Cultural

Dubliners are never short of an excuse for a party – but, March 17 each year the city erupts into an all-out celebration of Saint Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint.  A Welsh-speaking Scott, Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland back in the 15th century. Legend has it he also raided the island nation of its snake population. Whatever the truth shrouded in the mouth of the man, his first day marks a must do on the Irish calendar, and it’s an excellent time to visit the capital.

A quintessential Spanish city, Valencia has loads to offer the traveller, with idyllic year-round temperatures, a charming old town to explore, thumping nightlife, culture in spades, delicious local specialities and the sizzling beaches of the Mediterranean. Now is a good time to head to this beautiful city. It now only takes 90 minutes to reach Valencia from Madrid thanks to the new AVE high-speed train. 

As I roll along a narrow country road behind yet another country road being yet another tractor in no hurry, I take the chance to poke to my head out of the car window. Sprawling paddocks dip into a huge body of water and the grass is an impossible shade of green, like it has been touched up in Photoshop. Sheep turn their heads and walk towards me as if they are the welcoming party for the wild west of Ireland - it seems Irish hospitality knows no bounds.

The arrival of budget airline flights and its buzzing nightlife scene have given Tallinn a bit of a reputation as a stag and hen party zone in a recent years, but look beyond the drinks specials and you'll find more to this min-Prague, which has had the badge of a 'European Capital of Culture'.

There it was again. A streak of colour and a scurry in the tiny alleyway up ahead. I crept forward, treading lightly past wooden facades and unmarked doors, careful not to knock the red lanterns that cast an atmospheric glow across the cobbled path. A sharp turn to the left, and there she is: a geisha.  A quick glance over her shoulder, her white made-up face contrasting with the elaborate design of her kimono - and she's gone.

While we all know that geishas' inherent beauty, grace and charm have been admired for centuries, the same could be said of Kyoto. Like waiting for a glimpse of a shy nocturnal creature, you can wait all day for the city to reveal its secrets, and just as you're about to give up in favour of fast food and a night at karaoke, Kyoto's discrete world will reveal itself.

By the second week of the New Year it's a fair bet that any after-effects of New Year's Eve partying will have worn off - unless you're in the Gwaun Valley in West Wales, where you'll just be gearing up for the New Year celebrations in mid-January.

Antequera, the lovely historic town which stands right in the centre of Andalucía. Is home to the remarkable dolmens of Menga and Viera, which are just outside the town, and El Romeral, a few kilometres away, are among the largest and most interesting megalithic structures in Europe.  They were recently accepted as a Unesco World Heritage Site, something that local people and historians and archaeologists from all over the world had been wanting for years.

Treat yourself to lashings of festive cheer by enjoying a Welsh Christmas with all the trimmings. With a slew of open-air Ice rinks, Christmas markets, Santas' grottos and cherry shopping experiences (phew!), Wales has plenty to offer anyone seeking a bit of Chrimbo va-va-voom.

Victorian Christmas

Rewind to Victorian time with a visit to Penrhyn Castle, Bangor, December. Opulent rooms will be decked out in festive decorations and carol singing will echo through the halls. Glug back some hot punch and munch on roasted chestnuts to get that cosy festival feeling.

Set in the valley of Zillertal in Tirrol, Austria, is the scenic town of Mayrhofen;  a top destination for the ski season, and a delight during the summer months, thanks to an abundance of flora and fauna.

Our van had seen better days but my partner tackled each bend as if auditioning for a car commercial. My stomach was firmly clenched as we edged a little too close to the cliff-edge during every dramatic twist in the road.

Just as I was wondering why we hadn't bought a sat-nav, the road levelled out onto a flat and fertile lowland on which in some prehistoric time the ocean had rolled. As the sun was at its highest, we faced landscapes that had taken trillions of years to form. With mountains on all sides, Europe's natural beauty was staggering.