Iberia & the Bay of Biscay

Portugal's bustling capital showcases a rich contrast of the historical and modern. Situated near the Tagus River and endlessly sunny, Lisbon embodies a unique beauty and an internationally acclaimed architectural singularity. Its charming hilly neighborhoods boast winding, cobblestone streets and pastel-painted homes and cafés, which happily serve up the city’s signature cuisine, including pastel de nata and custard tarts. From imposing Sao Jorge Castle, the view encompasses the city’s Old Town, Tagus Estuary, and suspension bridge; the National Azulejo Museum displays 5 centuries of decorative ceramic tiles.

Straddling the mouth of the Douro River, the splendid city of Oporto holds such architectural importance that the entire historic center has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. A great place to begin your exploration is Praça da Liberdade, a lengthy public esplanade lined with graceful 19th-century buildings. You’ll find the city has no shortage of marvelous churches, from the imposingly fortified Porto Cathedral to the graciously appointed Clérigos Church, whose soaring bell tower offers panoramic vistas over the city’s picturesque red-tile roofs. In the 1906 Lello Bookstore, prepare to be swept away by elaborate art nouveau features including a sinuous double staircase and a luminous stained-glass skylight. But what’s a visit to Oporto without sampling its signature export, the fortified wine that shares the city’s name. Tour one of the illustrious cellars dotting the Douro’s southern bank, where port is crafted just as it has been for centuries, and savor exquisite samples of the sweet libation. When evening comes, take advantage of Oporto’s reputation as the best place to eat in Portugal, perhaps choosing among the delectable cod dishes for which the city is renowned.

France’s Atlantic shore between Pointe de Grave, at the mouth of the Gironde River, and Biarritz, at the foot of the Pyrenées, is known as Côte d’Argent. The river narrows near Bordeaux, center to one of the world’s most celebrated wine-producing regions. More than 10,000 vineyards dot the countryside, providing most of the Epicurean nation’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sémillon, Savignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes. Bordeaux reveals itself through taste and texture, historic stone façades, vine-covered hills, and the simple pleasure of lingering over a perfectly chosen glass. With hundreds of historical buildings and monuments, dozens of art galleries and museums, and distinctive French cuisine, Bordeaux is simply unmissable.

France’s Atlantic shore between Pointe de Grave, at the mouth of the Gironde River, and Biarritz, at the foot of the Pyrenées, is known as Côte d’Argent. The river narrows near Bordeaux, center to one of the world’s most celebrated wine-producing regions. More than 10,000 vineyards dot the countryside, providing most of the Epicurean nation’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sémillon, Savignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes. Bordeaux reveals itself through taste and texture, historic stone façades, vine-covered hills, and the simple pleasure of lingering over a perfectly chosen glass. With hundreds of historical buildings and monuments, dozens of art galleries and museums, and distinctive French cuisine, Bordeaux is simply unmissable.

Twin medieval towers still guard the harbor entrance where a great chain once stretched to keep out raiders, a fittingly dramatic gateway to one of France's prettiest Atlantic ports. A short hop across the water, the Ile de Re rewards a bicycle and an afternoon among salt marshes, oyster beds and the little egrets that stalk them, while La Rochelle's own thalassotherapy tradition draws on the same Atlantic waters for a genuinely restorative spa afternoon. Around the old port, seafood brasseries serve the day's oyster and mussel catch with a chilled glass of the region's own Charentais wine. Maritime history, birdlife and a proper French table, all within a short walk of the quay.

Boasting an immensely picturesque coastline, the Channel Island of Guernsey has long attracted artists such as Auguste Renoir to its welcoming shores. In the capital of St. Peter Port, wander through commanding Castle Cornet, a 13th-century marvel of military engineering that sits on a rocky headland jutting out at sea. Admire some of the earliest heated glass houses at the Candie Gardens, whose elegantly landscaped grounds are laid out with Victorian thoughtfulness and contemplate Victor Hugo’s not entirely uncomfortable exile at Hauteville House, the splendid manor where he wrote Les Miserables. Hop on a bicycle to explore the picturesque hills and dales of the island, perhaps riding past a herd of the island’s famed namesake cows, and revitalize at an authentic tea house, where age-old traditions are carefully observed. For that perfect keepsake, shop along cobbled streets overflowing with charm, maybe pausing at a fresh-caught seafood restaurant for a taste of the island’s famed crab. No matter how you choose to spend your time, the leisurely pace of life in delightful Guernsey will replenish your spirit.

The spiritual home of British yacht racing, Cowes has watched sail regattas round its harbor mouth since before most yacht clubs existed, Cowes Week remains one of the sport's great fixtures. Queen Victoria's seaside retreat, Osborne House, sits a short drive away, gardens and beach included, while a handful of English vineyards on the island's sheltered south coast now produce sparkling wine serious enough to trouble Champagne. Red squirrels, found almost nowhere else in southern England, still thrive in the island's woods. A very British kind of maritime charm.

Synonymous with royalty, London is a living testament to the lofty achievements of the mighty kings and queens that have presided over this storied island nation. Witness the changing of the guard at gracious Buckingham Palace, a cherished custom that is both timeless and precisely on time, and tour the Houses of Parliament, the city’s other magnificently ornate center of power and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Cross the iconic Tower Bridge on your way to view the utterly dazzling Crown Jewels, which are kept in the once-forbidding Tower of London, another UNESCO site. After refreshing with a pint of beer at a classic English pub, sample the best of contemporary art at the essential Tate Modern, which is housed in a former brick power station. Next door, you’ll find the faithful reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, where Romeo and Juliet can keep falling in love for eternity. Stroll through immaculately manicured Hyde Park, shop in tony Covent Garden and take in the entire city from the London Eye observation wheel, as the resonant chimes of Big Ben comfort both Londoners and visitors with time-honored tones known the world over.