Travel Industry news

• ‘A scramble down to a gorgeous expanse of beach’: readers’ favourite unsung places in Wales

  27-02-2026 08:00
  From magical swimming spots to museums and pizza joints, our readers share their top Welsh discoveries• Tell us about a favourite break on an island in Europe – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherI’m a fan of the lesser-known beaches along the dramatic and rugged Glamorgan Heritage coastline; Wick, Monknash and Nash Point. One of my favourite routes requires a scenic hike across fields and a precipitous scramble down Cwm Bach ladder. The reward is a gorgeous expanse o
  
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• Zoning in on Ménilmontant, Paris: ‘bohemian, arty and off the tourist trail’

  26-02-2026 08:00
  This former industrial quartier is now getting noticed for its community-focused art spaces, lively local bars and inexpensive north African foodOn a hill that rises up between Belleville’s Chinatown and Père-Lachaise cemetery, Ménilmontant was once a rural hamlet with vines and farms, before becoming more industrial in the 19th century. The quartier boasts a united, colourful community whose working-class Parisian roots have long been integrated with a strong north African d
  
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• Rolling hills, rich heritage and great pubs: a car-free break in Leicestershire

  25-02-2026 08:00
  This picturesque corner of the East Midlands is a well-kept secret and it’s great for exploring by public transport Fallow deer are grazing under ruined brick walls in the house where Lady Jane Grey was born. It’s a moody spring day at Bradgate Park in Leicestershire and there are few visitors. Instead, there are fieldfares in the hedges and skylarks singing in the mist. I’m walking, through bracken and craggy outcrops, towards Old John Tower, a folly that looks like a giant be
  
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• Where tourists seldom tread, part 20: three UK towns that feel like home

  24-02-2026 08:00
  In the last of the series, the writer returns to three passed-over places where he used to live – Harrow, Clitheroe and Princetown in DevonWhere tourists seldom tread, parts 1-19The last in this series of underexplored, overlooked, bypassed towns revisits three places loosely linked to somewhere I’ve lived at different stages of my life. Relocating is grand-scale vacationing, as there are a few months when the new place feels like a holiday destination – fresh, strange, not fil
  
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• Tell us about a favourite break on a European island

  23-02-2026 13:52
  From the sun-kissed isles of the Med to the wild beauty of the Outer Hebrides,we’d love to hear about your memorable island escapes – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakFor a true sense of freedom and escape, nothing quite compares with an island getaway. Whether it’s island hopping in Greece, exploring a Scandinavian archipelago by kayak or simply getting on a ferry to the Isle of Wight, we’d love to hear about your favourite European islands.The best
  
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• Hiking on the roof of North Africa: a trek to Morocco’s tallest peak

  23-02-2026 08:00
  A fabled boutique hotel in the Atlas mountains makes a stunning base for hikes to spectacular viewpointsComing up the footpath from Imlil, Hussein and I step aside to let a laden mule go past and I look back. On the wooded lower slopes of the valley are clusters of tall houses, some plumed with wood smoke. There appears to be a lot of building work going on, some of it to repair the damage caused by the 2023 earthquake. The sound of a concrete mixer comes cutting through the cool mountain a
  
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• ‘A natural paradise’: the south of France’s beautiful blue lagoon

  22-02-2026 08:00
  With pine-fringed beaches, crystal waters and affordable seafood restaurants, L’Étang de Thau is a hidden gem worth visiting at any time of yearWhen I asked Nordine Nid Hsain, the owner of my favourite Parisian bistro, why he sold up and left the capital to join the arty diaspora living in the Mediterranean port of Sète, he said: “What really drew me here was not Sète itself, but the natural paradise of the adjoining Thau lagoon. I love cycling and, after 10
  
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• How the beaches, culture and people of Corfu hit me for six

  21-02-2026 08:00
  A cricket match kindled my love affair with the Greek island, inspiring both aliterary festival and my new novelThis is not where you would expect an article about one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful islands to start. It’s the tail end of winter, 2021. Kensal Green Cemetery in west London: the imperial mausolea canted and crumbling, low clouds dissolving into rain. We are still  in that  strange phase of the pandemic when we are masked, newly aware of o
  
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• ‘Avignon warmed our bones and fed our souls’: readers’ favourite early spring trips to southern Europe

