Gibraltar - remnant of the British Empire

Gibraltar is one of the few remaining remnants of the British Empire, and very odd it is too. It is essentially a big rock tacked on to the bottom of Spain, but because it is at the narrow mouth of the Mediterranean, it has been a prized strategic base for centuries.
It is still a major British military base, although progressively more land is being released by the chaps in uniform.
Tourism is becoming increasingly big business, and Gibraltar has enough crammed in – caves, monkeys, diving, tunnel tours – to be a great weekend break destination.
The tiny territory became British in 1713, when the War of the Spanish Succession was ended by the Treaty of Utrecht. Gibraltar was ceded to the United Kingdom in perpetuity.
It’s fair to say that the Spanish aren’t too happy about this. The border between Gibraltar and Spain was shut off between 1969 and 1982, and it’s only very recently that planes heading for Gibraltar have been allowed to fly over Spanish airspace.
But the locals wish to remain British – 99% voted against proposals of joint Spanish-British sovereignty in 2002 – and a very British feel permeates. In a hot, Latin corner of the Mediterranean, there are still red phone boxes, policemen with helmets and fish and chip shops.
Perhaps most odd of all is the language visitors may catch being spoken on the streets. Called Llanito, it appears to switch at random between English and Spanish, although in truth there are also elements of Maltese and Genoese thrown in.
Amongst the bizarre places in Gibraltar that are worth seeing, there are the World War II tunnels, the airport and the monkeys on The Rock.

British Sovereign Base areas in Cyprus - Akrotiri and Dhekelia

The Mediterranean island of Cyprus is unusual in that it is divided not two, but three ways. Many people know about the division between the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish-controlled northern sector of the island, but two significant chunks of Cyprus are still under the control of the British military. These are the British Sovereign Base Areas.
Akrotiri and Dhekelia were kept by Britain when Cyprus became independent in 1960, partly because of their key strategic location near the Middle East.
Neither is particularly a tourist attraction – army types aren’t renowned for their love of visitors looking for sun loungers – but it is possible to drive through these geographical oddities.
Akrotiri, near Limassol, is hardly on anyone’s way to anywhere, but most tourists will end up going through Dhekelia. The Sovereign Base Area lies between the airport at Larnaca and the major tourist areas of Paralimni, Protaras and Agia Napa.
Aside from the odd bit of barbed wire and sinister-looking building, there’s very little to see, but the fishing villages on the eastern outskirts are quite cute.
Interestingly, Dhekelia contains two Cypriot villages – Xylotombou and Ormidhia – that are completely cut off from the rest of the country.

Getting to the British Sovereign Base Areas
Nearest International Airport: Larnaca (or Larnaka as it is now officially known).
Using public transport: Public buses go through Dhekelia on their way to Paralimni and Agia Napa from Larnaca.