Recommend me a European holiday destination please.

[Heartstopper]

Just for me and dh. We are free to travel at any time apart from Easter and Christmas. We don't do beach or resort holidays. We are more into culture, history, impressive scenery, hiking or sightseeing.

Previous holidays we have enjoyed: Sorrento, Normandy, Bavaria/Austria, Tuscany, Rome. In fact we really like Italy, so we are erring towards going back, maybe to Sicily or the southern tip of the boot but also I wonder if we would do better going to another country.

Any recommendations of holidays you have been on and think we might enjoy? TIA

Cinque Terre in Italy or Matera or Sicily. Prague or Budapest. Krakow is fabulous - to include the salt mines and Auschwitz if you are up to it. Travel a bit further south to Zakopane for mountains, scenery and walking. Andalucia - Granada, Seville, Cordoba, Cadiz, Ronda. Naples and Ischia.

I would suggest Croatia (istria or Dalmatian coast) or Slovenia

Or northern lakes in Italy.

Sicily!
Staying in beautiful Ortigia, endless streets to wander and the most breathtaking Duomo Square.
Use it as a base to visit the other stunning Baroque towns - Modica, Ragusa, Scicli, Taormina, Noto...
As well as Etna, Marzamemi etc etc...

Albania looks amazing, lovely beaches, big mountains. It's very affordable. I'm going to go as soon as I can

Hire a car and drive around Slovakia or Montenegro. You won’t be disappointed.

Krakow is beautiful
The square, churches, synagogues, castles - so much history
Lovely restaurants, river cruise
Salt mines, country walks just outside the city
Plus Auschwitz/Birkenau is incredibly moving

Naples/Pompeii
Ephesus - wow
Many Greek places

Montenegro for the beautiful scenery

Asturias and Picos de Europa

I'm just looking at Montenegro now as been away for weekend with friend who will be based in Kosovo for a few years and we want a warmer meet up next time. Any recommendations?

I really liked Croatia - Split was very cool.

Slovenia, Lake Bled, Ljubljana and Rikja
Salzburg
Munich and Bavaria (Neuswanstien)
Florence

places I haven’t been but have been inspired by this thread and recent reading:

Thalin and Estonian Coast and ferry to Sweden
Madeira for hiking
Malta

Tallin
Ljubljana
Budapest
Reykjavik
Bergen, Norway
Lugano, Switzerland
Zermatt, Switzerland
Istanbul

And no, I wouldn’t worry about the war regarding visiting Krakow. My father came from nearby Wrocław and I plan on visiting this year. Poland is beautiful. The Lake District there is meant to be glorious.

Absolutely agree and with this!

Riga, and Latvia in general. Maybe throw in the other Baltic states. Some lovely national parks, historic monuments, hiking, etc.

You can easily do both Tallinn and Riga on the same weekend.
Occupation museums are worth a visit. Not cheerful places, but will really help you to understand the supposed 'russophobia' of the Baltics. And if going in the summer, Jurmala in Latvia and Pärnu in Estonia are lovely beach towns - Pärnu will be on the way from Riga to Tallinn, you can easily rent a car one way and fly back from the other town.
If you want to combine it with Stockholm, take the ferry and get up early when the ferry reaches the Stockholm Archipelago, it's gorgeous.

Prague
Barcelona
Seville
Krakow
Brugge

All full of beautiful architecture and cultural things to do

Krakow could be combined with a few days in the Tatra mountains either in Poland or Slovakia.

I'm going to throw Scotland into the mix. Rich cultural heritage so lots to visit. Stunning scenery and hiking opportunities.
Amazing seafood.
Go spring or early summer: by midsummer it is midgy and by September they close the public loos at the beauty spots and go home!

For mountains and scenery - highly recommend Slovenia, Romania and Montenegro. We also loved going wild bear watching in Romania on a tour. Driving in Montenegro/Romania is a bit sketchy but no more so than some parts of Italy. The best landscapes I have seen on Europe, great cheap food, cheap accom and felt very safe.

Cinque Terre

Krakow ticks all of your boxes as every brick oozes history from early medieval to WW II. There are sightseeing wonders on every corner, from the rooms that Copernicus worked in, to the Jewish quarter. With its beautiful Opera House, fascinating art galleries and churches, and a huge range of restaurants, you won't be short of culture.

When you need a change from the city, the stunning Tatra mountains are nearby for hiking in lovely countryside.

If you like Italy why not do the French Rivera and then you can nip over to the border and back?
I stay in Villefranche sur Mer six miles outside of Nice and it’s incredibly pretty. Use it as a base and you can do all the lovely places; Antibe, Nice, Monaco and even Ventimilla in Italy as day trips by train. The train follows the sea so it’s a stunning view all the way. And back for swim in the sea as the station is up behind one of the few decent beaches on the coast. Plenty of places to have a fabulous meal or drinks overlooking the water and Cap Ferrat.
There’s lot of walking and places of interest. The Villa belonging to the Rothschilds is a fabulous stately home within (a long but easy) walk. Eze is a bonkers village you can bus up to and walk a hidden path down. Apparently a favourite walk of Nietzsche.
I got married there and everyone said they’d be back ( and many of them have).

Lyon is a fab city. Lots too do, amazing food, beautiful architecture.

Budapest is another city that had so much to see and do.

Also so many places in Greece. Doesn't have to be a beach holiday, Athens is fantastic.

You might like some of the Greek islands too as when you leave the coast and head up into the mountains, it's like stepping back In time.