Destinations
Austria
Austria has existed as a country for less than 100 years but, despite inauspicious beginnings, has thrived thanks to its position at the heart of Europe. Visitors are attracted by the glories of its Imperial Habsburg past...
Belgium & Luxembourg
Famed for its magnificent Flemish art and Gothic architecture, Belgium, like neighbouring Luxembourg, is a melting pot of various influences including Dutch, French, and German. The histories of the two countries have long..
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is one of Europe's youngest states. In the years after World War 1I, foreign visitors to what was then Czechoslovakia rarely ventured farther than the capital, Prague. Today the country's beautifully...
Denmark
Denmark is a peaceful and pleasant place. Its landscape islargely green, flat, and rural— with a host of half-timbered villages reminiscent of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. It is an easy country to visit...
Finland
Finland is perhaps the least known of the Nordic countries. Historically, geographically, and conomically, the country straddles East and West, trading and maintaining links with both. Western Europe and the...
France
The best advocates for visiting France are the French themselves, convinced as they are that their way of life is best, and their country the most civilized on earth. The food and wine are justly celebrated, while...
Germany
By reputation the Germans are a hard-working, efficient, competitive people and this is borne out by their recent economic success. However, Germany's turbulent, divided past and the centuries when it was...
Great Britain
Separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel, Britain has been assiduous in preserving its traditions. However, the island can offer the visitor much more than stately castles and pretty villages...
Greece
Greece is one of the most visited countries in Europe, yet remains one of the least known. Although most visitors will be familiar with the images of Ancient Greece, the modern Greek state dates only from 1830...
Hungary
HUNGARY Uniquely in central Europe, Hungary is peopled by descendants of the Magyars, a race from central Asia who settled here at the end of the 9th century. In more recent times the country has fought...
Ireland
It is easy to see Ireland as a lush, green island dotted with quaint, thatched cottages and friendly pubs filled with music, wit, and poetry. Despite the contrasting reality of rapid economic growth and...
Italy
Italy has drawn people in search of culture and romance for centuries. Few countries can compete with its Classical origins, its art, architecture, musical, and literary traditions, its scenery, or its food and wine...
Netherlands
Situated at the mouth of the River Rhine, the Netherlands is a man-made country that owes its life to the sea: much of the land once lay under water, and a maritime trading tradition was the principal source of...
Norway
Norway's great attraction is the grandeur of its scenery. The landscape is one of dramatic contrasts: great mountain ranges, sheer river valleys, mighty glaciers, deep green forests, and the spectacular...
Poland
Located between Russia and Germany, Poland has always been a fiercely contested land. Released from the eastern bloc in 1989, the country is now developing rapidly, especially in the cities of Warsaw, racow, Gdansk, and Wroclaw...
Portugal
Most visitors to Portugal head for the sandy coves, prettybfishing villages, and manicured golf courses of the Algarve. But beyond the south coast resorts lies the least explored corner of Western Europe...
Spain
The most familiar images of Spain - flamenco dancing, bullfighting, tapas bars, and solemn Easter processions - do no more than hint at the diversity of this country. Spain has official languages...
Sweden
The Swedes are justly proud of the natural beauty of their country. From the snow-capped mountains of the north, through rolling countryside dotted with forests and lakes, to the tiny islands of the Baltic...
Switzerland
The stereotypical images of Switzerland - cozy wooden chalets, alpine meadows, and chic skiing resorts — are easy to find. But there are many other sides to this small, diverse -country that are equally...