  20-02-2026 08:00
  The best places to seek respite from the wintry UK weather in France, Italy and Germany• Tell us about a family adventure in Europe – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherSaint-Jorioz in Haute-Savoie will provide a springtime lift for your spirits. On the shore of Lake Annecy, it’s a short bus ride from the city of Annecy, but less busy and with superior lake and mountain views. Hike to the surrounding peaks, towards the lesser-known Col de l’Arpettaz, or cycle on
  
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• In the footsteps of a Welsh borderlands baddie: walking the Mortimer Trail

  19-02-2026 08:00
  A trail named after a brutal marcher lord passes through tranquil countryside between Shropshire and Herefordshire but is rich in reminders of the area’s turbulent pastIn the UK, there is a proud tradition of naming long-distance walking paths after talented reprobates. I mean the various opium fiends, international terrorists and child murderers who make up our colourful national tapestry (see the Coleridge Way, Drake’s Trail and the Richard III Trail). So perhaps a 30-mile weekend
  
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• Forget the Algarve – Portugal’s best winter escape is in the mountains

  18-02-2026 08:00
  A century ago, the Serra da Estrela mountains were Portugal’s answer to the Swiss health resorts of St Moritz and Davos. Now, a historic sanatorium has been given a 21st-century makeover and is drawing people back to the hillsNavigating the high slopes of Portugal’s Serra da Estrela in midwinter requires serious negotiation with the elements, but my guide, João Pedro Sousa, makes it look simple. Angling his lean frame into the wind, he digs his plastic snow-shoes into a steep
  
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• ‘Swim, soak, switch off’: an off-grid cabin stay in the Scottish Borders

  17-02-2026 08:00
  A cabin on a farm near Hawick, known for its whisky and woollens, offers wild seclusion – and a great base for exploring an overlooked regionThe tiny, off-grid cabin looked almost unreal: made of repurposed oak it stood by a private lochan, with separate cedar sauna, cold outdoor shower, sunken hot tub, and a jetty with two hammocks and a pair of paddleboards. It screamed Finland or Sweden, not a sheep and deer farm in the Scottish Borders. It was the sort of isolated location that would s
  
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• Share a tip on a favourite family adventure in Europe

  16-02-2026 13:51
  Tell us about a memorable trip where you tried something new as a family – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakHave you had a memorable family adventure? A trip where you stepped outside your comfort zone and tried something new together? Whether it’s a family backpacking trip, completing a long-distance hike, bike or canoe trail, wild camping, youth hostelling or trying out a new activity, we’d love to hear from you.The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hal
  
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• Provence in bloom – exploring its flower festivals and the ‘perfume capital of the world’

  16-02-2026 08:00
  Mimosas and violets are already out in the south of France, making it the perfect time for a pre-spring road tripAs I take my seat in Galimard’s Studio des Fragrances, in the Provençal town of Grasse, I limber up my nostrils for the task ahead: to create my own scent from the 126 bottles in front of me. Together they represent a world of exotic aromas, from amber and musk to ginger and saffron. But given that I have left the grey British winter behind to come her
  
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• ‘The most quietly romantic town we have ever visited’ – the enduring charm of Chiavenna, Italy

  15-02-2026 08:00
  Writers from George Eliot to Goethe put this Lombardy town on the map, then it fell out of fashion. Today it makes a picture-perfect alternative to the Italian lakesThe ancient settlement of Chiavenna, in Lombardy, near Italy’s border with Switzerland, was once well known among travellers. “Lovely Chiavenna … mountain peaks, huge boulders, with rippling miniature torrents and lovely young flowers … and grassy heights with rich Spanish chestnuts,” wrote George 
  
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• 10 of the most romantic hotels, pubs, cabins and cottages for a cosy UK getaway

  14-02-2026 08:00
  It’s an ideal time of year for snuggling up on a countryside break. We pick accommodation from shepherds’ huts in Somerset to a chateau in WalesSix vintage-style “luxury huts” spaced out around a lake make up The Shepherds Hut Retreat in south Somerset. They have modern kitchens and bathrooms, private areas with hot tubs, and fancy features such as telescopes, gin bars, pizza ovens, fire pits and hammocks. There is also a woodland sauna on site. The newest
  
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• ‘It feels as if I’m in a Richard Curtis film’: readers’ favourite romantic trips in Europe

  13-02-2026 08:00
  Romance is in the air on a roof terrace in Venice, rowing across Lake Bled and a fairytale garden in Stuttgart
  • Tell us about your memorable breaks in Wales – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherWe had our wedding reception at the Grand Hotel Royal in Sorrento, south of Naples. We danced to two guitarists playing Justin Bieber’s Despacito with our 50 guests singing and dancing along with us. We watched as the sun began to melt into the Mediterranean Sea from this time
  
