Amsterdam

THE NETHERLANDS

DIRECT ROUTE: 230 miles 4 hours’ drive from Calais

HEAD north from Calais, and drive along the coast of northern France, perhaps visiting the Mémorial du Souvenir, which documents the 1940 evacuation of Dunkirk.

If time permits, head to upmarket Knokke-Heist, where designer boutiques line the promenade that hugs a stunning stretch of white sand. In Antwerp see the 17th-century home of Rubens, the modern, ten-storey MAS art complex and MoMu, the celebrated fashion centre.

Amsterdam, with its elegant gabled architecture, is best explored on two wheels. Don’t miss Anne Frank’s house and the Museum District, including the Van Gogh Museum, works by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and modern art at the Stedelijk.