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Destination guides

Reviewed by our editors, with practical advice and the trade-offs other guides leave out.

Europe

Greece

All of Greece →
The marble Portara gateway on Naxos at sunset over the sea

Cyclades · Greece

Naxos

A relaxed Greek island of long sandy beaches, mountain villages, and honest island food.

The Acropolis of Athens on its rocky hill, seen from Philopappos Hill

Attica · Greece

Athens

The Acropolis above a lively modern capital of tavernas, markets, and rooftop views.

A white terrace in Santorini overlooking the caldera and the sea

Cyclades · Greece

Santorini

Clifftop villages on a volcanic caldera, famous sunsets, and dark-sand beaches.

Aerial view of Balos Lagoon on Crete, with turquoise shallows and a white-sand spit

Crete · Greece

Crete

Greece's largest island: Venetian harbours, Minoan palaces, gorges, and lagoon beaches.

Little Venice in Mykonos Town, with houses built at the water's edge

Cyclades · Greece

Mykonos

Whitewashed Chora, windmills, beach clubs, and boat trips to ancient Delos.

The medieval fortifications of Rhodes Old Town seen from the east

Dodecanese · Greece

Rhodes

A walled medieval city, the clifftop acropolis of Lindos, and long sunny beaches.

Italy

All of Italy →
The Colosseum in Rome under a blue sky

Lazio · Italy

Rome

Ancient ruins, Renaissance art, piazzas, and trattorias in the Eternal City.

Florence Cathedral's dome and bell tower at dusk, seen from the hills

Tuscany · Italy

Florence

The cradle of the Renaissance: Brunelleschi's dome, great art, and Tuscan food.

The Grand Canal in Venice seen from the Rialto Bridge, with gondolas and palaces

Veneto · Italy

Venice

A car-free city of canals, palaces, and lagoon islands like nowhere else.

Positano's houses on the cliffs above the sea on the Amalfi Coast

Campania · Italy

Amalfi Coast

Pastel villages stacked on cliffs above the sea, with lemon groves and ferry-hopping.

The colourful houses of Manarola on a rocky headland above the sea, Cinque Terre

Liguria · Italy

Cinque Terre

Five colourful fishing villages linked by coastal trails, trains, and boats.

Flowers and urns on a lakeside terrace in Varenna, with Lake Como and mountains beyond

Lombardy · Italy

Lake Como

A deep alpine lake of villas, gardens, and ferry-linked villages near Milan.

Netherlands

All of Netherlands →
Gabled canal houses and moored boats along the Herengracht in Amsterdam

North Holland · Netherlands

Amsterdam

Gabled canal houses, world-class museums, and a city best seen by bike or on foot.

The Erasmus Bridge and Rotterdam skyline over the river Maas at dusk

South Holland · Netherlands

Rotterdam

Bold modern architecture, a giant port, and the windmills of Kinderdijk nearby.

The Hofvijver pond in The Hague with the Mauritshuis and parliament buildings, tulips in front

South Holland · Netherlands

The Hague

The seat of government with Vermeer's masterpieces and a beach on its doorstep.

The Dom Tower rising above the Oudegracht canal in Utrecht in autumn

Utrecht · Netherlands

Utrecht

A medieval university city of wharf-side canals in the heart of the country.

The river Maas in Maastricht with the old stone bridge and the city skyline

Limburg · Netherlands

Maastricht

A historic southern city of squares, Roman roots, and Burgundian food near Belgium.

A canal in Giethoorn with a thatched farmhouse, green lawns, and small boats

Overijssel · Netherlands

Giethoorn

A car-free village of canals, footbridges, and thatched farmhouses.

Portugal

All of Portugal →
Golden sea cliffs and rock arches at Ponta da Piedade near Lagos

Western Algarve · Portugal

Lagos

Golden cliffs, sheltered coves, and a lively historic town on the Algarve coast.

Tram tracks curving through a narrow street in Lisbon's Alfama district

Lisbon Region · Portugal

Lisbon

Hilltop viewpoints, vintage trams, fado, and riverside monuments in Europe's sunny capital.

Porto's colourful Ribeira riverfront and the bishop's palace above the Douro river

Norte · Portugal

Porto

A hillside river city of port wine cellars, tiled churches, and iron bridges.

The colourful towers and domes of Pena Palace in Sintra

Lisbon Region · Portugal

Sintra

Romantic palaces and gardens in forested hills, a short train ride from Lisbon.

Rugged green mountains and deep valleys seen from Pico do Arieiro on Madeira

Autonomous Region of Madeira · Portugal

Madeira

A mild Atlantic island of dramatic peaks, levada walks, and ancient laurel forest.

The green and blue lakes of Sete Cidades in a volcanic crater on São Miguel, Azores

Autonomous Region of the Azores · Portugal

Azores (São Miguel)

Volcanic crater lakes, hot springs, and whale watching in the mid-Atlantic.

Spain

All of Spain →
Altea's whitewashed town and church seen from the sea, with mountains behind

Costa Blanca, Alicante · Spain

Altea

A charming Mediterranean escape with boutique stays, seaside dining, and a relaxed atmosphere.

The Sagrada Família basilica in Barcelona with a construction crane beside its towers

Catalonia · Spain

Barcelona

Gaudí's architecture, a medieval old town, city beaches, and one of Europe's great food scenes.

Madrid's Gran Vía at dusk with the domed Metrópolis building lit up

Community of Madrid · Spain

Madrid

World-class art museums, grand boulevards and parks, and a late-night food and street life.

The Plaza de España in Seville with its curved brick building and tiled square

Andalusia · Spain

Seville

Moorish palaces, a vast Gothic cathedral, orange-tree squares, and the home of flamenco.

Palma Cathedral (La Seu) reflected in the water of the Parc de la Mar

Balearic Islands · Spain

Mallorca

A Mediterranean island of coves, mountain villages, and a historic capital by the sea.

The Alhambra on its wooded hill with the snow-capped Sierra Nevada behind

Andalusia · Spain

Granada

The Alhambra above a hillside Moorish quarter, with the Sierra Nevada on the horizon.

North America

Mexico

All of Mexico →
Aerial view of Cancún's Hotel Zone with hotels along a white-sand beach and turquoise sea

Quintana Roo, Mexican Caribbean · Mexico

Cancún

Turquoise Caribbean water, a long resort strip, and easy access to islands, cenotes, and Maya sites.

The Temple of the God of the Winds on a rocky point above turquoise water at Tulum

Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo · Mexico

Tulum

Clifftop Maya ruins, jungle-backed beaches, and cenotes on the southern Riviera Maya.

The Palacio de Bellas Artes with its golden domes, seen from above in central Mexico City

Valley of Mexico · Mexico

Mexico City

A vast, high-altitude capital of world-class museums, food, and neighbourhoods with very different moods.

A cobbled street in Puerto Vallarta leading to the crowned tower of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Banderas Bay, Jalisco · Mexico

Puerto Vallarta

A Pacific beach town with a seafront promenade, cobbled old streets, and jungle-covered mountains.

The rock arch El Arco at Land's End, Cabo San Lucas, with deep blue water

Baja California Sur · Mexico

Los Cabos

Desert meets sea at the tip of Baja: dramatic rock arches, resort coastline, and two very different towns.

The carved stone façade of the Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán in Oaxaca

Oaxaca, Southern Mexico · Mexico

Oaxaca

Colonial streets, Zapotec ruins, mezcal, and one of Mexico's richest food cultures.