Europe

[ad_1] The first time I took the train to a ski resort, the Channel tunnel was still under construction. We had to take a train to Dover, catch the ferry, then a connecting train from Calais overnight. Thirty years later, thanks to Eurostar, it’s simpler and faster to travel by train to the mountains – […]

[ad_1] Nowadays, most cities want to muscle in on the magic that Christmas markets can bring, but it takes more than a few fairy lights and overpriced trinkets to make one truly special. You want the right combination of fantastic food stalls, a few places to buy presents beyond the usual wooden toys on offer,

[ad_1] The land of the midnight sun and the aurora borealis, of achingly hip cities and true wilderness grazed by reindeer, Sweden really is as stunning, spacious and stylish as you imagine it to be. There’s plenty of space to breathe – at almost 1,000 miles long, blanketed in forest and home to 25 national

[ad_1] Buzzing cities, elegant architecture, a mind-bendingly varied history and some truly astonishing landscapes make Serbia one of the most compelling countries in Eastern Europe. It’s exuberant, hospitable (bring a big appetite) and crammed with cultural and culinary legacies from Ottoman and Habsburg times. It’s also one of the most affordable places to visit: some

[ad_1] It all started with the wine rack, which had been glaring back at us, near-empty, since we bought it five years ago. It holds 48 bottles. During the first year of ownership my girlfriend and I had managed to half fill it on a semi-regular basis, but as time passed and lethargy crept in

[ad_1] I do love a good train journey, and in Germany they’re pretty darn good. Super-efficient Deutsche Bahn stretches its tentacles from stadt to strand – and now it’s about to be dirt cheap, too, with a €49-a-month ticket on the horizon, slated to launch some time early next year. Having tried the experimental €9-a-month

[ad_1] Famously underrated, this gourmet’s haven is Italy’s seventh largest city, full of jaw-dropping medieval architecture and sweeping piazzas. The city shimmers with vibrant activity, its world-class cultural institutions hosting year-round events for a buzzy populous of students and intellectuals. There’s a distinct lack of mass tourism, too – you won’t see coach-loads of day-trippers

[ad_1] Why go now? Porto is a city on the rise, tempting travellers with its pretty old town, excellent wine bars and golden rooftops. This isn’t a destination for those who want up-to-the-minute cool – this is the spot for long, seafood dinners, slow strolls through sleepy streets and a white port and tonic as

[ad_1] The unconventionally striking port city of Le Havre, Normandy, is a survivor, rebuilt virtually from scratch following WWII. It bears little resemblance to Monet paintings you’ve seen (the artist moved to Le Havre aged five), but instead looks like a contemporary art gallery, with rainbow-coloured shipping containers, geometric sculptures, and a concert hall inside

[ad_1] It was 9am in Rome, and the Colosseum cast great shadows across well-formed queues of tourists edging closer to the almost 2,000-year-old entrance. I’d braved this queue many years before on my first visit to the Italian capital, but this time I’d arrived in Rome the night before with the intention of escaping the