Europe

Northern Ireland is always a great place to visit at any time of year, as well as gorgeous scenery, charming country pubs and lively cities, there's a warmth to the welcome that's unbeatable.  With Belfast and the Causeway Coast highlighted as its must visit locations. You can ticked off a few locations in one visit; you can be in the heart of Belfast city in the morning, grabbing brunch in a chic cafe, then standing atop a mountain in glorious solitude just a couple of hours later.

The Scilly Isles are places of contrasting extremes: extremely beautiful and wild, with lichen stained tors blasted by the Atlantic and glittering, deserted beaches, more wrecked ships around the Isles of Scilly than anywhere else in the world.  The Scillies, has five inhabited islands  (Tresco, Bryher, St Agnes, St Martin's and St Mary) and about 140 rocky islets, 28 miles off the coast of Land's End, Cornwall.

Athens is one of the world’s oldest cities, with a history that spans more than four millennia, so it should come as no surprise that there’s plenty to discover. Athens became the leading city of Ancient Greece in the first millennium BCE, and its cultural achievements during the 5^th century BCE laid the foundations of western civilisation.

If you can’t wait to breathe in some clear, fresh mountain air, to marvel at the sun glistening off the snowy Alpine peaks and for that exhilarating thrill as you start to descend a perfect powdery piste...then don’t wait. Instead, head to Austria’s SalzburgerLand – renowned for its 2,500 kilometres of slopes – as the ski season is about to kick off with the largest winter opening party weekend in the Alps.

You would not think it but Portugal is one of the oldest countries in Europe, its borders have remained largely unchanged since the 12th-century.  The Portuguese founded the first global empire. Lisbon’s ornate Torre de Belem (torrebelem.pt), Portugal’s symbol of the Age of Discovery, is a Unesco-protected monument and celebrated its 500th anniversary in 2015. The ornate tower was originally built in 1515 as a fortress to guard the entrance to Lisbon’s harbour, and served as the starting point for many voyages of discovery: it was from the beach in Belem that the great explorer Vasco da Gama set sail to chart the sea route to India. UNESCO chose to list it as a World Heritage monument for being ‘a reminder of the great maritime discoveries that laid the foundations of the modern world’.

There’s nowhere quite like Ireland, and that’s especially true when the sun shines. With beaches that belong in the Caribbean and striking scenery, it is only a short hop over the sea from UK mainland.  Sure, the Irish summer might not have the guaranteed heat of the Mediterranean, but what it lacks in scorching temperatures it more than makes up for with gorgeous countryside, an abundance of seafood and a hefty dose of 'craic'. And even if the weather isn’t in your favour, you can always be sure of a snug, cosy pub to warm the cockles.

Catch the Lake District on a fine winter’s day and you might think there could be nowhere more beautiful. Endless blue skies, glassy water, and the heather-clad hills that William Wordsworth described as ‘towering above each other, or lifting themselves in ridges like the waves of a tumultuous sea, an in the beauty and variety of their surfaces and colours, they are surpassed by none’.

Thanks to transport for London cycle hire, there is an additional way of seeing the city that is easy, healthy and fun.  There are more than 750 dockings stations throughout the capital, with more than 11,500 bikes, making it simple to collect or leave a hired bike wherever you are. Whether you want to see the sights, visit a museum or take in the atmosphere, you could combine it with a cycle ride along the river and a picnic in a park.

SKIWELT, AUSTRIA
Ninety minutes from Salzburg and Innsbruck airports, SkiWelt is a collection of eight villages, with Ellmau, Soll and Scheffau best for beginners, as they have good nursery slopes on the lower runs and efficient snow-making facilities.  For more advanced skiers and boarders, there are black runs around the Hohe Salve peak. And the Hahnenkamm, host to the treacherous downhill race, is a short shuttle bus ride away in the neighbouring resort of Kitzbuhel, which is fabulous for both intermediates and beginners. The mountains are not that steep but you still get beautiful views.

BORDEAUX (for the Stylish city Weekender) 
Bordeaux is a small city with big city ambitions, which means you have the best of both worlds. It’s an easy three-hour train ride from Paris, but feels a world away. When in Bordeaux, have stroll around its flea markets and vintage stores, a favourite is Backstage Vintage Store (backstagevintagestore.com) it stocks a really great curated selection of vintage, designer vintage and also second-hand contemporary clothing. Then, on balmy summer nights, hop on a V3 public city bike (Bordeaux has been named the fourth most bike-friendly city in the world) for a ride along the Garonne River on the Quai des Chartrons, up to the outlet stores and boutiques at Quai des Marques.