The West End
Where the Strand joins Fleet St, you’ll see the entrance to this gargantuan melange of Gothic spires, pinnacles and burnished Portland stone, built in…
Must-see attractions in Western Europe
Southeast England
This understated cathedral was begun in 1075 and largely rebuilt in the 13th century. The free-standing church tower went up in the 15th century; the…
County Meath
More than 60,000 soldiers of the armies of King James II and King William III fought in 1690 on this patch of farmland on the border of Counties Meath and…
Jersey
This warehouse full of lovingly restored vintage and classic cars, locomotives, fire engines and farming machinery was a labour of love on the part of Don…
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
Cannes
Posing for a selfie on the 22 steps leading up to the main entrance of this concrete bunker – unlikely host to the world’s most glamorous film festival –…
Scapa Flow Visitor Centre & Museum
Orkney
Lyness was an important naval base during both World Wars, when the British Grand Fleet was based in Scapa Flow. This fascinating museum and photographic…
Bordeaux
This unusual museum explores the role of French customs from modern day to the 1730s when the magnificent Hôtel des Fermes du Roy (1735–38) was built on…
Scotland
This magnificent loch-side palace was begun by James I in 1424, and became a favourite royal residence – James V was born here in 1512, as was his…
Arras
Arras' Flemish Gothic city hall dates from the 16th century but was completely rebuilt after WWI. Four géants (giants) live in the lobby. For a panoramic…
The Algarve
Alcoutim's flower-ringed, 13th-century castelo has sweeping views over the village rooftops and river. Inside the grounds is the Núcleo Museológico de…
The Cotswolds
Burford's splendid church, near the river, took over three centuries to build, from 1175 onwards. Its fan-vaulted ceiling, Norman west doorway and 15th…
Aberdeen
Marischal College, founded in 1593 by the 5th Earl Marischal, merged with King's College (founded 1495) in 1860 to create the modern University of…
Dublin
Georgian genius James Gandon (1743–1823) announced his arrival on the Dublin scene with this magnificent building constructed over 10 years between 1781…
North London
This elegant Regency house, once a duplex called Wentworth Place, was home to the golden boy of the Romantic poets, John Keats, from 1818 to 1820. It was…
South Cornwall
This glorious country estate is the family seat of the Earl of St Germans. The Grade I–listed house is open for three months of the year; guided tours of…
Marseille
The old maritime neighbourhood of La Joliette, moribund since the decline of the 19th-century docks, has been revitalised by bars, shops and restaurants…
Belfast
In the Botanic Gardens is the unique Tropical Ravine, a huge red-brick greenhouse built in 1889. It was designed by the gardens' curator Charles McKimm to…
Cumbria & the Lakes
Carlisle's flagship museum covers 2000 years of the city's past. The Roman Frontier Gallery explores Carlisle's Roman foundations, while the Border…
Liège
Several tiny medieval passageways burrow beneath the house fronts of Rue Hors Château. Most disappear into picturesque hidden yards, but Montagne de…
Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Paris
With four glass towers shaped like half-open books, the National Library of France, opened in 1995, was one of President Mitterrand’s most ambitious and…
Ayette Indian & Chinese Cemetery
Lille, Flanders & the Somme
Towards the end of WWI, tens of thousands of Chinese labourers were recruited by the British government to perform noncombat jobs in Europe, including the…
Utrecht
Designed to delight young children (age two to six), this bold, touch-everything play-museum celebrates beloved cartoon rabbit Miffy (or Nijntje as she's…
Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court
With its snow-white walls and Gothic turrets, this fantastical and totally restored 18th-century creation in Twickenham is the work of art historian,…
Amsterdam
Even if you don't catch a performance here, the cool contemporary architecture makes the magnificent 'Music Building on the IJ' worth swinging by for a…
Swansea, The Gower & Carmarthenshire
Set in a beautiful wooded estate, this is the only known Roman goldmine in the UK. The exhibition and the mining machinery above ground are interesting,…
Anglesey & the North Coast
Just east of the town centre, these low stone foundations represent the westernmost legionary fort of the Roman Empire. The fort dates back to AD 77, when…
Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne
The Auvergne's long-extinct volcanoes are brought back to life in spectacular style at Vulcania theme park, 15km west of Clermont on the D941. Combining…
Northeast England
County Durham's living, breathing, working museum offers an unflinching glimpse into industrial life in the northeast during the 19th and 20th centuries…
Liège
Off the closed-in cloister of Cathédrale St-Paul, the slickly presented three-level Trésor guards many artworks, vestments and chalices rescued from St…
Palácio da Assembleia da República
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
The columned, temple-like Palácio da Assembleia da República (Palácio de São Bento) is where Portugal’s parliament, the Assembleia da República, makes its…
Galway City
In the 13th century, when the de Burgo family ruled Galway, Richard – the Red Earl – erected a large hall as a seat of power, where locals would arrive to…
Sonnenborgh Museum & Observatory
Utrecht
The Sonnenborgh is actually two museums in one: upstairs has an exhibit on the history of astronomy in an 1850 building that was once among the foremost…
Northeast Belgium
Undergoing a total renovation at the time of research, this well-endowed provincial art gallery sits behind a classic step-gabled facade and, when…
Paris
Framed by a lurid-lime wave-like glass façade, a transformed Seine-side warehouse is home to the French fashion institute, the Institut Français de la…
The Minho
On the N101, 5km south of Monção, this grand early 19th-century neoclassical palace has been open to the public since 2010. Visits are by guided tour only…
The Beiras
This formidable stone fortress seems to grow out of the boulder-littered hilltop. There's not a lot left inside the walls but it's a beautiful site,…
Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park
Utrecht Province
Cycling and hiking is ideal in this 65km green arc east of Utrecht city. The national park has the Netherlands' second-largest sweep of wildlife-rich…
Bristol
You're in for a few surprises at this classic old Edwardian museum. Look out for the Paint-Pot Angel by world-famous street artist Banksy in the entrance…
Dublin
You don’t have to be into printing to enjoy this quirky little museum, where personalised guided tours (11.30am daily and 2.30pm Monday to Friday) are…
Dumfries & Galloway
Surrounded by wooded hills, Eskdalemuir is a remote settlement 13 miles northwest of Langholm. About 1.5 miles further north is this, the first Tibetan…
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