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• ‘The intimate and the epic’: the best way to understand India is to travel by train

  12-02-2026 08:00
  Being a passenger in this vast country is ‘a full-blooded immersion in the local’, says the novelist whose latest protagonist is lured by the romance of the railsI carry my train journeys in my bones, the juddering song of the Indian rail. Our first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, famously likened India to a palimpsest, no layer quite effacing the one that went before. That’s how I think of Indian railway journeys. They inscribe on the mind our fellow travellers, our ways, ou
  
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• Saunas, safaris and silence in Norfolk: a winter weekend on a rewilded retreat

  11-02-2026 08:00
  A transformative conservation project encompassing East Anglia’s large but secluded Fritton Lake has high-end hospitality and nature-rich experiences at its heartThe scene is entirely black, white, grey and silver. It is cold, unusually dark and a film of ice is forming on the lake. I’m sitting in an unlit wooden sauna, alone, in immense silence. The only noise is the soft ticking of the stove as the heat rises. Across the water are ghostly silver birches and dark pines. Above them,
  
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• Say no to fake snow: the Austrian ski resort that likes to keep it real

  10-02-2026 08:00
  Like many Alpine areas faced with declining snowfall, Villach had to make a difficult choice: bring in the snow cannons or reinvent itselfWalking up a winding trail in the Dobratsch nature park in Carinthia, surrounded by picturesque snowy slopes dotted with pines, we hear shrieks coming from round the corner. The path is as wide as a one-way street but Birgit Pichorner, the park ranger I’m taking a tour with, motions for me to move to the side, where we watch a couple with wide grins glid
  
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• Share a tip on your favourite under-the-radar places and things to do in Wales

  09-02-2026 16:12
  Tell us about your favourite trip in Wales – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakFrom the vast sandy surf beaches of the Gower to the peaks of Eryri national park (Snowdonia), Wales has no shortage of world-class natural attractions. But we’d love to hear about some of your favourite under-the-radar discoveries, whether it be a perfect hiking or biking trail, an intriguing small museum or attraction, or just an unexpected diversion which turned into the highlight of
  
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• Cool design and wild art on a city break in Metz, north-east France

  09-02-2026 08:00
  The small city in the Lorraine region has been put on the map with the aid of two Parisian heavyweights – a loan from the Pompidou Centre and designer Philippe Starck’s quirky new hotelAs I stand and look at a six-metre skeleton of a domestic cat named Felix, the words of Alice in Wonderland spring to mind: “Curiouser and curiouser.” The sculpture is part of a thought-provoking and enchanting exhibition at the Centre Pompidou-Metz, and this isn’t the first time
  
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• Why western Sicily is Italy’s emerging arts hub

  08-02-2026 08:00
  Art is helping to revitalise Sicily’s ghost towns and deserted urban spaces, with the earthquake-hit town of Gibellina becoming Italy’s first Capital of Contemporary ArtFrom the ostentatious baroque square of Quattro Canti all the way up to the Teatro Massimo, Palermo’s Via Maqueda is thick with tourists. Pomegranate juice sellers are setting up pyramids of fruit on their carts at gaps in the crowd and waiters are trying to reel in passersby with happy hour prices for Aper
  
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• ‘We’re used to crowds’: latest Wuthering Heights hype doesn’t faze Yorkshire residents

  07-02-2026 16:00
  As Emerald Fennell’s adaptation hits cinemas, a slew of visitors are expected at the sites that inspired Emily Brontë’s novel. People living close by, however, are taking it in their strideThe four-mile trail from the village of Haworth to Top Withens in West Yorkshire is well trodden; numerous footprints squelched into the boggy ground by those seeking the view said to have inspired the setting for Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights. The landscape rolls in d
  
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• How the ‘Lowry effect’ is rejuvenating Salford and Manchester: a tour of the artist’s old haunts and new shrines

  07-02-2026 08:00
  There’s a lot more to LS Lowry than his matchstick men. A visit to the artist’s hometown reveals how his legacy helped turn a derelict dockland into the thriving creative hub of Salford QuaysMy nan had one in her downstairs loo. An LS Lowry print, that is. It showed a street scene: 100-odd people, a few dogs, some mills in the background. I remember liking the work mostly because I could see myself in it, in a way that I couldn’t when faced with paintings of fruit or&
  
