Whether to celebrate Valentine's Day or an anniversary, or simply to give your partner an amazing gift, here are some ideas for a romantic getaway.

The Cabo de Gata-Níjar Nature Reserve is one of Spain’s most beautiful, unusual and yet arid landscapes – possibly one of the most striking ensembles in Europe, too. Magmatic in origin, this massif with its bizarre forms and sparse but interesting vegetation has the added value of skirting the coast, encompassing a considerable number of beaches and coves with stunning blue water, in stark contrast to the bare surrounding landscape of rock and sand.

If you are planning to roam through this magnificent nature reserve in south-east Almería, be sure to put on sturdy footwear, wear a hat and stock up on water and provisions, as most of these beaches are wild and lack amenities. You are encouraged to hike between the beaches and the few villages dotted about the area. Many of the spots we are taking you to are difficult to reach, although well worth the effort, as awaiting you are some spectacular views and a dip in splendid, crystal-clear waters. Let’s be off, then!

Playa de los Muertos

This beach is separated from its parking lot by a steep 700-metre slope, so you are urged to take it easy. At the end of the narrow track you come to a wide pebble beach with blue water where you can have a soothing bathe. As is the case on most beaches in Cabo de Gata, nudists and swimming-trunk die-hards coexist in perfect harmony.

Cala de Enmedio

This cove lies one and a half kilometres from Agua Amarga, an old fishing port currently sought after by tourists. Access is only by boat or on foot. On reaching this splendid cove, you will be dazzled by the fine white sand and the two fossilised sand dunes flanking it, striking a contrast with the turquoise-coloured seawater. A little paradise on earth.

Cala de San Pedro

This small cove, located just over an hour’s walk from the fishing village of Las Negras, differs from the rest of the beaches in the area in that it boasts a sweet-water spring. On account of this, there is more vegetation in the cove, enabling a hippy community to live here all year around. The water source also accounts for the fact that the Castle of San Pedro was built here in the 16th century as a defence against assaults by Berber pirates. The castle ruins are currently open to visitors.

Playa de los Genoveses

This beach, stretching for over one kilometre, with its fine sand and crystal-clear water, is one of the most popular and most frequented in Cabo de Gata. Located just over a kilometre from San José, you can reach it on foot. However, if you are not inclined to doing exercise, there is a bus that you can take to the beach. If you’re driving there, bear in mind that the parking lot is not very spacious and can fill up quickly in summer.

Playa de Mónsul

Having been turned into a film set by Steven Spielberg in his Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, this is a must-visit beach, particularly because of the spectacle provided by the encircling ensemble of huge eroded lava rocks. Situated four kilometres from San José, it can be reached by car or bus (this is the most advisable option in August).

Cala Rajá

Halfway between San Miguel de Cabo de Gata and San José, this is the most uninhabited cove of all. It has pleasant fine sand and it is worth climbing the surrounding rock formations to see the views of the El Dedo reef and the Cala de la Punta Negra.

Book your Vueling to Almería and discover the stunning beaches of Cabo de Gata!

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Mir Zab, horrapics, Pablo Piso , jarp32, Baldomorejon

The bicycle is clearly one of the identity traits of the Netherlands, as are their canals, windmills and tulips. The flat terrain, with hardly any slopes, and the fabulous infrastructure available for this ecological means of transport, makes it the ideal land for cyclotourism. Following is our selection  of four itineraries for discovering Holland from a healthier perspective, both in terms of environment and fitness.

Route Through Amsterdam

A comfortable, entertaining way of touring the Dutch capital is by emulating most of its inhabitants and pedalling through it on two wheels. Riding comfortably along the city’s streets poses no problems, as Amsterdam is fully cycle-aware and caters specifically for bicycles. You should, however, be mindful of the rules governing the use of cycle lanes and cycling areas; otherwise, you are more than likely to be on the receiving end of a reprimand.

In addition to getting about the historic centre in search of landmarks, we recommend you head for Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest), where you can indulge in nature to the full. Located four kilometres from the centre, this huge park acts as the city’s green lung and leisure area. Take note!

Tulip Route

The best way to enjoy spring in Holland is by pedalling through the countryside carpeted in tulips. The most spectacular sightseeing period is in April and May, when the tulips come into flower. This route, which starts and ends in Amsterdam, will bring you into contact with nature in all its splendour. It runs for 305 kilometres and lasts 8 days, taking you to such towns as Gouda, known for its cheese; Delft, famous for its blue ceramic; Leiden, the birthplace of Rembrandt, and Haarlem, where you should make a point of visiting the museum dedicated to the painter, Franz Hals. The highlight of this itinerary is Keukenhof. This huge park, regarded as one of the most beautiful in Europe, is located between the towns of Leiden and Haarlem.

