Peschiera del Garda is located on the southern end of Lake Garda, in Italy's Veneto region. The town's sixteenth-century island fortress and walls are visible today, a reminder of a time when Austria controlled the region. After exploring Peschiera's history, relax with a glass of Lugana, a local white wine.

One of Poland’s most beautiful cities, Gdansk, on the Baltic Sea, has played major roles in history, especially in the 20th-century. It was the 1939 flash point of World War II, and then in 1980, the birthplace of the Solidarnosc labor movement, ushering the end of Communist domination in Eastern Europe. Gdansk’s Old Town, painstakingly reconstructed to its Hanseatic League glory after being leveled in World War II, is a highlight. The 14th-century Town Hall houses the city’s historical museum.

From Shoreditch’s swaggering style to Camden’s punky vibe and chic Portobello Road, London is many worlds in one. The city’s energy means that no two days are the same. Explore royal or historic sites, tick off landmarks from your bucket list, eat and drink in exclusive Michelin-starred restaurants, enjoy a pint in a traditional pub, or get lost down winding cobbled streets and see what you stumble across – when it comes to London, the possibilities are endless.

Traces of Preston’s industrial past can be seen in its historic Docklands district and steam train railways, while the city centre mixes the old and new, with glass-fronted shopping malls flanked by elegant Georgian townhouses.

The soundtrack of tranquil Boa Vista is the sweet tweets of exotic birds. Maybe they’re chattering with loggerhead turtles or with the humpback whales that are known to splash around Boa Vista’s shallow waters. Work up a sweat and hike to the wreck of the Santa Maria, or explore the Duque de Braganca Fort, built to protect the Ilheu de Sal Rei from pirates. The windswept red and tan sand dunes of Deserto de Viana are awe-inspiring.