Mullaghmore, a small fishing village in County Sligo, boasts three kilometres of white sandy beach, which proves very popular with water sports enthusiasts, especially expert big wave surfers. Go on a panoramic walk along the coast and enjoy watching their water stunts.

The Amsterdam Dungeon brings 500 years of dark history to life with 12 shows, 7 actors and 1 terrifying experience. Can you survive the horrific plague during the 80 minute tour? Make sure you don’t get tortured by the executioner Peter Titelmann from the Spanish Inquisition or get lost in the mirror labyrinth. There is also a roller coaster for the really brave visitors.

Both castles of Beaufort are worth a visit. The first, demolished during the Battle of the Ardennes of WWII, is now in ruins, the second — a Renaissance château— can be visited on a pre-booked guided tour during high season. Tasting of a locally made fruit liquor is included in the price of admission.

In the Céramique district, you still feel the industrial past, even though you’re standing in the newest and most modern part of the city. It’s the kind of place where you look up and keep looking, to take in the impressive architecture, even as the ground around you buzzes with culture and activity. Céramique arose in the early 1990s on the site of ‘Société Céramique,’ a ceramics factory that operated from 1850 to 1985, best known for its tableware. When the factory was offered for sale to the municipality in the late 1980s, the idea to redevelop the area as a quality residential and commercial district quickly emerged, and Government Architect Jo Coenen was engaged to develop a master plan. One of his fundamental premises was to bring something of a Mediterranean feel to this part of the city. To achieve this, he brought in luminary architects from southern Europe for the design of the various residential and business complexes. The result is a total package of architectural high point after high point, like Mario Botta’s ‘La Fortezza,’ Alvaro Siza’s ‘Tower of Siza,’ and perhaps the crowning glory, Aldo Rossi’s Bonnefanten Museum. But despite all the forward-looking architecture, the connection to the past remains, in the street names, remnants of older buildings and tableware that turn up unexpectedly, and the exhibitions in the Bonnefanten Museum and Centre Céramique. Each and every one is a golden thread of history interwoven into the fabric of today.