Destinations

A quick train ride away from Lisbon, the resort town of Cascais is the retreat of the affluent classes of Portugal, though it’s firmly on the international map now too. Cornering the Atlantic and making the most of its unbroken ocean views with a long promenade and seafront villas, you’d think that its location was its main draw. But look further inland, and a new slew of a reasons to visit makes itself known. Here are just seven ways to...

A new study from Bott and Co suggests New York is the world’s best foodie city. Having created a useful tool to showcase the world’s 50 best food scenes, Bott and Co’s research covers cities with a population of over 1 million and ranks them based on different national cuisines celebrated in restaurants throughout the city. The interactive map also highlights the top rated restaurants for each national cuisine in each area. With 94 national cuisines on offer, New York...

When Spring arrives in Seville, temperatures can go from 15 to 30 degrees in 24 hours. Orange trees blossom overnight. And as flowers begin to bloom, the locals do too. At the beginning of April, stunning Spanish Señoritas in traditional, vibrant dresses appear across the city - often alongside dashing men on noble white steeds, with beers in hand. Streets stream with open-top, horse-drawn carriages, as high society families parade by, fanning themselves in the sun. Everyone is heading to...

When you think about Iceland, if all you imagine is drinking expensive beer in a Reykjavik bar and visiting the local nature baths for half an hour, think again. Hop to the North side of the country and you’ll find landscapes among the most breathtaking in the world. Stunning fjords, beautiful coastal highways, waterfalls of the gods, epic volcanoes, snowy mountains, hot springs and natural baths a plenty. North Iceland squeezes in more geographical wonders than seems physically possible. It...

Ahead of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination on 4 April, Neil Davey takes a trip to Alabama, a key US state in the Civil Rights Movement.   Shall we get the obvious out of the way first? Because, yes, Alabama does not have the best reputation of the American states. In fact, it’s almost become shorthand for a particular type of American attitude, with a foot in some of the more disturbing aspects of American history. However,...

by Pat Levy Namibia, rarely featuring in news headlines, is a peaceful, settled country that finally shook off the blinkers of apartheid in 1990, and transitioned into constitutional democracy. 11 hours flight time with one stop, and a two hour time difference with the UK makes it a temping destination for the safari holiday you always promised yourself. For its size, the population is tiny and lives largely in urban areas, leaving vast desert-like tracts for small farmers with a...

If there’s a city in America that’s renowned for its incredible nightlife and atmosphere, it’s New Orleans. Known as the jazz capital of the world, this is the place to be if you’re looking for a trip full of life and excitement. Once you’ve applied for your ESTA via estaregistration.co.uk, the opportunities are endless! Therefore, rather than jetting off to the conventional New York City or Florida this year, we’d definitely suggest heading off to New Orleans, and here’s why....

In a parallel universe where Lucy, Mr Tumnus and Aslan go skiing in Narnia rather than trying to vanquish the White Witch, Ruka in Finnish Lapland would be the perfect film set. The pines which dot the landscape are barely discernible, they look like huge, frozen cauliflowers and log cabins huddle together, ready to welcome chilly adventurers . Presented with such winter wonderland credentials it struck me as odd that Finland is still relatively unknown as a ski destination outside...

"You're staying at the Aphrodite?!" my girlfriend's step-mum shrieks, when I tell her we're off to Cyprus for a few days. According to her, it's the best hotel on the island. My old man's reaction is similar (less shrieking, more bitterness). Cyprus is where he took up golf - probably to get some rest bite from three raucous kids - when we lived there in the 90s. Back then, he played on what he describes as 'browns' - essentially dusty, muddy...