Your questions: Is there an Adriatic coast route that avoids summer crowds?

My husband and I have been invited to a wedding in Puglia in August. We have just over two weeks to get there from Rome and are hoping to hire a car to see some of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Albania beforehand. Is there a route you can recommend avoiding some of the August crowds?
A Jerram, Darlington, NSW

August is prime time for tourism along the Adriatic coast.Credit: Getty Images

You could certainly hire a car in Italy and drive through Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Albania, although Bosnia and Herzegovina is not an EU country and that might present a problem with a hire car. However in August, you’re not going to avoid the crowds. This is prime time for tourism along the Adriatic coast and the Dalmatian islands off Croatia and the whole region will be packed. You might also find it difficult to arrange one-way car hire. If you want to dodge the masses you could head east to Romania and Bulgaria, two outstanding destinations that see relatively few tourists. The same applies to the Baltic states. You might also resign yourself to the crowds and spend those two weeks in Puglia, possibly staying in a couple of places and then another week somewhere along the coast in the Salento region, and my pick would be the glorious strip of coast between Santa Caesarea Terme and Castro Marina. The rocky coastline is serrated with coves perfect for swimming, the food is sensational and not expensive and surrounding towns offer plenty of potential for day trips.

In early October 2025, we will have two weeks to drive the car of two avid bike riders who will be riding from Portugal’s Paradela to Tavira. Should we stay in a few places, or just go direct to the Algarve? We visited Lisbon last year so don’t need to return.
D Stone, Hampton, Vic

That’s a decent amount of time to make the 650-kilometre journey almost the entire length of Portugal’s coast, and there’s plenty along the way to make this a special experience. First stop Porto, where one of the highlights is the cruise along the Douro, Portugal’s “wine river”, the source of port wines. You can do it either on a full-day cruise aboard the vessels that depart from the pier at Vila Nova de Gaia, or by taking the train from Porto’s Sao Bento Station to Pinhao and back. Some operators offer a cruise upriver from Porto to Pinhao followed by a train ride back to Porto. Check the tourist office in Porto for information, and see the Visit Porto website. After Porto your next stop could be the coastal city of Coimbra. Rising across a hilltop, this was the country’s capital in the Middle Ages, endowed with a treasury of baroque and gothic buildings. Don’t miss the Joanina Library at the University of Coimbra, it’s incredible. Use Coimbra as a base to visit the coastal city of Aveiro, a small delight with pastel-coloured buildings casting a mirror image across its canals. Next stop, Obidos, a fortified town with narrow, cobbled laneways spiralling down from its hilltop castle, now a luxury hotel. If on your previous visit to Lisbon you didn’t visit Sintra, this is a must-see, once the summer retreat of the Portuguese royal family, sprinkled with pretty villas, castles and palaces. From here you’re just a short drive away from the Algarve and Tavira.

Hoping you can help with recommendations for accommodation in Warsaw for two days, thinking about the old town, any ideas?
L. Jones, Newcastle, NSW

Warsaw’s Jozef Pilsudski Park.Credit: iStock

Warsaw doesn’t get too many tourists and even five-star hotel prices are moderate. If you want old-style glamour you can’t go past the Hotel Bristol, an art nouveau wonder in a prime position beside the Presidential Palace and within easy strolling distance of the Old Town. Slightly lower down the price list, the Pura Warszawa Centrum is a sleek, stylish property with crisp rooms, home to one of the city’s top rated Italian restaurants. Another great choice, H15 Boutique Hotel is a smart, five-star hotel with spacious rooms and apartments in a beautiful 19th-century property at the heart of Warsaw. Two days is rather short, if you possibly can, squeeze in another day at least.

We are considering a winter European holiday with our extended family of six adults and four kids aged from 15 to five. We will be travelling by train. Can you suggest a convenient base for a week together and Christmas Day celebration in Italy, Germany or Austria?
M Kane, Mount Waverley, Vic

My vote goes to Innsbruck, capital of Austria’s Tyrol region. Set on the floor of the Inn Valley on the banks of the Wipptal River, the sharp peaks of South Tyrol provide a postcard backdrop for this lovely city. A Christmas highlight is the Christkindlmarkt, the Christmas market which takes place in the Old Town’s main square, surrounded by arcaded medieval buildings and overlooked by the glowing Goldenes Dachl, the glittering Gothic oriel built for Maximilian I. Traditional Tyrolean products are the mainstay, including carved cribs and decorative wood or straw figures. Folk bands in traditional costume provide entertainment. There’s also a better than average chance of seeing snow at Christmas. Other towns in the Tyrol worth visiting are St. Anton am Arlberg, Kirchberg, Rattenberg and Seefeld, all accessible by train. From Innsbruck, the STB Tram will take you on a winding journey into the glorious Stubaital Valley. Other villages accessible by a combination of train and bus are Alpbach and Pfunds. The fastest trains take 3½ hours to travel from Zurich to Innsbruck, about four hours from Vienna.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances.