Flying from Southampton in July

Picasso's home town: a Moorish fortress above the port, tapas bars below, and a city beach a short walk from the centre.

• City break
• Tapas
• Museums
• Mild winters

A palm-lined seafront under the hilltop Santa Bárbara castle, with long city beaches and an old quarter of narrow streets.

• Beach
• Old town
• Mild winters

The largest Balearic island: Palma's Gothic cathedral, the Serra de Tramuntana mountains and hundreds of coves.

• Beaches
• Mountains
• Palma city break

A walled old town beside the Ria Formosa lagoon, and the gateway to the Algarve's cliffs and coves.

• Algarve coast
• Old town
• Golf

Gaudí's Sagrada Família and Park Güell, the Gothic Quarter's lanes and a city beach at Barceloneta.

• City break
• Architecture
• Beach

The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre, with cafés on every corner and Disneyland Paris east of the city.

• City break
• Museums
• Food

A fortified old harbour and the bridge to the Île de Ré's cycle paths and beaches.

• Coast
• Cycling
• Old town

Victorian architecture, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, free museums and one of the UK's best live music scenes.

• City break
• Live music
• Museums

An Edwardian city hall, the shipyard where Titanic was built, and the pubs and live music of the Cathedral Quarter.

• City break
• History
• Short hop

The castle on its volcanic rock, the Royal Mile running down to Holyrood, and Arthur's Seat to climb.

• History
• City break
• Festivals