Glorious Alpine scenery, monumental Habsburg architecture, and the world's favourite musical - Austria's tourist industry certainly plays up to the cliches. However, it's not all bewigged Mozart ensembles and schnitzel; modern Austria boasts some of Europe's most varied museums and contemporary architecture not to mention attractive and sophisticated cities whose bars, cafes and clubs combine contemporary cool with elegant tradition.
Belgium is perhaps the world's most misunderstood nation, but also one of its most fascinating, punching far above its weight in all sorts of ways. With three official languages, and an intense regional rivalry between the Flemish-speaking north and the French-speaking south that perpetually threatens to split the country in two, it's actually a miracle that Belgium exists at all. But its historic cities - most famously Brussels, Bruges,Antwerp and Ghent - are the equal of any in Europe; and its cuisine is reason alone to justify a visit, with a host of wonderful regional specialities. Belgium also boasts some pockets of truly beautiful countryside in its hilly, wooded south and the flatter north - and, perhaps most famously, it produces the most diverse range of beers of any country on the planet.
The sheer physical diversity of France would be hard to exhaust in a lifetime of visits. Places to visit in France range from the fretted coasts of Brittany and the limestone hills of Provence to the canyons of the Pyrenees and the half-moon bays of Corsica, and from the lushly wooded valleys of the Dordogne and the gentle meadows of the Loire valley to the glaciated peaks of the Alps. Each region looks and feels different, has its own style of architecture, its own characteristic food and often its own dialect. Though the French word pays is the term for a whole country, people frequently refer to their own region as mon pays - my country - and this strong sense of regional identity has persisted despite centuries of centralizing governments, from Louis XIV to de Gaulle.
While its economic reputation has taken a battering, Greece remains a premier-league travel destination. Its incredible historic sites span four millennia, encompassing both the legendary and the obscure. Its convoluted coastline is punctuated by superb beaches, while its mountainous interior urges you to dust off your hiking boots and explore. Yet perhaps its greatest riches are the islands, ranging from backwaters where the boat calls twice a week to resorts as cosmopolitan as any in the Mediterranean.
Among the romantic preconceptions visitors bring to Ireland, it is their expectations of the landscape that are most likely to be fulfilled. An uncommon geological richness and the warming effect of the Atlantic produce an astonishing diversity of terrain on this small island, which is splashed throughout with lakes and primeval bogland. In the east, the crumpled granite of the Wicklow Hills sits in utter contrast to the horse-grazing plain of the Curragh just a few kilometres away, and in Connemara on the west coast, you can walk from beach to mountain to fen, from seaweed-strewn inlet to lily-covered lough, in a matter of hours. Coupled with the unhurried nature of rural living, this scenic array encourages leisurely investigation, especially on foot or by bicycle.
Ask an Italian where in the world they would most like to live, and the odds are that they will say "right here". Indeed, most people - not just Italians - have raved about Italy since tourism began, and to be honest the country really does have it all: one of the most diverse and beautiful landscapes in Europe; the world's greatest hoard of art treasures (many on display in fittingly spectacular cities and buildings); a climate that is on the whole benign; and, most important of all for many, a delicious and authentic national cuisine. The country is not perfect - its historic cities have often been marred by development, and beyond the showpiece sights the infrastructure is visibly straining - but for its places to visit, many of the old cliches still ring true; once you've visited, you may never want to travel anywhere else.
Although almost half of it was once under water, the Netherlands is one of the most urbanized - and densely populated - nations on earth, with a huge range of places to visit packed into a relatively small area. A remarkable country - no more than the size of the US state of Maryland - it's a largely man-made affair, around half of which lies at or below sea level. Its fertile, pancake-flat landscape is gridded with drainage ditches and canals, beneath huge open skies, while the country's towns and villages are often pristine and unchanged places of gabled townhouses, pretty canals and church spires. Despite the country's diminutive dimensions, each town is often a profoundly separate place with its own distinct identity - indeed there's perhaps nowhere else in the world where you can hear so many different accents, even dialects, in such a small area. In spring and summer the bulbfields provide bold splashes of colour, and in the west and north the long coastline is marked by mile upon mile of protective dune, backing onto wide stretches of perfect sandy beach.
