Paris - or the City of Light as it is known - has a reputation for being one of the most romantic and beautiful destinations in the world. And it would be hard to disagree as you wander the whimsical bridges of Canal Saint-Martin or gawk at the glittery Champs-Elysees from the top of the iconic Arc de Triomphe...

Sheltered by mountains of red sandstone, surrounded by the Negev Desert to the north and bordered by the Red Sea to the south, the Israeli city of Eilat is enviably placed. "Eilat is unique," says Ben Julius, founder of Tourist Israel, an online travel organisation that helps visitor plan their explorations of the country.

Goodness knows what the people of Salzburg made of my family and I careering round their city on bikes, singing Edelweiss at the tops of our voices. But Salzburg is intrinsically linked with The Sound Of Music and The Fraulein Maria bike tour is possibly the most memorable way to immerse yourself in it. To be honest, it wasn't really music and we didn't quite make it up into the hills, but the streets were definitely alive with the sound of our hollering.

Malaga. The coastline of Andalucía stretches for some 945 kilometres, from the border with Murcia on the Mediterranean to Portugal on the Atlantic. That's nearly 600 miles of spectacular sandy beaches, rugged cliffs, rocky coves and flat marshlands. Not all beaches are the same, though, and southern Spain certainly has variety.

There's nothing quite like a family road trip, and one of the best ways to see France at its finest is behind the wheel. What is surprising is how much of the country's most traditional attractions - gourmet food, the world's best wine, astonishing history and stunning architecture - are within a doable drive from other parts of Europe and the UK via Eurotunnel Le Shuttle terminal in Folkestone.

The Faroe Islands may have just found their way on to Google Street View and be an easy flight from Edinburgh or Copenhagen but the reason why the 18 islands of this archipelago - part of the Kingdom of Denmark and equidistant between Norway, Iceland and Scotland - remain on must-visit lists is their emptiness. You can travel for hours among their 540 square miles of rocky, windswept, treeless landscape and not see a soul. What you will see are dramatic mountains, wave-battered cliffs, delightful fjords and waterfalls - some unexpectedly floodlit - and gazillions of sheep. So far, so very Instagrammable.

One of the most popular tourist destinations on the Costa del Sol is Torremolinos, a former fishing village that gained fame during the 1950s and 60s due to the showbiz personalities that flocked to the fashionable scene that once existed in the town.  Torremolinos is conveniently located just 14 kilometres from Malaga and three kilometres from the Malaga Costa del Sol international airport, and the urban train line that runs from Malaga to Fuengrilo connects Torremolinos with several of the other popular resorts along the coast.

Few places have a closer relationship with the sea than Wales. With more than 800 miles of rugged coastline to experience, you'll find so many invigorating opportunities to dip your toes in Welsh waters and help celebrate the Year of the Sea.  The waters that lap this special segment of Britain have shaped the landscape over countless centuries - not just in geography, in carving out tall cliffs, gorgeous bays and soft beaches, but in their effect on the people who live alongside the waves.

One of Europe's most beautiful sailing destinations, Croatia offers calm turquoise waters and a host of islands, each with its own identity and idiosyncrasies. Yacht charter bases are located in marinas, the most popular ones being on the mainland, in or near Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Pula, all of which are conveniently served by summer flights from the UK or elsewhere in Europe.

It’s 7am in the month of July and I am in Pamplona, Spain.  Today the town holds the Fiesta de San Fermín, where the main event is the terrifying Running of the Bulls.  It's cold and my sangria-splattered white costume is sticking to my body. Hundreds around me wear the same expression I'm trying to muster: staunch commitment in the face of fear.

You can smell the danger. Four tonnes of danger, to be exact.  Four tonnes of hurtling, human crushing, live beef. Four tonnes of ‘get the fuck out of my way'. Four tonnes of reasons why I shouldn't be standing here... But I am.