Sitting on the edge of the Baltic, the modern, cosmopolitan city of Helsinki is the World Design Capital for 2012. The beauty of the surrounding nature blends seamlessly with high-tech achievements and contemporary trends. Walking tours of the city centre show layers of history, while modern architecture and cutting-edge style stake the city's claim to the future. Choose Helsinki during its endless summer days or get adventurous on crisp, snowy winter nights.

Wide beaches along the "Flower Coast" attract families and those commemorating the D-Day landings of 1944. Inland, cattle graze in rural idylls and pre-WWII buildings stand alongside modern architecture. Hire a car or take a tour from Caen or Bayeux. The landscape around his home in Giverny inspired Monet's Water Lilies, and summer's profusion of blooms is quite lovely. Don't miss Rouen's old town and cathedral, Caen's cathedral, Bayeux's tapestry and the ancient island-abbey of Mont-St-Michel.

Situated at the feet of the western Pyrenees near the French border, Spain's Basque Country comprises three provinces: Guipúzcoa and the popular beachfront capital of Donostia-San Sebastian; Vizcaya, where capital Bilbao houses the jaw-dropping Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum; and Alava, whose capital Vitoria-Gasteiz teems with medieval architecture. Running with the bulls at Pamplona and drinking rioja from area wineries add to the region's exotic romanticism. Travel in early summer and fall to dodge the madding crowds.