Travel advice, ideas & expert tips

Seals, saints and stars in Northumberland

A journey around Northumberland takes in fledgling guillemots in the Farne Islands, the cradle of Christianity in England on Lindisfarne and stargazing at Kielder Observatory The dogs of Low Newton By Sea There’s no timid tippy-toeing for the gung-ho Jack Russell. It bounds into the…

Which five countries have you spent most time in?

Try to work out which five countries you’ve spent most time in. It may be trickier than you think… A surprisingly difficult question The other day, I was posed what I thought was an easy question: “Which five countries have you spent the most time…

A Google Maps screenshot of Valencia in Spain.

11 ways travellers can get the best out of Google Maps

You can use Google Maps for much more than planning your route… There are hundreds of apps that claim to help travellers, but only one is pretty much essential. Google Maps has become such a fixture that we often take it for granted – and…

Beat the crowds at Casa Batllo, Barcelona, with an early morning visit

An early morning visit to Casa Batllo in Barcelona means higher ticket prices but better photography inside the Gaudi-designed building. The best time to visit Casa Batllo, summarised Casa Batllo can seem crowded. Early morning visits are best if you want good photos of Gaudi’s…

The Goethe's statue in Berlin's Tiergarten.

A guide to West Berlin for first time visitors

The cool factor of Berlin isn’t solely in the east – pockets of West Berlin are well worth visiting too. What makes West Berlin unique? After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the ‘eastern’ side formerly occupied by the communist German Democratic Republic was ripe…

Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.

Why visit Dry Tortugas National Park and Fort Jefferson on a day tour?

The beaches and snorkelling in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, are gorgeous. But the enormous Fort Jefferson is astonishing. What’s so special about Dry Tortugas National Park, summarised. It’s the true end of the line in the Florida Keys. The beaches are dazzling white sand.…

The Neum Corridor: How Bosnia ended up with a coastline

The new Peljesac Bridge removes the need to pass through Neum in Bosnia on the drive from Split to Dubrovnik. But the 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz explains why Bosnia has a tiny coastal strip in the first place. The Neum Corridor I am a sucker…

On top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with BridgeClimb.

A luxury travel guide to Sydney, Australia

From VIP tours of the Sydney Opera House to fine dining at Quay, Sydney offers a host of unique luxury travel experiences. What’s Sydney all about? Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro may come close, but no other world class city manages to get close…

The Wicker Man rollercoaster at Alton Towers.

Alton Towers car parking costs guide

Parking at Alton Towers can add significant extra costs to your stay. This guide shows you the parking costs as of March 2026, when it was last updated. Prices have gone up since last year, so other guides may contain outdated information. Car Parking Overview…

An old well amid the ruins of Delos, Greece.

Do you need a guided tour for Delos?

It is not essential to book a guided tour for Delos. Independent visitors can learn the history at the Delos Museum. But a small group tour arguably offers a better experience. To book a Delos tour, choose from the options here. For a look at…