Windmill Route 

Another iconic landmark of the Netherlands are its windmills, which also have their own bicycle route. The point of departure and arrival is Bunnik, located next to Utrecht, and the itinerary involves covering 200 kilometres in six days. The high point of this trip isKinderdijk,a polder situated at the confluence of the rivers Lek and Noordt which is drained by a system of 19 windmills built around the year 1740. The route will also take you past Dordrecht, one of the oldest cities in Holland, and Gokum, set amid some fantastic scenery.

North Sea Route

The North Sea coast has some beautiful spots that make a cycling getaway well worth your while. To see it in all its splendour, we propose an itinerary of under 50 kilometres, running from The Hague to Zandvoort, which affords some beautiful sea views and takes you past lovely beaches.

You can obtain maps of these and many other routes, with details of each itinerary, from the Dutch Tourist Board. Book your Vueling here and venture through the Netherlands on their star means of transport – the bicycle.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên, Mandie, Tarod

Potsdam, which lies south-west of Berlin, has a lot to offer visitors, notably its spectacular UFA Film Studio (currently known as the Babelsberg Studio) – the oldest and largest in Europe – the Einstein Tower, designed by architect Erich Mendelsohn, and the city’s unique Dutch Quarter. However, the standout feature of this city is its beautiful, splendid parks and palaces, which led some of them to be listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We take you on a tour of these fabulous gems, some of which are worthy of the great Versailles itself.

Sanssouci Park – the Jewel in the Crown
Just over a half-an-hour’s ride on public transport from Berlin lies Sanssouci Park, featuring what for many might be termed the German Versailles, which draws thousands of visitors each year. The precinct houses a large number of parks and palaces, each of them more beautiful and surprising than the next. The artificer of this ensemble was Frederick the Great who, in his endeavour to find a place where he could get away from the pomp of the Berlin Court, hit upon this wonderful spot and commissioned what would become an idyllic retreat. The very name of the park is a statement of intent as it reveals the monarch’s penchant for French culture. It is derived from the French term,sans souci,meaning “without worries”.

Among the major landmarks in the park is the Sanssouci Palace, built from 1745 to 1747 and designed by the architect, Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff. Noteworthy areas in this crowning work of the Rococo are the Marble Hall, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, the delicately ornamented Music Room and the Library, which needless to say contains the works of such French writers as Voltaire, a friend of Frederick the Great, who was also a great admirer of his.

In addition to this fabulous summer palace, the park also features other equally unique landmarks commissioned by Frederick the Great and his successors. One such construction is the Chinese House (Chinesisches Haus), a clover-shaped pavilion of eastern inspiration, which was very much in vogue at the time, the Orangery (Orangerieschloss), with towers affording splendid views over the park, the New Palace (Neues Palais), commissioned by Frederick the Great to commemorate the end of the Seven Years’ War, and the Picture Gallery (Bildergalerie), boasting works by artists of the likes of Correggio, Rembrandt, Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Antoine Watteau.

Potsdam’s “New Garden”
In the north of Potsdam lies the Neuer Garten (New Garden), another large park of which the highlight is the Jungfernsee lake. A must-visit is the Marmorpalais (Marble Palace), the summer retreat of Friedrich Wilhelm II, featuring a stunningly ornamented interior which has left more than a few visitors awestruck. Also sited here is the Cecilienhof Palace, a rural palace in Tudor style. It went down in history as being the location of the Potsdam Conference, held during the last few months of World War II.

Reopening Babelsberg Park and Palace
After remaining closed for seven decades, Babelsberg Park and Palace is now decked out to welcome visitors. To mark this long-awaited reopening, from 29 April to 15 October an exhibition will be held as a tribute to Prince Hermann Ludwig Heinrich von Pückler-Muskau, a landscape gardener and artificer, among others, of this park and these gardens. The exhibition will be sited in Babelsberg Palace. Built as of 1833 as the summer residence of future Emperor William I and his wife, Augusta, it was designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel according to the stylistic tenets of English Tudor. The large park, for its part, was designed by Peter Joseph Lenné, while in 1840 Prince Pückler-Muskau culminated the work by lending his own touch to the gardens.

Book your Vueling to Berlin and relish your tour of the marvels offered by the city of Potsdam.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Photos by Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg