Wales and Cornwall

Cardiff presents itself as the young, dynamic capital of Wales, a city that has reinvented itself around its harbour and Celtic identity. Its historic heart is Cardiff Castle, a Roman and medieval fortress turned into a Victorian mansion with the lavish interiors commissioned by the Marquess of Bute. All around open the covered Edwardian arcades, full of independent shops, and the National Museum Cardiff with its impressionist collection. On the waterfront, the old docklands of Cardiff Bay are now a lively promenade with restaurants, the futuristic Wales Millennium Centre devoted to the arts and the historic Norwegian Church. Sports fans thrill to rugby in the great Principality Stadium dominating the centre. A short way off await the fairytale Castell Coch, the coasts of the Gower Peninsula and the history-laden mining valleys. Among welcoming pubs, Welsh cooking and music festivals, Cardiff offers a warm welcome. It is a capital on a human scale, where national pride and contemporary energy blend with ease.

Falmouth gathers around one of the world's deepest natural harbours, a lively Cornish seaside town of southern Cornwall with a strong artistic spirit. Its past as a packet-ship port lives on in the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, facing the water, while guarding the estuary of the River Fal rises the imposing Pendennis Castle, a fortress built by Henry VIII. Its busy streets alternate art galleries, independent shops, cafés and seafood restaurants, helped by the presence of a renowned art university. The town beaches such as Gyllyngvase invite swimming and strolls, while cruises and boats sail up the river towards inland villages and the subtropical gardens that thrive thanks to the mild climate. Falmouth is an ideal base for exploring Cornwall's southern coast, where seaside life meets creativity and good food.

Torquay is the pearl of the English Riviera, an elegant Devon resort of palm trees and a mild climate facing Tor Bay. Its golden beaches, marina and Victorian seafront earned it the nickname 'Torbay'. Home of the writer Agatha Christie, it celebrates the queen of crime fiction with trails and places tied to her life. All around open cliffs, coastal paths and picturesque villages such as Cockington. Within easy reach lie the moors of Dartmoor. Torquay blends seaside elegance, a gentle climate and the literary charm of Devon.

London is one of those metropolises that defies summary: a millennia-old capital of the United Kingdom, it spreads along both banks of the Thames and changes character with every district. Its monumental heart turns around Westminster, where the Palace of Westminster and the Big Ben clock tower face the Gothic Westminster Abbey, setting for royal coronations. A little further on lies St James's Park and, at the end of the Mall, Buckingham Palace with its famous Changing of the Guard. Heading east you reach Christopher Wren's domed St Paul's Cathedral and, on the river, the medieval Tower of London guarding the Crown Jewels, flanked by the iconic Tower Bridge. On the opposite bank, the South Bank lines up the London Eye, the Tate Modern set in a former power station and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The great museums are free and astonishing: the British Museum with the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon marbles, the National Gallery overlooking Trafalgar Square, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert in South Kensington. Shopping has its temples along Oxford Street and at Harrods and Liberty, while Covent Garden, Soho and Camden Market reveal a younger, more creative London. The West End lights up its musicals each evening and Notting Hill smells of vintage stalls along Portobello Road. The food is an atlas of the whole world, from the curries of Brick Lane to pubs serving fish and chips and a pint of ale, not forgetting the ritual of afternoon tea. Getting around is easy thanks to the Underground and the red double-decker buses. Within easy reach await unforgettable excursions: the royal gardens of Kew, Windsor Castle, Greenwich with its zero meridian. London is a city forever reinventing itself, suspended between royal tradition and contemporary energy.