The Six at a Glance
| Place | Best for | Peak window | Mid-range day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amalfi Coast, IT | Cliffside villages, ferries | May, Jun, Sep | €170–260 |
| Taormina, Sicily | History plus a beach | May, Jun, Sep | €120–200 |
| Provence, FR | Lavender, slow lunches | Late Jun to mid-Jul | €150–230 |
| Saint-Tropez, FR | Beach clubs, rose | Jun and Sep | €250–450+ |
| Ibiza, ES | Coves, old town, nightlife | May, Jun, Sep | €140–250 |
| Nantucket, USA | Cobblestones, bikes, beach | Jun to early Sep | $300–500 |
I have spent enough summers chasing ferries and lavender to know that the best summer travel destinations are rarely the ones with the loudest marketing. They are the ones where the logistics reward a little planning: a boat booked three weeks early, a hotel picked mid-hill instead of on the beach, a lavender field visited before the harvest cuts it down.
This is my shortlist of six for 2026. Two sit on the Italian coast, two in the south of France, one in the Balearics, and one off Cape Cod, because a good summer does not have to happen in a single country. Each one is genuinely lovely in July. Each one also has a catch worth knowing before you book, whether that is a car ban on Capri, a six-drink cap in San Antonio, or a fast ferry that sells its car slots out in a single January morning.
Prices below are what I would budget in 2026, per person, for a mid-range trip. I have kept the numbers concrete so you can plan against them rather than guess. One thing has changed for the European stops this year: the EU border system. I cover that near the end, because it affects five of these six and almost nobody has read the fine print.
What makes these summer travel destinations worth the trip
I picked these six summer travel destinations on three tests. First, would I still recommend the place in peak July, crowds and heat included? Second, is there something specific to do there, not just a pretty view to photograph? Third, can a normal traveller afford at least a version of it, even if the luxury version costs ten times more? All six pass. What follows is the honest version of each, with the one fact I wish someone had told me the first time.
Amalfi Coast, Italy: villages that hang off a cliff
Positano is the postcard, and it earns it. Pastel houses stacked up a near-vertical hillside, the maiolica dome of Santa Maria Assunta in the middle, a beach at the bottom where the ferries pull in. The catch is those stairs. If your hotel sits high in town, you will climb a lot, so book mid-hill or budget for taxis.
Ferry to Capri
The Positano to Capri hydrofoil runs roughly 30 to 40 minutes and operates from about April to October. Non-residents cannot bring a car onto Capri from April to October, so you arrive on foot and use the funicular.
Path of the Gods
The famous ridge walk runs about 5.5 km from Bomerano to Nocelle, mostly downhill, with sea views the whole way. From Nocelle you either catch a bus or walk down roughly 1,700 steps into Positano.
A Capri day trip carries a small extra: every non-resident pays a landing fee of €5 per person from April to October, already folded into the ferry ticket. On the island itself, La Fontelina is the beach club everyone knows, though the neighbouring Da Luigi usually costs less and gets kinder reviews. The nearest airport is Naples, about 90 minutes from Positano by private transfer at roughly €120 to €150. Come in May, June or September if you can. July and August are hot, packed, and the roads jam solid, which is exactly why the ferries beat the buses.
Related Guide
→ 2026 Amalfi Coast and Capri ferry schedules
Live timetables and prices for every port on the coast, updated for the 2026 season.
Taormina, Sicily: a Greek theatre above the sea
Sicily gets you history and a beach in the same day, which is rarer than it sounds. Taormina sits on a hill on the island’s east coast, with Mount Etna smoking in the distance and the Ionian Sea below. It is touristy and it is worth it. If the Amalfi Coast is the glamour shot, Taormina is the one where you also learn something.
Ancient Theatre
Built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC and later widened by the Romans, it seats around 5,000 and frames Etna and the sea behind the stage. It is the second largest ancient theatre in Sicily after Syracuse.
Isola Bella
The tiny island nature reserve, the Pearl of the Ionian, connects to the beach by a thin gravel spit. Sicily bought it in 1990 and it is now protected. Reach it on the Taormina cable car, which carries about 850,000 people a year.
The cable car between the old town and Mazzaro beach costs €10 for a return and takes about three minutes, dropping roughly 200 metres. Walk it if you insist, but the road switchbacks forever and the funicular is the sane choice in July heat. Up top, the Villa Comunale gardens are free and quiet, laid out in the late 1800s by an English aristocrat, Florence Trevelyan. Fly into Catania, about an hour away. Like the Amalfi Coast, this is a May, June or September place if you can manage it.
Provence, France: lavender that lasts about two weeks
Here is the thing nobody tells you: the lavender is on a clock, and the clock is short. The Valensole plateau, the endless purple rows you have seen a thousand times, usually peaks in the first two weeks of July, and the harvest starts around July 15. In a hot summer a field can go from full bloom to bare stubble in under a week. Farmers cut for oil, not for your photos.
