Mdina is a small town with a hilltop location inland in Malta and it is surrounded by impressive defensive walls. Mdina is an easy half hour bus ride from Valletta, the capital city of Malta. Mdina is also called the 'Silent City' or the 'Noble City'.

From Valletta looking south to the other side of the Grand Harbour you can see the three outcrops of land covered in buildings which make up the area known as the Three Cities and which is comprised of Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua. Together these make for a very enjoyable day trip from Valletta to explore their ancient heritage.

Oia is one of the most stunningly beautiful villages in Europe. It is one of the clifftop villages of Santorini and overlooks the caldera which is a sea filled extinct volcano crater. As well as the views over the sea and the islands the village itself is very beautiful.

Santorini is one of the Cycladean Islands which are one of the most popular of the Greek Islands groups.

The Dordogne department of Aquitaine contains numerous highlights for visitors, with picturesque villages, traditional small market towns and lovely scenery.

Perhaps it is less well known for its larger towns, but a trip that is based around visits to the three principal historic towns - Sarlat, Bergerac and Perigueux - will introduce you to a different, and equally interesting, aspect of the region. Each of these three towns has a great deal to offer visitors, with each having a very individual character in its historical centre.

The region known as the ‘Pays de Fayence’ is found in Provence, to the east of Grasse and to the north of Saint-Raphael (a coastal resort on the Cote d’Azur).

The Medoc region is one of the less visited regions of southern France – and most (overseas) visitors are here for the famous vineyards to the east of the Medoc peninsula such as Chateau Margaux, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac, Chateau Lafite-Rothschild…

…but on this occasion we aren’t here for the wine, we are visiting the beaches!

A recent visit to Montpellier has me wondering why I have never visited before and how soon I can return. It is a beautiful city made all the more attractive by its young and vibrant atmosphere – definitely one of our top 5 cities to visit in the South of France.

Angouleme in the south west of France is not a city on the normal tourist agenda but nonetheless does have an interesting historic centre and a couple of unusual events that take place each year.

The Gorges of the Ardeche are located towards the southern edge of the Ardeche department (Rhone-Alps region) of France, north-west of Avignon.

Head inland from the Languedoc coast, and north into the Lozere department, and you will find one of France’s scenic highlights at the Gorges du Tarn. The gorges run for some 40 kilometres along the course of the Tarn River, starting west of Florac finishing near Les Vignes.

Mont Lozere is in the Lozere department, northern Languedoc-Roussillon. To the north is the valley of the Lot River, and to the south the valley of the Tarn.

The delights of Saint Emilion, in the Gironde department of France, await everyone who visits. Situated in the Gironde and famous for its wines, 103 Châteaux, and largest monolithic church in Europe, as well as being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Saint Emilion surveys the surrounding countryside from an elevated position on limestone rock in the shape of an amphitheatre, with 173 acres of catacombs underneath.

The south-western corner of France, on the border with Spain, is well known for popular resorts such as Biarritz and for the western Pyrenees mountains that lie a little way inland – you can visit the beach in the morning and go for a walk in the mountains in the afternoon…

Vaison-la-Romaine in the Vaucluse department of France is a charming town with a medieval centre perched on top of a hill overlooking the modern town of which lies along the River Ouveze.

Mykonos Town with its narrow paved streets, white houses with brightly painted doors and balustrades, windmills and seafront is really charming and you will want to spend a few days here savouring its wonderful atmosphere during a visit to Mykonos Island.

Arcachon is a beautiful seaside resort on the Atlantic coast in the south west of France. 

Valletta is found about half way along the north-east coast of Malta. Malta itself is in the Mediterranean, between Italy to the north and Libya to the south. Valletta is the capital of the island - the smallest capital in Europe, having a mere 7,500 residents.

Locally Valletta is known as 'Il Belt' - the city. It is also Malta's main port, due to its being a long peninsula (called Sceberras Peninsula) between two natural harbours - Grand Harbour and Marsamxett.

Latvia is a small country in northern Europe, adjacent to Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania. Over the last few centuries it has been ruled by various different countries, which has created a confluence of many cultures in the country - hence within Latvia you can find the cultures of countries as diverse as Russia, Germany and Sweden.