Byzantine churches, crumbling ruins, modern architecture, intense nightlife and the stunning sea — this is the essence of Thessaloniki. The second largest city in Greece, Thessaloniki combines more than 2,300 years of history with young student population. The city is a perfect destination for urban explorers and a gateway to the prefecture of Halkidiki in the southeast, with the characteristic shape of the three 'legs' — Kassandra, Sithonia and Athos — a favorite vacation destination for locals. Pristine beaches and charming villages aplenty.

The heart of the Turkish Republic, Ankara, is the second largest city of Turkey after Istanbul. The city lies on the border where east between west. The European and Middle Eastern cultures merged and coloured the city's architecture, food, wine, nightlife, fashion and arts. Drop the anchor in Ankara, as its name suggests, cross the border between tradition and modernity.

It’s easy to lose yourself In Istanbul’s grandiose history, but modern Istanbul is a simmering metropolis, well worth a visit in its own right. The shopping is world-class and the nightlife pulsates around not one but several districts. Even though Istanbul is no longer the capital, it’s still the country’s business and cultural centre, still, the city where new trends are created.

The narrow and often steep granite-paved streets of Cagliari’s Castello District are a reminder of a bygone age when the town was dominated at first by Pisans, and later by the Aragonese. Built from white limestone, the walls and towers of the Old Town shimmer in the sun and are a magnificent sight, especially if you are lucky and approach the city from the sea, as the English novelist D.H. Lawrence did in 1921 when he described the Old Town as looking like a "Jerusalem without trees".