Lisbon, Portugal

If you make only one trip from Lisbon, Sintra should be top of your list. Portuguese royalty and English nobility have long had a love affair with the place, and the thick forests and surrealist architecture are a real contrast from urban Lisbon. Your first stop is Cascais, a traditional fishing port and a bustling holiday resort. You’ll stop briefly to take some photos, before carrying on to Sintra. Take a look at the Sintra National Palace, the summer home of the Kings of Portugal for six centuries. Then, wander round the ceramic and embroidery shops that you’ll find dotted here and there. Or just pick a pretty pavement café and enjoy a cool drink in the hot sun.

This one will appeal to the romantic in you. Known as the wedding city, Obidos has got a heart-warming past. It was freed from Moorish domination back in 1148, after which the first king of Portugal embarked on a mammoth restoration project. Towers were rebuilt, the little white houses were refurbished and soon the whole place was transformed. It certainly impressed King Dinis when he visited in 1282. He presented it to his new wife, Queen Isabel, as a wedding gift. And in the centuries that followed, countless other monarchs did the same. Today, it’s one of the prettiest towns in Portugal. Its chunky Medieval walls are topped off with towers and when you step inside, you feel as if time stopped ticking centuries ago. Ancient narrow streets are lined with white-washed houses. Bougainvillea and honeysuckle drench the place in colour and scent. And tiny little shops sell all sorts of traditional crafts. Some lovely churches and chapels line your path but the real must-see is the castle. From the top, the view is phenomenal. Think proud hills and sweeping valleys freckled with the occasional windmill. We’ll take you on a guided walking tour of this romantic city, then you’ll get some free time to explore for yourself. You’ll soon see that as wedding gifts go, Obidos takes some beating.