Destinations Archives

Siena travel guide for first time visitors

Arguably the most beautiful city in Tuscany, Siena has sensational food and one of the world’s most eccentric festivals. What is Siena all about? It’s hard to rein in the giddiness walking through Siena’s winding hilltop streets. The walls climb high, the decoration leaps out…

View over the rooftops in Trieste, Italy.

Trieste travel guide for first time visitors: Attractions, restaurants & shopping

A Trieste travel guide for first-time visitors. Learn about the city's unique coffee culture, Austrian history, and the best places to shop. What is Trieste all about? Clear days in Trieste are pretty magical. The water of the Adriatic Sea looks so, so blue, and…

The photo frame outside the Arataki Visitor Centre in the Waitakere Ranges.

Getting the best out of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park

The Waitākere Ranges Regional Park is one of Auckland’s most impressive natural escapes. Just 30 minutes from the city centre, this vast area of North Island forest, coastline, and waterfalls offers a complete contrast to the urban buzz. With over 16,000 hectares to explore, it’s…

Visitor guide to Piha Beach: Auckland’s black sand wonder

Explore Piha Beach, Auckland's famous black sand destination. Our visitor guide covers surfing, safety, and the walk to Lion Rock. Piha Beach, one of New Zealand’s most famous surf spots, is located around 45 minutes west of Auckland CBD on the North Island. Known for…

Plan your visit to the Yale Center for British Art: Opening hours, ticket prices and parking

The Yale Center for British Art (YCBA) in New Haven, Connecticut, showcases one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of British art outside the United Kingdom. This guide gives you all the practical details you need — including opening hours, ticket prices, parking, accessibility and…

Why Melaka is so much better by day than by night

Is Melaka better by day? I explore the historic architecture and culture that make daylight hours the best time for a visit. The colourful trishaws of Melaka The trishaw weaves through the narrow streets, adorned with as many flowers and spinning windmill contraptions as the…

A bear in Yellowstone National Park's Lamar Valley.

Desperately searching for bears in Yellowstone National Park

After a week in Wyoming with no bear sightings, an expedition into the Lamar Valley is the final hope… Looking for bears in the Lamar Valley An air of misery overwhelms the car. We’ve driven to the end of the Lamar Valley – supposedly the…

Moose in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

Elk, moose, bears & bison on a Grand Teton National Park wildlife tour

Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park has spectacular scenery – but it’s also one of the best places in the United States for wildlife-spotting. Evidence of bears in Wyoming The bear-proof trash cans outside Wyoming’s Signal Mountain Lodge are a good idea of what lives in…

The colossal bust of Ramesses II in the British Museum, London.

Why the bust of Ramesses II is a star attraction at the British Museum

The colossal bust of Ramesses II at the British Museum The British Museum in London is home to one of the most famous pieces of ancient Egyptian sculpture outside Egypt: the colossal bust of Ramesses II. Also known as the “Younger Memnon,” this immense granite…

Big Five on the cheap: Self-driving Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park

In KwaZulu-Natal, you can ditch the expensive safari lodges to see elephants and lions under your own steam. Meeting a teenage elephant Is it angry? Is it frisky? Should we back away slowly? Or should we just put the foot down and get away to…