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News [1]
Opinion [2]
Business [3]
Sport [4]
Life [5]
Style [7]
Entertainment [8]
Travel [9]

Menu Sections

Europe

March 2023

Secret Balearic Islands - an insider’s guide to lesser-known Menorca and Formentera

Spain’s magical Balearic Islands rank among the Mediterranean’s most popular destinations, pulling in 16.5 million visitors in 2022. While Mallorca and Ibiza are the busy headliners, look beyond for a duo of bewitching, smaller islands where life still moves to a mellower beat.

Surf's up – if you don’t catch the bug, you can just relax on the beautiful beach

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A laid-back surfing retreat in Spain that’s rich with vitamin D and fun

Thanks to pale Irish skin that can’t tolerate more than 10 minutes of direct sunlight, I live life in the shade.

February 2023

Citta Alta or Upper Town, the old walled city of Bergamo. PA Photo/Alamy.

Bergamo and Brescia – from 'red zone' to Italy's twin capitals of culture for 2023

You might recognise the names Bergamo and Brescia from the first wave of European lockdowns in 2020. Struck hard by the pandemic, they belong to the Italian region of Lombardy, labelled a ‘red zone’ during that difficult period.

Motion sickness and me - despite debilitating symptoms, I’m still determined to travel

Motion sickness may never actually kill me, but sometimes I feel like it might.

Sarah at the Dynjand waterfall. PA Photo/Renato Granieri.

Iceland’s wildest corners - my drive through the wonderful Westfjords

It would take a few years to have an item stocked on the shelves of The Old Bookstore in sleepy coastal village Flateyri.

Ski lessons for all levels and ages are catered for in Sierra Nevada to get you comfortable on the slopes. Photo: Getty

La vida ski and sea — how I combined a ski and sun holiday in Spain

As a sun worshipper and beach kind of gal, and having skied about a dozen times in my life, I find it hard to give up a week of my hard-earned holidays for seven days on the slopes, not to mention the cash that you fork out.

Saint Nicolas Tower and the Chain Tower (right) guard the entrance to La Rochelle's inner harbour

Cartoons, cabin cruisers and kingfishers on a tour of Cognac country

“Roll up, roll up – welcome to the town where Rizla cigarette papers were invented,” it should read on the road signs outside Angouleme, but doesn’t.

Chrissie Russell with husband Stephen and sons Tom and Finn, and an elf from Santa’s secret forest

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Lapland packages are already booking up for 2023 - what's it like to take a trip that can cost thousands?

Our boots crunch on a path thick with snow. Little flickering flames light our way through towering pine trees to a clearing where we’re treated to steaming cups of hot berry juice.

The Staatsoper is in a league of its own. Getty Images

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Majesty and music: Why this is the season to visit Vienna

It’s our last night in Vienna and we are strolling back though the streets to our hotel after a lovely evening in the city’s long-established Porgy & Bess jazz club. It’s January, the pavements have been frosty-white for the last few days and it’s now hats-down-over-the-ears freezing cold.

Salemi, Sicily - one of Italy's '€1 towns'. Photo: Deposit

Italy’s €1 houses - who can buy one, and how does it work?

With property prices in Ireland out of reach for many first time buyers, the idea of snapping up an Italian casa for €1 is intoxicating.

January 2023

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South of France – soak up architecture and art on the Côte d’Azur

We tend to think of the South of France as a beach destination. But in the spring and autumn shoulder seasons, when temperatures are not as oppressive as they can be in the summer months, Nice and its environs have plenty to offer those who like to take in a bit of culture between glasses of rosé.

Romania is full of wild landscapes for adventurous types to explore

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Whiskey, wine and wilderness in fascinating Romania

Everywhere I look, I find Irish connections. I’m in Romania to learn about the country’s first ever official whiskey production, which brings me to the first Irish link – Scots-Irish master distiller Allan Anderson, who was brought in to create Carpathian Single Malt.

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‘The sleeper train is back’ – four fab night trains for exploring mainland Europe

With the advent of cheap flights came massively reduced transit times, putting train travel out of favour.

Noel and the group on tour. Photo by Jacinta McGlynn

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‘What’s it like to join an escorted tour?’ – Noel Cunningham takes his first package holiday

What’s it like to join an escorted holiday? I’d never taken a package holiday before, but I wanted to find out.

December 2022

The Avenue of Champagne in Epernay, the 'capital of champagne'

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‘The sound of a party is the pop of a bottle’ – a fizz-filled visit to the home of Champagne

The unmistakable sound of champagne corks popping will be heard far and wide during the festive season .

Munich's Christmas markets. PA Photo/Alamy

How Munich is reviving its retro party roots to become a fun city break

Surrounded by darkness, I take a deep breath of the freezing air.

Meghann Fahy, Theo James, Aubrey Plaza and Will Sharpe in HBO's 'The White Lotus'. Photo: Fabio Lovino/HBO

The White Lotus in Sicily – a real-life location guide to the show’s filming sites

Sicily is a Mediterranean paradise, where beauty, culture and history converge - a magical land forged by the mercurial Mount Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes.

Why Pinocchio’s Florence still has a fairy-tale appeal for travellers

Pointing to a faded manuscript exhibited in a glass cabinet, tour guide Claudia Durante explains why the plot of the original Pinocchio story isn’t quite the happy Disney ending we’ve all grown up with.

