Ten years ago, while exploring the Renaissance city of Mantua in Lombardy, I bumped into a bunch of cyclists embarking on a “bike and barge” …
holidays
Gimme shelter: tips on how to survive camping, whatever the weather | Camping holidays
Forecast: heat Everyone prays for sunshine, but camping in a heatwave can be a health risk. David Scotland, the owner of Outdoor World Direct, says: …
‘Blissful and extraordinary’: readers’ favourite places in Europe | Europe holidays
Lakeside beaches, France Lake Vassivière in the Limousin has something for everyone. We found one of France’s largest artificial lakes while on a donkey-trekking holiday …
From surfing to self discovery: five of the best male-only wellness camps in Europe | Health and fitness holidays
One definition of wellness is “the state of being healthy, especially when it is something that you actively try to achieve”. However, in today’s society, …
From DJ classes in Ibiza to yoga in the Norfolk woods: readers’ favourite retreats in the UK and Europe | Yoga holidays
Relax in an ecodome, Lincolnshire I’ve just returned from the most relaxing weekend at Purusha Retreats, south of Lincoln. From the moment we headed up …
‘Only 11 other people have completed it’: cycling the 7,600km European Divide | Cycling holidays
Last summer I cycled 7,600km (4,722 miles) along a route called the European Divide Trail, which runs through nine countries, all the way from Arctic …
Let’s Split: Croatian island-hopping is heavenly | Croatia holidays
Croatia’s coast is made up of 1,200 islands – some are glamorous and hotelled, some are grand rocks enveloped by gulls. Some are for naturists, …
Grand Torino: why the ‘cacophonous and intoxicating’ Italian city is a must-see | Turin holidays
The Porta Palazzo, Europe’s biggest open market, sits on the Piazza della Repubblica, Turin’s biggest square. The market is open six days a week and …
K-pop tourism: how Tossa de Mar became a hot spot | Spain holidays
The 9 o’clock bus from Barcelona to the Costa Brava resort of Tossa de Mar is packed, mostly with young Asian women. Seventy-five minutes later …
Malmö design festival fights back against the flatpack | Malmo holidays
If you want to see the full range of expression of which a Swede is capable, just mention Ikea. Annoyance, amusement, pride and resentment flit …
Orvieto classico: the honeycomb Italian city | Italy holidays
Dinner at Labirinto di Adriano, a charming traditional trattoria in the backstreets of Orvieto, comes with something of an unusual coda. After delicious plates of …
‘I sat with my lairdly cup of tea’: how a derelict Scottish tower was turned into a Landmark Trust retreat | Highlands holidays
“The day will come when the Mackenzies of Fairburn shall lose their entire possessions … Their castle shall become uninhabited, desolate and forsaken, and a …
Music and mountains: a green city break in Slovenia | Slovenia holidays
Normally, hearing a beatbox cover of the Beatles’ From Me to You live would make my toes curl. But the sincere way singer and dancer …
Rail route of the month: tracking St Olav from Sweden to Norway | Norway holidays
Religious purists probably assert that a pilgrimage requires walking rather than taking a train. I wasn’t inclined to spend three weeks walking to Trondheim. So …
Spur to action: new, greener breaks on Italy’s Gargano peninsula | Italy holidays
The forest was deep, dark, almost mystical – ancient trees, mossy tussocks, rare glimpses of blue sky through the dense canopy. The afternoon air was …
‘Your tastebuds will go on their own journey’: readers’ tips on undiscovered Italy | Italy holidays
Fly with an angel, Basilicata Visiting Castelmezzano, a town perched against the backdrop of the Dolomiti Lucane, was an accident during my recent southern Italy …
How agritourism is giving a helping hand on Greece’s farms | Greece holidays
In a large sunlit kitchen on Eumelia farm, an idyllic agritourism and wellness retreat set amid the endless olive groves of Greece’s southern Peloponnese, my …
Switzerland unplugged: a hike in the off-grid Bavona valley | Switzerland holidays
When hydroelectric power first arrived in Switzerland’s Bavona valley in the 1950s, residents of its 12 hamlets gathered for a vote. Should they connect their …
‘Why would we stop holidaying together?’ Three families on the joy of travelling with adult children | Family holidays
I never feel more like a child than when I am travelling with my parents. At 24 years old, I revert into the teenage version …
The real Nevermore Academy: my gothic pilgrimage to the set of Netflix’s Wednesday in Romania | Romania holidays
‘Wow, it’s … it’s Nevermore Academy!” There are delighted gasps from younger members of my tour group as we enter the TV set courtyard at …