Best summer holidays in Europe

If you haven't booked your summer holiday yet, we've checked out what is still available with tour operators. Plus: flight tips, and unusual ideas for budget breaksItalyInntravel (01653 617004, inntravel.co.uk) has some nice Italian breaks in July, including lots of self-catering properties with summer availability. A week in Stefano's Barn Cottages in Le Marche, in a one-bedroom flat, costs �936 including car hire between June and end of August; Velia Vista, a two-bedroom flat near Cilento national park costs �1,248 for a week in July or August including car hire (but not flights, to Naples).For southern Italy and Sicily, Long Travel (01694 722193, long-travel.co.uk) has some gorgeous places that don't cost megabucks. For example Masseria Gregorio in Puglia is a collection of flats around a pool, sleeping four in August for �1,080 a week including car hire; Al Duemila is a small hotel near Gallipoli with doubles �475 a week all-inclusive in summer; it also has self-catering trulli from around �400 a week sleeping two, or �700 a week sleeping six, including car hire.Staying in southern Italy, Think Puglia/Think Sicily (020-7377 8518, thinkpuglia.com) has divine (but expensive) places to stay in both regions. The houses come well kitted out, with reliable tips on where to eat and drink, and the website has a handy click through list of what's available for each date over the summer, such as Scale Nove in Gallipoli, sleeping six for ?3,500 a week in July, with a white sun terrace overlooking the sea.For a cheaper break, Solo Sicily (020-7193 0158, solosicily.com) has coastal villas in Sicily in August and September from around ?1,600 a week. It is flexible with start days so you can use lower-cost flights.FranceThere's a huge choice of villas and gites: here's what a few reliable companies, with good online availability search functions, have left. Chez Nous (cheznous.com) has gites all over France. For example, for the week starting 21 July, four-person farmhouses in the Auvergne cost from �400 (car hire and flights extra).James Villas (0800 074 0122, jamesvillas.co.uk) has deals to the Dordogne or Provence for early July (before school holidays) from around �750pp including flights, in gites sleeping four with a pool; prices later in the summer start at �800pp. French Country Cottages (french-country-cottages.co.uk) has countryside mansions from around �1,400 in the week starting 14 July, sleeping six. A converted stables near Beauvais, in the northern Oise d�partment, costs �600 for the same week. Smaller homes sleeping four cost from �600 for a week in August. Ens Schmeds, a half-timbered house in Alsace, costs �859, for example. There are a few properties left for under �500 for August, in regions including Saone-et-Loire, among Burgundy's vineyards.For French seaside, surf towns on the Atlantic are better value than the C�te d'Azur. Pretty Capbreton, in southern Aquitaine, close to the Basque Country, has seven miles of golden sand; its neighbour Hossegor is a surf capital full of funky shops. Try Surf Holidays (surfholidays.com) or h2oholidays' fab hostel in Capbreton (h2oholidays.com), which organises lessons, gear and scooter rental, and sometimes has ?33-a-night deals. Action Outdoors (020-3328 5443, action-outdoors.co.uk) has a week at Port d'Albret further north, staying in beach huts from 29 July for �518pp including full-board, equipment and surf lessons, for 18-40-year-olds.Flights haven't yet gone through the roof, so get booking. For example, Ryanair from Stansted to Perpignan, on 13 July, returning 22 July, costs �154; Stansted to Bergerac on 14 July, returning 22 July costs �125. From Liverpool to Bergerac on 3 August, returning 11 August, costs �125.Spain Casas Cantabricas (01223 328721, casas.co.uk) has self-catering properties and hotels under �100 a night all over northern Spain (and Portugal). For the last week in July I found several self-catered houses in Galicia, near the coast, for around �500 a week.Alastair Sawdays (sawdays.co.uk) is one of our favourites for accommodation all over Europe and the UK, including more than 100 B&Bs in Spain, many of which, such as Alm�ssera Vella, near Alicante, have rooms for under �100 a night.Mallorca Farmhouses (0845 800 8080, mallorca.co.uk) has some stylish places with pools and provides information packs on buying and cooking Mallorcan food. Check out its late deals section, and Essential Collection for 20 better-value places. Two-bedroom farmhouses with pool in July are still available for about �1,600, three-bedroom places sleeping six for around �2,300, flights extra.Coastline villas (0844 557 1020, coastline.co.uk) has 14 villas in Mallorca. Villa Ca Na Llorenca, sleeping 10, costs from �663pp for a week in September or �969pp in August, including return flights from London and car hire, or C'an Andreu sleeps four for �919pp in August, �714 in September. It also has properties in Ibiza available this summer, and offers services such as babysitting and chefs.GreeceNot surprisingly, there are quite a lot of trips still available in Greece, especially before schools break up. Tour firms are adamant that holidaymakers won't be affected by the economic situation.If you can go soon, Olympic Holidays (0844 576 2386, olympicholidays.com) has