Those with weak ambitions will likely get exhausted from just reading this five-country jaunt through Northern, Western, and Central Europe—and that's even before you sign up for the annual 186-mile bike race around a Swedish lake, stomp the cobblestone streets of Prague, or ascend to the glass-dome top of Berlin's Reichstag. But don't worry—we've also worked in recuperative sauna treatments, wandering museums in Vienna, and touring the Brewery Museum in Plzen. Admitted, some of the distances between cities stretch several hundred miles. But don't get white-knuckled; consider this a framework, our "days" offering highlights and the spaces between an opportunity to explore the countryside passing by your car window.

Day 3: Stockholm to Aspa Bruk (60 Miles)
Head southwest to Aspa Herrgård (+46.583.502.10; www.edbergs.com) in Aspa Bruk, near Sweden's biggest lake, Lake Vättern. Once a 16th-century hamlet set among apple and cherry trees, Aspa Herrgård's cluster of buildings are the perfect jumping off point for boat excursions on Lake Vättern, or for hikes into the surrounding woodlands. On June 16 to 17, you can even ride the hugely popular Vätternrundan bicycle race (+46.141.22.3290 ; www.cyklavaettern.com), a 186-mile (300-kilometer) road race around the entire lake. In 2005, 15,108 people entered.

Day 4: Aspa Bruk to Rostock (460 Miles)
Drive southwest to Malmö but before taking the bridge across to Copenhagen, stop at Ribersborg, a sandy beach only 1.4 miles (two kilometers) from town. The Ribersborg Kallbadhuset has a charming beachfront café from 1898, with a saltwater pool and wood-fired sauna, and is a favorite summertime hangout for locals. Then drive across the remarkable ten-mile (16-kilometer) Öresund bridge and tunnel (www.oeresundsbron.com) over (and under) Öresund to Denmark. Continue south to Gedser and take the ferry across to Rostock, Germany. Contact Scandlines (+49.381.54.350; www.scandlines.de) for tickets and schedules.