The Best Active Vacations

Sailing Ireland's West Coast: Spectacular coastal scenery, interesting harbor towns, and an abundance of islands make the West Coast a delight for cruising sailors.

Horseback Riding in Donegal: The wild and wooly coast of Donegal offers the perfect scenic backdrop for trail riding, and as varied a terrain -- beaches, countryside, mountains -- as you'll find anywhere. You'll be provided with all you need for a horse-riding holiday at Markree Castle, a fairy-tale place to stay, with an excellent stable.

Sea Kayaking in West Cork: In Castletownbere on the dramatic and rugged Beara Peninsula, Beara Outdoor Pursuits specializes in accompanied trips out and around Bere Island and as far as Glengariff. You can play it as safe or as rough as you want.

Bicycling in the Southwest: The peninsulas and islands of Cork and Kerry are perfect for cycling, with light traffic and an abundance of beautiful places to visit. Roycroft's Stores in Skibbereen, County Cork, rent bikes that are a notch above the usual rental equipment.

Walking the Donegal Coast: The cliff-rimmed headlands of Donegal are the most spectacular in Ireland, and the best way to explore them is on foot. Among the finest walks are Slieve League, Glen Head, and Horn Head.

The Great Outdoors: Finally -- a soup-to-nuts hiking outfitter that does day trips from Dublin! We love Dirty Boots Treks, a brand-new outfit offering full-day excursions into the mountains south of Dublin, because they think of everything. Treks include roundtrip transportation in a 4*4 Land Rover from Dublin into Wicklow Mountains National Park, for an easy-to-moderate hike of 4 to 5 hours of trail walking. You also get a homemade picnic lunch and the day is capped off with a drink in a local country pub before returning to Dublin. Later on, you can download photos from your trek from the Dirty Boots website and send them to friends back home. Didn't pack your hiking gear? No worries. Dirty Boots can provide a trekking backpack with hiking boots, gaiters, and waterproofs -- all in your size.

• Amsterdam
• Athens
• Barcelona
• Copenhagen
• Dublin
• Edinburgh
• Frankfurt
• Geneva
• Lisbon
• London
• Madrid
• Milan
• Munich
• Paris
• Prague
• Rome
• Shannon
• Venice
• Vienna
• Zurich