Advice

The most enduring holiday memories are rarely found in tourist-trap hotels or crowded city-centre restaurants. They’re found in spectacular landscapes and heart-stopping wildlife encounters, often in remote locations. Sadly, some of these once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences are under threat, whether from climate change, deforestation, overtourism, or other factors. If you want to confront them in all

It could be the salty tang of off-shore breezes or simply the thrill of sailing across oceans that adds piquancy to friendships and romances forged at sea. Yet cruises have moved on since the days when devotees were infamously described as “newlywed, overfed and nearly dead”. Ships can now be a proverbial melting pot of

The UK’s snow centres and dry ski slopes are here to provide relief for the thousands of British skiers and snowboarders who are are still yet to return to the mountains.  Aside from being a fun day activity for the entire family, the UK’s vast array of dry ski slopes and indoor snow centres provide the perfect

Munich offers an intriguing combination of past and present, local and global. Bustling Bavarian beer halls meet small craft breweries, hearty German dishes meet the latest culinary imports and classic Lederhosen looks meet contemporary interpretations.   The city is also home to one of Germany’s largest opera houses and world-renowned art galleries, not to mention an

Our story on iconic rail journeys last week focused on price, but it is the scenery the trains pass through that makes them special. We asked readers to send us their most scenic train rides. Here are the most inspiring entries. Letter of the week We boarded our train near Lake Titicaca at an altitude of

Nature in Sweden is boundless and broad – encompassing deep forests, ancient peaks and unfurling archipelagos. You’re free to swim in the lakes, hike up the mountains and pick berries in the valleys, as they’re all covered by allemansrätten, or the right of public access, a cornerstone of Sweden’s ancient rural code. No water or wild is

It’s probably a mug’s game to try to make predictions about travel after what has happened over the last two and a half years. But that is what anyone who is planning a trip this autumn or winter, or even looking further ahead into 2023, is faced with doing. First, of course, you have to

‘Go, go, go… paddle!” shouted the woman to my right, ending the whisper-quiet, almost meditative, silence beyond the break line. The sky had turned pink at Rhossili beach, on the Gower Peninsular in Wales, and I hoped to score one of the final waves of the day. I sat in the vast and fathomless body

If you catch the 10:12 Saturday morning train from London Marylebone to Bicester Village at any point in the next few weeks, you may well notice that the carriage is less crowded than it would have been on a summer’s day three or four years ago. It will still be busy, of course – packed

Brexit may be “done”, but from the traveller’s point of view, the full implications of what it means for our holidays are only just becoming apparent. And I’m not talking about the short-term problems – the chaos at Dover, the queues at airport immigration desks and the 90-day limit on the time we can spend

My first eye-opening insight into this enthralling region was as a teenager, when I hopped on a ferry from Corfu to Sarandë – on Albania’s Riviera  – set on the dazzling Ionian Sea. I was captivated by its beaches, which could easily rival Greece or the Bahamas. Backed by magnificent mountains and gently lapped by

Is it the sea, the strange sense of security, or just that wonderful feeling of escaping from life on the mainland that makes an island break so special? Whatever the exact chemistry, islands make brilliant holiday destinations, and nowhere more so than in the Mediterranean. With the help of our experts, we’ve created the definitive

Is history repeating? In an echo of the chaos of April 2010, an Icelandic volcano has violently erupted, spewing lava and sparking fears of flight delays and cancellations.  On the face of it, there’s good reason for concern as the Fagradalsfjall volcano sits just 20 miles from Reykjavik airport. However, the relatively small size of

You wait two years for a minibreak then two come along at once. First, a multi-generational get-together in the Cotswolds at the Swan Inn, stone the colour of honey and set on the dreamy banks of the Windrush beside an absurdly comely bridge. The barman walked us to our room, which felt like home only

It feels as if the wider world has only recently ‘discovered’ Mykonos, now mentioned in the same breathy terms as Ibiza or Miami – yet it has appealed to A-list celebrities and those who embrace an alternative lifestyle since the Fifties and Sixties. Back then, those stars included Brigitte Bardot and Jackie Onassis; today you’re

There are days when visitors to this exquisite jewel box of a city outnumber locals two-to-one, and when getting from the station to St Mark’s square is a battle. But despite this, Venice never loses its capacity to enchant: stepping out of the station to be greeted by a glittering canal with the dome of

With a dramatic and turbulent history harking back to the Bronze Age, Palma has had its fair share of invasions – from the Romans and Vandals to the Moors and Christians. So it’s hardly surprising that this perky, perfectly formed city has such a welcoming and grown-up attitude to international visitors. With the glistening Mediterranean

American author E.B. White once quipped about this city of eight million inhabitants: “New York provides not only a continuing excitation but also a spectacle that is continuing.” And while he may have said this nearly a century ago, his words still ring true to this day. The City that Never Sleeps is in constant

While the west coast of Mallorca gets the most attention, and you certainly have to dive off the rocks of Deià after a seafood lunch at least once in your life, the southeast of the island is arguably more beautiful. Avoid the resorts of Cala d’Or and stay inland at Santanyí, a golden stone town

I’ll never forget the moment I arrived in Canggu, on Bali’s south coast. The air was different: clearer and cleaner. The buildings were ornate; there were bright greens and deep blues and nature was everywhere. Driving around every day felt like an offering from the gods – beautiful flowers on the streets; the gentle call