Travel

Provence is a magical holiday destination at any time of year, but if you want to experience a more authentic side to the region, you’re best to visit after the height of summer – when the weather is cooler, the beaches are empty, and it’s time for the harvests and …

Old town, Nice A warren of narrow, shady streets filled with historic tenements, churches, and squares, wandering through the old town, or vieux Nice, makes you feel like you’re stepping back in time. Landmarks to look out for – if you’re not too busy with the boutiques and bars – …

Its charming villages and stunning landscapes have long inspired artistic greats, while its museums, galleries and historic sites rival those of anywhere in France. You’ll find all of this, plus plenty of off-season sunshine on a trip to Provence Continue reading…

Padua, Italy Padua is full of fascinating places to see. Saint Anthony’s Basilica, with a magnificent silver sarcophagus housing the saint’s body, easily rivals Saint Peter’s in Rome. The nearby botanical gardens, filled with plants and flowers, are a delightful way to pass a few hours. In the morning, hit …

10 Tib Lane Oldham Street’s self-explanatory Cocktail Beer Ramen + Bun is a buzzy, Northern Quarter hang-out where gangs of mates wolf karaage chicken and slurp tonkotsu until late. The same team are co-instigators of 10 Tib Lane, but this is a far more grown-up affair – a candle-lit, date-night …

At the top of the gorge, strings of Tibetan prayer flags flutter between trees, a waterfall cascades over rock, the white dome of a stupa peeps through the foliage. I watch the water-driven prayer wheel, mesmerised, and nod hello to Dawa Sherpa. I may be in Scotland but it feels …

More than two decades after the Hollywood film The Beach was shot at Thailand’s glittering Maya Bay, the kingdom’s supreme court has ordered officials to press ahead with environmental rehabilitation work. The 2000 adventure drama, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, drew criticism for the impact of the shoot on the once pristine …

There are now more than 100 food festivals across the UK, from last weekend’s long-established Ludlow festival with more than 180 food and drink suppliers to this week’s Manchester’s food and drink festival and London’s VegFestUK in November. All celebrate home-grown produce and delicious flavours. There are festivals dedicated to …

In Trogir’s Benedictine monastery, I spotted a sculpture of the Greek god Kairos, one of the two words the ancient Greeks used to define time. Chronos – chronological – is the obvious one, but Kairos signifies a time in between, when something special happens. A critical or opportune moment to …

Food Dutch food was once all meat, veg and potatoes, but in the 1950s migrants from all over the world started arriving and created the food culture we now have. A popular tourist market is Markthal with about 100 vendors, including Natamania, which sells delicious Portuguese pastéis de nata. But …