Annie McNamee

Planning your travels for the new year? You should absolutely factor in those long-standing bucket list entries, but if you’re looking for some fresh inspiration, 2026 promises a world of brand-new travel experiences.  From sleeping over in an open-air museum to journeying through ancient landscapes on e-bikes, ziplining over glorious wildlife reserves and partying through a solar eclipse – yes, really – there’s a shedload of off-the-beaten-track, out-of-the-box stuff happening over the next 12 months. Scroll on for our handpicked selection of the 26 coolest, weirdest and most exciting things to do in 2026.  RECOMMENDED:🎶 The biggest and best music festivals in 2026🛍️ The coolest streets in the world🏘️ The coolest neighbourhoods in the world🌃 The best cities in the world right now Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.

Reminiscing on festival season 2025? Well, the good times ain’t over yet, and if you ask us, it’s never too early to start planning which festivals to book in next year. Loads of great music festivals have already announced their headliners, and some of them kick off as early as January.  It’s worth noting that, in 2026, one of the planet’s biggest and best music festivals is not happening. That’s right – after an electric 2025, good old Glastonbury is on a fallow year to allow the land a bit of TLC. Not to worry, mind. No matter your music taste, who you’re going with, your weather preference or your capacity for camping, the world will have a festival that’s right for you, from Europe to the USA, Canada to Japan and Australia to India.  The best festivals in the world at a glance: ☮️ Best for hedonists and hippies: Boomtown 🔈 Best for beat freaks: Outlook 💡 Best for discovering something new: Tremor 🎵 Best for R&B and afrobeats: Afro Nation 🗽 Best city festival: Governors Ball 🎸 Best rock festival: Fuji Rock 🤩 Best for big names: Primavera Sound 🌠 Best for escaping reality: Big Red Bash Overwhelmed? Don’t sweat – here’s our comprehensive roundup of the best festivals in the world taking place in 2026. RECOMMENDED:🌍 The 26 best new things to do in the world in 2026🌤️ The best festivals in Europe in 2026🎭 The world’s coolest neighbourhoods to explore🌃 The best cities in the world right now

It’s been another stellar year for music in 2025, packed full of belters, breakouts and hook-laden earworms.  Lorde returned to her angsty roots, Pulp dropped their first album since, and Bad Bunny reigned supreme on the streamers. We were blessed with new music from pop heavyweights Lady Gaga, Lily Allen and Robyn. In a plot twist, Rosalía dropped a classical album packed with religious references, and Turnstile made hardcore mainstream. Breakout stars CMAT, Addison Rae and Jim Legxacy proved that they are here to stay. Here Time Out editors and contributors have hand-picked the tracks they’ve had on repeat this year. These are the 40 best songs of 2025.  RECOMMENDED: The 25 best albums of 2025. 

This year of music has started with a bang. We’ve seen Chappell Roan go country, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco smothering audiences with gushy love songs and Playboi Carti’s rapturous return from the underground. We've even been blessed with the return of Lorde! Alongside these pop heavyweights, we’re witnessing rap superstar Doechii continue her chart domination and the breakthrough of Gen Z artists like 2hollis, Tate McRae and Kai Bosch. What songs are defining 2025? Well, we’ve searched through our playlists and extracted the best songs of the year so far, to give you a mid-year vibe check of where we are currently at. But it doesn’t stop there. Keep your eyes peeled for updates to this list throughout the year as we’re still awaiting albums from Turnstile, Miley Cyrus, Pulp, A$AP Rocky and many more. RECOMMENDED: 🎧 The best albums of 2025 (so far)🎥 The best movies of 2025 (so far)📺 The best TV of 2025 (so far)

Even after a couple of vintage years for new music, 2025 has been special. Sure, we didn’t get a clear-cut ‘song of the summer’, but artists have been instead putting out defining works in a longer format. The past 12 (well, 11) months have featured all manner of extraordinary album releases.  Belted-to-the-rafters country pop, plunderphonic majesty, ecstatic dance music, intimate electronic world-building, history-collapsing art rock, triumphant hip-hop… these are just a few of the sounds and styles that have been executed marvellously in 2025. Here are the year’s finest 25 albums, chosen by Time Out editors and contributors.

