Belgium

Belgium is small enough to cross in a few hours, yet it holds some of Europe's finest medieval towns. Brussels has the Grand-Place, one of the most beautiful squares anywhere, and the Atomium; Bruges and Ghent are canal cities of gabled guildhalls and church towers; and Antwerp combines the art of Rubens with the world's diamond trade.

Many Gujarati families have ties to Antwerp, where Indian traders have been part of the diamond business for generations. For everyone else, Belgium means chocolate, waffles and fries, and the praline, invented in Brussels in 1912. Chocolatiers let you taste before you buy, and a chocolate-making workshop is a hit with children.

Two or three days is enough for most visitors, and Belgium sits neatly between Paris and Amsterdam, each under two hours away by fast train, so it slips easily into a wider tour. The north speaks Dutch and the south French, but English is widely understood.