At the foot of the Sierra de Guaderrama mountains, to the west of Madrid, lies the magnificent monastery of El Escorial, or San Lorenzo de El Escorial to give it its full name. Built by Felipe II between 1563 and 1584, the monastery was designed to house the remains of the Spanish royal family and over the centuries, countless members have been entombed within its gargantuan walls. Severe, austere and imposing, El Escorial is part-monastery, part-palace and quite unlike any palace I’ve been to – for at times, it feels like a giant tomb. The huge fortress-like structure is laid…

Of all the many places I visited in Madrid, the Museo Cerralbo was by far my favourite. Situated in an unassuming 19th century mansion, the museum showcases the former home and collection of Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa, an archaeologist, politician and the 17th Marquis of Cerralbo. When he died in 1922, the Marquis left his collection to the Spanish nation on condition that the state keep the house as he left it. And I can’t say I blame him for that. Madrid has many lavish, ornate museums and palaces, but the Museo Cerralbo tops the lot with its jaw-dropping…

Some 45 minutes to the south of Madrid, you’ll find the city of Aranjuez, home to the Royal Summer Palace and Gardens. The city is where the Spanish royal family used to decamp after Easter, taking up residence in its leafy surroundings until June. The palace was originally built by the Order of Santiago after the conquest of the Moors and passed to Isabella I at the end of the 15th century. Emperor Charles V had long dreamed of turning Aranjuez into an Italianate palace, and in 1560 his son Felipe II set about making this dream a reality by…

Hip, friendly Porto is a foodie’s paradise boasting pretty tile-clad buildings, superb cafés and restaurants, and lots of interesting sights. Having spent four days exploring the hilly Portuguese city’s maze of narrow streets and sampling its gastronomic delights, it seemed the perfect place to add to my growing list of travel guides. Without further ado, here’s my mini travel guide to Porto… Glorious churches, cathedrals and monasteries From the Capela das Almas (Chapel of Souls) to the Igreja de Santo Ildefonso (above), many of Porto’s most memorable buildings are the glorious churches covered in the region’s distinctive blue and white…

Chic, laid-back, friendly, welcoming and playful are just some of the words I’d use to describe the historic French city of Nantes. The former capital of Brittany (it’s called Naoned in Breton) has been dubbed the ‘city of the dukes of Brittany’. Even though it hasn’t been part of Brittany since the Second World War when the boundaries were changed (it’s now the capital of the Pays de la Loire region), it still retains a distinctly Breton charm. The walkable city, which is situated on the banks of the River Loire and is home to more than 600,000 people, boasts…

Nestled in the heart of Nantes’s medieval centre lies the magnificent and imposing Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne, the former home of the dukes of Brittany. It was the place I was most excited about visiting in Nantes and on my first full day in the city, I made my way to the chateau, keen to get there soon after it opened at 10am. The chateau dates back to the 13th century and its famous former residents have included Anne, Duchess of Brittany, who went on to marry two French kings, and her father Fran?ois II. It’s also said to…

The sleepy, unassuming Breton village of Sainte-Anne-d’Auray is the unlikely home of one of France’s most significant pilgrimmage sites. On driving into Sainte-Anne-d’Auray, it seemed like any other quiet village in the Morbihan countryside – until, that is, we came upon the massive basilica that dominates its centre. Sainte-Anne-d’Auray’s claim to religious fame dates back to the 17th century when a local farmer, Yves Nicolazic, claimed he’d repeatedly seen the Virgin Mary’s mother St Anne, who told him to build a chapel on the site. When a statue was found on the spot St Anne indicated, a church was built…

With its winding medieval streets, colourful timber-framed houses and handsome stone buildings, the old Breton capital Vannes (or Gwened in Breton) has bags of character, great shopping and lots of photogenic buildings. Originally named Darioritum, the charming market town, which sits at the mouth of the rivers Marle and Vincin, has a long history. It was founded by the Romans and became the capital of Brittany in the Middle Ages. Today, it’s the capital of the Morbihan region. The town’s medieval centre is surrounded by imposing walls, which are studded with towers and gates, and while some stretches no longer…

The Presqu’?le de Quiberon is a 14km-long slither of land on the southern coast of Brittany. Boasting a wild, rugged coastline, attractive resorts and pristine beaches, the narrow peninsula is attached to the Breton mainland by a small sandbank, the Isthme de Penthièvre. We drove down to the Presqu’?le de Quiberon after spending the morning touring the megalithic sights of Carnac. Our first stop on the peninsula was the evocative C?te Sauvage (Wild Coast, below) on its south-western tip. The 8km-stretch of rocky coastline is breathtakingly beautiful and it was exhilarating standing atop the cliffs watching the tempestuous waves crash…

Of the many sights to see in Brittany, perhaps the most famous (and mysterious) of all are the megalithic standing stones at Carnac. The prehistoric site is centred around three clusters of stones, or menhirs as they’re also known, not far from the small town of Carnac. We began our visit at the largest of the three sites – the Alignements du Ménec, a group of 1,099 standing stones, laid out in 11 rows on the outskirts of Carnac. Across the road from the menhirs, there’s a visitor centre where you can look out over the site from its first…