The ultimate guide to holidays for older couples
While our range of escorted tours and holidays can be enjoyed by enthusiastic travellers of all ages, they are particularly popular with over 50s and over 60s travellers. This is because Newmarket Holidays offer moments for cultural immersion, gourmet food and wine, and stunning scenery. Plus our experiences are brimming with those important touches that you need when heading far from home, comfortable transportation and accommodation that will allow you to get a restful night’s sleep after a long day of travel.
Senior travellers, keen to experience the world as a pair, will find a dream trip below. Whether you’re feeling like diving deeper into a culture you have never experienced, or wish to be enlightened on artful cuisine, here are five of the best holidays for older couples:
For the foodies: a gourmet trail through Tuscany
Know the difference between extra virgin and regular old olive oil just by scent alone? Confident you can steer your way through a wine tasting by using your refined palette? Or perhaps eager to learn more about what makes Italian cuisine so complex and rich? Then you’re due for a trip to Tuscany, Italy’s beautiful central region.
Tuscan cuisine is based on a storied history of peasant tradition, or what the locals refer to as la cucina povera, the kitchen of the poor. As such, many of the region’s finest recipes come from doing a lot with very little. This means you will get to make your way through this delightful part of the world - through medieval fortress towns to undulating green hills - sampling the tastiest, most inventive meals in the country.
Many of the older couples who take this tour enjoy the fact that they are in the company of like-minded travellers, who are around your age and also share your sense of appreciation and curiosity about diver deeper into the local culinary scene.
For the romantics: spend your evenings in Bohemian Prague
So, you’re travelling with a loved one. And that’s a special experience in itself. But where in the world can you go that will allow you to take things up a notch? Why, Prague, of course. While this city might not immediately beat out Rome or Paris on your list for centres of romance, the Czech capital sets the perfect scene for over 50s and over 60s travellers to experience a blend of city life, medieval history, and of course, moments of romantic bliss.
With the Charles Bridge (head there at sunset), the cobbled streets of Malá Strana, the Bohemian skyline, moody jazz bars, and candlelit restaurants, you will be able to get closer to your significant other in an atmospheric, historic setting. For even more ideas, check out our guide to romantic holiday destinations around the world.
For adventurers: to the jungles of Costa Rica
There’s only so much wildlife-spotting you can do in your own garden. Take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Central American nation of Costa Rica, and you are thrown into a world of cloud forests, volcanos, hot springs, and mystical lagoons, not to mention a delightful array of wildlife including hummingbirds, sloths, and monkeys. The country is home to a network of intricate, colourful ecosystems unlike anywhere else in the world.
Senior couples tend to love this holiday as you’re truly able to take it at your own pace, finding time to unwind in a lodge amidst a lush national park and kick back with a few well-earned drinks at a unique floating restaurant. You will be able to step outside your comfort zone, while still enjoying the special touches that come with an escorted holiday.
For culture-lovers: experience India’s tigers and Taj Mahal
Always been intrigued by the cultural melting pot of India, with its startling monuments, wide-ranging cuisine, and rare wildlife? Then allow an expert tour manager to guide you and your partner through the country’s best sights, from seeing the formidable tigers on a safari in Ranthambhore National Park, to visiting the various Sikh sacred sites, to watching the sunset at the Taj Mahal.
A Northern Indian escorted holiday will be filled with a range of cultural opportunities - you will always be learning and never be bored. Pay a visit to Punjab, home to Amritsar’s sacred Golden Temple (where you can witness the Palki ceremony), take a ride on the Shatabdi Express train, climb the Amber Fort (by Jeep), and explore the Heritage Village at Pragpur. You can even get a closer look at local living by taking an Indian cooking class.
For sun-seekers: a fortnight in sunny Cyprus
Perhaps you have recently hit your golden years (retirement) and all you want to do is soak up copious amounts of sunshine with a book and a refreshing cocktail. If this is you, make your next holiday a trip to Cyprus. Our escorted tours to this part of the Mediterranean offer an opportunity to explore the historic town of Kyrenia where you can enjoy delicious seafood at one of the harbourside restaurants.
Plus you can make the trip a long one if you feel like you’re in desperate need of a disconnect from modern life. Of course, a holiday to Cyprus is more than just endless days of sunshine and dipping in the sea, there are moments in which you can experience the local culture and delicious cuisine.