Advice

The O2 Arena in Greenwich (formerly the doomed Millenium Dome) is an outstanding music venue with plenty of decent bar and restaurant options once you arrive to get you fed and watered before or after your gig. But, and there is a but, it’s a bit of a pain to get to especially if you’re

Expert guide to Tignes Overview Hotels Restaurants Après ski Snow reports Because Tignes’ five villages are so spread-out, it’s important to be aware of accommodation location before booking. Val Claret and Tignes Le Lac, jointly known as Tignes 2100, make the most convenient bases. Although the satellites of Tignes Les Boisses (aka Tignes 1800) and

It was only fitting that I swooped into JFK on a Virgin flight – not because it was my maiden voyage over the bright lights of New York, but because the first time I arrived here, nearly a quarter of a century ago, I had only one thing on my mind: Madonna. New York is

Megève has no fewer than nine exceptionally stylish five-star hotels, mostly built in chalet-style. But there’s a wide range of other more affordable accommodation too. Newly opened for 21/22 was 60-room Mamie Megève, a former tourist residence, offering old-style comfort with both doubles and family rooms available.  For further Megève inspiration, see our guides to the resort’s

If you are going to hold a tourism summit in a destination generally considered a hotspot for holidays and leisurely escapes, Les Roches Marbella is the sort of place that ticks all boxes. There it sits, three miles west of the coastal Spanish city in its name, just a mile inland from the gilded marina

Expert guide to Megève Overview Hotels Restaurants Apres ski Snow reports France’s medieval beauty Megève is a traditional winter sports resort, founded in 1916, that has attracted the rich and famous since the 1920s. Its clientele these days are still mainly affluent and French and are looking for an all-round winter holiday, not just pounding

There’s never been a better time to honeymoon in the UK, with a plethora of heart-soaringly lovely places to stay which are reassuringly romantic. From grand high-end hotels with incredible spas to Michelin-starred restaurants with rooms, staying on UK shores certainly doesn’t mean compromising on style or quality. The trend for taking a short break

Soft beds, hot food and a drink for the weary traveller are all simple things, but it’s a combination that has defined England’s roadside inns for centuries. A good number date from as far back as the Tudor era, and given the enduring appeal of roaring fires, wonky floors and perilously low timber-beamed ceilings, they

What could be better than decamping with a selection of your closest friends and family to a rambling old house in some boiling hot, beautiful and bargainous spot in southern France, Italy or Spain for a week? In your imagination, the seven days stretch ahead in a sun-drenched procession of early morning runs; long, lazy

Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike: these three soaring British peaks, the highest mountains in Wales, Scotland and England respectively, offer soul-stirring views, dramatic landscapes and a real sense of achievement when you’ve reached their summits. There’s just one problem – everyone knows about them.  In recent years, their popularity and bucket-list status has at

The trouble in the skies continues. It isn’t always the airlines’ or the airports’ fault. Last week I was due to fly back from Bordeaux to Gatwick with British Airways. The flight was cancelled, like hundreds of others all over Europe, because of a strike by French air traffic controllers. But while the causes of

One big disadvantage of Brexit from the traveller’s point of view is the loss of automatic rights to free mobile roaming and calls to, from and between EU countries. By “free” I mean included in your normal monthly contract and allowance.  When this issue was raised soon after the 2016 referendum vote, mobile operators said

Queen Elizabeth II’s royal tours always packed a diplomatic punch. Over the course of her seven decades on the throne, many of her subjects were not only enthralled by the exotic locations she visited and the rare glimpse her travels provided into her private world – they were also inspired to follow suit. When her

The Queen’s royal tours have always packed a diplomatic punch. Over the course of Her Majesty’s seven decades on the throne, marked this year with the Platinum Jubilee, many of her subjects have not only been enthralled by the exotic locations she has visited and the rare glimpse her travels have provided into her private

Back in April, I reported on the high cost of holidays in this country. Was Britain pricing itself out of the market, I wondered? Especially given the remarkably high cost of holiday cottages, which had been rising sharply in price, partly because of the sharp increase in demand during the Covid-affected summers of 2020 and 2021. 

While the west coast of Mallorca gets the most attention, and you certainly have to dive off the rocks of Deià after a seafood lunch at least once in your life, the southeast of the island is arguably more beautiful. Avoid the resorts of Cala d’Or and stay inland at Santanyí, a golden stone town

When it comes to inspirational landscapes it’s hard to beat a beautiful lake – there’s something about the glittering water, especially when combined with dramatic peaks, that creates an intensely picturesque and relaxing effect. This fact is no secret, which means the lakes of northern Italy are magnets for mass tourism whenever warmer weather arrives.

Few nations love to pack their bags and explore the world quite like the British. Since the gilded days of the Grand Tour – that ultimate finishing school for the upper class – we’ve flocked to every corner of Europe, and beyond, in search of enriching experiences. Gradually, thanks to the emergence of tour operators

We often hear about onboard activities and outings specifically associatated with expedition cruises, but this week we asked readers about their favourite shore excursions in general; their vivid accounts will make you feel as though you were there.  Letter of the week From our cruise ship, the railway station looked so small – as if a model enthusiast

Lake Garda’s glittering wind-swept waters have long attracted poets, artists, writers and politicians, from DH Lawrence to Wolfgang Goethe – not least Mussolini, who ran the Italian Socialist Republic from the lakefront town of Salò on the western shore.  Fringed by the Dolomites to the north, Italy’s largest lake is Mediterranean both in feel and