Egypt

In just five hours from the UK, Egypt offers a taste of the exotic East without the long-haul flight. It is situated at the crossroads between Africa and the Middle East and is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea. What’s more, it is blessed with year-round warm sunshine and offers excellent value for money and affordable luxury.

Cairo

Most of us think that Egyptian history means the Pharaohs, Mummies and the Pyramids, all of which are, of course, important symbols of Egypt’s ancient past. However, the country’s history is far more diverse and complex and nowhere are these layers more revealed than in the buzzing and cosmopolitan capital, Cairo – the only city in the world with antiquities from four civilizations: Pharaonic, Roman, Christian and Islamic.

At the city’s Egyptian Museum you can view the world’s finest collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts, including the magnificent Tutankhamun collection, and the museum of Islamic Art houses 80,000 rare objects from the dawn of Islam to the Ottoman period. For retail therapy head to the colourful souks, including the Khan Khalili Bazaar and Sagha area, where you can shop for gold and silver jewellery, embroidered clothing, leather goods and fine woodwork