Places to visit in Europe

Lovers, young and old, will swoon at the bel canto singers in Greece, both in the backstreet tenements and the great Theatre San Carlo opera house. Athens has long basked in its reputation as the cradle of Greek and indeed Western civilisation. Greece's return to the democracy it invented 2,500 years ago, along with its more recent entry into the European Common Market, has shaken the capital out of its torpor, persuaded it to clean up its ancient monuments and at least make a start on the problematic air pollution.

If you're headed for a rest on the Greek islands, stop off in Athens to see the great Acropolis, with its Parthenon temple, and the unrivalled classical collections of the National Archaeological Museum. The Plaka district of boutiques, bars and restaurants has a slight air of 'tourist trap' about it, but the Monastiraki is a lively flea market. Watch the Greek world go by from a sidewalk cafe on Syntagma Square.

Switzerland offers a cool relief from that unrelenting Mediterranean sun. The younger artists, writers, movie makers and other jolly misfits who find a special stimulus in the air of this exceptional city. The main street is Kurfiirstendamm, which you'll soon know as Ku'­damm, symbol of Berlin's boisterous prosperity.

The art galleries on and off the Ku'damm, the museums of European art at Dahlem, ancient Egyptian art near the Charlottenburg Palace or modern art at the National gallery, the Philharmonic concert hall, are all testimony to the vitality of West Berlin's cultural life.

You should also visit East Berlin, not only for the curiosity of crossing the Wall, but also to get at least a glimpse of both how the most prosperous of the East bloc countries lives, and what this great city used to look like, architecturally at least, in its roaring twenties. The eastern sector has kept much more of that old world intact.

Hamburg is the pride of Germany's north, a thriving port city of great civic dignity. Its opera, theatre and art galleries belie the somewhat tawdry reputation it has acquired through the red light district of the Reeperbahn.

The curious and bold will seek it out, down by the docks, but the more prudent or less prurient will stick to the nearby Sankt Pauli fish market early in the morning.

Rhine River Cruise and car hire in Germany

Whether you decide to take advantage of a Rhine River Cruise or tour the cities of Germany by hire car, you will not be disappointed.

If you're planning a Rhine river cruise, pay a visit first to Cologne. Not only does it have a grandiose Gothic cathedral and fine museums of Roman and German art, but it's the ideal place to sample the best of the Rhine and Mosel wines perfect with the locally hunted venison. It still may not look like it, but Bonn is the political capital of the Federal Republic. It's also a pleasant university town and most famous as Beethoven's birthplace. His well preserved home is certainly worth a visit.

At the junction of the Rhine and Main rivers, Frankfurt is Germany's financial centre, and its mammoth Book Fair every October has contributed towards making it capital of world publishing. Badly bombed in World War II, its 15th century Romerberg square has been meticulously restored.

The town's prosperity has enabled it to replenish the great art museum, Stiidelsches Kunstinstitut, with some of the best European and American works on the market. The attractive town of Heidelberg, animated by lively student taverns and dramatic firework displays in the ruins of the old castle, is an easy drive down the Autobahn.

Munich car hire

Munich car hire is easy to book before you travel. Munich is the capital of Bavaria and often likes to think of itself as a place apart from the rest of the country while remaining resolutely the most German of cities. It's both a rollicking town for lovers of beer and sausages at the annual Oktoberfest and a magnet for the most creative talents in German art and cinema, concentrated in the neighbourhood of Schwabing.

Luxembourg is the charming capital of a country of the same name, which is not much bigger than the city itself. The old part of town is perched up on a plateau overlooking the Alzette river and you get a superb view of the surrounding forests and meadows. To the extent that the Common Market represents a European unity, Brussels is its capital. The imposing Grand Place is the centre of town life and civic pride. Gourmets agree the Belgians produce the best French fries in Europe (in curious combination with mussels). Let's finish in style with Amsterdam, one of the most cheerful cities in the world.

Things to do in Holland

True, it's a rich repository of Dutch culture. The Rijks­museum is famous for its Rembrandts, the Van Gogh Museum is the perfect place to contemplate that tormented Impressionist's work and life, the Stedlijk is an admirable museum of our modern era. But above all this is a town to see the people and their homes. Start your visit with a boat trip along the canals­Singel, Herengracht, Keizers­gracht and Prinsengracht­and you'll float past delightful mansions of the 17th century. This is a town of noble bourgeois and bumptious youngsters. Get out there walking or rent a bike and join in the fun.

Seek out the floating flower market, beautifully arrayed on sturdy old barges near the Munt (Mint). Wheel around the lively popular neighbourhood of J ordaan, peep into the sleepy courtyards. This town manages to be bright and clean without the sterility of excessive hygiene. The people are friendly, witty, they speak good English and they're curious about the whole world.

If you have something of the same attitude as the people of Amsterdam, you're all set to go to Europe. Bon voyage.