You plan your Euro trips around the landmarks, the museums, the shopping, the food. The classic European itinerary. But a few of these cities let you swap a museum for a mountain, and these seven have the best hikes right at the city's edge.

Here's the best trek near each.

Fall is the ideal time to visit Montana if you want nature without the crowds. Shoulder season brings golden aspens, crisp air, rivers full of fish, and active wildlife.

Because Big Sky Country is so vast, we've mapped the best places to catch the color.

September Edition

Three hours by train from Zurich, this remote alpine valley is the homeland of the Romansh, keepers of what may be the oldest language in the Alps.

It's Switzerland's fourth official tongue, now spoken by fewer than one percent of the country, but in the Engadin, Romansh festivals, food, and hospitality are still going strong.

Vermont packs a surprising amount into one small state, with 14 distinct regions that each have their own character. In the southwest, The Shires region is rich in folk art and history. The Capital region is home to Montpelier's gold-domed State House and a deep stone-carving legacy. And up north, the Northeast Kingdom is Vermont's most rural region. With 60% of the roads unpaved, discover a truly off-the-beaten-path experience.

Pick a corner and start exploring. No two regions feel quite the same.

California makes so much wine (about five times as many wineries as runner-up Oregon) that a day trip barely scratches the surface. So why leave the vineyards at all?

These nine estates let you skip the hotel and sleep right where the wine is made, from Napa to Paso Robles.

Sabrina Bloedorn grew up in a 1,200-person Ontario town and didn't set foot on a plane until she was 17. Then a single photo in an orange Arc'teryx jacket rocketed her from 700 followers to 10,000 in two weeks.

Now the self-styled "Gorpcore Queen," she's 300K strong, leading group hikes across six countries, and launching her own technical hiking line.

The Matador Editorial Team

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