Once you’re done soaking up the rays on the Algarve’s award-winning beaches and tasting the fresh seafood of the south coast, you might want to plot a course north to the culture-rich, party-mad capital of Portugal. That’s Lisbon, which lies some 218km away, beckoning with its grand Age of Exploration architecture and formidable Moorish castles. … Read more
On a city-hopping tour of France, both Paris and Lyon are musts. Going from the first to the second means going from the iconic Eiffel Tower and the romantic cobbled streets of Montmartre to the historic capital of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. There, you’ll be able to wander shadowy alcoves and alleys in the atmospheric Vieux … Read more
Clutching the wide Rio de la Plata midway down the side of South America is a city of Tango-twirling bars and sizzling steakhouses manned by real gauchos. Welcome to Buenos Aires, the sprawling, enthralling capital of Argentina. From the chic shopping areas of Palermo Soho to the colorful cobble lanes of San Telmo, this city … Read more
Ditch the shisha pipes and Grand Bazaar of ancient Istanbul and set your sights on the sun-kissed south of Turkey. That’s where Antalya beckons with old Ottoman architecture and access to some of the very best beaches in the country. You’ll need to be ready to do a pretty long trip, because there’s over 500km … Read more
Salou is one of the dream destinations on the Spanish Med. Fringed by the golden sands of Llevant Beach and Playa de Ponent, it’s long been a top getaway for families and folk in search of sun and sea. Throw in a few rocky coves for the snorkelers, award-winning golf courses that creep into the … Read more
Every Spain bucket list should include both Barcelona and Madrid. One is the home of the spiked turrets of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, fringed by vibrant summer beaches, and cut through by the Art Deco playhouses of Las Ramblas. The other is the nation’s fun-loving, hedonistic capital, where nightlife pulses through the streets and the ghosts … Read more
Only 220 miles separates Amsterdam and London in a straight line. But, check the map, and you’ll find that a dash of the North Sea and the whole Thames Estuary also comes between the two. That means simply hopping in the car and going from A to B isn’t possible. However, you can switch 16th-century … Read more
If Madrid is the heart of Spain, little Toledo, sat some 41 miles to the south-west, could just be its soul. Its maze-like old city perches on a hill above the curvaceous Tagus River, rolling from Gothic cathedrals to arabesque mosques to hidden Roman ruins. If you’re keen to ditch the hubbub of the capital … Read more
Get ready to be enchanted by Bruges. Leaving the big-city bustle of Brussels behind, you’re about to be immersed in a fairy tale of haunting churches and silhouette spires, of cobbled lanes and drifting canals. It’s considered to be one of the best-preserved medieval centres in all of Europe, with a good dollop of Belgian … Read more
Grab a marker and get ready to strike two lines from your bucket list: Paris and Barcelona await on this cross-Iberian odyssey. Among the greatest cities on the planet, they beckon with a Flamenco twirl of tapas, wine and top-notch sites, ranging from the iron girders of the Eiffel Tower to the haunting spires of … Read more
In a flurry of Moorish spires and carved Gothic turrets, Sevilla marks out its place between the dusty sierras of southern Spain. Sun-kissed and steeped in history, it jumbles into an old town that comes crowned by a look-at-me Alcázar and the Mudejar tops of the La Giralda belltower. Travelers will often spend days simply … Read more
Perth might be isolated out on the windy shores of Western Australia, but it doesn’t seem to mind all that much. A city at once chilled and bold, buzzy and creative, it’s a whopping 2,000 miles from Sydney, out where the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean roll past the quokka-stalked beaches of Rottnest Island. … Read more
The twang of electric guitar and the bumping baselines of folk ditties are the backing track to Nashville. Welcome to one of America’s most musical cities. This is the town that showed Hank Williams and Chet Atkins to the whole world. It’s considered the home of country music and hosts the legendary Grand Ole Opry … Read more
The so-called City of Churches is one of Australia’s lesser-known towns. Usually content to let Melbourne and Sydney vie for the limelight, this one ticks over with a palpable urban energy and charm. Its importance comes from the fact that it’s the state capital of South Australia. That inevitably puts some bucket-list draws on the … Read more