Travel Industry news

• 20 of Europe’s best under-the-radar beaches

  11-05-2025 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Even in high summer, Europe has plenty of unspoilt bays and hidden coves where you can escape the crowdsSurrounded by the unspoilt Sudoeste Alentejano and Costa Vicentina nature park, Odeceixe rolls out from the mouth of the River Seixe. It’s a world away from the crowded Algarve beaches further south, and offers excellent surfing and bodyboarding, with the river shallows ideal for small children. Blue-flagged, with lifeguards in summer, the beach is overlooked by a village made up of litt
  
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• Share a tip on your favourite hike in Europe

  08-06-2026 14:26 via theguardian.com
  Tell us about a memorable hiking trip – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakExploring on foot is one of the best way to discover new landscapes and enjoy spending time in the great outdoors. We want to hear about your memorable European summer hikes, whether it was a multi-day mountain trek or a more gentle walk along a river or around a lake.The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet wins a £200 voucher to stay at a Coolstays property – the
  
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• West Ireland’s magical landscape: where limestone rivers, Hollywood legend and Irish myth converge

  08-06-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The newly designated Joyce Country and Western Lakes Unesco Geopark in Galway and Mayo celebrates a 700-million-year geological history that has produced a unique terrain and rich cultural heritage‘If you take all these springs together in terms of flow, it’s by far the largest in Ireland, and one of the biggest systems in the world,” said Dr Benjamin Thébaudeau, geologist for the newly designated Unesco Joyce Country and Western Lakes Geopark in western Ireland.Over a f
  
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• ‘I don’t think we’ve ever felt closer’: five writers on their most memorable family holidays

  07-06-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Rallying the kids can be chaotic and frustrating, but from Interrailing all the way to Turkey to Vespa rides in Naples, these trips brought families togetherFinland has been named the world’s happiest country for nine years running, but arriving in Helsinki, dishevelled from one of my first flights with my nine-month-old baby, I was less interested in national rankings and more in having a nice nap. My husband, Jake, and I had emerged from the fog of newborn life and the idea of a holiday
  
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• A family holiday on the hoof: donkey trekking in the Spanish Pyrenees

  06-06-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  A week-long mountain trek with two young children felt like an ambitious undertaking – but they loved every minuteIt’s said the 19th-century Parisian flâneur, intent on not rushing past the beauties of the street, would take a tortoise on a lead to set the pace. I thought about this as my donkey bent his head to another thistle and I turned my attention to the view, waiting for him to finish. Every way I looked, layers of mountains receded in deepening shades of eggshell blue.
  
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• Watersports, biking and island escapes: readers’ favourite family holidays

  05-06-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  From boat trips on Lake Garda to zip-wiring in Wales, you share your favourite family-friendly breaks in Europe• Tell us about a glamorous seaside hotel that didn’t break the bank? The best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherLake Garda gave us one of the most memorable and unexpected family holidays yet. We hired a car and headed from Milan to Unesco-listed Peschiera del Garda and the family-focused apartment we found on Airbnb. A gentle 15-minute walk to the lakeside restaurants an
  
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• An almost wild camping trip: alternative family fun in the Peak District

  04-06-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Over one weekend, we hiked, swam, slept in a woodland cabin and camped on a hillside – while also supporting community-run projectsThe children were asleep in the little tent behind us, wrapped in two sleeping bags, each with an extra helping of wool blankets. Earlier, all I could see were their little faces half-lit by torchlight as I read them a book about rivers to the sound of rain on canvas. They fell asleep as fast and thick as the fog pooling in the valley below.My partner and I sat
  
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• From churches and castles to wonderfully weird Portmeirion: exploring Wales’s north-west coast on foot and by train

  03-06-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The Cambrian Line hugs the shore, offering easy access to the Wales Coast Path, the Cadfan Way pilgrimage route and glorious Cardigan Bay From the graveyard of St Michael’s in Ynys, Wales, the view was ravishing: the Italianate oddity of Portmeirion sparkled on the opposite shore; the peaks of Eryri (Snowdonia) rippled in the distance; and, within the River Dwyryd’s broad swirl, sat the tidal island of Ynys Gifftan. “No one’s lived there for years,” said a passerby
  
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• Tripe soup and bitter coffee in the dining car: a nostalgic ride through Poland on a communist-era train

  02-06-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  I love exploring Poland by rail. When I heard about a new back-to-the-80s service, I booked a retro seat …Trainspotters jostled on platform 2 as sunshine lit up the polished olive-green carriages of the 11:07 from Warszawa Główna (Warsaw main station) to Poznań. As I was readying to board, a man, sporting bow tie and braces, zipped past me, making it to the steps first. Excitement was palpable. But then this was no ordinary train, but rather an event. A throwback in time.
  
