The Cotswolds
Four miles southeast of Moreton-in-Marsh, signposted off the A44 halfway to Chipping Norton, Chastleton is one of England’s finest and most complete…
Must-see attractions in Western Europe
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art - Modern Two
Edinburgh
Directly across Belford Rd from Modern One, another neoclassical mansion (formerly an orphanage) houses its annexe, Modern Two, which is home to a large…
Menton
Cocteau loved Menton. It was following a stroll along the seaside that he got the idea of turning a disused 17th-century bastion (1636) on the seafront…
Caen
Highlights at the Women’s Abbey complex in the east of the town centre, once run by the Benedictines, include Église de la Trinité – look for Matilda’s…
Côte d’Opale
The cultures of five continents meet inside the Château-Musée, housed in a 13th-century fortified castle. Egyptian antiquities (some brought here by…
Dublin
Hardly anyone ever ventures this far west, but they're missing a lovely bit of landscaping in the shape of the War Memorial Gardens – by our reckoning as…
Baixo Alentejo
No traditional rural trade is overlooked in this exquisite exploration of Alentejan life. Occupying the former town market (in use from 1887 to 1986), the…
Fife
If the kids are tiring of historic buildings, a trip here might make them feel more kindly towards Fife. Situated at North Queensferry, beneath the Forth…
Montpellier
One of Montpellier’s hidden gems, the Jardins des Plantes is the oldest botanical garden in France. Established in 1593, it was used as a model for the…
Cork City
Established in 1845 as one of three 'queen's colleges' (the others are in Galway and Belfast) set up to provide nondenominational alternatives to the…
Temple Bar
Dublin's most famous bridge is the Ha'penny Bridge, built in 1816. One of the world's oldest cast-iron bridges, it was built to replace the seven ferries…
Madeira
One of Madeira's most interesting museums, the collections here look at every aspect of the island's traditional life, from espada (scabbardfish) fishing…
The Ardennes
La Roche’s picture-postcard 11th-century ruins look especially memorable floodlit on a foggy night when viewed from the Hotton road. There's not a great…
Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
This waterfall, which descends the steep gorge of Ribeira de Lenadres, is a magnificent spectacle, particularly in spring. To get there from Manteigas,…
The Burren
Perched on the edge of an inland cliff about 3km south of Carron is the triple ring fort of Cahercommaun, built around AD 800 and inhabited by people who…
County Waterford
The old church uphill from the Geological Garden in Bunmahon houses an exhibition about the history and geology of copper mining on the Copper Coast,…
Anjou
Soaring above the town’s rooftops, Saumur’s fairy-tale castle was largely built in the 13th century by Louis XI, and has served variously as a fortress…
The Lake District
At the southern end of the lake near Newby Bridge, this aquarium explores a range of underwater habitats from tropical Africa through to Morecambe Bay…
Abbeyleix Heritage House & Museum
The Midlands
An old 19th-century school building houses this museum detailing Abbeyleix' rich history. One room looks at the town's carpet-making legacy – the Turkish…
Basilique Notre-Dame du Roncier
Golfe du Morbihan
Ringed by some highly impressive gargoyles, parts of the Basilique Notre-Dame du Roncier date from the 12th century, including its Romanesque pillars. The…
The Midlands
Built in the 1490s, Clonony Castle is enclosed by an overgrown castellated wall. Tales that Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, was born here are…
The Atlantic Highway
This oddball museum has been a fixture in Boscastle since 1960, and apparently houses the world's largest collection of witchy memorabilia, from haunted…
Connemara
At this family-run smokehouse, tours reveal hand filleting and traditional preparation, slicing and packing of wild and organic salmon, and various…
Côte d'Azur
The 10th-century château of Roquebrune crowns the 300m-high pudding-shaped lump on which medieval Roquebrune sits. The castle is an atmospheric place with…
The Beiras
In the wetlands south of the city, this small museum charts the centuries-old history of salt production in the area. Old photos and models illustrate…
Guernsey
Don't let its low-key appearance fool you: at this bunker complex, the German Naval Commander handled the most important radio communications by the…
Bray
Along Bray's seafront promenade, this kids' walking trail links up five brightly coloured murals created by children's author and illustrator Chris Judge…
Skellig Ring
Built as a linen mill in the 1770s, this estate was transformed from 1808 when its owner established its 16-hectare gardens with exotic plants from around…
Inverness & the Great Glen
Set in 70 hectares of parkland, Brodie Castle has a library with more than 6000 peeling, dusty volumes, wonderful clocks, a huge Victorian kitchen and a…
Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny
These 16 interconnecting, themed gardens span the five senses – from a sculpture garden to a formal rose garden, a water and woodland garden, a willow…
Languedoc-Roussillon
It’s more than 160 years since the first shoots of this rambling, mature bamboo grove were planted by a spice merchant returning from the tropics. Here in…
Maison des Johnnies et de l’Oignon de Roscoff
Finistère
Photographs at this popular museum trace Roscoff's roaming pink-onion farmers, known as 'Johnnies', from the early 19th century. The onion farmers gave…
Musée d’Histoire de la Ville de Vianden
Luxembourg
Vianden's local history museum is formed from two houses knocked together. One maintains its full 19th-century decor; the other partly retains equipment…
Lourdes
In 1857 Bernadette Soubirous’ family fell on hard times and were forced to move to this dingy former prison, where they lived communally in a room…
Belém
The Museu de Marinha is a nautical flashback to the Age of Discoveries, with its armadas of model ships, cannonballs and shipwreck booty. Dig for buried…
County Kerry
The Writers' Exhibition in this Georgian building celebrates Listowel's heritage of literary observers of Irish life. Rooms are devoted to local greats…
Paris
Few Parisian parks are as romantic as this, created as the result of a wager in 1775 between Marie-Antoinette and the Count of Artois. Irises bloom in May…
Rouen
Home to one of the world’s premier collections of wrought iron, this riveting (excuse the pun) museum is an astonishing sight, showcasing the…
The Beiras
This extraordinary museum is spread over two buildings, a mid-18th-century house in Rua dos Cavaleiros (Knights Street) and a clashing contemporary…
The Midlands & the Marches
Friar St was largely chock-a-block with historic architecture until the iconoclastic 1960s when much was demolished, including the lovely medieval Lich…
