Castle Howard

Castle Howard, the palatially Palladian Vanbrugh/Hawksmoor creation, is surrounded by the rolling Howardian Hills, landscaped vistas, a scattering of monumental follies and obelisks, and acres of terraced gardens complete with wandering peacocks.

This is one of the world's most beautiful buildings, and instantly recognisable for its starring role in Brideshead Revisited - which has done its popularity no end of good since the TV series first aired in the early 1980s.

If you can, try to visit on a weekday, when it's easier to find the space to appreciate this hedonistic marriage of art, architecture, landscaping and natural beauty. Wander about the grounds, take in the views that open up over the hills, Vanbrugh's playful Temple of the Four Winds and Hawksmoor's stately mausoleum; but the great baroque house with its magnificent central cupola is an irresistible visual magnet. Inside, it is full of treasures, such as the chapel's Pre-Raphaelite stained glass.