Where to travel if you love mountains – without having to climb them

Georgia: towers, passes and wine in the valley

The Greater Caucasus in Georgia is among the most dramatic mountain country on the edge of Europe, and it is easy to reach. In the Kazbegi region, Gergeti Trinity Church stands on a hilltop beneath Mount Kazbek, reachable on foot or by road. In Svaneti, the medieval defensive towers of Mestia and Ushguli stand like sentries before glaciated ridges. Back in the lowlands, Kakheti's vineyards let you end the journey at a table with the same Caucasus on the horizon.

Georgia especially suits people for whom mountains and culture go together: dinner at a guesthouse often means khachapuri, mountain cheese and a long table, and village traditions still live on without being staged for visitors. The road to Svaneti is long and winding, so stay several nights rather than coming for a day.

Montenegro and Slovenia: Alps and Dinarides close to home

Not every mountain needs a long-haul flight. In Montenegro, the Bay of Kotor looks like a fjord crowned with limestone peaks, while to the north Durmitor and the Tara Canyon offer high plateaus, glacial lakes and silence. Slovenia is more compact still: the Julian Alps, the emerald Soča, Lake Bohinj and the Vršič Pass fit into a single week, with wine and air-dried ham waiting in the Karst in the evenings.

These are journeys for summer and early autumn, when the passes are open and the mountain roads dry.

Norway and Canada: mountains from water, road and rail

In Norway, you mostly see the mountains from below – from the water of a fjord. A boat on the Nærøyfjord, the train from Oslo to Bergen across the high plateau and the Flåm Railway down into the valley: a way to see western Norway without lacing up hiking boots at all. Further north, the peaks of Lofoten rise straight from the sea, fishing villages tucked at their feet.

The Canadian Rockies work on another scale. The Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper winds past glaciers, turquoise lakes and summits that stay white even in summer. Much of it can be experienced from a car or a train window, and short trails to lakes and canyons suit everyone. The key is not to rush: distances are long and the best light comes early in the morning.

Norway and Canada share another advantage: the mountains are just as beautiful in winter, only different. In Norway's Arctic north, the dark months bring a low blue light to the peaks, and in the Canadian Rockies winter means snow, stillness and frozen lakes. For anyone used to a grey Lithuanian winter, it can be a surprisingly bright journey.

You can live among mountains rather than conquer them – and that is reason enough to travel.

Nepal: the Himalaya without the altitude

Many people assume the Himalaya is only for mountaineers. In fact Pokhara, a lakeside town, is one of the best ways to see the Annapurna massif and the peak of Machapuchare from an entirely comfortable altitude. On a journey of a couple of weeks you can spend several days walking through villages and terraced fields in the lower Annapurna foothills, sleeping in teahouses and never going high. The clearest views usually come in October–November and in spring, while the summer monsoon often hides the peaks in cloud.

How to enjoy mountains without conquering them

• Choose a place with a view and stay at least two or three nights – mountains look different every day.
• Turn travel days into experiences: a pass, a ferry or a train is sometimes the finest part of the route.
• Short trails to lakes or viewpoints often give as much as a long trek.
• Build in spare days – mountain weather changes quickly and cloud can hide the view.

Mountains can be the spine of a whole journey or just one part of it – a week in a valley after the sea or a city. Tell us how you'd like to experience them, and we'll explore the possibilities from there.