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• Tell us about your favourite European seaside hotels offering affordable glamour

  01-06-2026 13:42 via theguardian.com
  Tell us about your best coastal boltholes that won’t blow the budget – the top tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakFinding affordable hotel accommodation in Europe’s coastal hotspots in summer can be a challenge, especially if you’d rather not settle for a soulless budget chain or youth hostel. Whether it’s a grand old hotel on the French Riviera that oozes faded glamour or a charming guesthouse on the Amalfi coast, we’d love to hear about European se
  
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• ‘A slap-up meal for €12’: my search for the perfect old-school Turin tavern

  01-06-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Piòle are the Italian city’s working-class neighbourhood taverns. Of the few that survive, many have gone upmarket – but I was looking for the real deal and affordable home cookingTurin is one of Italy’s most serious food cities, shaped by the culinary legacy of the House of Savoy and, more recently, the slow food movement – a reputation reflected in its historic cafes and restaurants, where meals can feel refined. But that’s only part of the picture. As a lo
  
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• Five stunning walks on the new King Charles III England coast path

  30-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The 2,700-mile route covering the entire English coastline is almost complete. We walked less trodden sections big on scenery and historyDay one Circular walk of Lindisfarne (4 miles)
  Day two Budle Bay to Bamburgh to (5 miles) Continue reading...
  
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• Fabulous views, ferry rides and tucked-away beaches: readers’ favourite UK coast walks

  29-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  From the wilds of Galloway and spectacular Pembrokeshire to the cockle sheds of Southend, you share your favourite seaside walks
  • Tell us about a European road trip – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherWith an impressive mix of mountain and sea views, the 130-mile Anglesey Coastal Path is a must-do for those who love a good walk. But like most locals, my perennial favourite is the offshoot trail out to the tidal island Ynys Llanddwyn. Having grown up on Ynys Môn but
  
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• We’re going on a Bosnian bear hunt … in Europe’s oldest forest

  28-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  A guided walk in the primeval wildwood of Perućica, where wolves, chamois and the elusive brown bear roam‘I know this bear. He knows me. We’ve met several times.” Our guide for the day points to a damaged sign in Sutjeska national park, at the beginning of the trail that descends to the forest of Perućica in south-east Bosnia. The wooden post is covered in scratches from large claws. “Bears are the sharks of the land, because they have the keenest sense of smell
  
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• Neolithic treasures and sparkling seas on Orkney – all for £2 bus fares

  27-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  A new cap on bus fares in the Highlands and islands makes exploring this stunning archipelago in Scotland a breezeThe views are remarkable. From one window, gorse-gold hills roll west towards mountains patched with snow. On the other side, fields of new spring lambs slope down to a silver sea. Elsewhere, the bus crosses wide estuaries and cascading burns. There are thatched crofts, rocky bays and birch woods starred with anemones. One of the most remarkable things about this scenic 111-mile, 3&f
  
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• Fancy a European art break with fewer crowds? Try one of these five cities

  26-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Forget queuing at the Louvre or the Uffizi. You’ll find a fresh perspective on everything from medieval to modern art in places like Lille, Verona and ZurichZurich may be known as a financial centre, but it has a creative side, too. The Kunsthaus Zürich became the biggest art gallery in the country when its David Chipperfield-designed extension opened in 2021. Its collection spans 800 years of art, and includes old masters, Swiss artists such as Giacometti, works by Monet, Céza
  
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• The return of France’s train of marvels: from the Côte d’Azur to the Southern French Alps

  24-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The reopened Train de Merveilles route takes passengers from the glamour of Nice to a grandiose alpine landscapeNine-thirty on a sunny Tuesday morning, and the platforms at Nice-Ville station are buzzing. Office workers nudge their way past backpackers, passengers clamber on to trains heading east to Monaco and Italy, or west to Antibes and Cannes. My husband and I, however, are heading away from the glittering coastline and boarding the Train des Merveilles (Train of Wonders) into the Alpes-Azu
  
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• The train is ‘my time machine’: a tour of Naples’ hidden ancient wonders

  23-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  A new film about this corner of southern Italy reveals rarely visited villas, seismic landscapes and a ‘civilisation buried mid-sentence’ – all accessible by trainOne by one, the visitors descend through a tight tunnel cut through volcanic rock into the damp foundations of the Teatro Romano buried beneath Herculaneum, with the weight of 2,000 years of city above them. “This is a time machine,” the guide says, “and we are going back.” It is pitch black as
  
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• ‘An unforgettable train ride through deep gorges, canyons and mountain peaks’: readers’ favourite European rail journeys

  22-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Vintage locomotives, alpine classics and a dramatic urban ride feature in your memorable train journeys
  • Tell us about a favourite family summer holiday – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherI travelled across Norway by rail on the spectacular Bergensbanen, running between Oslo and Bergen, and the unforgettable Flåmsbana branch line. The Bergensbanen crosses the high mountain plateau of Hardangervidda, passing lakes, forests and snow‑covered peaks before descend
  
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• Weird Britain: 10 glorious oddities to visit and marvel at

  21-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Eccentric public art, strange ruins, eerie landscapes, follies … Britain has a rich store of curiosities. An enthusiast selects 10 of the quirkiest finds from his new bookOne thing unites the British more than anything else. It stands there in plain sight but is rarely spoken about. We may try to hide it; we may not admit it to ourselves; but under the surface, deep down, in the nicest possible way, we are all a little odd. Not in a sinister way, just eccentric, weird, unpredictable and d
  
