Your vacation days are precious, which can make trip-planning feel high-stakes. What if you while away days exploring an urban jungle, only to wish you’d prioritized endless vistas and zero bars of service? Or go full nature immersion and find yourself craving a great meal and a cocktail bar by day three?
Enter the dual-purpose getaway. Pair a city break with an outdoorsy escape, and just when you tire of concrete and crowds, you’ll counterbalance the whirlwind with a nature-centric second stop—be it a glacier-flanked coastline in Iceland, a mountain lake district in Austria, or lavender fields of Japan.
City and nature pairings worth flying for
ICELAND: Reykjavík + Iceland’s South Coast
Photo: Getty Images/Unsplash
Few places deliver the same kind of extreme contrasts in such a compact area. In the span of an hour, you can go from exploring a walkable capital full of art and personality to standing on a sea cliff, taking in a coastline so dramatic that looks like another planet. Check into the sleek EDITION Reykjavik before popping around to a handful of must-visits (Hallgrimskirkja, the imposing church; Bæjarins Beztu, the legendary hot dog stand) and if-you-know-you-knows (Fischersund, a perfumery and art collective run by Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi). Then it’s on to the southern portion of the country’s famed Ring Road, where the terrain is all about windswept drama. Make the intimate UMI Hotel your base for jaunts to Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss, two of the region’s iconic waterfalls, as well as the black sand beach Reynisfjara and the nearby glacier Sólheimajökull."
AUSTRIA: Vienna + Salzkammergut
Photo: Getty Images/Unsplash
Load up on culture, then head for the hills to bask in alpine charm. The Almanac Palais Vienna—set in a pair of restored 1871 palaces overlooking the Stadtpark—anchors you on the Ringstrasse, within easy reach of the Hofburg and Belvedere palaces and the Vienna State Opera. (Catching a performance is obligatory when you’re in the home of composing greats like Mozart.) In Salzkammergut, the Austrian Lakes region, string together day trips to the picturesque mountain towns—Hallstatt, St. Gilgen, and St. Wolfgang are among the most charming—but stay at the region’s toniest spot, the glorious Rosewood Schloss Fuschl, on the banks of Lake Fuschl just outside Salzburg.
CANADA: Vancouver + Whistler
Photo: Benjamin Hayward/Unsplash
This British Columbia twofer caters to the never-sit-still crowd. In Van City, you can bike along the Stanley Park seawall, stroll the Capilano Suspension Bridge, squeeze in whale-watching, and catch the Grouse Mountain gondola to the summit for a sunset. When the day finally catches up with you, wind down at the Loden, a Michelin Key–awarded boutique hotel in Coal Harbour where exceptional service and the acclaimed Tableau Bar Bistro make for a soft landing. In Whistler, drop your bags at the Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler and get back to exploring on two wheels at Whistler Mountain Bike Park, four feet on a mountain trail horseback ride, or afloat (the Green River for whitewater fans, the River of Golden Dreams for more placid paddling).
SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Town + the Winelands
Cape Town makes a case for art in every form: there’s the geological drama of Table Mountain, the inventive cuisine at Salon, and the contemporary works at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa to name just a few examples. Check into the maximalist Silo Hotel, perched above the Zeitz, and you’ll have the best of it at your doorstep. In Franschhoek, settle into Sterrekopje Farm, a restored 17th-century homestead turned wellness retreat, with just 11 suites set amid ancient olive groves and regenerative farmland. Spend your days working through the valley’s celebrated producers—the historic La Motte Wine Estate among them—and save time for a meal at La Colombe at Silvermist, where an exceptional tasting menu comes at a surprisingly accessible price.
UNITED STATES: Washington, D.C. + Virginia Horse and Wine Country
Image courtesy of Salamander Resort & Spa, Middleburg, Virginia
In a city of divided opinions, Washington D.C.'s world-class museums are the great unifiers. Base yourself at Riggs Washington DC, which has become one of the city’s hottest addresses thanks, in part, to Silver Lyan—the acclaimed cocktail bar that occupies the landmarked building’s original bank vault. From there, the toughest decision is whittling down which of the 17 Smithsonians you want to explore, whether it’s one of the originals like the National Museum of Natural History or a newer addition like the National Museum of African American History and Culture. An hour west takes you to a very different kind of escape: Virginia horse and wine country. Salamander Middleburg sprawls across 340 acres in the heart of it all, with a full equestrian center, a Forbes Five-Star spa, and the celebrated Loudoun County wineries right at your doorstep.
JAPAN: Tokyo + Hokkaido
Summertime in Japan brings a stream of festivals. Maximize the celebratory vibes by starting in Tokyo. Two of the most magical: the Sanno Matsuri in June, when portable shrines wind through the city streets, and the Tanabata and Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival in July, when paper wishes flutter from bamboo branches alongside fireworks over the Sumida River. Stay at the Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo, a design-forward lifestyle hotel in the heart of Tokyo’s most electric neighborhood, with both festival sites an easy subway ride away. The Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono, cradled at the foot of the majestic Mount Yotei, makes a serene counterpoint to Tokyo’s festive bustle. Spend your days hiking the dormant volcano’s slopes or soaking in the area’s celebrated onsens—and if the itinerary allows, a day trip to Furano’s lavender fields at peak bloom is well worth the drive.
COLOMBIA: Medellín + Coffee Region
Photo: Juan Daniel Guzman Zapata/Unsplash
Medellín has emerged as a rising culinary star where young chefs showcase the country’s biodiversity—Amazonian herbs, highland grains, native cacao—in some of South America’s most inventive cooking. Stay at Hotel El Zarzo, a design-forward boutique in the hip Provenza neighborhood. Its lush vertical-garden facade is eye-catching from street level, but you'll want to head to the rooftop bar for city views and craft cocktails. Then get to eating: ultralocal cuisine at Sambombí, unexpected flavor combos at Carmen, sancocho at El Rancherito, and Amazonian cuisine at La Chagra. In the countryside, the rolling hills of Colombia’s Eje Cafetero—a UNESCO-listed Coffee Cultural Landscape—stretch out in every shade of green, dotted with colorful colonial towns and the country’s iconic wax palms. Spending time in this region is all about tasting Colombia’s most famous gastronomic specialties on tours of coffee and cacao farms, a hot cocoa workshop, or a coffee primer and tasting led by a local barista. Hacienda Bambusa—the breezy eight-suite villa that inspired the Madrigal family’s casita in Disney's Encanto—brings all of those experiences under one roof.