Sure, winter has its perks. Cosying up by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate in hand is lovely. Big woolen jumpers are ever-chic. But there’s no warm, fuzzy feeling that comes close to feeling actual warmth. In our eyes, you just can’t beat the sunshine: sitting on a rooftop terrace, ice-cold cocktail in hand… bonus points if everyone back home is stuck with endless grey drizzle. There are plenty of places across the world still basking in glorious sunshine from October to February. Our list of the best winter sun destinations this year spans six continents and five months, giving you 20 recommendations for the very best places you can visit during the winter months. Whether it’s Thai beaches, African safaris or sunny city breaks in Europe, we’ve got you covered. The best winter sun destinations at a glance: 🏖️ Best for beaches: Thailand 🏙️ Best for a city break: Cape Town, South Africa 🌡️ Warmest in Europe: Tenerife, Spain 🐘 Best for wildlife: Namibia 🎭 Best for an arty break: Cartagena, Colombia 🍜 Best for food: Vietnam At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides written by local experts. RECOMMENDED:☀️ Europe’s 10 best winter sun destinations

This list is from 2024. Our latest ranking for 2025 is live here. In 2024, what exactly makes a neighbourhood cool? Craft breweries, natty wine bars and street art are well and good, but the world’s best, most exciting and downright fun neighbourhoods are much more than identikit ‘hipster hubs’. They’re places that reflect the very best of their cities – its culture, community spirit, nightlife, food and drink – all condensed in one vibey, walkable district. To create our annual ranking, we went straight to the experts – our global team of on-the-ground writers and editors – and asked them what the coolest neighbourhood in their city is right now, and why. Then we narrowed down the selection and ranked the list using the insight and expertise of Time Out’s global editors, who vetted each neighbourhood against criteria including food, drink, arts, culture, street life, community and one-of-a-kind local flavour. The result? A list that celebrates the most unique and exciting pockets of our cities – and all their quirks. Yes, you’ll find some of those international hallmarks of ‘cool’. But in every neighbourhood on this list there’s something you won’t find anywhere else. Ever been to a photography museum that moonlights as a jazz club? Or a brewery with a library of Russian literature? How about a festival dedicated to fluff? When communities fiercely support and rally around their local businesses, even the most eccentric ideas can become a reality. And that, in our eyes, is

On March 25, 1925, at London’s Selfridges department store in central London, Scottish inventor John Logie Baird made the first public demo of his latest creation: a way to broadcast visual information from a camera to a screen. A full century later, Baird’s discovery has led to perhaps the most vital, creative and popular mode of artistic expression in the entire world. But it’s only in the past 25 years that television has really fulfilled its artistic potential.  The result has been the so-called ‘Golden Age of Television’, a boom kickstarted roughly around the turn of the century with the rise of shows like The Sopranos and later Breaking Bad, and continuing with awards-winners from Succession to Shōgun to Slow Horses. So while our list of the 100 greatest TV shows may pay tribute to the unmissable programs of yesteryear, you’ll find that the majority hail from our own century – meaning there’s no excuse not to watch every single one. Paring the list down to only 100 was a painful process, so we decided to omit sketch shows, talk shows, news and non-fiction in order to focus on scripted drama and classic comedy. Time to go goggle-eyed. Recommended: 🔥 The best TV and streaming shows of 2025 (so far)🍎 The best shows to watch on Apple TV+ right now📺 The best Netflix original series to binge🎮 The best ‘90s TV shows

This bustling coastal city is absolutely steeped in history, maritime heritage, and of course, there's loads to see. It’s roots date back as far as the Stone Age, and its first ever museum (the Tudor House) remains a top attraction, with gorgeous gardens and guided tours on offer.  There’s plenty of modern-day action too, with a treasured football team, The Saints, and their fans bringing life to the city on match day. Southampton is also only a 20-minute drive away from the New Forest, or a ferry-ride away from the Isle of Wight, there's plenty going on that makes this city worth a visit. Check out our list of top picks for all the best things to do in Southampton.  RECOMMENDED:  🚆The best day trips from London⛰️ The best things to in the New Forest🏖️ The best seaside towns in the UK💕 The best things to do in the UK Annie McNamee is a writer at Time Out UK. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

This is about the time when the January blues start to hit pretty hard. It’s dark at 4pm, you’ve got no money left after Christmas and winter feels like it’s dragging on forever. But we’re here to tell you that things are looking up, because 2025 is going to be a corker of a year for the UK.  It turns out that 2025 is going to be a bit of a big one, with a number of landmark occasions being celebrated across Britain. There’s Jane Austen’s 250th birthday in Southampton, as well as the art-packed Folkestone Triennial, a celebration of 200 years of the British railway in York and Bradford’s 2025 City of Culture festivities. Then, there are up-and-coming foodie towns in Cornwall, music scenes that are popping off in Cardiff and Belfast, and the reopening of grand cultural insitutions like the Tate Liverpool.  If there’s ever been a good time to book a trip, it’s now (it might even help keep some SAD at bay). There is so much fantastic stuff happening across the country this year, so read our list curated by local experts of the best places to visit in the UK in 2025, and get stuck in.  RECOMMENDED: 🇬🇧 The 25 best new things to do in the UK in 2025📍The 12 most underrated city breaks in the UK 🏨 The UK’s 13 best new hotels opening in 2025👨‍👩‍👧 6 amazing places to stay with Kids in the UK

