10 exciting new travel experiences you can only have in Europe this year

Brought to you by the team behind the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, the Britannic Explorer launches in July, offering plush multi-night rail journeys to some of the most beautiful pockets of England and Wales. Departing from London, itineraries will showcase regions like Cornwall, the Lake District and Snowdonia with the heart-warming window scenery complemented by some serious on-board swank.

Each of the train's 18 elegantly furnished cabins has ensuite bathrooms - and you'll get a butler if you book a grand suite - while in the dining cars, there's afternoon tea and modern British menus by Simon Rogan, chef-patron of L'Enclume, a three Michelin star restaurant in the Lake District. belmond.com

Gorizia and Nova Gorica, "twin towns" on the border of Slovenia and Italy, were one city before they were separated in the geopolitical wranglings after World War II. But the pair have been reunited as joint hosts of the 2025 European Capital of Culture with a collaborative program of art, dance, music, film and fashion. Visitors to this duo - 45 minutes from Trieste by road or rail - will also find an arresting mix of medieval and modernist architecture as well as some hearty northern Italian and Slavic cuisine, from tender braised veal cheeks with polenta to plum-filled gnocchi. There's no shortage of divine gelato either. go2025.eu/en

Read more on Explore:

Did watching the 2024 Olympic triathlons on TV whet the appetite for a dip in Paris' famous river? Peut-etre, peut-etre pas (maybe, maybe not), but from this northern summer, ordinary members of the public will be able to swim in the Seine from three new quayside sites, including Bras Marie, which is within walking distance of the rejuvenated Notre-Dame cathedral. A $2.4 billion clean-up project has enhanced the river's water quality, but if you're still a bit wary about ducking beneath the surface, you could go kayaking or canoeing on the Seine instead. parisjetaime.com/eng

Spectacularly perched amid the craggy Catalonian serras (mountain chains) north of Barcelona, the Benedictine monastery of Montserrat marks its 1000th anniversary in 2025 with concerts, masses and other spiritual events. Although it's long been a magnet for monks and pilgrims paying homage to the Virgin Mary, you don't need to be a believer to marvel at Montserrat's religious treasures or its soul-stirring panoramic viewpoints. Getting here is half the fun, too. After an hour's train ride from Barcelona, you can change to either a cable car or a rack railway for the final dramatic ascent to the monastery. montserratvisita.com/en

Warsaw, Poland's phoenix-like capital, is the setting for one of the continent's most keenly anticipated new cultural openings. After being shifted around from temporary home to temporary home for two decades, the city's Museum of Modern Art finally has a permanent base: a purpose-built, light-filled gallery space facing the hulking, Soviet-era Palace of Culture and Science. The museum has kicked things off by exhibiting large-scale pieces by women artists, among them the late darling of Polish sculpture, Magdalena Abakanowicz, and Sandra Mujinga, the Congo-born Norwegian abstract artist who's making waves with her inventive audio-visual installations. artmuseum.pl/en

Lorded over by dreamy, snow-dusted alps, Salzburg is always a postcard-pretty delight and this year it's staging themed events and experiences for the 60th anniversary of The Sound of Music, a much-loved movie shot in and around the Austrian city. Whether you're attending a live performance of the musical in one of Salzburg's charming theatres or admiring the nostalgia-inducing filming locations with charismatic guides (or on self-guided audio tours), don't be surprised to find yourself grinning and humming along to classic tunes like Do-Re-Mi and My Favourite Things. salzburg.info

Malta is a perennial favourite on the Mediterranean cruise ship circuit, but its sun-drenched UNESCO sites, cinematic coastline and quaint fishing villages make it worth sticking around. From mid-2025, you'll be able to base yourself at the Romegas Hotel, a snazzy 23-room boutique number in a converted 500-year-old aristocratic palazzo in the honey-hued streets of Valletta, Malta's compact yet vibrant capital.

The mighty Dolomites provide a ruggedly inspiring backdrop for the Cammino Retico, a pair of new seven-day hiking and cycling trails that connect the remote towns and villages of Italy's mountainous northeastern corner, following the traces of the Raeti, a group of ancient alpine tribes. Whether you're walking (191km) or pedalling (290km), bank on an exhilarating flurry of peaks, lakes, valleys, vineyards, centuries-old fortifications, sanctuaries and basilicas along the way. You could wing it - carry a tent and camp at designated spots - or plan ahead, pre-booking albergos (inns) or B&Bs and even arranging transfers to shift your luggage from stage to stage. Buona fortuna! (good luck). camminoretico.it/en

Europe was still in the grip of the Cold War when work for the Thessaloniki Metro began. Four decades on, the network is running at last, its driverless trains burrowing beneath Greece's cosmopolitan second city. The delay was caused, in large part, by the epic number of archaeological artefacts unearthed during the construction (over 300,000!). A fraction of the discoveries - including relics from the city's ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods - are on display at metro stations such as Venizelou, the gateway to Thessaloniki's historic core. thessaloniki.travel

Before he became enamoured by the sunflower and lavender fields of Provence, Vincent van Gogh developed a love of nature and painting in the Dutch countryside where he grew up. Sprinkled with farms, fields, forests, marshes and villages, a new national park has been created in his honour, promising pretty, peaceful walks and bike rides through this sleepy slice of the southern Netherlands between the cities of Eindhoven and Den Bosch. You're just over an hour's drive from the buzz of Amsterdam, which is toasting its 750th anniversary with a diverse calendar of events, plus one of Europe's hottest new hotel openings for 2025: the five-star Rosewood in the former Palace of Justice in the Dutch capital's UNESCO-listed canal district. holland.com