Gran Canaria, Isla de Sal y Lisboa

About the destination: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a city which offers sun, sea and an exceptional historic legacy. Mild temperatures throughout the year make for an enjoyable seaside resort that's popular with both Spanish and foreign tourists alike. This cosmopolitan city, the biggest in the Canaries, presents an eclectic mix of cultures: the aboriginal Guanche culture, its colonial past and the mainland-Spain feel in an African landscape create a distinctive character. The city’s old quarter, La Vegueta, preserves colonial architecture from the 15th and 16th centuries in its beautiful courtyards and balconies. This lively neighbourhood was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1990. It's also a focal point for some of the island's best cafes, bars and restaurants. Check out Las Palmas’ numerous museums, including the interesting Museo Canario, with its fascinating mummies and trepanned skulls belonging to aboriginal Canarians. For the more adventurous travellers, there are tons of activities to enjoy from surfing, swimming and sailing to scuba diving, snorkelling, abseiling, bungee jumping and paragliding. And let’s not forget, here you’ll find some of the best nightlife in the region.

About the destination: Sal Island (Ilha do Sal), part of Cape Verde’s sun‑drenched archipelago, is a compact blend of pristine beaches, lunar landscapes and laid‑back Creole culture. Blessed with over 300 days of sunshine a year and constant trade winds, it is a favorite for European travelers seeking winter warmth and relaxed island life. The main resort town of Santa Maria, at the island’s southern tip, is the hub of activity, with a lively beachfront, pastel‑colored buildings and a long wooden pier where fishermen unload their daily catch. The coastline is Sal’s biggest attraction. Santa Maria Beach stretches for kilometers, with soft golden sand and crystal‑clear, turquoise water ideal for swimming, snorkeling and stand‑up paddleboarding. Further along the shore you’ll find quieter stretches where you can escape the crowds, as well as rugged spots with dramatic waves perfect for seasoned surfers. The island’s steady winds make it one of the best destinations in the Atlantic for kitesurfing and windsurfing, especially between November and March. Inland, Sal reveals a more unexpected side. Visit the Pedra de Lume salt crater, an otherworldly landscape inside an extinct volcano where visitors can float effortlessly in the dense, mineral‑rich waters of former salt pans. Near Espargos and Terra Boa, shimmering “mirages” appear on the horizon, a striking optical illusion produced by the heat and flat terrain. Guided tours often combine these with a stop at the “Blue Eye” (Buracona), a natural sea cave where sunlight creates an intense sapphire glow at certain times of day. Beyond beaches and landscapes, Ilha do Sal offers a subtle but rewarding cultural experience. Cape Verdean and Portuguese influences blend in the local cuisine—expect fresh grilled fish, cachupa (a slow‑cooked stew of corn and beans) and strong, sweet grogue rum. Evenings in Santa Maria bring live morna and coladeira music to small bars and beachfront cafés, where both visitors and locals linger late into the night. With its welcoming atmosphere, reliable climate and simple accessibility, Sal is an easy introduction to the wider charms of Cape Verde.

About the destination: Lisbon is known as the city of seven hills due to its location, the city spreads across steep hillsides that overlook the Rio Tajo. Romantic and cosmopolitan, the city presents its typical red roofs to the visitors that want to get to know its every inch. Lisbon surprises with its natural beauty and relaxed atmosphere. The Portuguese capital offers lots of museums, libraries, a huge port, churches and palaces and stunning views of the Rio Tajo Lisbon was considered a poor and chaotic city. Currently it has experienced a resurgence in the style of the XIV and XV centuries, when it was part of that vast empire stretching from Brazil to India. The reason for this was the World Expo held in 1998, a new bridge over the Tagus was built and the network of underground of the city was remodeled. The resurgence of the city then continued to host several matches during Euro in 2004, also held there the Delivery Music Awards (MTV) in 2005. Many of its most beautiful buildings date from the XIV and XV centuries, especially the ones located in the Belem district. There are also many buildings from the XVIII century, which are located mostly in the Baixa area of central Lisbon and were reconstructed almost completely after a devastating earthquake that hit the town in 1755. The historic center of the city, standing on Las Siete Colinas, presents steep streets and picturesque alleys. On the west side of the city, there is Monsanto Forest Park, Lisbon’s lung, with an area of 10 km and one of the largest in Europe. The capital’s majestic port has 3 docks commonly used for several cruises and it is, currently, the busiest port in the European Atlantic coast. Lisbon is a city with centuries of history and with an ambitious attitude, marrying the historic with the modern, the traditional with the cutting edge. Strolling through the old quarters one can hear the traditional Fado sung and played in small restaurants in town. In the hilltop district of Bairro Alto, dozens of restaurants and bars line the narrow streets, with jazz, reggae, electronica filling the air and revelers partying until dawn. Nightclubs scattered all over town make fine use of old spaces, whether on riverside docks or tucked away in 18th-century mansions. Lisbon presents itself to the world as a cosmopolitan and lively city, with alternative for every taste, especially in the summer months when its many bars, terraces and restaurants are crammed with people.