Valensole plateau
The largest lavender area in France, about 65 km from Aix and 100 km from Marseille. Shoot at golden hour. The Valensole Lavender Festival falls on July 19 in 2026, though many fields may already be cut by then.
Later blooms at Sault
If you arrive in late July or August, head to Sault, above 800 metres. Its higher, true-lavender fields hold colour into early August, and there are far fewer tour buses. The Abbaye de Senanque near Gordes, from the 12th century, is the classic photo.
You need a car, and you want a base near the fields rather than a day trip from the coast. Beyond the lavender, Provence in July is long lunches, rose, and village markets that are actually for locals, not props. My rule: check recent photos before you commit to a date, and treat festival dates as celebrations, not a promise the fields are still purple. Verify current bloom timing and field access on the regional tourism site listed below.
You May Also Like
→ Where and when to see Provence lavender in bloom
The official Marseille tourism guide to the fields, harvest timing and lavender festivals.
Saint-Tropez, France: beach clubs on Pampelonne
Saint-Tropez is the most expensive stop on this list and the easiest to do wrong. The actual beach, Pampelonne, is a 4.5 km stretch in the neighbouring commune of Ramatuelle, about 5 km from the village, lined with more than 20 beach clubs. You do not need a yacht. Sunbeds at most clubs start around €30 to €40, and how much you spend after that is entirely on you.
Club 55
The original, opened in 1955 as a canteen for the crew filming And God Created Woman with Brigitte Bardot. For 2026, sunbeds run €38, umbrellas €18 and beach huts €58. The food is simple and pricey; you pay for the location and the history.
Arrive by boat
In July and August, up to 30,000 people a day use Pampelonne and the road turns into a car park. A shuttle boat from the old port to the clubs skips all of it. Fly into Nice, roughly 90 minutes away by car.
A warning that saved me money once: several beach restaurants price fish by the gram, and the number next to the dish is not the total. Always ask. If you want the scene without the bill, Moorea and La Serena get consistent praise for food, and June or September gives you the same glamour with fewer crowds and lower prices. Saint-Tropez rewards a plan and punishes a whim.
Ibiza, Spain: coves, old town, and new rules
Ibiza is two islands wearing one name. There is the club Ibiza everyone pictures, and there is the quiet one: pine-backed coves, a walled old town, and boat rides to Formentera. In 2026 the balance tipped, because the rules genuinely changed. If you are picturing all-day drinking on the sand, read the next paragraph before you book.
Dalt Vila
Ibiza Town’s walled old quarter has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Climb the ramparts at dusk for the cathedral, the harbour and the whole island laid out below. Free, and the best hour of the day here.
Formentera by ferry
The smaller island next door has the clearest water in the Balearics and a fraction of the crowds. Go for the day and swim at Illetes. The quieter north of Ibiza itself, around the coves, is where I would actually stay.
Know before you go: 2026 rules
Under the Balearic responsible-tourism decree, drinking in the street or on the beach in party zones like San Antonio can bring fines of €500 to €3,000. All-inclusive hotels in those zones cap alcohol at six drinks a day, shops stop selling alcohol at 9:30 pm, and party boats are pushed offshore. Plus the Sustainable Tourism Tax adds roughly €1 to €4 per adult per night in high season, plus VAT, collected at your hotel.
None of that ruins Ibiza. It just rewards the version of the island I already prefer: coves in the morning, Dalt Vila at dusk, one big night if you want it, all of it planned rather than stumbled into. May, June and September are the sweet spots, with warm water and thinner crowds.
Nantucket, USA: cobblestones and a fast ferry
One American entry, because a summer does not have to cross an ocean. Nantucket sits 26 miles off Cape Cod, all cobblestone streets, grey-shingled cottages, and old whaling money turned into a very pretty island. You do not need a car; you need a bike and a ferry ticket. It is expensive, but it is the good kind of expensive, where the island itself is the attraction.
Fast ferry from Hyannis
The Steamship Authority high-speed boat covers the 26 miles in about an hour. In 2026 that is roughly $46.50 one way for an adult, or $89 return. The slower traditional ferry takes 2 hours 15 and costs about half.
Brant Point Light
You pass the little lighthouse, first completed in 1759, on the way into the harbour. Locals say to toss a penny as you round Brant Point and you are guaranteed to return. Bike the flat trails to Sconset and the beaches.
The one piece of timing that matters: if you want to bring a car, only the Steamship Authority carries them, slots sell out fast, and summer reservations open around January 31. Most visitors skip the car entirely and are happier for it. Peak runs June through early September. Book the fast ferry ahead on summer weekends, when both companies regularly sell out.
