Blessed with a dramatic setting on the steep banks of the river Douro, Portugal’s second city is currently enjoying something of a renaissance, and is best known as the home of the country’s most famous export, port wine.

From the warren-like medieval streets of the Barri Gòtic to the fantastical modernist architecture of Antoni Gaudí, from the dizzy heights of Mount Tibidabo to the golden sands of Barceloneta, there’s never a dull moment in Barcelona.

Few ports conjure up images of glitz and movie star glamour quite so readily as Cannes. May is when the glitterati roll into town for the Film Festival, but there’s still plenty to divert you the rest of the year, including the old quarter, Le Suquet, and the dazzling Croisette.

One of the world’s great cities, Rome continues to dazzle and delight visitors with a potent mix of architectural marvels, continent-defining history and buzzing nightlife. The Colosseum, the Vatican and the Forum are among the big ticket items, with the crowds to match, though in truth you will find history around almost every corner.

The Sardinian city of Alghero is home to one of the loveliest old towns in the Mediterranean, with its cobbled lanes, elegant churches and golden sandstone architecture. The city was ruled for some 300 years by the Crown of Aragon and retains a uniquely Hispanic feel, with a dialect of Catalan still spoken by some locals.

Málaga boasts plenty of chic restaurants and bars where you can ease into the rhythms of life in southern Spain, before exploring sights including the intriguing, unfinished Gothic cathedral, and a museum devoted to the city's most famous son, Pablo Picasso.

Sovereignty of ‘The Rock’ has been a thorny issue ever since Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713, though on the ground it’s clear where most locals’ sympathies lie. Gibraltar is often described as ‘more British than Britain’, a curious enclave of red postboxes, double decker buses and chip shops.