If people make Glasgow, music is what fuels it. The city's music scene was thriving long before the rest of it had caught up, with places like the Barrowlands and the Old Fruit Market offering locals good, cheap live music when general attitudes of Glasgow were, let's just say, less than favourable.  But those days are behind us, and Scotland's biggest city is now known across the UK for its vibrant cultural heritage, nightlife, and, of course, its music scene. Whether you're looking for an arena of people to scream along your favourite songs with, or a small makeshift stage at the back of a bar to find your new favourite band, Glasgow's got you sorted. Fair warning though: crowds here are famously rowdy. They're a lot of fun, but don't be surprised if you end up beer-soaked. Oh, and brush up on our local chants. You don't want to be the only person not shouting along with 'here we, here we, here we f'ing go!'. 

History has it that Pollokshaws Road was once home to a merry band of Flemish weavers – known as the ‘Queer Folk’ – who were brought over to work in the city during the 19th century by local landowners. These days it’s still a thriving creative hub, threading down Glasgow’s Southside and linking up the districts of Govanhill, Strathbungo and Shawlands. Rows of sandstone tenements loom over traffic separated by wide pavements, behind which stand ornate townhouses designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson. There’s a juicy chunk of Pollokshaws Road where bars, cafés and boutiques jostle for space; pick it up from Allison Street and wander down past Queen’s Park. Since it’s a largely residential area, there’s a distinct feel of community – something that’s enhanced by the indie businesses that have popped up over the past few years. In particular it’s a brunch haven, with queues leaking out of living-room-sized cafés come rain or shine. You can also expect to find organic fruit and veg at Stalks & Stems, a fresh produce emporium with a florist next door, and (almost) a different coffee shop for every day of the week. It’s not all hipster territory, though. Punters tired of mustachioed baristas and bar staff will be cheered by the decent selection of old man pubs complete with smoked-glass windows. Recommended: Full guide to the best things to do in Glasgow

Inn Deep is like spending the evening at your mate’s house, only with ten times the energy and fresh pizza available without a delivery fee. The low-lighting and stripped-back interiors create a space you can relax in, but it’s the staff that really make you feel at home.  The prime location – underneath a railway bridge 30 seconds from Kelvinbridge tube station – helps to make this a prime meet-up spot, and provides glorious river views to anyone sitting outside. Add to that a huge (and we mean huge) selection of beers and spirits, and this could become your new West End go-to for ‘a chill one’. Having originally opened more than a decade ago, in recent years the Great Western Road pub has been on a mission to keep things fresh by welcoming new pop-ups to its kitchen every so often. The latest guest is Sub Rosa, a local pizzeria with two permanent locations in the southside, and a delicious marinara sauce.  What should I order? The menu is small for all the right reasons. Sub Rosa knows what it’s good at, and each of the six pizzas on offer play to those strengths. Our favourite was the pepperoni & pickled chili, as the tang and bite of the chilis cuts through the sweetness of the tomato sauce perfectly. Any pizza can be made vegan or gluten free upon request. Sides include chicken tenders in a gochujang honey butter glaze, and a range of chips. If you’re hungry opt for the Mexican loaded fries, but if you just want a snack the regular portions are crispy, salty, and definit

You’ve been here before. Almost.  With a clientele which would be perfect for a Love Island spin-off featuring exclusively people with ‘entrepreneur’ in their bios and a healthy amount of exposed pipework, The Counter is what those in the know would probably call ‘trendy’. Its dim lights, small plate selection, and strategically chipped brick feature wall put it on the verge of parodically hip, but a glance at its menu and a quick chat with any member of its team reveal it to be much more down to Earth than some of its equally Instagrammable peers. If you close your eyes you can almost feel the Istanbuli breeze flowing through your hair The sense of deja-vu you feel may not be coming solely from its open-plan bar though. Chef Kemal Demirasal’s first UK venture, opened up two years ago in Notting Hill to much success. Originally from Turkey, he’s taken much of the charm of the original joint (as well as its most popular recipes and excellent cocktails) and transported it to Kingly Street – and combined it with a series of fresh ideas and a lot of seafood. Fresh is definitely the operative word. The cocktails are infused with real fruit. The tomatoes have been imported from Turkey. There’s sort-of-caviar sprinkled on avocado-topped fish. If you close your eyes and just bite, you can almost feel the Istanbuli breeze flowing through your hair. A series of enthusiastic staff members recommended a variety of dishes to us. Some, like the tomato salad or prawns, were familiar classi

