bridges as well as visit the Beloi Lookout with its epic views over Vikos Gorge itself.

The walk along the bottom of the gorge follows a dried-up riverbed to the enchanting town of Papingo, where your accommodation has stunning views towards Micro Papingo on the other side of the valley with the backdrop of your final destination, Timfi mountain. The 915m climb to the Astraka Refuge and the Dragon Lake is the toughest day but ends with the reward of panoramic views back over the whole of the Zagori region. The best time to visit is in June and July when the temperature is excellent for walking and the foliage is fresh.
visitgreece.gr

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