Latest travel news and reviews on US and world holidays, travel guides to global destinations, city breaks, hotels and restaurant information from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice
Overdue Last read · last published · next check
Last read 16 hours ago, longer than this feed's 8 hours schedule.
The Jura and Three Lakes region is often overlooked by visitors, but on a lake-hopping adventure I discovered its gentle beauty as well as great food and wine The ferry cuts across the waters of Lake Biel, creating soft ripples, as if someone has taken a brushstroke to a blue canvas. To starboard, as we approach St Peter’s Island, are gentle mountains; to port side, lie golden fields. Straight…
Martine Perret’s latest aerial images reveal the land at a scale that invites both awe and urgency; ancient riverbeds that have carved the land over millenia, the immense salt flats reflecting incredible colours and a unique marine biodiversity. These images are part of an ongoing photo series from the last five years showing sweeping landscapes from the Abrolhos Islands, Gascoyne, and Wheatbelt…
From a 500-year-old inn in the Italian Dolomites to a log cabin in Finland’s lake district, these boltholes offer a tranquil and restorative getaway Continue reading...
From the Alpine meadows of Bavaria to a pristine lake in Italy and the pilgrim routes of the Pyrenees, here are some of your favourite discoveries. • Tell us about a lesser known European island – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucher Haldensee is a clear, sparkling cold lake located at the bottom of the Tannheimer Tal valley in the Austrian Alps (about 90 miles south-west of Munich). We…
Söderåsen national park is one of Europe’s largest protected broadleaf woods, offering wild swimming, spectacular hiking trails and an inspiring story of regeneration From the bus window, the ridge looks like a giant slumbering beast stretched deep green across the flat farmland. “It feels alive,” I say to the woman beside me. “Yes,” she answers. “It is where you would run for safety, don’t you…
From the source to the sea, our writers share their favourite ways to immerse themselves in nature by paddleboarding, canoeing, camping, walking and fishing It’s early afternoon on an unusually hot and sunny Yorkshire day. I’m standing on my paddleboard on the tidal section of the River Esk, near Whitby’s New Bridge, as cars stream across. The 28-mile-long Esk is special, as it is the only major…
You don’t have to be a sailor to cruise the estuaries of Essex on this historic craft. The skipper will show you the ropes – or just sit back and enjoy the ride In a darkened room in Maldon, Essex, a ship’s lantern illuminates the laundry drying on a web of ropes suspended from the ceiling. Between piles of sailing memorabilia, 86-year-old Barry Pearce is flipping through a yellowing logbook,…
From Blackpool to Bournemouth, these quintessentially British institutions celebrate a lot more than fish and chips and amusement arcades Perched in our glass-fronted eyrie, 300 metres out to sea, we watch a murmuration of starlings rise and fall and swoop around us. When the show is over, we turn our attention to the food. I have a bespoke vegan menu based on the best early summer ingredients:…
For hours we hobbled back, until we were close enough for him to place me down and run for help Read more in the kindness of strangers series We had heard there was an incredible waterfall somewhere deep in the Thai rainforest. Seeking it out almost killed me. In 2003 I was travelling solo through south-east Asia when I met Paul, an American with an easy-going, natural warmth. We were the only two…
Rabat is a gorgeous seaside city with great food and culture, but for book lovers there’s an added incentive to go this year The first book I read willingly was Bridget Jones’s Diary. I was 19. Up to that point, I hadn’t been much of a reader. I’d been more into football, or Baywatch, or Robin Budd in the year above – anything really. Given the choice between reading a book and staring at a wall,…
On a coastline brimming with seafood shacks, crab sandwiches and hyperlocal flavour, our food writer is happy to be distracted from the stunning scenery If we take it as read that the better the view, the worse the cooking, then by rights south Wales’s Gower peninsula should be a culinary desert. The first time I visited almost 15 years ago, I was unprepared for its loveliness – back in 1956,…
