A Luxury Journey Along the Mediterranean Coast

Barcelona’s art scene spills beyond the walls of its museums and galleries. Sculptures – and sculptural buildings – decorate its streets and squares. The capital of the Catalonia region sprawls out from Spain’s northeastern coast.

Its many impressive landmarks include gothic Barcelona Cathedral and Montjuïc Castle, a 17th-century military fortress overlooking the sea from its hilltop perch. 

Barcelona is perhaps best-known for the works of Antoni Gaudí. Spend time in mosaic-clad Park Güell and tour the architect’s unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia. The intricate spires of the church are visible from spots throughout the city. See his wavy Casa Milà apartment building – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and walk among its rooftop sculptures. 

Barcelona is made for wandering. People gravitate to the broad, tree-lined boulevard, La Rambla, home to the bustling food stalls of La Boqueria market. Neighbourhoods offer quieter streets lined with boutiques, art studios and tiny wine bars pouring vermouth and flutes of chilled Cava.

The scenery – and scents – of Provence have inspired artists for centuries. Vincent van Gogh created some of his most important works in Arles, known for its well-preserved Roman monuments. While Paul Cézanne painted Sainte-Victoire Mountain, a limestone massif near Aix-en-Provence, more than 80 times.

Bordering Italy in southeastern France, Provence’s landscapes are incredibly diverse. You’ll find national parks with glaciers, dramatic gorges and – at Camargue Regional Natural Park – flocks of flamingoes and wild herds of white horses.

Its biggest city is Marseille, whose ancient port is overlooked by the hilltop church, Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde. Hilltop villages and walled cities are found throughout the region.

Provence’s sensory experiences are equally eclectic. Lavender fields brighten landscapes in summer, while the air is fragranced with rosemary, olive groves, juniper and pine all year round. Concentrated around the coast, Côtes de Provence wineries pour the palest rosés from honey-hued châteaux with views over the Mediterranean Sea.

A byword for coastal glamour, the French Riviera – or Côte d’Azur – strings together an elegant necklace of beach resorts and towns in southeastern France. Technically part of Provence, it’s considered a distinct area in its own right.

You’ll arrive by train, with views of mountain villages and Provençal wineries as the scenery opens up to the sea. Small bays and broad, sandy beaches interlace the coastline, backed by red cliffs and cedar-clad peninsulas. 

The area’s resorts have attracted members of the Hollywood jetset, and other discerning vacationers, since the 1960s. In Saint-Tropez, honey and terracotta buildings overlook the yacht-filled harbour. Cannes’ palm-lined Boulevard de la Croisette links together sandy beaches, boutiques and fine-dining restaurants.

Nice is the area’s capital. Explore the Old Town, whose narrow, pedestrianised streets are lined with colourful townhouses. And visit Musée Matisse – filled with works by Henri Matisse, who moved here during the Second World War. 

Nearby Èze, a vertiginous hilltop comune, has medieval cobbled streets and a garden filled with rare blooms, planted in the old castle.

From one playground of the rich and beautiful to another – travel by road and rail to reach the Italian Riviera. Byron, Shelley and Keats holidayed, and found inspiration, here, followed by luminaries from Elizabeth Taylor to Ernest Hemingway.

This is the Ligurian coast, with Portofino its focal point. The fishing village occupies its own peninsula. Here, pastel-painted buildings overlook the harbour (and its impressive yachts). Its 16th-century fortress, Castello Brown, has views over the entire bay. Visit the Piazzetta, a cobbled square overlooking the water, for just-caught seafood or a bowl of pasta alla Portofino, which mixes pesto with tomato.

Further along the coast, you’ll spend time exploring the five fishing villages that make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Cinque Terre: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Colourful houses cling to the steep hillsides, which are etched with terraces. Over centuries, residents have carved these to plant vineyards, olive trees and lemon groves, taming the seafront cliffs.

Rome’s ancient history seems to live in its cobblestones – and appear suddenly, in its monuments and architecture, at every turn. Italy’s capital sprawls out from the banks of the Tiber River across seven historic hills. Each once held a separate settlement, together forming the heart of Ancient Rome. 

The city is best explored on foot, or via two wheels. Looming in the centre, the Colosseum once held more than 50,000 spectators. You’ll explore the vast amphitheatre during your stay in the Eternal City, taking in its millennia of history. Tour the impeccably preserved Pantheon, see the Trevi Fountain and ascend the marble Spanish Steps. One of the city’s quirkiest can be found beneath the ancient ruins of Largo di Torre Argentina, where it’s believed Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary shelters street cats below ground, and visitors can enter to meet the feline residents.

Among all of Rome’s history is a dynamic, and delicious, city. See contemporary art in sleek spaces like MAXXI, a museum designed by architect Zaha Hadid. Seek out a traditional restaurant or osteria to taste classics like cacio e pepe (pasta with cheese and black pepper) and supplì al telefono, fried rice balls stuffed with tomato and mozzarella. Or head to Testaccio Market, a glass-roofed food hall, to try street food creations like trapizzino – stuffed pockets of dough, and a modern spin on pizza.

The Amalfi Coast decorates the southern edge of Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula in Campania. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it unfurls – with implausible beauty – between clifftop Sorrento and the port city of Salerno. At its heart is the town of Amalfi, a former maritime republic whose Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea dominates Piazza Duomo, the main square.

Over the final, unforgettable few days of your Mediterranean adventure, you’ll delve deeper into the area’s dramatic scenery. Pass lemon groves and see the high-perched ruins of ancient fortresses on a guided trip along Amalfi Drive, a cliffside road carved out between forest-clad mountains and the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Spend time in villages like Ravello, home to 13th-century Villa Rufolo, whose terraced gardens gaze over the bay. 

In Positano, pastel-coloured houses appear to cling to the cliffside. Navigate its steep streets, stopping at elegant boutiques and ceramics studios. You’ll also have the opportunity to take a cooking class hosted by a Positano local, learning about dishes focused on fresh seafood, handcrafted pasta and famously fragrant Amalfi lemons.