Explore the Christian and Ottoman heritage of Istanbul (formerly Byzantium and Constantinople) including a Bosphorus cruise and visits to palaces, mosques, churches and bazaars, staying in historic hotels

An intriguing, astonishing, affecting introduction to Kraków and its surrounds, this short break spans its historical and cultural spectrum, from an ancient salt mine to a royal palace, medieval old town, spiritual sanctuary, Schindler’s factory, and Auschwitz Museum

A four-night tour, to four fascinating cities, this short break shows you ancient, medieval, and modern Albania. From a well-placed base in Durrës, on the shore of the Adriatic, included excursions take you to characterful Kruja, the capital, Tirana, and beguiling Berat

Sailing on a stylish river cruiser of the famous CroisiEurope fleet, this vibrant and varied tour takes you from the ‘streets of water’ in Venice, across the island-dotted lagoon, and along the Canal Bianco for excursions to Padua, Mantua and romantic Verona

On this relaxing and revealing tour, a blissfully beautiful acropolis, a Doric city-state, a hilltop church in a deserted monastery, and a sail to beguiling Symi, complement the castle citadel of the crusader Knights of St. John, forming the fabulous Old Town of Rhodes

This ‘Great Canal Journey’ is a fabulous float on the Marne-Rhine canal, sailing through sylvan valleys and the Vosges Mountains, to picturesque villages, fairy-tale castles, chateau views, and Chagall glass, enroute from splendid Strasbourg to lovely little Lagarde

An unhurried antidote to the pace of modern life, this ‘no fly’ tour takes the train to Avignon, and cruises from Roman ruins in Arles to revelations on the Canal du Rhône à Sète, in medieval Aigues-Mortes, the Camargue wilderness, and Étang de Thau sea-lake

From Bari’s historic Adriatic port to a sublimely different enclave of Italy, this enchanting tour takes you to Lecce’s lavishly adorned baroque buildings, to mystical Matera’s ancient ‘sassi’ cave dwellings, and to the unique cone-topped ‘trulli’ houses of Alberobello

Explore the largest of the Greek islands on this tour of Crete, and suspend disbelief to enjoy the myths and legends of the ancient sites, as you visit Roman ruins and Ottoman streets, Byzantine churches and Venetian ports, mountain villages and Minoan Palaces

From baroque castles to beautiful bucolic villages, from hilltop medieval ruins to valleys cloaked in the vineyards of age-old wine estates, from mountain scenery to ocean shore, enjoy the ever-changing landscapes of this unique Royal Barge cruise on the Douro

Exceptional value for a journey of discovery from Istanbul to Ephesus via Troy, Pergamon and Bursa through ancient, Ottoman and Byzantine Turkey