On a three-day fungi workshop in Australia’s largest cool temperate rainforest, Alexis Buxton-Collins unearths an unexpected appreciation for the third kingdom of life Revered as one of Australia’s last true wilderness areas, Takayna/Tarkine is a place of legends. Freshwater crayfish that can reach almost a metre in length lurk in the shade of 2,000-year-old Huon pines, and every few years a…
The 27km trail on the NSW mid-north coast reveals wildlife of the land and sea, plus the option to go clothes-free The waves are tracking higher than the average Australian house when the opportunity arises to bare all. We’ve arrived on foot at Samurai beach, a remote nudist spot midway along the 27km Tomaree coastal walk on the New South Wales mid-north coast in the Port Stephens area. The…
From underfloor heating to big screen TVs, there seems to be nothing in the average house that isn’t available in one of these uber-vans Our maiden campervan trip, 2021, and my wife and I return from Kata Tjuta to Yulara’s “Ayers Rock” campground to find new neighbours. Towering beside our humble rental is a fully optioned monster ute with a spanking new off-road caravan. And a playpen. We’re…
People have celebrated Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, at mosques and train stations, in the middle of the road and on the edge of the sea. This is the second major holiday in Islam, with approximately 2 billion pilgrims worldwide offering prayers as a sign of devotion, adherence and unity Continue reading...
The number of Australians taking short trips to Vietnam has more than doubled since 2016 as holidaymakers seek affordable experiences close to home Georgia Quinn is adamant that Vietnam has been slept on as a holiday destination. The lifestyle-based content creator says she has loved the country since she first visited as a backpacker 15 years ago. “It wasn’t off the beaten path but it definitely…
Travellers warned to beware of debit card cons after one was charged £1,500 for a kebab and another £3,000 for corn on the cob When Lisa Selby* used her debit card to pay for two slices of barbecued cheese from a beach vendor in Rio de Janeiro, she expected to pay 40 reais (£5.90) for the snack. But shortly after the payment had gone through, she realised that she had been charged 4,000 reais…
With its never-ending street theatre and labyrinthine medina, this timeless city swallows you whole – and reveals new secrets with each visit The rising sun sets fire to the snow-covered caps of the Atlas mountains. Within moments, the shadowy gorges are gleaming with warm terracotta hues. I turn my back on north Africa’s highest peaks and look north where Marrakech – nicknamed the Red City –…
People from across the world queue for hours to get a video taken on the famous ‘Gateway to Heaven’ rooftop in the heart of Brazil’s most iconic city It was day three of the British family’s holiday in Brazil and, as the sun rose over Rio’s undulating mountains, they set off for the city’s most talked about tourist haunt. “It’s our first time in Brazil. We’re really looking forward to it,” said…
Over the past 21 years, Village Ways has been leading low-impact tours of remote communities in the foothills of the Himalayas, supporting traditional ways of life and offering a rare glimpse of pristine landscapes and wildlife Kathdhara village is a riot of colour as the early evening light turns the clouds the rosy hue of Himalayan salt. Bright red chillies lie drying in front of cornflower blue…
A fabled boutique hotel in the Atlas mountains makes a stunning base for hikes to spectacular viewpoints Coming up the footpath from Imlil, Hussein and I step aside to let a laden mule go past and I look back. On the wooded lower slopes of the valley are clusters of tall houses, some plumed with wood smoke. There appears to be a lot of building work going on, some of it to repair the damage caused…
The process of learning to catch a wave is an all-consuming activity that can prove to be a powerful therapeutic tool I can’t remember when my terror of waves began in earnest. Maybe it was a singular incident that triggered it, like that monster wave in Biarritz, France, almost 20 years ago that body-slammed me on to the seabed, taking all the skin off my chin. More likely is that my transition…
Visiting the city hosting the Cop30 conference brings with it questions about farming, tourism and sustainability In an open-air market in the Brazilian city of Belém, I had a problem. It was breakfast time and I wanted a drink, but the long menu of fruit juices was baffling. Apart from pineapple ( abacaxi ) and mango ( manga ), I’d never heard of any of the drinks. What are bacuri , buriti and…
