Golf Guides · 13 June 2025
The Best Golf Holiday Destinations in Europe
Europe By The Golf Planet Holidays Team · Golf-travel specialists since 1981 · Updated 2 June 2026 At a glance What's the best golf holiday destination in Europe? There’s no single answer — and that’s the point. For sun-soaked fairways and a long lunch by the Med, Spain’s Costa del Sol and Sotogrande are hard […]
It usually starts in the group chat. A grey Tuesday in January, the season feels a long way off, and someone fires the question that changes everything: so — where are we going this year? Suddenly there are fairways in the sun, a long lunch with a cold glass of something, and that quiet thrill of a trip to look forward to. The trouble is choosing. Europe gives a golfer almost too much: the Med’s endless season, the home of the game itself, year-round winter sun a short flight away. So let us help you decide. What follows is our honest take on the nine destinations we send golfers to again and again — what each one feels like, who it suits, and where it earns its place — so your group picks the right one first time.
Spain — the Costa del Golf, where the season never really ends
This is the stretch of coast that made the modern golf holiday, and it still does it better than anywhere. The light is soft and golden, the season runs from spring right through to a balmy December, and the rhythm is unmistakably Spanish — eighteen holes, then a long, unhurried lunch overlooking the Mediterranean. Around Sotogrande the golf turns serious and rather glamorous, with Finca Cortesín — a former Solheim Cup host and one of Europe’s truly great courses — setting the standard, and the immaculate Fairmont La Hacienda close by.
Base yourself at the design-led SO/ Sotogrande for the cool, contemporary version of the Costa del Sol, or keep it classic and convenient with the parkland of Real Club de Golf Guadalmina on Marbella’s doorstep. It’s the safe, brilliant choice for a first big trip and the connoisseur’s choice for a fifth — which is why it tops so many lists. Explore our Spain golf holidays →
Portugal — the Algarve, the most loveable golf coast in Europe
There’s a reason the Algarve wins more golf-destination awards than anywhere on the continent: it simply gets everything right. Pine-fringed fairways, cliff-top tees above the Atlantic, fresh grilled fish and an easy, welcoming warmth that makes a group feel instantly at home. The grande dame is the Penina Hotel & Golf Resort, Henry Cotton’s original Algarve masterpiece, while Amendoeira offers two contrasting championship layouts and the secluded Monte Rei — a Jack Nicklaus design — is widely rated Portugal’s finest course.
Push north to the cooler, more sophisticated Lisbon coast and the rewards are extraordinary: the windswept, links-like Oitavos Dunes near Cascais and the dramatic Praia D’El Rey are world-class, with the city’s restaurants and culture an hour away. For mild autumn-to-spring golf and brilliant value-for-craft, the Algarve is very hard to beat. Explore our Portugal golf holidays →
Turkey — Belek, the resort-golf capital of the Mediterranean
If your group’s idea of heaven is faultless sunshine, pristine pine-and-eucalyptus fairways and a hotel that frankly spoils you, Belek is the one. This compact stretch of Turkey’s southern coast has quietly become the best all-inclusive golf destination in Europe — long, reliable seasons either side of high summer, courses in immaculate condition, and a level of service that makes every day feel effortless. Maxx Royal Belek and Regnum Carya sit at the top of the tree, both pairing flagship golf with some of the finest resorts you’ll ever stay in.
For a slightly more relaxed pace, the elegant Gloria Verde and the grand Titanic Deluxe deliver the same sun-and-quality formula with golf on the doorstep. It’s our go-to recommendation for a winter or shoulder-season escape where the group wants to play hard and be looked after even harder. Explore our Turkey golf holidays →
Cyprus — Paphos, golf with a sense of occasion
Cyprus packs a remarkable amount into a small, sun-blessed island — and the Paphos coast is its golfing heart. Days are long and warm well into the off-season, the sea is impossibly blue, and there’s a gentle, unhurried mood that suits a group looking to play good golf without rushing anywhere. The star is Aphrodite Hills, a stylish resort built around the home of PGA National Cyprus, its signature ravine carry one of the most photographed holes in the Mediterranean.
Pair it with the refined seafront Annabelle in Paphos itself for the full island experience — proper hospitality, fine local food and wine, and ancient mosaics a short stroll from dinner. It’s an easy, characterful winter-sun alternative that still feels special. Explore our Cyprus golf holidays →
Italy — Sicily & Tuscany, golf for the romantics
Italy is for the group that wants the golf to be only half the story. In Sicily, Kyle Phillips’s Verdura Resort rolls down to the Mediterranean in a way that genuinely takes your breath away — two links-style championship courses, a vast spa, and long lunches that turn into long afternoons. Nearby, Picciolo Etna plays in the shadow of the smouldering volcano, while Argentario commands the Tuscan coast where the maremma meets the sea.
