Europe: capitals,
coasts and snow.

From Madrid or Barcelona, most of the rest of Europe is a short flight away, and its great hotels come in very different shapes. Four of ours are city institutions from the late 19th century: Claridge's in Mayfair, the Ritz on the Place Vendôme, the Sacher across from the Vienna State Opera, and the Hassler at the top of the Spanish Steps.

Two are about the mountains. Badrutt's Palace has stood over the lake at St. Moritz since 1896, and Cheval Blanc Courchevel opens each winter at the foot of the pistes in Courchevel 1850. Gleneagles, opened by a railway company in 1924, is the Scottish version of a country escape, with golf, dogs, horses and long walks.

The rest follow the sun and the vine. Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc keeps its pool in the rocks of the Cap d'Antibes. Les Sources de Caudalie sits among the vines of a Bordeaux château, Airelles Gordes is built into the walls of a Luberon hill village, Belmond Hotel Caruso occupies a medieval palazzo in Ravello, and Katikies hangs its terraces on the caldera at Oia.

Good for: travelers who like museums by day and long dinners at night, couples combining a city with the sea, wine lovers, golfers and skiers who want an old-fashioned grand hotel at the end of the day.

Late spring

May and June are the sweet spot for almost everything on this list. London's parks and Paris's gardens are green, Rome is warm but not yet scorching, Provence smells of broom and early lavender, and the sea around Ravello, Antibes and Santorini is warming up. Seasonal hotels on the coast have reopened, usually in April or May.

High summer

July and August are long-evening months and peak season on every coast. Santorini and the Amalfi Coast are crowded, Rome is hot, and Paris empties out in August as residents leave on holiday. The Luberon lavender is at its most purple from late June to mid-July. In the Engadine, Badrutt's runs a summer season of hiking, sailing and mountain air.

Autumn

September is our favorite month to combine a city with a coast: warm water, thinner crowds and the grape harvest at Caudalie. October suits Rome, Vienna and London; most seaside hotels close between October and spring.

Winter

The season for snow and lit-up cities. Cheval Blanc Courchevel and Badrutt's Palace open for the ski season, roughly December to March or April. Vienna's ball season peaks in January and February, and London and Paris dress up for Christmas. Gleneagles is open all year and dramatic in frost.

Rail does most of the work in the north. The Eurostar connects London and Paris center to center, and French TGVs then fan out to Bordeaux and Avignon. Swiss trains climb to St. Moritz on one of Europe's prettiest lines, and Italy's Frecciarossa and Italo trains connect Rome with Naples in a little over an hour.

Fly when the map gets bigger: to Vienna, to Nice for the Riviera, to Naples for Ravello, and to Santorini, either direct in season or via Athens. For Courchevel, Geneva is the usual gateway, with a road transfer of about two and a half hours that can grow on busy winter Saturdays.

Rent a car only for Provence. On the Amalfi Coast hire a driver, in the Alps let the hotel arrange transfers, and in the cities walk.

1. 1

   Three nights · Claridge's, London

   Arrive Heathrow · Elizabeth line or car to Mayfair

   The National Gallery, a walk across Hyde Park, a show in the West End and tea in the Foyer.

2. 2

   Two nights · The Ritz, Paris

   Eurostar · about 2h 20m

   The Musée d'Orsay, the Palais-Royal gardens, the covered passages and a drink at the Bar Hemingway.

3. 3

   Two nights · Airelles Gordes, Provence

   TGV to Avignon · about 2h 40m, then 45 min by car

   Hill villages, the Sénanque abbey and a Provençal market morning.

4. 4

   Two nights · Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Cap d'Antibes

   Car · about 2h 30m

   Swims from the rocks, the Picasso Museum in Antibes and an evening in Old Nice.

5. 5

   Three nights · Belmond Hotel Caruso, Ravello

   Fly Nice to Naples · about 1h 30m, then 1h 30m by car

   The belvedere at Villa Cimbrone, a boat to Positano and long evenings on the terrace. Your flight home leaves from Naples.

Seasonal swaps

In winter, trade the coast for the snow: two nights at the Sacher for Vienna's coffee houses and opera, then four at Badrutt's Palace or Cheval Blanc Courchevel. In late summer, swap Ravello for Santorini and Katikies, and add Les Sources de Caudalie between Paris and Provence for the harvest.

• Say hello first: a "bonjour" when you walk into a French shop matters more than anything you say afterward. Viennese shopkeepers will usually answer with "Grüß Gott."
• Dinner times: the farther south you are, the later the table. Londoners book for seven, Parisians and Viennese for around eight, and on the Amalfi Coast or Santorini nobody hurries before nine.
• Service charges: French bills include service, so just round up. Italian menus may add a coperto per person. In London many restaurants add 12.5% automatically, so check before tipping twice. In Austria and Switzerland, add about 5 to 10 percent.
• Coffee: in Italy, cappuccino is a morning drink, and standing at the bar costs less than sitting down. In Vienna, one coffee buys you the table for as long as you like.
• Churches: shoulders and knees covered in Rome and on the Amalfi Coast; some churches turn people away at the door.
• Dress codes: several of these hotels still expect smart dress in the evening, especially in the Alps and on the Riviera. Pack one jacket.
• Escalators: in London, stand on the right and walk on the left.