Make your next holiday more meaningful with an itinerary that supports local welfare projects, empowers women and showcases traditional customs Eternal Landscapes offers individual and small-group trips to Mongolia, with a focus on supporting local communities. On the five-day Erdenedalai Explorer trip, guests stay with a herding family in the vast steppes of the “Middle Gobi”, an area often…
Airbnb and Booking.com are the market leaders, but a new wave of smaller accommodation platforms are offering an alternative – and trying to give something back to local communities Accounts of tenants illegally subletting rental properties by listing them on Airbnb and Booking.com, without the permission of their landlords, have hit the headlines in recent months. While there’s no denying that…
From maps and kit to travel-themed treats and accessories, here are fun present ideas for the wanderlusters in your life Not sure what to get friends and family for Christmas? Fear not, we have plenty of ideas for a last-minute present. Our carefully chosen selection of travel-inspired gifts ranges from the practical to the indulgent, with great books for the armchair traveller and outdoor gear…
Author Paige McClanahan says there is a way to be your best self abroad – it starts by visiting fewer places and spending longer there. Can her approach end the growing anger around overtourism? Tourism has never had a great reputation, given that the very word “tourist” is pejorative. At best, it suggests someone whose interest is superficial and whose understanding of a place is nonexistent.…
A new 240-mile cycle route from Lucerne includes spectacular alpine views and pastoral backcountry – with delicious local cheese and wine With relatively few cars and roads as smooth as a Federer serve, Switzerland seems engineered for a low-carbon cycling holiday. Indeed, the Swiss government has launched a number of new cycle routes in recent years – including cycle route 1291 . Named after…
The coastline near Marsala is the perfect spot to practise your Superman moves on a residential kitesurfing course There’s no escaping it: kitesurfing is a daunting sport for beginners. Don’t be fooled by the name – it is nothing like flying a kite in a park. On the first day of a week-long kitesurfing course in Sicily, I found myself in the sea attached to an enormous polyester wing that was…
Standout spots include food truck parks, honky-tonk hangouts and Lady Bird’s wildflower sanctuary From phone chargers to podcasts, the best road trip accessories make the miles fly by Austin has become one of the most popular places in the US to move to, and also to visit. Droves of people descend on the city in March for the South by Southwest tech, film and music festival and in the fall for the…
Top destinations in New York include a ferry ride, shopping for watches in Chinatown and a Brighton Beach bender From phone chargers to podcasts, the best road trip accessories make the miles fly by I first came to New York City by accident, after a miscommunication with my father led me to believe my (long-deceased) mother had been desperate to visit the city before she died. Years later I found…
Top sights in Washington include Capitol Hill Books, the Black Cat music venue and a top-rated Filipino restaurant From phone chargers to podcasts, the best road trip accessories make the miles fly by People love to be rude about Washington DC because it’s full of so many politicians, feds, and consultants who wear fleece vests and don’t take off their work lanyards when they leave the office. I…
The best spots for shopping, sightseeing and exploring the art deco facades of South Beach – plus an Everglades excursion (and ‘gator bites’ snack) From phone chargers to podcasts, the best road trip accessories make the miles fly by Sure, you can come to Miami just to look at it. There’s plenty of eye candy, from the art deco facades of South Beach to the colorful murals of Wynwood and the…
I had no idea where I was heading when we set sail from Jamaica in the 70s, but I’m glad I’ve returned with my children to remember their grandfather this way As we bump along terrible roads in my dad’s hot, noisy buttermilk-coloured Beetle, I’m unable to take in the beauty of Jamaica’s north coast – its waterfalls and gin-clear sea, its lush fern-quilted interior and the majestic Blue Mountains…
New York City can be costly, but these hotels mean you can still afford to visit With an array of dormitories and private rooms, this unpretentious and popular, budget-friendly hostel makes a visit to one of the most expensive cities on the planet feel affordable. On the edge of East Williamsburg and trendy, industrial Bushwick, it has high ceilings, hardwood floors and eclectic furnishings rather…