Once a powerful seafaring kingdom that dominated the merchant routes to Africa, South America and the Orient, Portugal today is a friendly, low-key place with a laidback vibe and a fantastic coastline, much of it fringed by golden sands and endless dunes. Its rolling interior is perfect for exploring on foot, by kayak, by bike or even on horseback - though a large part of the country's charm comes from languorous days on the beach, dining on fabulously fresh seafood and kicking back with a beer to watch the sunset over the Atlantic. The legacy of Portugal's former wealth and power can be seen in its historic cities - yet the capital, Lisbon, superbly sited on the Tejo river estuary, is as popular today for its lively clubbing scene as for its grand Manueline monuments and medieval alleyways. Porto meanwhile, the country's second city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the best place to sample some of the many varieties of Portugal's other notable contribution to the world, port wine.
As befits the home of tartan and whisky, simple definitions don't really suit Scotland. Cliched images of the place abound - postcards of wee Highland terriers, tartan tins of shortbread, ranks of diamond-patterned golf jerseys and they drive many Scots to apoplexy. And yet Scotland has a habit of delivering on its classic images: in some parts ruined castles really do perch on just about every hilltop, in summer the glens inevitably turn purple with heather and if you end up in a village on gala day you just might bump into a formation of bagpipers marching down the street.
If you're visiting Spain for the first time, be warned: this is a country that fast becomes an addiction. You might intend to come just for a beach holiday, a walking tour or a city break, but before you know it you'll find yourself hooked by something quite different - the wild celebration of some local fiesta, perhaps, or the otherworldly architecture of Barcelona. Even in the best-known places to visit - from the capital, Madrid, to the costas, from the high Pyrenees to the Moorish cities of the south - there are genuinely surprising attractions at every turn, whether it's hip restaurants in the Basque country, the wild landscapes of the central plains, or cutting-edge galleries in the industrial north. Soon, you'll notice that there is not just one Spain but many - and indeed, Spaniards themselves often speak of Las Espanas (the Spains).
The mere mention of Sweden conjures up resonant images: snow-capped peaks, reindeer wandering in deep green forests and the 24-hour daylight of the midnight sun. But beyond the household names of ABBA, IKEA and Volvo, Sweden is relatively unknown. The largest of the Scandinavian countries, with an area twice that of Britain (and roughly that of California), but a population of barely nine million, Sweden has space for everyone: the countryside boasts pine, spruce and birch forest as far as the eye can see and crystal-clear lakes perfect for a summer afternoon dip - not to mention possibly the purest air you'll ever breathe. The country's south and west coasts, meanwhile, feature some of the most exquisite beaches in Europe - without the crowds.
All the quaint stereotypes are true - cheese, chocolate, clocks, obsessive punctuality - but there's much more to Switzerland than this. The major cities are cosmopolitan and vibrant, transport links are excellent, and the scenery takes your breath away. Switzerland is diverse and multilingual - almost everyone speaks some English along with at least one of the four official languages.
A mesmerizing mix of the exotic and the familiar, Turkey is much more than its cliched image of a "bridge between East and West". Invaded and settled from every direction since the start of recorded history, it combines influences from the Middle East and the Mediterranean, the Balkans and Central Asia. Mosques coexist with churches, Roman theatres and temples crumble near ancient Hittite cities, and dervish ceremonies and gypsy festivals are as much a part of the social landscape as classical music concerts or football matches.
No one enjoys knocking England more than the English, but - modesty and self-deprecation aside - it's a great place to visit or explore, and whether you're a resident or tourist the country retains a boundless capacity to surprise, charm and excite. England has always had a history and heritage to be proud of, and a glorious regional diversity - from coast to hills, festivals to foodstuff - with few parallels. But for all the glories of the past, in recent times it's had an injection of life that makes it as thrilling a destination as any in Europe.
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