Season 1

The first programme in a series of European journeys with Ian Nairn , writer and outspoken controversial critic of all that is bad or good in townscape and countryside. Annoyed by the traditional image of Switzerland - cowbells and cuckoo clocks - Nairn takes a 50-mile journey from Zurich and discovers a country of strong, passionate contrasts in landscape and architecture.

Early-morning arrival at Le Havre followed by a 700-mile journey across France to the Mediterranean. Ignoring maps and tourist routes, Ian Nairn takes a compass bearing on Nimes and discovers the real France. In an open top family saloon with a compass clamped to the windscreen, Nairn finds that the journey brings forth the unexpected and the whole amounts to a surprisingly revealing experience.

Browning's poem 'How they brought the good news from Ghent to Aix' is the theme behind the third in this series of European journeys. While attempting to discover whether or not Browning did actually make the journey across Belgium, Ian Nairn finds experiences both pleasurable and sad in this country tinted with a feeling of happy madness.

Ian Nairn travels north from Helsinki into the very heart of Finland by coach, hydrofoil and on foot. While attempting to discover what makes the Finns tick, Nairn finds a surprising mid-western town, and buildings designed by an 'architectural Sibelius.'

Day and night across Europe on a romantic international express. Ian Nairn leaves Paris on the overnight train to begin a 1700-mile journey through seven countries with a chance to take a critical look at the cities of Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest, and Istanbul, his destination. Featuring a memorable visit to the Oktoberfest.