BRUGES BY EUROSTAR

Feb 16 2008 by Our Correspondent, Western Mail

Departing from St Pancras & EbbsfleetMarch to NovemberFour days from £199

THERE can be few places left where you can totally switch off for a few days from the pressure of modern-day living so completely as Bruges.

Its beauty and tranquility are outstanding, as befits the most perfectly preserved medieval town in Europe.

Its atmosphere is totally unique, whether it’s a stroll by one of the canals – Bruges is also known as the Venice of the North – sipping a coffee in the Old Market Square with the 13th Century Flemish chimes ringing out from the belfry in the background, or perhaps a gentle trip around the town by horse and carriage.

Its serenity will captivate you and it has something to suit all tastes.

The price includes return standard class seat on Eurostar and coach transfer from Lille to your hotel in Bruges.

Also included is a chocolate making demonstration, a visit to World War I battlefields and services of a tour manager.

Organised by Riviera Travel ABTA No V4744

UNDISCOVERED PROVENCE

Return flights from Bristol to NiceApril to October6 days from £459

OF all the regions of France, Provence is the most irresistible.

The borders are defined by nature: to the west, the River Rhone; the south, the Mediterranean; the east, the Alps; and to the north, where the olive trees end.

It is a land of striking natural beauty and great diversity – from sun-baked plains with fields of lavender, interspaced with vineyards and olive groves crowned in the distance by the hills of the Luberon and the azure blue sky. The deep valleys are home to vast oak and pine forests giving that unmistakable Mediterranean aroma to the air. Historically the Greeks visited, the Phonecians traded, the Saracens looted, but most of all the Romans settled. All have left their legacies but the Romans loved Provence so much that there are more remains of their remarkable civilisation here than anywhere else outside Italy.

The price includes the services of a French-speaking tour manager.

Organised by Riviera Travel ABTA No V4744 ATOL No 3430

POMPEII, CAPRI AND THE BAY OF NAPLES

Return flights from Bristol to Naples

May to October

8 days from £619

ITALY is a superb destination for a holiday with its stunning blend of excellent food and wine and gorgeous scenery, together with an enviable climate and a phenomenal cultural legacy.

Add the Italians themselves with their love of life and you have all the ingredients for a wonderful stay. For gourmets Italy is a delight, its food and wine being amongst the best in the world.

The pasta is mouth-watering and the wine is of good quality and reasonably priced. The Sorrento peninsula and the Bay of Naples is simply one of the most beautiful corners of Europe attracting visitors for centuries in search of its outstanding scenery and tranquility.

Price includes seven nights’ half board in a choice of three and four star hotels in Sorrento, guided tour of stunning Pompeii, visit to the volcano of Vesuvius, tour of Amalfi coast, cruise to the stunning island of Capri and a visit to Naples and Archaeological Museum.

Organised by Riviera Travel ABTA No V4744 ATOL No 3430

SOUTH AFRICA

Return flights from Heathrow to Johannesburg

March to November

16 days from £1499

SOUTH AFRICANS call their homeland “a world in one country”.

It covers an area equivalent to five times the size of Britain, with a climate ranging from temperate, Mediterranean and sub-tropical to desert, and offers spectacular scenery with arguably the finest wildlife on earth and no less than eleven official languages.

South Africa is truly a world-class destination.

Firstly, a more naturally beautiful country would be difficult to find, from the serrated peaks of the Drakensberg mountains, to the contorted and timeless semi-desert landscapes of the Karoo.

Then the forested seashores and mirror-like lakes of the Garden Route, the enchanting temperate valleys of the Winelands, the rare proximity to nature found in the national parks and the instantly recognisable symbol of the country, Table Mountain.

Price includes 13 nights’ accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis, all tours mentioned in the brochure, visit to the apartheid museum, many day trips and visit to the Kruger safari park.

Organised by Riviera Travel ABTA No V4744 ATOL No 3430