From the top of the Eiffel Tower to rolling hills of Normandy, the wine barrels in Burgundy or the coastal waters of the French Rivera, France delivers passion cuisine and romance without even trying.

This country gives you every reason to enjoy a fabulous luxury holiday in France whatever your age or inclination. A stunning country, with lace, pastries, crepes, cheese, wines, monuments, mountains and stunning beaches.  

It deserves to be visited time and time again.

Romania is the perfect country for a road trip. Long, winding roads cut through deep green valleys, across wide plains, and over monolithic mountains. It’s not uncommon to begin your day sipping coffee at a chic cafe in some sprawling city. Then find yourself enjoying lunch on the edge of a glacial lake, in the towering Carpathians, just a few hours later. Throw in a castle or two along the way, and you’ve got yourself a fairly standard day from a Romanian road trip itinerary.

The ability to reach remote, peaceful little farming villages, is an experience difficult to do without your own wheels. Being able to drive one of the worlds most exciting roads — the legendary Transfagarasan highway — is reason alone to take a road trip in Romania.

Enjoying nature in Norway is very much an active pursuit, and this is one of Europe's most exciting and varied adventure-tourism destinations. There are fjords everywhere in Norway, created when the ice from the last Ice Age cut through the tall mountains. It is almost impossible to visit without seeing a fjord, unless you decide to stay exclusively along the eastern border. Many of them are just begging to be explored through hiking, kayaking, sailing, diving or camping. 

Whether you're here for seemingly endless summer possibilities, or for snowsports and the soul-stirring Northern Lights in winter, these activities are an exhilarating means of getting close to nature. But the real prizes inhabit Norway's high Arctic, in Svalbard, where polar bears and walruses are the poster species for a wilderness of rare, dramatic and precarious beauty.

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To fully appreciate Italy, you really must visit more than once. In fact we suggest many times. It’s not hard to see why it’s constantly one of the world’s top travel destinations. Surround yourself in the religion, art and architecture or bask in the relaxing backdrop of brightly colored houses and lemon and olive groves on the Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terre. If you are searching for a Tuscan villa or an Italian cooking class or even the elusive Black Truffle let us help you.  

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Scotland is a land with a rich, multilayered history, a place where every corner of the landscape is steeped in the past. Hundreds of castles, from the plain but forbidding tower houses of Hermitage and Smailholm to the elaborate machicolated fortresses of Caerlaverock and Craigmillar, testify to the country's often turbulent past. Scotland's cultural exports are appreciated around the world every bit as much as whisky, tweed and tartan. Scotland's also an adventure playground: you can tramp the tundra plateaus of the Cairngorms, balance along tightrope ridges strung between the peaks of the Cuillin, sea kayak among the seal-haunted isles of the Outer Hebrides, and take a speedboat ride into the white water of the Corryvreckan whirlpool.

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The Icelandic landscape is one of variety and contrast, offering incredible vistas. There are glaciers and volcanoes, waterfalls and fjords, hot springs and lava fields. From the rugged cliffs of the Westfjörds to the black sand deserts of the Highlands, this combination of landscape features is definitely one of a kind. But don't for a minute think it's all about the great outdoors. The counterpoint to so much natural beauty is found in Iceland's cultural life, which celebrates a literary legacy that stretches from medieval sagas to contemporary thrillers by way of Nobel Prize winners. Live music is everywhere, as is visual art, handicrafts and locavore cuisine. The world's most northerly capital is home to the kind of egalitarianism, green thinking and effortless style that its Nordic brethren are famous for – all of which is wrapped in Iceland's assured individuality.

On the crossroads between east and west, the Balkan Peninsula is full of hidden gems waiting to be discovered. 

Begin your journey where historic cities blend with natural beauty. Explore legendary castles and give in to the enchantment of white beaches and deep green forests. Discover the painted monasteries, and often surprising centuries old wine culture. Trace ancient mythology and civilization throughout postcard worthy archeological sites. 

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Everything you’ve heard is true: Ireland is a stunner. The locals need little prodding to proclaim theirs the most beautiful land in the world, and can support their claim with many examples. Everyone will argue over the must-sees, but you can't go wrong if you put the brooding loneliness of Connemara, the dramatic wildness of Donegal, the majestic mountains of Mourne, the world-famous scenery of counties Kerry and Cork, and the celebrated Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland on your to-visit list. You can attend a play by a literary great in Dublin, toe-tap your way through a traditional-music session in a west-of-Ireland pub, or get your EDM on at a club in Belfast. The Irish summer is awash with festivals celebrating everything from flowers in bloom to high literature.