The cobblestone lanes of Istanbul's Galata district, which has a vibrant cafe culture

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The fantastic flavours of Istanbul - a tour of the local hotspots and Michelin recommendations

‘Baklava is empire food. Palace food,” Murat Güllü explains as we watch an army of bakers meticulously rolling sheets of paper-thin pastry on cool marble tables.

Turin, Italy, with snowcapped Alps in the background. Photo: Getty

48 hours in Turin – winter walks, hot chocolates and lots of hotel beds at weekends

November 2022

Florence is steeped in history and culture

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An art-lover’s dream in magical city of Florence

It was Mark Twain who said Florence was a “sight to stir the coldest nature”. It’s hard to know where to start when visiting such a magical place. The city of lilies, as it is known, is home to almost a third of the art world’s Unesco-designated treasures. As a first-time visitor, I was determined to see as many of them as I could.

Exploring Lake Maggiore with Asconautica sailing school

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Setting sail: The area around Lake Maggiore is best experienced from the crystal-clear water

As mornings on lakes go, this one is almost perfect.

Kraków hosts one of the most popular Christmas markets in Europe

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10 magical Christmas markets in Europe to visit in 2022

When you want to get into the Christmas spirit, nothing does the trick like a wander around a festive market. And after two years of Covid-related closures, the 2022 season will be the first time some of the European favourites return.

The start of the F1 Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Picture: Dan Istitene

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Grand Prix getaways – how can you travel to see Formula 1, and what’s the experience like?

You will hear a Formula 1 car before you see it. You will feel it before you see it. There’s almost a sense of foreshadowing, of air being sucked back down the track. The high-pitched scream rises, eats into your eardrums until suddenly, in a visceral release, it rockets past.

Polignano al mare, Puglia. Deposit Photos

‘Spellbound sleepiness’ – Puglia makes a great off-season escape in Italy

We cycle back to the hotel in a neat line, spokes whirring, weaving through a patchwork of silver-green olive groves.

October 2022

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‘Misted windows, hot chocolate, heart-warming food, frosted pavements’ – the joy of Genoa in winter

It’s 9.30am on a Saturday in November when Andrea Azzinardi bounces in through the door of my hotel, all smiles and bursting with energy. Andrea is my walking-tour guide for the morning and from the moment we meet until we part some four hours later it’s all go, go, go as we wend our way, walking and talking, through the ancient streets of Genoa, north-west Italy.

The medieval town of Caiazzo, Italy. Photo: Getty

Forget Naples – why pizza-lovers should stay at its under-the-radar neighbour

While any pizza lover worth their sauce will have chewed over the pros and cons of Neapolitan pies, visitors contemplating the hallowed yet hectic port city should skip Naples and head directly to the mediaeval town of Caiazzo for a slice of the action.

Skiing après-Covid: everything you need to know to get back on the slopes this year

Ski-resort bosses are exploring ways of fighting the energy crisis this winter.

September 2022

Taverna Anemos Sunrise in Agios Minas, Karpathos, Greece

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Europe

March 2023

Secret Balearic Islands - an insider’s guide to lesser-known Menorca and Formentera

A laid-back surfing retreat in Spain that’s rich with vitamin D and fun

February 2023

Bergamo and Brescia – from 'red zone' to Italy's twin capitals of culture for 2023

Motion sickness and me - despite debilitating symptoms, I’m still determined to travel

Iceland’s wildest corners - my drive through the wonderful Westfjords

La vida ski and sea — how I combined a ski and sun holiday in Spain

Cartoons, cabin cruisers and kingfishers on a tour of Cognac country

Lapland packages are already booking up for 2023 - what's it like to take a trip that can cost thousands?

Majesty and music: Why this is the season to visit Vienna

Italy’s €1 houses - who can buy one, and how does it work?

January 2023

South of France – soak up architecture and art on the Côte d’Azur

Whiskey, wine and wilderness in fascinating Romania

‘The sleeper train is back’ – four fab night trains for exploring mainland Europe

‘What’s it like to join an escorted tour?’ – Noel Cunningham takes his first package holiday

December 2022

‘The sound of a party is the pop of a bottle’ – a fizz-filled visit to the home of Champagne

How Munich is reviving its retro party roots to become a fun city break

The White Lotus in Sicily – a real-life location guide to the show’s filming sites

Why Pinocchio’s Florence still has a fairy-tale appeal for travellers

The fantastic flavours of Istanbul - a tour of the local hotspots and Michelin recommendations

48 hours in Turin – winter walks, hot chocolates and lots of hotel beds at weekends

November 2022

An art-lover’s dream in magical city of Florence

Setting sail: The area around Lake Maggiore is best experienced from the crystal-clear water

10 magical Christmas markets in Europe to visit in 2022

Grand Prix getaways – how can you travel to see Formula 1, and what’s the experience like?

‘Spellbound sleepiness’ – Puglia makes a great off-season escape in Italy

October 2022

‘Misted windows, hot chocolate, heart-warming food, frosted pavements’ – the joy of Genoa in winter

Forget Naples – why pizza-lovers should stay at its under-the-radar neighbour

Skiing après-Covid: everything you need to know to get back on the slopes this year

September 2022

‘I was offered the chance to run a Greek taverna for a summer. Here’s what happened next...’

Queen Elizabeth: Two birthdays, 15 PMs and an Arsenal fan – 9 unusual facts about the Queen

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