Keen to escape Australia in August? Here are the countries and cities to visit for their summer,winter or welcoming dry season.
"For us,there has not been much liberation,"says our guide,with characteristic Baltic understatement.
Louise Goldsbury is bowled over by the charms of the Baltic.
If you think the festive season is missing its magic,a wander through some of Europe's best Christmas markets will do wonders for your yuletide spirit,says Brian Johnston.
With a song in his heart,Adrian Bridge revisits Latvia,Lithuania and Estonia 20 years after independence.
A dreadnought fan from childhood,Steven Herrick takes to the city trams to explore Tallinn and Riga.
From Stockholm to Berlin via Budapest,Paul Ewart explores the best Christmas markets the Continent has to offer - where hand-made gifts,local delicacies and lashings of tradition are to be found.
Tallinn's dark age has been banished,replaced by sweet sounds amid stunning surrounds,writes Richard Tulloch.