The Vilamoura area offers a fabulous diversity of experiences, from quiet pine forest ambles and Atlantic beaches, to a casino, shooting club, riding school and a choice of nightclubs. The main attractions are the environmentally-conscious planned development's four golf courses and Polvo Watersports Algarve water park. The area's past is brought to the forefront with a preserved Roman site and the Museum of Cerro da Vila. Rent a car to make the most of Vilamoura and the surrounding Algarve region.

Romantic Naples, two hours south of Rome, is the largest city in southern Italy. It has some of the world's best opera and theatre houses and is often called an open-air museum, due to its many historic statues and monuments. Join families on the promenade as the sun sets on the Bay of Naples. View finds from Pompeii and Herculaneum, destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale or revel in the art and architecture of Museo Cappella Sansevero, built in the late 1500s.

A spot of white in the turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea, the island of Naxos is a unique blend of ancient ruins and beach culture. The largest of the Cycladic Islands, Naxos is the childhood home of none other than Zeus, king of the gods. Upon arrival in Naxos, hike over a causeway to Palatia, where the Portara, a stone gateway to an ancient temple that no longer exists, stands alone, the symbol of the island. At sunset, the views of the island, and the sea beyond, are breathtaking.

Sprawling along the edge of the Thermaic Gulf, Thessaloniki is a seaside showcase of Greek history from ancient Roman and Byzantine ruins to the modern high-rises lining its beaches. Plus, after sundown, Greece’s cultural capital hums with some of the best nightlife options in the Aegean.