COASTLINES & PANORAMAS
Are you a mountain person or a beach person? At Expat Club we love both places. We regularly travel to the seaside, for instance for our annual sailing trip. But other seaside places we visit include the Opal Coast and the Normandy beaches in France, the White Cliffs of Dover, the South Coast of Iceland and the magnificent coastal island of Sommarøy in Northern Norway. More destinations will be added. More land inward we travel to many more magnificent places with outstanding panoramic views.
CHAMPAGNE HILLS, CHAMPAGNE REGION (FRANCE)
Having received a special UNESCO status, the vineyards covered hills of the Champagne region offer some truly unique panoramas. The best sunny spots are owned by the most prestigious houses. During our Champagne trip we drive through the region and you have the chance to visit several of them.
OPAL COAST, FRANCE
One of our favorite long daytrips leads us to the most Northern part of the French coast, the Opal Coast. With 8 stops — Dunkirk, Gravelines, Calais, Cap Blanc Nez, Wissant, Cap Gris Nez, Wimereux and Boulogne sur Mer — we discover a wildly diverse and beautiful coast. And during clear days we can even wave to our friends in England!
WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER, DOVER (ENGLAND)
Literally on the opposite side of the Channel probably we can see probably the world’s most famous and iconic coastline of all, the White Cliffs of Dover. Stretching out for many miles on both sides of the city and the world’s busiest ferry port Dover, you can see these cliffs on a clear day all the way from Calais!
ALETSCH GLACIER, EGGISHORN (SWITZERLAND)
The nice but understated village of Fiesch in the Swiss Wallis region is the starting point for a trip to one of the most unique panoramic viewing points in Europe. From 2900 you will not only see the continent’s largest glacier that stretches out like a huge highway of ice in between impressive mountains, but from here you can also see over a dozen four-thousanders, summits of over 4000 meters.
HOUTRIBDIJK, FLEVOLAND (THE NETHERLANDS)
From Swiss mountain tops to Dutch sea level, a greater difference hardly exists. But driving over a 27km long dike connecting two parts of the country with nothing but water on both sides is definitely impressive. We drive over this diet between Lelystad in the Province of Flevoland and Enkhuizen in the Province of North Holland during our Polders & Fishing Villages trip.
ÉTRETAT, NORMANDY (FRANCE)
One of Claude Monet’s favorite places to paint, Étretat on the French side of the Channel is a true gem of a coastal city. The only thing missing is a white sandy beach — it is rather rocky — but the primary reason to visit Étretat would be the natural bridges that stick out into the sea.
STORSTEINEN, TROMSØ (NORWAY)
Located on the opposite side of a large fjord that surrounds the city and island of Tromsø, the mountain of Storsteinen is a perfect place to get a panoramic view of the city. It is also the location of a massive fireworks that is lit up every New Year.
FERNSEHTURM, BERLIN (GERMANY)
If you are not able to go up a mountain, then the only thing that remains to have somewhat of a panoramic view is to ascend some kind of panoramic viewing tower. During several of our trips we take a lift up, such as on the Rheinturm in Düsseldorf, the Fernsehturm in Berlin (depicted), the London Eye ferriswheel or the Shard in the same city, the panoramic viewing tower at the De Castellane House in the Champagne, and of course the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
GORNERGRAT, ZERMATT (SWITZERLAND)
Possibly the most impressive panoramas of all Expat Club trips, the Gornergrat has an altitude of 3.135 meters and is surrounded by mountains that are even much higher. The views are beyond spectacular, especially when the iconic Matterhorn is visible.
