Portugal

Portugal often begins with morning mist in Sintra, where the colourful Pena Palace rises above the forest. In Lisbon, the city of seven hills, you ride a yellow tram up to Alfama, look down on the Tagus and taste warm pastéis de nata near the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower.

In Porto, the coloured façades of the Ribeira reflect in the Douro below the iron Dom Luís I Bridge, and the port wine cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia wait for a tasting. Further south, in the Algarve, golden cliffs and sea caves such as Benagil open onto the Atlantic, with beaches to rest on after the sightseeing.

On the plate: salt cod cooked in countless ways, grilled sardines in summer, cheeses and Douro wines. Distances are short and the pace is easy, with time to wander among the glazed tiles, the azulejos, that decorate houses and stations.