Popular Post
→ Official Nantucket ferry planner and fares
Steamship Authority schedules, high-speed and traditional fares, and car reservation dates.
When should you actually go?
Peak summer looks obvious on a calendar and rarely is on the ground. For most of these summer travel destinations, the shoulder weeks of late spring and early autumn give you warm water, open ferries and half the crowd. The exception is Provence, where the lavender pins you to a narrow window whether you like it or not.
What will a week actually cost?
These are per-person daily figures for 2026, blended across the European stops so you can plan a rough week. Saint-Tropez sits well above the rest, and Nantucket runs in dollars rather than euros, so treat those two as their own line. The gap between budget and luxury here is wide, because every one of these summer travel destinations sells a €20 lunch and a €200 one within sight of each other.
💰 Daily budget per person – European summer stops, 2026
| Category | Budget | Mid-Range | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏨 Accommodation | €60/night | €150/night | €400+ |
| 🍽 Food & drink | €30/day | €65/day | €150+ |
| 🚢 Ferries & transport | €15/day | €30/day | €80/day |
| 🏖 Beach clubs & sights | €10/day | €40/day | €150+ |
| 📊 Daily total | ~€115 | ~€285 | €780+ |
Book ferries early
Positano to Capri and Nantucket weekend boats sell out. Booking 3 to 4 weeks ahead saves the panic and sometimes a few euros.
Stay one town over
A room in Ramatuelle or mid-hill Positano can cost half of a beachfront one, for a five-minute shuttle or a short walk.
Eat the set lunch
The midday menu at the same restaurants often runs 30 to 40 percent below dinner. In Saint-Tropez, always ask about per-gram fish pricing.
Video: Positano, jewel of the Amalfi Coast, one of our six summer travel destinations
How do you get around once you arrive?
Half of these summer travel destinations actively punish having a car. The trick is matching the transport to the destination, not defaulting to a rental everywhere.
Ferry, not road
On the Amalfi Coast the boat is faster and prettier than the twisting SS163. Ports sit in each town centre; hydrofoils go first when seas turn rough.
Car only for Provence
The lavender fields are spread over a big plateau with no good transit. Rent a car here and nowhere else on this list unless you plan to explore inland.
Bikes on Nantucket
Flat, paved trails link town to the beaches and Sconset. A bike beats fighting for a car slot on the ferry and a parking spot on the island.
Shuttle boat at Pampelonne
Skip the Saint-Tropez traffic with a shuttle boat from the old port to the beach clubs. Ibiza to Formentera runs the same way, on regular ferries.
Entry rules and practical tips for summer 2026
The single most misunderstood thing about European travel this year is the border system, so let me be precise about what is live and what is not.
EES is live, ETIAS is not
The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since April 10, 2026. On your first Schengen entry you give a fingerprint and face scan, which takes a few minutes. ETIAS, the paid pre-authorisation, is not live yet. It launches in the last quarter of 2026 and only becomes mandatory in 2027, at a €20 fee.
Passports and Nantucket
For the five European stops, carry a passport valid at least three months past your return. Nantucket is domestic for US travellers, so no border system applies. First EES entry lines can be slow in July, so leave a buffer.
Tourist taxes and cash
Ibiza and the Balearics add a nightly Sustainable Tourism Tax of about €1 to €4 per adult in high season plus VAT, collected at check-in. Italian coastal towns and French resorts add smaller stay taxes. Cards work almost everywhere, but carry a little cash for small ports.
Rough seas and bookings
Positano has a pier, not a real port, so its ferries cancel first in wind; from Sorrento they cancel far less. Nantucket boats also cancel for weather. Build one flexible day into any island plan.
For the current, official position on the EU border rules before you fly, the European Commission keeps a plain-language page: the official ETIAS and EES travel guidance. Check it close to your departure date, since the launch timeline has moved before.
➕ How to string two or three into one trip
For a first big Mediterranean summer, pair Naples and the Amalfi Coast with a short flight to Catania for Taormina; that is Italy in ten easy days. For a France run, fly into Marseille, drive the Provence lavender for three days, then finish on the coast at Saint-Tropez. Ibiza and Nantucket work best as their own dedicated week rather than a add-on, since both are islands you reach by boat.
Summer travel destinations FAQ
Which of these would you pick first?
Been to one of these summer travel destinations, or think I left off somewhere better? Drop it in the comments and tell fellow readers what you would swap in. 👇
About This Guide
This guide to six summer travel destinations draws on repeat summer trips across the Italian and French coasts and the Balearics, plus the 2026 ferry fares, tourist taxes and entry rules verified against official sources at the time of writing. Prices are what I would budget this year and shift with the season, so confirm current rates before you book.