North Nicosia (Lefkoşa)
Renovated as part of the Nicosia Master Plan, the imposing Bedestan dates from the 6th century, when it was built as a small Byzantine chapel. It was…
Must-see attractions in Mediterranean Europe
Mykonos
This beautiful stretch of golden sand has craggy cliffs on either side and an excellent waterfront restaurant. It's backed by some large resorts and,…
Verona
One of Verona's most popular attractions, this 84m-high watchtower provides panoramic views of Verona and nearby mountains. Begun in the 12th century and…
Manarola
This small piazza is dominated by a bell tower that was once used as a defensive lookout. Opposite, the Chiesa di San Lorenzo dates from 1338 and houses a…
Messinia
This perfect sandy crescent with clear waters is presumed to be Homer’s ‘sandy Pylos’, where Telemachus was warmly welcomed when he came to ask wise…
Barcelona
Construction on this striking church began in 1878 and was completed in 1884. It was designed by Francesc Berenguer i Mestres, Gaudí's protégé, but it's…
Toledo
In the early 20th century, an aristocrat bought what he thought was El Greco's house and did a meritorious job of returning it to period style. He was…
Granada
For those classic sunset shots of the Alhambra sprawled along a wooded hilltop with the Sierra Nevada mountains looming in the background, wander up…
Parque de María Luisa & South of Centre
As much a local landmark as an accommodation option, this striking, only-in-Seville hotel – conceived as the most luxurious in Europe when it was built in…
Cappadocia
Slap in the middle of Ortahisar's town centre, this 18m-high rock outcrop was used as a fortress in Byzantine times. It was reopened after a restoration…
Palazzo Morando Costume Moda Immagine
Milan
Dominating Via Sant'Andrea is the baroque facade of the Palazzo Morando Attendolo Bolognini, home to the Bolognini family until 1945. The personal…
Ankara
The imposing hisar (citadel) is the most interesting part of Ankara to poke about in. This well-preserved quarter of thick walls and winding streets took…
Porto Venere
This stunning wind- and wave-lashed church, built in 1198 in Gothic style, stands on the ruins of a 5th-century palaeo-Christian church, with its extant…
Lemesos (Limassol)
Spread over six rooms and a past winner of the prestigious Europa Nostra Award (EU prize for cultural heritage), this museum hosts beautiful…
L'Eixample
Puig i Cadafalch let his imagination loose on the Casa Serra (1903–08), a neo-Gothic whimsy today home to government offices. With its central tower…
Palma de Mallorca
Located in the Palau Episcopal (Bishop’s Residence; a mainly Gothic ensemble dating to the 13th century), the Museu Diocesà, behind the cathedral to the…
Bay of Naples
Some 2km up Via Rosini, which becomes Via Solfatara (about 900m north of the metro), the surreal Solfatara crater was known to the Romans as the Forum…
Barcelona
Just inland from Platja de Bogatell, Poblenou's cemetery dates from 1773. It was positioned outside the then city limits for health reasons; its central…
L'Eixample
Although a university was first set up on what is now La Rambla in the 16th century, the present, glorious mix of (neo) Romanesque, Gothic, Islamic and…
Palermo
Housed in the lower floors and basements of 14th-century Palazzo Chiaromonte Steri, this fascinating museum explores the legacy of the Inquisition in…
Milan
At the age of 24 Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli had inherited not only his family fortune, but also his mother’s love of art. After extensive travels in which…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
Across from La Catedral your eye may be caught by what appear to be childlike scribblings on the facade of the 1931 Col·legi de Arquitectes. It is, in…
Barcelona
Book ahead for an evening tour (English available) of this organic brewery. Over the course of two hours, you'll taste the malt, hops and cereals and,…
Pamplona
The walls and bulwarks of the grand fortified citadel, the star-shaped Ciudadela, were built between 1571 and 1645 under the direction of King Felipe II…
Barcelona
This impressive arts space is housed in a renovated 19th-century thread and textile factory, with high ceilings and exposed brickwork. Fabra i Coats was a…
Murcia
Murcia’s cathedral was built in 1394 on the site of a mosque. The initial Gothic architecture was given a playful baroque facelift in 1748, with a…
Parròquia de Sant Andreu de Palomar
Barcelona
Stepping out of Sant Andreu metro and onto Plaça d'Orfila, you'll be greeted by the sight of this grand church with an impressive domed roof. Originally…
Iraklio
This majestic church dominates the eponymous, palm-studded square. It had Byzantine origins in AD 961, was converted to a Catholic church by the Venetians…
Civico Planetario Ulrico Hoepli
Milan
Deep stargazing has found its place in Italy’s biggest planetarium. Not only will it open your eyes to the wonders of the universe, it does so in very…
Salamanca
For fine views over Salamanca, head to the tower at the southwestern corner of the Catedral Nueva's facade. From here, stairs lead up through the tower,…
Church & Monastery of St George
Princes’ Islands
There's not a lot to see at this Greek Orthodox monastery complex located on a 203m-high hill known as Yücetepe, but the panoramic views from the…
Corfu Town
Corfu Town owes the elegant, photogenic Liston, the arcade that lines the northern half of the Spianada, to neither the Venetians nor the British but to…
Rhodes Town
Rhodes' Old Town bears many legacies from its Ottoman past. Many churches were converted to mosques during the Turkish era, and even more Muslim houses of…
Corfu Town
Hourly boats from the Old Port make the 10-minute crossing to tiny, thickly wooded Vidos Island (€4 return), immediately offshore. The island is the final…
Barcelona
At this information-packed interactive sporting museum, you wander down a ramp that snakes below ground level and is lined with multimedia displays on the…
Athens
On the slopes of Filopappou Hill, follow the path to this warren of rooms carved into bedrock. It's said to have been the place Socrates was imprisoned in…
Milan
San Simpliciano is one St Ambrose's four Milanese churches, built on a paleo-Christian cemetery with a red-brick Romanesque wrapping. Martyrs Sisinio,…
Milan
The arena was Napoleon’s mini-colosseum, which he opened in flamboyant style with a chariot race in 1807. Built by Luigi Canonica, its design allowed it…
Genoa
Flemish, Spanish and Italian artists feature at Palazzo Bianco, the second of the triumvirate of palazzi that are together known as the Musei di Strada…
Parque de María Luisa & South of Centre
Now home to the University of Seville, this massive former tobacco factory – workplace of Bizet’s fictional heroine, Carmen – was built in the 18th…
