Palafrugell & Around
If you’re intrigued by artist Salvador DalÃ, the Castell de Púbol is an essential piece of the puzzle. Between Girona and Palafrugell (22km northwest of…
Must-see attractions in Mediterranean Europe
Assisi
Visible for miles around, the Basilica di San Francesco is the crowning glory of Assisi's Unesco-listed historic centre. The 13th-century complex is…
Complesso Monumentale di Santa Chiara
Naples
Vast, Gothic and cleverly deceptive, the mighty Basilica di Santa Chiara stands at the heart of this tranquil monastery complex. The church was severely…
Palermo
Designed by Roger II in 1130, this extraordinary chapel is Palermo's top tourist attraction. Located on the middle level of Palazzo dei Normanni's three…
Rome
No one can resist the lure of Rome's most celebrated park, full of wooded glades, gardens and grassy banks.
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
This modest church is an unlikely setting for an extraordinary work of art – Bernini’s extravagant sculpture, the Ecstacy of St Teresa.
Cueva Pintada Museum & Archaeological Park
Gran Canaria
Discovered by a local farmer in the late 19th century, this is one of Gran Canaria's most important pre-Hispanic archaeological sites: a cave adorned with…
Cappadocia
The road between Çavuşin and Avanos passes a turn-off to the Zelve Open-Air Museum, where three valleys of crumbling cave-habitations and churches…
Palma de Mallorca
Palma’s vast cathedral ('La Seu' in Catalan) is the city's major architectural landmark. Aside from its sheer scale, treasures and undoubted beauty, its…
Around Athens
The Ancient Greeks knew how to choose a site for a temple. At Cape Sounion, 70km south of Athens, the Temple of Poseidon stands on a craggy spur that…
Sultanahmet
This subterranean structure was commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532. The largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul, it was…
Eastern Mediterranean
This incomparable museum contains one of the world's finest collections of Roman and Byzantine mosaics, covering a period from the 1st century AD to the…
Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes
Barcelona
Founded in 1327, this serene convent is now a museum of monastic life (the few remaining nuns have moved into more modern neighbouring buildings). It…
Museum of the Kalavryta Holocaust
Peloponnese
This is a powerful tribute to the residents of Kalavryta who perished in the 13 December 1943 slaughter perpetrated by the German army. It’s a dignified,…
Milan
Originally a Visconti fortress, this iconic red-brick castle was later home to the mighty Sforza dynasty, who ruled Renaissance Milan. The castle's…
Mantua
For more than 300 years the enormous Palazzo Ducale was the seat of the Gonzaga – a family of wealthy horse breeders who rose to power in the 14th century…
Padua
Padua's version of the Sistine Chapel, the Cappella degli Scrovegni houses one of Italy's great Renaissance masterpieces – a striking cycle of Giotto…
Oviedo
Oviedo's stunning cathedral complex was built mainly in Gothic and baroque styles between the 13th and 18th centuries. But its origins and greatest…
Bay of Naples
Herculaneum harbours a wealth of archaeological finds, from ancient advertisements and stylish mosaics to carbonised furniture and terror-struck skeletons…
Naples
Built for a Spanish merchant in the 17th century and reconfigured in belle-époque style by architect Luigi Platania in the early 20th century, Palazzo…
Barcelona
A pilgrimage site for football fans around the world, Camp Nou is a must for FC Barcelona fans. On this tour, which can be guided or self-guided, you'll…
Messinia
The best preserved of all Mycenaean palaces lies 17km north of Pylos and is a thrilling sight. It's described in Homer's 'Odyssey' as the court of the…
Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
This 5th-century basilica draws pilgrims and art lovers to marvel at its treasures.
Museum of Anatolian Civilisations
Ankara
The best place in the country to get to grips with the complex weave of Turkey's history, the exhibits here house artefacts cherry-picked from just about…
Elounda
Tiny Spinalonga Island became a leper colony in 1903 and catapulted into pop-cultural consciousness thanks to Victoria Hislop's 2005 bestselling novel The…
Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo
Spain
Home to the majestic monastery and palace complex of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, this one-time royal getaway rises up from the foothills of the mountains…
Sultanahmet
İstanbul's most photogenic building was the grand project of Sultan Ahmet I (r 1603–17), whose tomb is located on the north side of the site facing…
Delphi
Delphi’s magnificent modern museum, 500m east of town, perfectly complements the ancient site alongside. Which you visit first doesn’t matter, but the…
Le Marche
Deep in the hill country near the remote village of Genga, the Grotte di Frasassi is one of Europe’s largest cave systems. This karst wonderland, gouged…
Pompeii
The ghostly ruins of ancient Pompeii (Pompei in Italian) make for one of the world's most engrossing archaeological experiences. Much of the site's value…
Monemvasia
Almost wholly surrounded by ocean, Monemvasia's fortified medieval village is divided into the lower town, bisected by a main cobbled street lined with…
Centro Storico
Hidden behind the grimy grey exterior of Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, this wonderful gallery boasts one of Rome’s richest private art collections, with works…
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
This fascinating museum documents Columbus’ voyages and features exhibits on the Canary Islands’ historical role as a staging post for transatlantic…
Venice
Napoleon pulled down an ancient church to build his royal digs over Piazza San Marco, and then filled them with the riches of the doges while taking some…
Peloponnese
This superb museum features finds from the adjacent archaeological site of Olympia. Visiting it in conjunction with the ruins helps to put the ancient…
Eastern Mediterranean
Near Narlıkuyu, a road winds north for 2km to several caves – sinkholes carved out by a subterranean river and places of great mythological significance…
San Polo & Santa Croce
Everyone wanted the commission to paint this building dedicated to St Roch, patron saint of the plague-stricken, so Tintoretto cheated: instead of…
Northern Mallorca
The 688-hectare Parc Natural de S’Albufera, west of the Ma12 between Port d’Alcúdia and Ca’n Picafort, is prime birdwatching territory, with 303 recorded…
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Around 11km northeast of Urfa, 'Pot Belly Hill' was first excavated in 1994 by a team led by Professor Klaus Schmidt. Their discovery of a ritual complex…
Turin
Some 21km west of Turin, the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art is a giant of modern art in Piedmont. Its ambition and reach, not to mention…
