Malaga, on Spain's sunny Costa del Sol, blends beaches, history, and art. Visit La Malagueta beach, the old town, Moorish Alcazaba fortress, and the cathedral known as La Manquita. See the Picasso Museum and Pompidou Centre, plus street art in Soho. Nearby, explore Granada's Alhambra, Cordoba's La Mezquita, and Seville's cathedral for Andalucía's Moorish Golden Triangle.

Madeira is a lush, colorful island of dramatic cliffs, fertile mountains and sunny beaches. In Funchal, the laid-back capital, cobblestone old-town streets, painted doors, whitewashed buildings and iron balconies echo Lisbon. Taste Madeira wine, see Corpo Santo Chapel, and enjoy Parque de Santa Catarina, Madeira Botanical Garden, Palheiro Garden, and the views from Cap Girão, where cliffs drop to the blue sea.

Ponta Delgada, on São Miguel in Portugal's Azores, is a green volcanic welcome for Atlantic sailors. The island's largest city offers dramatic scenery: steaming hot springs, landscaped gardens, black-sand beaches, the Gothic Church of St. Sebastian, and the Convent and Chapel of Our Lady of Hope with its revered Christ icon. Nearby, Sete Cidades is a vast, lush collapsed caldera with a blue lake, and Lagoa do Fogo offers another stunning volcanic lake. Relax in the hot springs of Poca da Dona.

Horta, on Faial in the Azores, is a welcoming stop on transatlantic voyages, about 1,100 miles from mainland Portugal. Its colourful marina is covered in sailors' flags and murals, said to bring protection at sea. Beyond the harbour, volcanic cones, wildflower hills, and Pico's cloud-capped peak create a dramatic backdrop. Explore Espalamaca Lookout, Horta's own caldera, and Capelinhos Lighthouse, standing amid the blackened land from the 1957 eruption.

"Flores" means flowers. The island is often called a floating green garden for its rich volcanic soil and humid, rainy climate. Hydrangeas, brought from Asia by the Portuguese, thrive in the Azores and are the official flower; in Flores' acidic volcanic soil they are often blue. Flores and Corvo form the western Azores on the North American plate near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Flores is geologically active, with a last eruption about 3,000 years ago, and its central massif is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Whaling ended in the 1980s; nearby seas still have sperm and beaked whales and several dolphins.

On remote Flores Island, the Azores reveal a wild Atlantic beauty of green crater lakes, plunging waterfalls and rugged coastal cliffs. Ponta Delgada offers a peaceful glimpse of island life, with flower-filled lanes, traditional homes and sweeping ocean views, while ashore you can enjoy scenic walks, birdlife and the dramatic volcanic landscapes that make this corner of Portugal so unforgettable.

Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira in the Azores was a key re-supply and repair port for ships between Europe, Africa, the West Indies and the East Indies, if your nationality was right. On a tectonic triple junction, the islands face quakes and eruptions; a 1980 quake damaged Angra, but restoration helped earn UNESCO status in 1983. The town is known for its square, 400-year-old fortifications, and 1580s and Liberal Wars battles. Its 1829 victory won the title "do Heroísmo" ("the Heroic").

Set on the sheltered waters of Bantry Bay in County Cork, Bantry offers a charming taste of Ireland's wild southwest coast. Expect colorful streets, welcoming pubs and fresh local seafood, with nearby Bantry House, the Beara Peninsula and windswept Atlantic scenery all inviting exploration. It's a place where maritime heritage, green hills and dramatic seascapes create a distinctly Irish shore experience.

Wallace Stevens immortalized the Cliffs of Moher as "rising out of the mist." Romantic, wild, mysterious, and beautiful, they rise on County Clare's southwest edge, stretching 14 km and dating back 300 million years. Ireland's most visited landmark, they draw about 1.5 million visitors a year. On clear days, you can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, caves, O'Brien's Tower, and miles of cliffs. A UNESCO Geopark and Special Protection Area, they also host huge seabird colonies, including puffins.

Kilronan (Cill Rónáin), on Inishmore in the Aran Islands, County Galway, is a place of Celtic history, spirituality, and renewal. The Aran Islands are stunning, windswept, and famed as the "islands of saints and scholars," with about 60,000 seabirds and dramatic cliffs and moors. Inishmore, the largest island, has 50+ Celtic, Christian, and pre-Christian sites, including Dún Aonghasa: a 3,000-year-old prehistoric fort on a 100-meter cliff, among Ireland's most ancient and sacred places.

Skellig Michael, used in Star Wars episodes VII-VIII, has boosted tourism. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, it was home to a Gaelic Christian monastic settlement from the 6th-12th centuries. Its beehive stone towers, built without mortar, remain largely intact after 1,400 years. Reaching them means climbing 618 slippery steps, but the views are worth it. Nearby Little Skellig hosts about 30,000 pairs of gannets, plus puffins, guillemots, Manx shearwaters and storm petrels.

On Ireland's rugged southwest coast, Ballinskelligs offers a taste of wild Atlantic beauty, with sweeping beaches, dramatic headlands and a wonderfully unspoilt feel. Explore the atmospheric ruins of Ballinskelligs Abbey, wander along the bay, or simply soak up the fresh sea air and striking views towards the Skellig Islands. This is a place for scenic drives, coastal walks and a warm welcome rooted in traditional Irish charm.

Cobh (pronounced Cove) is a picturesque seaside town with a magnificent natural harbour, the world's second largest. It was the final port of call for the Titanic, and the town has memorials including the Titanic Experience. From 1849-1920, over 2.5 million people emigrated through Cobh port. Nearby attractions include the Cobh Heritage Centre and Spike Island, "Ireland's Alcatraz." Walk the waterfront for views of colourful houses, pubs, and St Colman's Cathedral.

Dublin blends cobbled streets, buskers, and lively pubs with warm, cosmopolitan energy. Its history runs from Viking trading port to Georgian capital, and its role in the 1916 Easter Rising is preserved at Kilmainham Gaol. See St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Book of Kells at Trinity College, and the Guinness Storehouse, and explore the city's rich literary legacy, from Joyce to the Museum of Literature.