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

Unspoilt, uncrowded, and unique in its culture, Albania is a treasure chest of ancient cities, mystical mountains, museums, castles and coastline, its feast of Ottoman architecture the jewel in its crown. This tour lifts the lid on its riches, of heritage and of nature

A few days in Rome at the Casa per Ferie of the Sisters of the Order of St. Joseph of the Apparition overlooking the Vatican or at a hotel close to the Vatican

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

Based in cosmopolitan Tunis and the sea and sand city of Sousse, take a fascinating journey through time, from the ancient archaeological sites of Roman Africa to Islamic architecture

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

Follow in the footsteps of Flaubert and Tennyson, Julius Caesar and Queen Victoria, to enjoy the timeless elegance of Lake Como, where flower-filled gardens and pastel-painted villages punctuate the shore, set against the stunning backdrop of the Southern Alps

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

A remarkable tour of Romania, this journey begins at Bucharest’s majestic monuments and takes you to medieval towns and rural villages, legendary castles and iconic ‘painted churches’, via mountain roads, river gorges, idyllic landscapes and inspiring heritage

Staying in three UNESCO World Heritage towns, Alcalá de Henares, medieval Ávila and Toledo, and visiting magnificent Madrid, Roman and Romanesque Segovia, and Renaissance Salamanca, this is a tour of the Middle Ages, art and architecture, plazas and palaces