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• ‘It’s dedicated exclusively to female artists, from Frida Kahlo to Tracey Emin’: readers’ favourite unsung museums in Europe

  06-02-2026 07:00
  From ancient Greek bronzes to an unusual take on Donald Trump, readers recommend galleries and collections they’ve discovered on their travels
  • Tell us about a sunny break in Europe – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherWe visited the Female Artists of the Mougins Museum, in Mougins, a small village on a hill near Cannes. Full of exclusively female artists – from Berthe Morisot in the 19th century and Frida Kahlo in the early 20th to contemporary figures such as
  
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• A local’s guide to Milan: the city’s best restaurants, culture and green spaces

  05-02-2026 08:00
  In celebration of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, which starts this week, paralympic swimming champion Simone Barlaam shares his favourite places in his hometownBorn in Milan in 2000, Paralympic swimmer Simone Barlaam, is a 13-time world champion who won three golds and a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He’s a torchbearer and ambassador for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, which run from 6-22 February (the Paralympic Games run from 6-15 March) at sites across Lombardy
  
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• A different kind of girls’ weekend: adventure and creativity in Carmarthenshire

  04-02-2026 08:00
  Curated getaways in south-west Wales offer wellbeing and crafty fun for groups of women amid beautiful sceneryThe scent of hand-poured candles filled the air in the Little Welsh Dresser, one of Llandeilo’s clutch of arts and crafts shops. This vibrant Welsh market town is a creative spot – it’s where the famous Dinefwr wool blankets are woven and boasts many galleries and antique stores – and is a pretty place to wander. Our eyes land on the rows of handmade cards and mug
  
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• Slow train to Turin: a winter journey through the Swiss Alps to Italy

  03-02-2026 08:00
  By travelling during the day on scenic routes, travellers can soak up spectacular landscapes before taking in Turin’s cultural heritageIs there a better sensation for a traveller than when a train speeds out of a tunnel? The sudden flood of light, that howling rush of air. Clearly, it’s not just me who thinks trains are the new (old) planes, with 2025 having seen a 7% rise in UK train travel, and more Europeans than ever looking to hit the rails.It’s late December, and I’
  
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• Share a tip on a sunny spring break in Europe

  02-02-2026 17:04
  Tell us about your favourite early spring discoveries that offer sunshine without flying – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakIt’s time to think about shaking off winter and looking forward to spring. Whether it was a coastal Mediterranean town without the crowds or a southern European city that comes to life at this time of year, we’d love to hear about places you’ve discovered on your travels that can be reached by rail. Tell us what you got up to and
  
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• My search for the perfect Danish pastry in Copenhagen

  02-02-2026 08:00
  In a city packed with bakeries, how do you find the best? I risked tooth decay to track down the quintessential blend of crisp pastry, an oozy centre and sugary cinnamonOpen sandwiches (smørrebrød), meatballs (frikadeller), crispy pork belly (stegt flæsk) … There are many must-eat dishes for food lovers visiting Denmark, though perhaps nothing springs to mind as readily as the Danish pastry. But how are you supposed to choose from the countless bakeries on offer? And o
  
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• Island-hopping in Sweden: an enchanted maze of tiny isles – only a bus ride from Gothenburg

  01-02-2026 08:00
  From a bioluminescent nightime sea to rare wildlife, natural wonders are on tap in the Gothenburg archipelagoOut on the water, paddling across the straits between two small rocky islands, the dusk fades and the stars appear. Jennie has done her best to coach me in local geography before darkness, showing me the map with its patchwork of islands and bays, and describing the shape of each landmark. All to no avail. I’m more than happy to be lost at sea, leaning back in my kayak to gaze
  
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• What makes Finland the happiest place on Earth?