a week self-catering in a two-person studio in Kavos on Corfu for just �129pp including flights from Gatwick, departing 18 June, or a week all-inclusive on Crete, departing 19 June, for �278pp. In the height of summer, there are packages for around �500pp in July and August. A week in studios or a hotel on Naxos costs around �600pp departing 17 July, including flights.Sunvil (020-8568 4499, sunvil.co.uk) is another go-to company for Greece, and says it has availability on 30 islands, with lots more one-bedroom than two-bedroom places left. Some one-bedroom flats, in the Peloponnese, and in the resorts of Sivota and Parga on the Ionian coast, are suitable for a young family of four. Check out its new special offers page. Prices before 20 July start at �438pp including flights, based on two sharing. For a family holiday in Corfu, departing 30 July, it has a two-bedroom apartment in Villa Olga, five-minutes' walk from a sandy beach and tavernas, with use of pool two minutes' walk away. A week costs �602pp (four sharing) and two weeks �659pp, including flights.CV Travel (020-7401 1026, cvtravel.co.uk) has a choice of villas, especially on Corfu, Crete, Cephalonia and Lefkada, some at discounts. Christina, sleeping four with pool on Cephalonia, costs �1,845 including car hire in July and August, down from �2,460 (book by phone). Last-minute 50% off deals are often available online.For flexible holidays that let you make the most of cheaper weekday flights, Freelance Holidays (01789 297705, freelance-holidays.co.uk) lets villas by the night, from under �100pp.There are plenty of yachts left this summer for The Yacht Week (020-7384 2000, theyachtweek.com), when 500 people aged 21-35 spend a week sailing 50 yachts between seven islands in the Saronic Archipelago in the Aegean. There are actually eight Yacht Weeks, between 30 June and 25 August. Yachts for 10 people cost from �256pp a week, including parties and some meals.TurkeyYou can still book an eight-day family trip to the Turquoise Coast, departing 28 July or 4 August, with Intrepid (0844 499 8487, intrepidtravel.com). You'll join other families for snorkelling, swimming and culture, with five nights' hotel accommodation and two nights in a gulet cabin. Eight-day breaks cost �699pp (including breakfast and some meals, but not flights, minimum age eight). Seafarer Sailing (020-8324 3118, seafarersailing.co.uk) has space on expert-guided summer flotilla trips (you do the sailing) at �799pp for two sharing costs or �499pp for four sharing in June, including flights.Austria and SwitzerlandMost alpine resorts are desperate for tourists in the summer, and there are some great deals. The mountains are glorious in summer, covered in wild flowers, with plenty of relaxing things to do, from eating in cute restaurants to swimming in pools, rivers and lakes. Inghams (inghams.co.uk) has weeks in June from around �300pp to Austria, and �500pp to Switzerland.CroatiaCroatia is a good-value destination with a beautiful coast. Flights to Zadar from Stansted or East Midlands with Ryanair (ryanair.com) are less than �150 return in July and August ? fly 9 August, returning 16 August from Stansted, for example, and it was just �78 return when we went to press. Try Hotel Niko (+385 23 337880, hotel-niko.hr), stylish Hotel Bastion (+385 23 494950, hotel-bastion.hr), or Zadar's first five-star, the Falkensteiner (+385 23 555600, zadar.falkensteiner.com), which opens on 1 July.NorwayReturn flights from Stansted to Oslo cost just �32 for most of July and August with Ryanair ? crazily cheap! OK, it's pricey when you get there but you could just take a tent and go wild camping in the stunning mountains. Visit Norway has a page dedicated to what to see in Oslo and the countryside around (tinyurl.com/ctzedz6). See visitoslo.com/en/accommodation/cabin for camping and cabins near the city and surrounding lakes and fjords.CanadaCanadian Affair (020-7616 9184, canadianaffair.com) has flights from Gatwick to Toronto for around �600 return in early July. From there you could hire a car and explore the Great Lakes and Ontario's national parks. The company can also arrange one-way drops for car hire, and fly drive tours all over Canada from around �500 a week, including accommodation and car hire.CornwallFor last-minute accommodation, try latelettings.com. This week we found properties in Cornwall sleeping four for the week starting 20 July from �650. And there were a few places left on Cornish Cottages Online (cornishcottagesonline.com), especially if you opt for a townhouse or apartment rather than a classic rural cottage. Caerthillian Cottage on the Lizard is a fashionably decorated four-bedroom property in the middle of Lizard Village, free the week starting 20 July for �1,040, or the first week in September for �635. The Round House near Church Cove (sleeps two) on the Lizard has the week starting 29 July for �806. And Cliff House in Mullion, a light seaview property in a nature reserve above the cliffs, sleeping 10, has two separate weeks free in August (starting 5 and 26 August) for �1,653.Summer holidaysFamily holidaysBeach holidaysSelf-cateringHotelsLate offersBudget travelFlightsGemma Bowesguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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