If you’re going to Austria in search of charming, chocolate-box mountain towns topped by the outlines of the Alps and awash with wooden chalets blooming with flowers, Hallstatt is somewhere you should certainly be looking to visit. It’s actually not too hard to get to if you’re based in the city of Vienna. The two … Read more
Munich and Prague might be 295km apart and in different countries, but they’re not all that different. Both are mad for beer – the first has the annual Oktoberfest, the second is a mecca for lovers of Czech pilsner. Both boast handsome medieval-era cores with grand churches. Both are among the bucket-list towns of Central … Read more
Looking for a little break from the buzz and hubbub of The Dam? Want to see one of Europe’s most celebrated medieval cities? Keen to get lost amid fairy-tale church spires and cobbled streets? The perfect place might just be over the border in Belgium: Bruges. This UNESCO World Heritage city is a photographer’s, history … Read more
The capitals of Norway and Sweden sit almost directly in line with each other across the great Scandinavian Peninsula. One, Oslo, is nestled at the base of its own wild fjord, sporting glistening modern architecture and enthralling museums dedicated to the age of the Vikings. The other, Stockholm, is anchored on the fairy-tale Gamla Stan … Read more
There are 530km of Scandinavian fjords and icy Baltic waters and wild Nordic forests between the two great cities of Copenhagen and Stockholm. But don’t let that put you off planning a trip that sees you exploring the both of them. This guide delves down into all the modes of transport that can help you … Read more
If you simply can’t decide between the glorious exhibition rooms of The Hermitage and the twisted onion domes of Saint Basil’s Cathedral, the totemic sights of Red Square and the elegant Winter Palace of the onetime tsars, you could just do the whole lot. You’ll need to plan a Russian holiday that takes in both … Read more
Perhaps you’re pining for a glimpse at Leonardo’s revered The Last Supper? Maybe you’re here for the Gucci boutiques and haute couture of the Quad d’Oro fashion mecca? Have you come to scale the Duomo? Or to taste saffron risotto? Or to breakaway to the glistening waters of Lake Como? Whatever it is, Italy’s grand … Read more
Combining more than 2,500 years of history with mouthwatering Lazio cuisine, ancient temples raised by powerful emperors with some of the world’s most exquisite art collections, Rome is the enthralling Eternal City at the very heart of Italy. First-time visitors are often sent into a stupor by the whizzing Piaggio scooters and the babbling fountains, … Read more
A sea of honey-hued palazzos and red-brick squares greets visitors to rambunctious Bologna. It’s a welcome that heralds one of Italy’s culinary hubs – this is the home of mortadella and tortellini! It’s a ‘buongiorno‘to the oldest student city in the world, and a UNESCO site famed for leaning towers (move over Pisa!) and grand … Read more
A jumble of pastel-painted mansions and honey-tinged churches that lurches high above the sky-blue Tyrrhenian Sea, Cagliari is the good-looking capital of the island of Sardinia. It’s not only an immersive city in its own right, packed with Roman relics, ancient ruins, rock-studded urban beaches and palm-threaded promenades awash with chic cafés. It’s also the … Read more
A heady cocktail of whizzing Vespas and serene basilicas, ramshackle fish bazaars and Byzantine artworks, Palermo is a fine welcome to the island of Sicily. Tucked onto the northern shores, it’s the same hubbub of life it was during the ages of the Phoenician Greeks, the Romans, the Normans, the Moors – the list goes … Read more
Strung like a tiara around the glistening Bay of Naples, this southern Italian jewel has been a favourite holiday retreat since the times of the Romans. It was rocked by the eruption of smoking Mount Vesuvius – the hulking volcano that overlooks the town – back in 79 AD, and you can still seek out … Read more
Fairy-tale architecture joins hands with a rambunctious nightlife scene right on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea to make Barcelona one of the most attractive city break destinations in the world. There’s a little bit of everything here. Your culture comes from the glut of museums that showcase everything from Catalan painting to Picasso. Your … Read more
Verona hits the headlines on account of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It was between the marble-carved balconies and cobbled lanes of this old city that the great English bard chose to play out his tale of love and tragedy. But there’s also much more to it than that. With the Alps and the glistening waters … Read more