  31-01-2026 08:00
  For the last eight years, Finland has topped the list of the world’s happiest countries. Our writer embarks on a tour to discover their secretI’ve been visiting the happiest country on Earth every year since I was a baby. At first glance, Finland doesn’t seem like an obvious breeding ground for happiness. In midwinter the sun only appears for two to five hours a day and temperatures can plummet to below -20C. (It would seem a warm-year-round, sunny climate is not a pr
  
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• ‘We had Norway’s glacial lakes to ourselves’: readers’ favourite breaks in Scandinavia and Finland

  30-01-2026 08:00
  Saunas, island-hopping, mountain hikes, great design and cosy cafes abound in our readers’ treasured memories of the Nordic countries
  • Tell us about a romantic break in Europe – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherA week’s hiking in Jotunheimen national park (230 miles north of Oslo) last summer brought me tranquillity and peace. During four days of challenging hiking and wild camping through the area we saw hardly anyone else, having entire lush green valleys a
  
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• Sledges, bears and a hotel with Wes Anderson vibes: Switzerland’s quirkiest family ski resort

  29-01-2026 08:00
  Forget flashy St Moritz or Zermatt, the unsung village of Arosa has childlike charm, with animal sanctuaries, cool accommodation and kid-friendly tobogganingOn the approach to Arosa in the Graubünden Alps, the road is lined with mountain chapels, their stark spires soaring heavenwards; a portent, perhaps, of the ominous route ahead. The sheer-sided valley is skirted with rugged farmhouses and the road twists, over ravines and round hairpin curves, to a holiday destination that feels like a
  
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• Protecting one of the Europe’s last wild rivers: a volunteering trip to the Vjosa in Albania

  28-01-2026 08:00
  Now a ‘wild river national park’, the Vjosa needs more trees to be planted to preserve its fragile ecosystem. And visitors are being asked to help …Our induction into tree-planting comes from Pietro, an Italian hydromorphologist charged with overseeing our group of 20 or so volunteers for the week. We’re standing in a makeshift nursery full of spindly willow and poplar saplings just above the Vjosa River, a graceful, meandering waterway that cuts east to west across sout
  
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• Protecting one of Europe’s last wild rivers: a volunteering trip to the Vjosa in Albania

  28-01-2026 08:00
  Now a ‘wild river national park’, the Vjosa needs more trees to be planted to preserve its fragile ecosystem. And visitors are being asked to help …Our induction into tree-planting comes from Pietro, an Italian hydromorphologist charged with overseeing our group of 20 or so volunteers for the week. We’re standing in a makeshift nursery full of spindly willow and poplar saplings just above the Vjosa River, a graceful, meandering waterway that cuts east to west across sout
  
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• Zoning in on Leith, Edinburgh – ‘It’s been a joy to watch the area reinvent itself’

  27-01-2026 08:00
  The historic port district – and setting for Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting – has evolved into a cultural and culinary hub. In the first of a new series, a local resident visits the venues powering the resurgenceLeith is Edinburgh’s port district, where people, goods and new ideas have flowed into the city for centuries. Here, the Water of Leith river meets the sea, and on bright days, when pubs and restaurants spill out to the Shore area, there’s nowhere quite like i
  
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• Tell us about your favourite romantic place in Europe

  26-01-2026 15:09
  Share a tip on a romantic spot – whether city, hotel or mountain top – the best wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakValentine’s Day may be coming up, but we think romance should be year round! We want to hear about a favourite romantic place you’ve discovered on your travels in Europe (including the UK), whether it was a fairytale city, a remote mountain refuge, a beautiful hotel or a romantic restaurant.The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet w
  
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• Do writing retreats actually work? Reader, I finished my novel in style …

  26-01-2026 08:00
  The distractions of daily life can make writing a book a frustrating task, so I sought boltholes offering creative support and solitude in inspiring landscapesThe idea for my novel came in a rush: as I walked over the Thames on the Golden Jubilee Bridge in central London, the scene at the heart of it leapt out of the deep blue dusk and clung on to me until I committed to writing it into existence.A few months later, it became depressingly clear that the half-hour snatches of writing at the
  
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• 10 of the best retreats in Europe to soothe mind, body and soul

  25-01-2026 08:00
  Change your life – or just kick back and relax – by connecting with nature, trying a creative workshop, or taking a yoga course somewhere beautifulPlayfulness is at the heart of the Art and Play holiday, based on a farm outside the Bay of Kotor. A family-friendly retreat designed to reignite joy and reconnect with the inner child, it’s one for solo travellers and couples as well as parents with kids. There are creative sessions on everything from dance to painting, as well
  
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• Could a surfing retreat in Morocco conquer my fear of the sea?