Inland in the heart of Tuscany, La Bagnaia sits among the vineyards just outside Siena — golf, wine, art and food woven together so completely that non-golfing partners come home happier than the players. Choose Italy when the trip is as much about the table as the tee. Explore our Italy golf holidays →
France — the Riviera and the elegant north
France offers two very different golf trips, both unmistakably French. On the Riviera, the magnificent Terre Blanche — two Dave Thomas courses set in the hills above Cannes — is one of the great golf-and-spa retreats in Europe, with the rugged, scenic Saint Endréol nearby for contrast. It’s Provençal sunshine, rosé at lunch, and golf with a sense of style.
Up north, the mood turns nostalgic and gloriously old-school. Le Touquet — with the grand Hôtel Barrière Le Westminster and its classic seaside links — and the breezy clifftop courses of Dinard in Brittany are a short hop from the UK and perfect for a long weekend that feels like a proper trip away. Explore our France golf holidays →
Canary Islands — true year-round golf, four hours from home
When January bites and you simply need to play, the Canaries are the answer no other European destination can match: dependable warmth twelve months a year, a short flight, and no need to change your watch. On Tenerife, Buenavista Golf — a Seve Ballesteros design pinned between mountains and ocean — is one of the most spectacular settings you’ll ever tee it up in, the Atlantic crashing below the cliff-edge holes.
On Gran Canaria, the sprawling Lopesan Costa Meloneras pairs reliable sunshine and a lively resort base with golf along the dunes of Maspalomas. It’s our top pick for guaranteed winter golf when the group can’t risk the weather. Explore our Canary Islands golf holidays →
Scotland — the home of golf, and a trip you'll talk about forever
Every golfer owes themselves this pilgrimage. There is a feeling on a Scottish links — the wind off the firth, the firm turf, the sea light that seems to last all evening — that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else, and once you’ve felt it you understand what the game is really about. Modern Dumbarnie Links on the Fife coast is an instant classic, while Gleneagles remains the grand dame: three championship courses, Ryder Cup history and a hotel that defines Highland luxury.
For the true romantic, take the ferry to Islay and play The Machrie among the dunes and the whisky distilleries — remote, raw and utterly unforgettable. Scotland is the bucket-list trip; let us handle the routing, the tee times and the logistics so you can simply play. Explore our Scotland golf holidays →
Ireland — wild links, warm welcomes and the best craic in golf
Ireland gives you the most dramatic links land in the world and the warmest welcome to go with it. The west coast is the stuff of legend: Lahinch, the boisterous, brilliant ‘St Andrews of Ireland’, where the golf is huge and the town buzzes long after the round; and the magnificent Greg Norman dunescape of Doonbeg, tumbling along a two-mile Atlantic crescent in County Clare.
Further north, the remote Connemara Championship Links plays out beneath the Twelve Bens with the ocean for company and not another soul in sight. Pints by the fire, songs in the bar, golf you’ll be describing for years — this is the trip for a group that wants the game and the good times in equal measure. Explore our Ireland golf holidays →
Frequently asked questions
Which European destination is best for a winter golf holiday?
For dependable winter sun, the Canary Islands are unbeatable — Tenerife and Gran Canaria deliver genuine year-round golf just four hours from the UK, with no time difference. Turkey’s Belek is the other standout, pairing reliable shoulder-season sunshine with extraordinary resorts like Maxx Royal and Regnum Carya. Cyprus and the Algarve are also wonderfully mild from autumn through spring. We’ll match the destination to your travel dates so you never gamble on the weather.
Where should we go for a first big golf trip or a links bucket-list?
For a first major trip with the group, Spain’s Costa del Sol and Sotogrande or Portugal’s Algarve are the surest bets — superb golf, easy logistics and a guaranteed good time. When the goal is a true links pilgrimage, it has to be Scotland or Ireland: a Scottish itinerary around Gleneagles, Dumbarnie and The Machrie, or an Irish run of Lahinch, Doonbeg and Connemara, is the trip people remember for the rest of their lives. Tell us what matters most and we’ll point you firmly in the right direction.
How far in advance should we book?
For sought-after links and marquee resorts — Scotland and Ireland in summer especially — we’d suggest six to twelve months ahead to secure the best tee times and rooms; the standout courses and the better dates go first. For Mediterranean and winter-sun destinations there’s more flexibility, but earlier booking always means more choice and better value. If your dates are fixed, talk to us as soon as you can and we’ll lock everything in.
Do you tailor the holiday to our group?
Always — that’s the whole point of working with us. Every Golf Planet Holidays trip is built around your group: the courses you want to play, the standard of hotel, the balance of golf and downtime, transfers, tee times and dining. Bringing non-golfing partners, marking a special occasion, or want flights added under our ATOL protection? We’ll shape it all into one seamless, well-judged itinerary. Just tell us your idea and we’ll do the rest.
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