TEN OF THIS YEAR’S MOST HOTLY-TIPPED DESTINATIONS

STUART STONE Hull, England The much-maligned northern English city is UK City of Culture 2017. Its dock is being regenerated as a cultural quarter with art galleries, cafes, a microbrewery, and a chocolatier. The site is already home to award-winning aquarium The Deep, which houses 3,500 fish behind a facade crafted by architect Sir Terry Farrell. Hull’s old town and Museums Quarter have a range of free museums including the Ferens art gallery, which reopened this month following a multi-million-pound regeneration to host the award of the Turner Prize in September. The Truck Theatre will play a major role in the City of Culture, regularly screening live Royal Shakespeare Company productions. North Wales “Thrilling mountain scenery, the best outdoor activities in the world, fascinating ancient culture, heritage and language and a wide range of accommodation makes North Wales a must as part of any UK tour,” says Jim Jones, of North Wales Tourism.

Snowdonia National Park, which was granted dark sky status in 2015, is a haven for hillwalkers and stargazers. The region is home to both the longest zip line in Europe and the fastest zipline in the world. The world’s first inland surf lagoon, Surf Snowdonia, opened on the site of a former aluminium factory in late 2015.

The ring of 13th-century castles at Beaumaris, Conwy, Caernarfon and Harlech, along with the fortifications surrounding Caernarfon and Conwy, are collectively a Unesco World Heritage Site and the Champions League final takes place in the 74,500 seater National Stadium in Cardiff in June. London, England It is a year of literary landmarks with the respective 20th and 125th anniversaries of the first publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and the first Sherlock Holmes novel.

Exhibitions and venues opening this year include the Postal Museum, revealing the makings of the country’s earliest social network, and an exhibition on Pink Floyd at the V&A museum. Additionally, the Design Museum, created by architect John Pawson, reopened last November. London will also once again be the centre of athletics in 2017, with the World Athletics Championships Bordeaux, France With the LGV high-speed rail link set to open this year, reducing the journey time from central Paris to Bordeaux to just over two hours, it brings the most extensive urban environment to be recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site that bit closer.

The opening last year of La Cite du Vin, an international wine museum resembling Bilbao’s Guggenheim, strengthened Bordeaux’s claim to be the wine capital of the world, with the city offering a superb base from which to explore the region’s chateaux and sunlit vineyards. Pistoia, Italy In northern Tuscany, beneath the Apennine mountains and within day-tripping distance of illustrious neighbours Pisa and Florence, Italy’s 2017 Capital of Culture Pistoia offers a snapshot of the most picturesque parts of the region, The Lonely Planet says: “It is a great time to see Pistoia. The €15 million windfall due to the city as part of its award as Capital of Culture will fund an array of exhibits, festivals and social programmes, as well as big-ticket projects.” The city’s ramparts and central Piazza del Duomo are well preserved, home to a wealth of contemporary art and host a bustling market every Wednesday and Sunday.