  24-01-2026 08:00
  The process of learning to catch a wave is an all-consuming activity that can prove to be a powerful therapeutic toolI can’t remember when my terror of waves began in earnest. Maybe it was a singular incident that triggered it, like that monster wave in Biarritz, France, almost 20 years ago that body-slammed me on to the seabed, taking all the skin off my chin.More likely is that my transition from fearless to frightened had been more of a slow creep, and a perfectly rational one when you
  
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• ‘Walking in the Lake District drizzle rewired my head’: readers’ life-changing trips

  23-01-2026 08:00
  From the jungles of Colombia to sailing in Croatia, our readers reflect on the life lessons travel has taught them
  • Send us a tip on a museum or gallery – the best wins a £200 holiday voucherI did a circuit of the Old Man of Coniston in the Lake District on a grey, drizzly weekday in October and it quietly rewired my head. I’d been running on always-on mode, and that climb forces you to slow down and breathe properly. From the Coppermines valley up to the ridge, then alon
  
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• Going beyond the surface in the Karst plateau: exploring the new cross-border geopark in Italy and Slovenia

  22-01-2026 08:00
  GeoKarst is a new EU-funded project highlighting a unique landscape of caves, gorges and medieval villages near TriesteOur guide turns out the lights and suddenly there is nothing. Just total darkness, the sound of gentle dripping and a creeping feeling of unease. The switch is flicked back on and the shadowy world that lies deep beneath the Karst returns. I’m in Vilenica, thought to be the first cave in the world ever opened to tourists, with records of visitors dating back to 1633. It&rs
  
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• Rock up to London: discovering stones and fossils from around the world on an urban geology tour

  21-01-2026 08:00
  The city’s architecture travels through time and continents, incorporating everything from slabs of the Italian Alps to meteorites that hit southern Africa 2bn years agoIn the heart of London’s Square Mile, between the windows of a tapas restaurant, a 150m-year-old ammonite stares mutely at passersby. The fossil is embedded in a limestone wall on Plantation Lane, sitting alongside the remnants of ancient nautiloids and squid-like belemnites. It’s a mineralised aquarium hiding i
  
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• ‘Mingling is part of the adventure’: a family trip to Wales shows why hostels are booming

  20-01-2026 08:00
  Forget draughty bunk rooms and awkward social encounters, hostels now provide home comforts and a sense of community private rentals will never match‘Penguins? In Snowdonia?” I asked incredulously. “That’s right!” came the enthusiastic reply from our newest hostel companion. We were standing in the large kitchen of The Rocks hostel in Capel Curig, a village in the north-east of Eryri national park (Snowdonia), chatting amiably while waiting for our teas to brew.&ldq
  
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• Share a tip on a great gallery or museum in Europe

  19-01-2026 13:43
  Tell us about a favourite small museum or gallery you’ve discovered on your travels – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakWhile Europe’s famous museums and galleries draw the crowds with their blockbuster exhibitions, it can be more rewarding to discover wonderful art in out-of-the-way places. Whether it was a museum dedicated to tapestries in France, a quirky gallery in Berlin or an artist’s studio in Italy, we’d love to hear about your less-known
  
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• Wide sandy beaches and amazing seafood in western France

  19-01-2026 08:00
  Charente-Maritime is a more affordable, less manicured family destination than nearby Île de RéDinner comes with a spectacle in La Tremblade. Before I sit down to a platter of oysters at La Cabane des Bons Vivants, one of the village’s canal-side restaurants, I stand and watch orange flames bellow up from a tangle of long, skinny pine needles inside a large, open oven. They are piled on top of a board of carefully arranged mussels and, by setting fire to the pine needles,
  
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• Eight of the best affordable beach holidays, from Crete to the Costa de la Luz

  18-01-2026 08:00
  Kick back and dream of summer with our pick of seaside gems, including a stylish Andalucian bolthole and a villa with views of StromboliWild, windswept and wonderfully unspoilt, the Costa de la Luz is the Spanish coastline time forgot; a great swathe of Atlantic drama, fringed with sandy beaches and small seaside villages and resorts. Hotel Madreselva, surrounded by the pine forest, wetlands, dunes and sea cliffs of the Breña y Marismas de Barbate nature reserve, makes a suitably tranquil
  
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• Turkey as it used to be: the beach resort of Akyaka retains its ramshackle charm

  17-01-2026 08:00
  Thirty years after she first visited, our writer is relieved to discover that the town has managed to swerve the worst excesses of tourist developmentMy favourite memory of Akyaka? The second evening of our most recent visit: the beach floodlit by the last embers of a flaming sunset, the mountains that stand sentry around the town softening into deep purple hues. Before our eyes, all was transformed: sunloungers stacked away, waiters whisking back and forth with tables, menus and small rech
  
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