Jewels of the Mediterranean

Beaches or bargains, the sea or sights. Palma has it all, together with enough sunshine and souvenirs to keep anyone happy. If you like beaches, cafes or simply lazing around in the sunshine, you'll love Palma, together with the nearby resorts of Palma Nova and Magaluf. Before you relax, though, make sure you visit Palma City itself to see the Moorish palace, the designer stores and the quaint shops and cobbled streets of the old city, behind the Gothic Cathedral. And for souvenirs, make a bee-line for Inca, the largest street market on the island which opens every Thursday.

Often called the Gateway to the Emerald Coast, the NorthEastern port of Olbia is tucked into a bay in the Tyrrhenian Sea and is one of Europe's most fashionable resort areas.

A charming town itself, La Spezia is also the gateway to the beautiful Le Cinque Terre region. At the centre of the most captivating coastal area of Italy called the Gulf of the Poets, La Spezia has the typical narrow streets and yellow, pink and orange buildings of old Italian towns. It is beyond the town, however, where the real beauty lies.

Think of the French Riviera and what springs to mind? Expensive yachts? Wide, palm-fringed boulevards? Glittering turquoise seas? Experience the glamour and glitz of France’s most famous stretch of coast. Imagine you’re Lewis Hamilton as you drive along the Grand Prix circuit in Monte Carlo. After you’ve negotiated the hairpin bends, you’ll find it hard to believe the fastest lap time on this circuit is just over 13 seconds. Trace your way along the French Riviera. Take in elegant Nice, the hilltop village of St Paul and Grasse, which is the world capital for perfume and flowers.

Toulon is a port city on southern France’s Mediterranean coast, lined with sandy beaches and shingle coves. It’s a significant naval base and the harbor is home to submarines and warships, as well as fishing boats and ferries. The grand Musée National de la Marine in the Port of Toulon exhibits maritime artifacts. Rugged limestone mountains form a backdrop to the city, and a cable car shuttles visitors up Mont Faron.

Its phenomenal reputation makes other cities positively green with envy, and bohemian Barcelona continues to top the popularity charts. So what makes it such a big hit? Well, where do we start?

Beaches or bargains, the sea or sights. Palma has it all, together with enough sunshine and souvenirs to keep anyone happy. If you like beaches, cafes or simply lazing around in the sunshine, you'll love Palma, together with the nearby resorts of Palma Nova and Magaluf. Before you relax, though, make sure you visit Palma City itself to see the Moorish palace, the designer stores and the quaint shops and cobbled streets of the old city, behind the Gothic Cathedral. And for souvenirs, make a bee-line for Inca, the largest street market on the island which opens every Thursday.