The south of England boasts a dramatic coastline that encloses some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain. The landscape of hills and heaths, downs and forests, valleys and dales, is without rival. Southampton serves as your gateway to the countryside – and to a wide variety of historic sites, national landmarks and charming. And of course, London is a two-hour drive by modern highway. The United Kingdom’s premier passenger ship port, Southampton was home for many years to the great transatlantic liners of yesteryear.

This quaint town perched on the North Sea boasts dual personalities. While renowned as the site where Viking king Harald Hårfagre united Norway as a kingdom in the 9th century, it’s also one of the country’s most popular destinations for the annual Sildajazz Festival and Norwegian Film Festival. Add in a thriving town center with hundreds of shops and cultural diversions to jaw-dropping scenery and thrilling excursions, your stay in Haugesund promises to be an enthralling experience you won’t soon forget.

Situated in the heart of the Norwegian fjords, the port of Skjolden-Sognefjord is your gateway to a world of wonder: this land abounds with national treasures, thundering waterfalls, two UNESCO sites, ice-blue fjords hemmed in by sky-reaching mountains and scenery so unbelievably spectacular you just may lose your breath. From the ruggedly handsome mountains in Jotunheimen National Park to the humble stave churches that dot the landscape, this captivating area is yours to discover.

By the mid-19th century, European travelers were cruising the waters of the Nordfjord and visiting the village of Olden. The Romantic Movement inspired this new taste for dramatic landscape – and Norway had plenty of dramatic landscape. Then as now, travelers were impressed, moved, and not frequently overwhelmed by the stark contrast between peaceful rural farmsteads and a towering wilderness of mountain peaks and glaciers. For many years Olden was home to American landscape artist William H. Singer (1868-1943). Scion of a Pittsburgh steel family, Singer provided Olden with a road and a regional hospital.

Stavanger is blessed with history and natural beauty. It boasts an advantageous location on the southwestern coast with some of Norway’s best weather. From the old port, the city radiates across a network of islands interlaced with graceful bridges.

The south of England boasts a dramatic coastline that encloses some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain. The landscape of hills and heaths, downs and forests, valleys and dales, is without rival. Southampton serves as your gateway to the countryside – and to a wide variety of historic sites, national landmarks and charming. And of course, London is a two-hour drive by modern highway. The United Kingdom’s premier passenger ship port, Southampton was home for many years to the great transatlantic liners of yesteryear.

Spain’s third largest city grew from a first century Roman outpost to become a rival to Barcelona’s dizzying energy and Madrid’s cultural attractions-which explains the colorful mix of cosmopolitan buildings and Old World charm you’ll encounter around every corner. While the city boasts Lladró porcelain, the UNESCO-recognized La Lonja, or Old Silk Exchange, and the imposing Valencia Cathedral, just a few miles away is a world of undulating hillsides covered in vineyards and a magical maze of caverns to tempt you as well. As you explore each fascinating facet of this beautiful city you’ll discover that it will never fail to delight, inspire and surprise.

The 1992 Summer Olympics revealed to the world what Europeans and seasoned travelers already knew – Barcelona is one of the world’s greatest treasures. Vibrant and earthy, commercial and cultural, this city of two million residents is the capital of Spain’s autonomous region of Catalonia. Stroll along the wide, tree-lined promenades of Las Ramblas and marvel at the spires of Gaudi’s Basilica La Sagrada Familia. Or visit the former Olympic Ring on the hill of Montjuic – also home to world-class parks, fountains and museums. Barcelona, which nurtured such artistic giants as Picasso, Dali, Miro and Casals, is definitely a traveler’s paradise.

Toulon has been the great bastion of the French navy since 1494, when Charles VIII chose its superb harbor as the site for a naval shipyard. Today, Toulon is homeport for the French navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier “Charles de Gaulle.” The city is also the capital of the Var and provides an excellent gateway to the riches of Provence and the Cote d’Azur. To the north and west are medieval Provencal hilltop villages and superb vineyards. To the east lie the fabled coves and beaches of the Cote d’Azur, the setting for the legendary resort of St. Tropez. And everywhere there is the miraculous fusion of sky and sea that forms the essence of Southern France.

Toulon’s Upper Town bears more than a strong resemblance to Paris – in the 1840s, the prefect of the Var was that same Baron Haussmann who gave the City of Light its elegant boulevards and architecture. Haussmann first tried his hand at urban renewal here in Toulon

Your gateway to the Eternal City, Civitavecchia has served as Rome’s seaport since the 13th century. The port has a long and venerable history. The emperor Trajan built a pleasure villa near the modern city, while Bernini and Michelangelo designed the harbor fortifications. Yet the Eternal City eternally beckons. The ancient capital of the Western World and the center of Christianity for nearly 2,000 years, Rome provides an inexhaustible feast. Visit the ruins of the Forum, view the splendors of the Sistine Chapel, or climb the Spanish Steps, once the heart of Rome’s Bohemian Quarter. Rome has been a magnet luring the world’s greatest artists, architects, and philosophers since the days of the Caesars.

The island of Sardinia has an unspoiled coastline and thousands of prehistoric features that lend a magical feel to this isle. For centuries, Italy and Spain vied for control of Sardinia, and you can see the Catalan influences on many parts of the island, especially Alghero.

The south of England boasts a dramatic coastline that encloses some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain. The landscape of hills and heaths, downs and forests, valleys and dales, is without rival. Southampton serves as your gateway to the countryside – and to a wide variety of historic sites, national landmarks and charming. And of course, London is a two-hour drive by modern highway. The United Kingdom’s premier passenger ship port, Southampton was home for many years to the great transatlantic liners of yesteryear.