europe holidays
-
Rome’s sights, style and food inspire our foreign correspondent. Here, she picks her favourite places, from an authentic gelateria to a locals’ cookery class
-
Fashion is funding the restoration of Rome’s historic monuments. But who really benefits, wonders Eva Wiseman
-
The world’s longest railway line was completed in 1916. Our girl on the train endures and enjoys the epic six-day journey in beautiful snowy winter
-
The German-Japanese pianist loves her home city for its old-fashioned values and classical music, but grew up relishing its bierkellers and pretzels, alongside its concert halls
-
Gathered from the Venetian lagoon, moeche, or soft-shell crabs, go down a treat with a squeeze of lemon and a glass of prosecco
-
Ireland’s ‘rebel city’ is often just a starting point for exploring the rugged west, but with 24 annual festivals, a cracking food scene and great pubs, there are plenty of reasons to linger
top 10s
-
It is possible to enjoy a budget city break without compromising on comfort and facilities, as this selection from a new guide by Kash Bhattacharya shows
-
For those who love a snowy mountain but aren’t keen on strapping planks to their feet, Sam Haddad picks exciting winter activities, from ice karts to dog sleds
-
The Basque city of San Sebastián has so many great places to eat it’s hard to narrow it down, so we’ve enlisted local chefs and foodies to select their favourites
-
Venice is awash with tacky carnival masks and Murano glass made in China, but away from the tourist boutiques unique gifts can be found in the city’s artisan ateliers, art studios, vintage stores and bookshops
winter sports holidays
-
Weather forecasts promise resorts the best pre-Christmas runs for many years
-
From next year, one of the world’s longest artificial ski slopes will run from the roof of the city’s new ultra-green waste-to-energy power plant
-
What are holidays for if not meeting new people and having a ball? Our writer joins a louche weekend in the Loire Valley, and rounds up other – more affordable – group holidays to enjoy candle burning at both ends
-
Kayaking is one of the only ways to get to Kornat, off Zadar. There are speedboats and superyachts around too, but travelling under his own steam, Kevin Rushby gives them the slip
-
The kids would be happy to stick to the beach, but a stay on the coast near Bordeaux means mum and dad can fit in some surfing and vineyards, too
-
beach holidays
-
These picks are hardly household names but with their solitude and scenery they are the antidote to the more familiar, crowded, Med hotspots
-
activity holidays
-
This Channel Islands wellness bolthole offers a ‘detox without realising it’ by marrying the two disciplines and serving guests healthy, vegetarian meals
restaurants
-
Restlos Glücklich’s meals taste all the better for knowing that they’re made from veg rejected by supermarkets because of damaged packaging or their odd shape
-
Left-field Liverpool is thriving with a strong DIY culture and an art world bubbling with grassroots projects. Here’s our pick of the most exciting music and culture venues, and the best places to eat and drink
-
With the traditional Parisian brasserie in decline, a new website is pointing diners to alternative cheap eats. The founders of Les Petites Tables show us where to dine well on a shoestring
-
Long trip on the autoroute? Then stop off for a rummage in a brocante (a French flea market/secondhand shop), says Tom Kevill-Davies, who has furnished his house from them
most viewed
‘We like being special.’ Basque standard-bearer Ivan Jiménez Aira on Bilbao