Forget the crowded resorts and cookie-cutter beach strips. If you’re looking for a genuine taste of Mediterranean life this summer, London Luton Airport offers surprisingly easy access to some of Europe’s most characterful coastal destinations.
For those of us in Milton Keynes and the surrounding area, Luton is our local gateway to the sun, and with new routes launching for summer 2026, the opportunities for authentic travel have never been better. Here are five destinations where you’ll find cobbled streets rather than concrete promenades, boutique hotels in historic buildings rather than tower blocks, and restaurants where reservations are sought after by locals and visitors alike.
1. Northwest Corfu: Greece’s Green Secret
While Kavos has long been synonymous with party holidays, venture to Corfu’s northwest coast and you’ll discover an entirely different island. Wizz Air’s new direct summer service from Luton (launching June 2026) opens up this spectacular corner of the Ionian Sea.
Base yourself around Paleokastritsa, Lakones or the hillside village of Doukades, and you’ll find yourself swimming in secluded coves backed by dramatic cypress-covered cliffs. These are working villages where grandmothers still hang washing across narrow lanes and family tavernas serve dishes using recipes passed down through generations. The landscape here is impossibly green, the pace wonderfully unhurried, and the evening atmosphere in the village squares genuinely Greek rather than tourist-manufactured.
2. Lido di Camaiore: Tuscany’s Best-Kept Beach Secret
While tourists flock to Florence and the Amalfi Coast, the Tuscan Riviera remains refreshingly undiscovered by British holidaymakers. Direct easyJet flights from Luton to Pisa take just two hours and twenty minutes, putting you on the Versilia coast within an hour of landing.
Lido di Camaiore sits between glamorous Forte dei Marmi and lively Viareggio, offering the perfect balance of Italian beach culture and Tuscan authenticity. The long sandy beach is backed by a promenade lined with restaurants, gelaterias and traditional bagni (beach clubs), whilst the dramatic Apuan Alps provide a stunning backdrop.
Accommodation here ranges from characterful to contemporary. The Grandhotel & Riviera sits directly on the beachfront with sea-view rooms, a wellness centre and elegant restaurant, whilst the boutique Petit Hotel offers a more intimate experience with locally curated wines and craft beers. For something grander, the Versilia Lido UNA Esperienze features a rooftop bar and grill restaurant with panoramic views stretching from Viareggio to the Gulf of Poets. For dining, Ristorante La Fascina serves refined fish and meat dishes in an intimate setting, Norcineria Tomei offers exceptional Tuscan cuisine including what many consider the best Fiorentina steak in the region, and the Versilia Roof Bar provides sunset cocktails with that unforgettable coastal panorama.
Beyond the beach, medieval Lucca is just thirty minutes away, Pisa’s famous tower even closer, and the Cinque Terre accessible by train along the coast. This is Tuscany with sand between your toes.
3. Chania, Crete: Where History Meets Exceptional Dining
Crete’s second city is a revelation for travellers seeking substance over superficiality. Direct summer flights from Luton with easyJet and Wizz Air put you just four hours from one of the Mediterranean’s most captivating old towns; a pedestrianised maze of Venetian mansions, Ottoman architecture and Byzantine walls.
The accommodation here is special. Boutique hotels like Casa Delfino occupy restored Renaissance palazzos with hand-painted ceilings and harbour views, whilst intimate properties such as Domus Renier offer just nine rooms in a historic townhouse steps from the waterfront. But it’s Chania’s dining scene that truly sets it apart. Salis serves farm-to-table cuisine with an exceptional wine list, Tamam blends Greek and Middle Eastern flavours in a 400-year-old building, and the legendary Well of the Turk offers Cretan-Turkish fusion in a converted Ottoman bathhouse. For evening drinks, seek out Boheme’s fairy-lit courtyard or the wine bars tucked into the old town’s narrow lanes.
4. Valletta, Malta: Baroque Grandeur and Michelin Stars
Malta’s capital may be compact, but this UNESCO World Heritage city punches far above its weight for discerning travellers. Ryanair operates direct flights from Luton throughout the year, with the journey taking just over three hours.
Valletta’s accommodation scene has been transformed by a wave of sophisticated boutique hotels occupying restored palazzos and townhouses. The Rosselli features a Michelin-starred restaurant and rooftop bar with panoramic city views, whilst Iniala Harbour House offers the only two-Michelin-star dining experience on the island at ION Harbour, helmed by Simon Rogan. For something more intimate, Casa Ellul provides just eight elegant rooms in a neo-classical townhouse. The dining extends well beyond fine dining, Noni serves contemporary Mediterranean cuisine, Trabuxu offers comforting local dishes like braised rabbit stew, and the streets around Strait Street buzz with wine bars and neighbourhood restaurants. Wander the fortified walls at sunset, explore centuries of history in the morning, and spend your evenings discovering why this tiny capital has become one of the Mediterranean’s most exciting culinary destinations.
5. Faro: Portugal’s Undiscovered Old Town
Most visitors treat Faro as a gateway to the Algarve’s resort beaches, barely pausing before heading west. That’s their loss, and your opportunity. Direct flights from Luton with easyJet, Wizz Air and Jet2 take under three hours, delivering you to one of Europe’s most underrated old towns.
Step through the medieval Arco da Vila gateway into the Cidade Velha (Old City) and you’ll find yourself in a pedestrianised maze of cobbled lanes, whitewashed buildings and hidden squares largely untouched by tourism. Climb to the roof of the 13th-century Sé Cathedral for panoramic views across the terracotta rooftops to the Ria Formosa lagoon, or discover the macabre beauty of the bone chapel at Igreja do Carmo.
Accommodation options range from the design-led 3HB Faro, the city’s first five-star hotel, featuring a stunning rooftop pool and restaurants serving both Portuguese and Italian cuisine, to intimate guesthouses like Casa Apollo, an adults-only retreat with just two rooms set around a walled garden. The Faro Boutique Hotel offers a rooftop terrace with views across the marina and old town. For dining, Se7e Pedras serves creative petiscos (Portuguese tapas) in an atmospheric courtyard, Vila Adentro occupies a magnificent 18th-century former azulejo tile factory with a Moorish tunnel beneath the dining room, and A Venda delivers traditional home-cooked cuisine in a setting that feels like dining in a Portuguese grandmother’s lounge. Don’t miss the local speciality: cataplana, an aromatic seafood stew cooked in a distinctive copper pot.
Beyond the old town, boat trips explore the pristine islands and sandbanks of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, whilst the beautiful beach of Ilha Deserta (Desert Island) is just a short ferry ride away.
Your Authentic Summer Awaits
The beauty of these destinations is that authenticity doesn’t mean roughing it. Each offers exceptional boutique accommodation, outstanding dining and reliable sunshine. They simply deliver these things without the artificial sheen of mass-market tourism.
At Experience The World Travel Milton Keynes, we specialise in crafting holidays that match your travel personality. Whether you’re drawn to Crete’s food scene, Malta’s architectural splendour, Tuscany’s coastal charm, or Portugal’s undiscovered old towns, we can help you find the perfect boutique hotel, secure those sought-after restaurant reservations, and plan the best direct flight connections from Luton.
Ready to escape the ordinary this summer?
Recent Comments