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• ‘A landscape raw and wild’: by train to the heart of the Yorkshire Three Peaks

  20-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The Yorkshire Dales Explorer is a little-known alternative to the Settle to Carlisle rail route, and takes you deep into wonderful walking countryLimestone stretches on all sides like an inland ocean – appropriately enough, since the shimmering white rock has its ancient origins in coral, shells and the skeletons of sea creatures. We advance carefully, stepping on clints (blocks of rock) and avoiding grykes (the deep fissures between them). It’s a warm, dry day and, even if it were n
  
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• A new off-grid cabin stay in Scotland – on a farm where kids can run wild

  19-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Wonderful walks, wholesome adventures and friendly farmyard animals await at this collection of cabins and cottages in PerthshireOn a January morning in 1938, Pitmiddle’s last resident, James Gillies, closed the door to his cottage for the final time and walked away through the snow. High on the south-facing slopes of the Sidlaw Hills in Perthshire, the village is now little more than a jumble of half-ruined walls gradually being reclaimed by the land.My children pick around the overgrown
  
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• Tell us about your favourite family summer holiday

  18-05-2026 16:01 via theguardian.com
  Share a tip on your most memorable family break in the UK and Europe – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakWhat makes the perfect family holiday? Whether you travelled with toddlers, teenagers or as part of a multi-generational group, tell us about the choice of destination and fun activities that made your trip successful, or even special. Where did you go in the UK or Europe, what did you do and what made it work?The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Pl
  
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• After three days here I felt like an Olympic athlete: the Montenegro hotel designed for fitness and wellbeing

  18-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  With state-of-the-art fitness and spa facilities onsite and everything from hiking to kayaking the beautiful Bay of Kotor, it’s a perfect base for an active breakI was lying on a bed with no trousers on. A young man helped me into some crotch-high boots and zipped them up. He turned the lights down low, put on some music, pressed a button and left the room. Argh! The boots started to slowly inflate from the toes up, like a giant blood-pressure cuff. As they clenched around my upper thighs,
  
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• Swimming pools, fabulous views and radical architecture: 30 UK holiday cottages with the wow factor

  16-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  From a stylish retreat in Norfolk to a remote hideaway on a Scottish island, these boltholes will make for a truly memorable stayTourism experts are predicting a bumper year for “staycations” with more of us choosing to holiday in the UK due to continuing uncertainty around jet fuel prices and possible flight cancellations. Holidaymakers are spoilt for choice with more than 350,000 UK self-catering listings on booking platforms, from rustic barn conversions to seaside villas with all
  
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• ‘We found a charming alternative to touristy Bath’: readers’ favourite UK trips

  15-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  From Hadrian’s Wall to the locations of Happy Valley and Hot Fuzz, readers share their top discoveries• Tell us about your favourite UK coast walk – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucher“So this is where Officer Nick Angel [Simon Pegg] chased that swan.” As a fan of Hot Fuzz, I was excited to explore the cathedral city of Wells in Somerset, where much of the film was shot. This charming, compact and walkable city is awash with medieval architecture and magni
  
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• And did those feet in ancient time: walking Britain’s oldest paths

  14-05-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  There are few places where history can be felt more powerfully than these pathways, walked by explorer, author and TV presenter Nicholas CraneHow often do you look down and wonder who created the path your feet are following? Or ask the cause of its curves and dips? Formed over thousands of years, paths form an “internet of feet” – a web of bridleways and hollow ways, drove roads and ridgeways, coffin tracks, pilgrimage trails and city pavements. Whether you’re hiking a N
  
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• From mountain photography to ice-climbing – try it all at this summer festival in the French Alps

  13-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Improve your mountain skills by day and party by night at the Arc’teryx Alpine Academy in ChamonixAfter a day spent hiking across the Col d’Entrèves glacier, a sugar hit is required. I descend on the cable car and join the queue at the ice-cream counter. Above me, surrounded by jagged peaks, looms the huge white figure of Mont Blanc, serene and pure against a brilliant blue sky. Although it’s late afternoon, people are still heading up the mountain, and there are two cle
  
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• The sunny Danish island that’s a poster child for the good life – and perfect for a spring break

  12-05-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The island of Samsø offers tranquil walks, biking, birding, distillery and pottery tours, and locally sourced fare – including citrusy ants‘We have lammerullepøllse – lamb rolled sausage – today,” says Daniel Hesseldal-Haines, chef at Det Lille Sommerhotel on the Danish island of Samsø. “It tastes better than the translation sounds. And,” he gestures towards a woman sitting by the window, “the lamb is from Camilla’s farm.
  
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• Share a tip on a UK coast walk

  11-05-2026 14:25 via theguardian.com
  Whether it’s on the beach, along the prom or over dramatic cliffs, tell us about your favourite seaside walk – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakThe King Charles III England Coast Path, which launches officially this year, is opening up miles of previously inaccessible coastal terrain to walkers in England. We’d love to hear about your favourite coastal walks all around the UK, from the White Cliffs of Dover to the Western Isles of Scotland.The best tip of t
  
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