Sometimes, all we really want to do is throw a pair of flip-flops into a tote and hit the open road for a dash of adventure.
And when that urge grabs us, we want to head for a destination that's off the beaten track and far from the madding crowds.
Step forward, the travel pros at Lonely Planet, who have just compiled a shortlist of Europe's most "outstanding, underrated and overlooked" hot spots in Europe this year.
The eclectic top 10 edit stretches from the remote and mystical island scenery of Gotland to an ebullient Normandy port and a much-loved Yorkshire city.
Feast your eyes on Europe's most exciting places to pop on your radar for 2017, below, and get booking that escape pronto...
1. Zagreb, Croatia
Lonely Planet says: "Urban regeneration is making the city over. Street art, particularly the striking works of local artist Lonac, adorn Zagreb’s outdoor canvasses and new galleries and creative spaces, including a recently reopened WWII bomb shelter under the Upper Town, are opening at an ambitious pace."
2. Gotland, Sweden
Lonely Planet says: "This ancient Baltic island has breathtaking scenery, with pastoral countryside, mysterious forests, time-warped fishing villages and tranquil sandy beaches – except in the height of summer, when Swedes flock here from the mainland and the island takes on an exuberant air, accentuated this year by the week-long 2017 Biennial Island Games in June."
3. Galicia, Spain
Lonely Planet says: "Over 1000km of coast snakes around long inlets, plunging cliffs, pretty fishing villages and hundreds of beaches. It yields some of the tastiest seafood you'll ever savour, to which characterful Galician wines provide the perfect accompaniment."
4. Northern Montenegro
Lonely Planet says: "Adventure hunters can raft through Europe’s deepest canyon at Tara, or cycle through lunar landscapes around the Durmitor ring. Foodies are catered for in highland towns where you can savour Montenegro’s growing slow food scene with mountain cheeses and hearty beef stews."
5. Leeds, UK
Lonely Planet says: "Recent developments have propelled its Victorian city centre and atmospheric mill district into the 21st century, luring stylish boutiques, innovative coffee houses and restaurants, and people seeking an alternative to London. Time your visit with the stellar two-week-long indie food festival in May."
6. The Alentejo, Portugal
Lonely Planet says: "Looming clifftop castles, rugged coastlines and a treasure chest of culinary wonders: Portugal’s Alentejo has magnetic allure. This vast region is also home to Unesco World Heritage sites, prehistoric megaliths and many hidden wonders (a soaring Roman temple, an eerie chapel made of bones)."
7. Northern Germany
Lonely Planet says: "This is big-sky country with a pristine coast hemmed in by shimmering beaches and buttressed by pint-sized islands. In between lie charismatic cities like Lübeck and Bremen that flaunt a medieval pedigree and are only a train ride away from such places as Lutherstadt Wittenberg and Eisenach."
8. Moldova
Lonely Planet says: "Sip the best drops in Mileștii Mici’s gothic-attired cellars, housing the world’s largest wine collection. Explore sacred Orheiul Vechi, encircled by chalk cliffs, or lonely riverside monasteries like Saharna and Tipova. East of the Dniestr River is the self-declared (though unrecognised) republic of Transdniestr, a region locked in the Soviet past."
9. Pafos, Cyprus
Lonely Planet says: "The island of Aphrodite has weathered so many occupations that history has piled monument upon monument on its sun-kissed shores: catacombs, temples, castles, medieval baths, Roman-era mosaics, and the Unesco World Heritage sites of Kato Pafos and the Tombs of the Kings all bring to life a fascinating bygone era."
10. Le Havre, France
Lonely Planet says: "One of the best places to be this summer is the Norman city of Le Havre, which will celebrate its 500th anniversary with a five-month-long, art- and music-filled fête. The harbour town will host concerts, outdoor art installations, avant-garde street parades, costumed dance parties and spectacular fireworks."
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