Where better to celebrate one’s 21st than in Paris? The question almost answers itself. The French capital is, quite simply, the ultimate girls’ getaway; celebratory, stylish, and overflowing with charm at every cobblestoned corner. As May flowers continue to bloom across the city’s window boxes and public gardens, Paris truly comes into its own in…
Perched above the Douro, Porto is not so much a destination as an immersion, a place where graceful bridges, hand-painted tiles, and the scent of warm pastry conspire to make you never want to leave. Portugal’s second city has been quietly earning its superlatives for years. In 2025, the World Travel Awards named it Europe’s…
Financial Times journalist Simon Greaves returns to Tuscany after thirty years — and finds a region that has lost none of its power to astonish. There is a cliche I’ve always liked: ‘That God created the world, and when he wanted to show off, he made Italy’. More than thirty years ago, I first came…
Where 17th-century canal houses glow amber in the spring sunshine, masterpieces hang in golden rooms, and a city of barely a million people feels like the whole world – in miniature. There is a particular quality of light in Amsterdam that painters have been chasing for four centuries. It comes off the canals, refracted and…
A Moorish castle crowns a mountain village, time slows to the pace of olive groves, and Sunday belongs to the women of Tolox. There is a road in southern Spain that climbs away from the glittering coast and curls upward to a different world entirely. Leave behind the beach clubs of Marbella, the frenetic pulse…
From mist-filled forests and vertiginous trails to cliff-edge campsites and cloud-level sunrises, Ines Luque uncovers some of Madeira’s wildest landscapes — and its quietest moments. Camping in Madeira is not the obvious choice. This Atlantic island is better known for cruise ships and cliff-hugging hotels than for tents pitched beneath the stars. But for travellers…
There’s a particular romance to arriving in Paris by Eurostar in mid-December. One moment you’re rushing through the Kent countryside, the next you glide into the heart of the city at Gare du Nord, stepping straight into a winter tableau and a city dressed for Christmas. Paris is one of those cities that never really…
On a trip to the beautiful medieval city of Krakow earlier this year, I felt compelled to visit Oświęcim—the town whose name became synonymous with the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau. Where most associate holidays with relaxation, this day trip demanded reflection. It summoned grief, anger, and a hollow ache for those who fell victim to the Nazi…
Crete has a way of capturing your senses before you even set foot on its shores. The scent of thyme and oregano drifts on the breeze, the mountains tumble into a sapphire sea, and time feels deliciously slower. Nestled along Crete’s north-eastern coast, the fishing villages of Elounda and Plaka may be small, but reflected…
From cliffside serenity to coastal adventures, this Italian gem will capture your soul. There are islands that impress you, and then there are islands that stay with you. Ischia, nestled in the Bay of Naples, is one of the latter. With its volcanic landscapes, thermal waters, seaside villages, and slow Mediterranean rhythm, Ischia is a…