If you’re a Grand Designs fan, you’ll know the way things usually go: a perky couple decides that the only way to live in their dream home is to DIY it, despite having no experience in architecture, construction or anything else to do with housebuilding. By the end of the episode the build is over budget and incomplete, they’re contemplating divorce and Kevin McLeod is trying not to say I told you so. That might be the typical arc, but things were different from the outset for Caochan na Creige, or ‘little quiet one by the rock’ in English. For starters, the intrepid couple who built it are seasoned architects, not hopeful first-timers. Second, it’s not technically actually a ‘Grand Design’ – it wasn’t built on the show. Instead, the one-bed Scottish home appeared on the annual spinoff competition Grand Designs: House of the Year. Six impressive builds were nominated for the title of House of the Year 2025, but it was Caochan na Creige that impressed judges at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) most. It’s not hard to see why. Photograph: Richard Gaston Photograph: Richard Gaston Set against the Hebridean wilds of the Isle of Harris, designers Jack Arundell and Eilidh Izat wanted the house to seamlessly blend in with its surroundings. They used stone from the land and built jagged edges into the floorplan. They created a house that was hardy enough to withstand the stormy weather, but light enough that it was pleasant to live in. Judges said that their decisi

Do you have a favourite bookshop? If you do, it’s probably not your local Waterstones or Foyles. Don’t get us wrong, they’re essential when you’re hunting for a specific book or want to peruse for hours through their vast collections, but nothing beats a classic, cosy independent. There are countless indie sellers up and down the country, each with their own unique charm, but it turns out that one Britain-based store is better than the rest. That’s according to Cultured magazine, which has just released a list of the 11 best independent bookshops in the world. Burning House Books in Glasgow is officially the best small bookshop in the country, and one of the best on the planet, Cultured says. This little store places an emphasis on stocking ‘books with a focus on art, experimental writing, counterculture and queer history’. It’s owned and run by Aimee Bea Ballinger, who said she founded Burning House out of frustration. Photograph: Burning House Books Ballinger told Time Out that she decided to start her own business ‘after years and years of unpaid internships and job rejections’. She decided in 2015 that ‘if I really wanted [books] to be my job I was going to have to do it all myself’. She began running a small travelling market stall a decade ago, before settling into a permanent unit in Cornwall – which flooded before she could even open the store. It wasn’t until 2021, after a move to Glasgow and a brief stint running a studio in the West End, that Burning House found

We Brits like to complain about the weather and the constant train delays (although there are plans to improve this in the future), but the truth is that a lot of us love where we live. Whether it’s because you’re a short walk from a park, near some good schools, or right in the middle of a bustling city, there’s lots of reasons you might be happy settling somewhere, but where are people the most satisfied? That’s the question that Rightmove sets out to answer every year with its huge nationwide happiness survey. The online property company surveys people from more than 200 towns and cities across the UK (except Northern Ireland) on how they feel about their area. It asks them to rate the quality of green spaces and facilities, access to doctors and medical facilities and their general sense of belonging, then does a lot of number crunching in order to determine where the most positive results came from. This year, Skipton in Yorkshire was crowned the happiest place in the UK, with its residents reporting that they can really be themselves. Skiptonians also said that they had high-quality essential services, loads of great parks and very friendly neighbours. Photograph: ShutterstockRightmove named Stirling the happiest place in Scotland London boroughs Richmond-upon-Thames, which frequently appears in lists of the best places to live in the UK, and Camden came second and third overall. Both have plenty of green spaces, and benefit from being nearby to central London without

These days there seems to be a constant stream of bad news about the British high street. It might seem like shops are always closing or downsizing, but here’s some more positive news: a huge new Marks & Spencer could be opening soon. The £31 million plans to renovate a former Toys R’ Us store at the Copdock Interchange (just outside of Ipswich) have been recommended for approval by local planning officers, meaning the project is one step closer to becoming a reality. If you remember anything about Toys R’ Us (other than its iconic Christmas ads), it will probably be the immense size of its stores. M&S not only wants to take over the property, but also give it a sizeable extension. Once complete, the shop would be more than 60,000 square feet large, making it one of the biggest in the UK. It would sell clothes, food and homeware, and even have an 80-seater café. If planning permission is granted, the goal is to open in the summer of 2027. There is already a branch of the department store in Ipswich town centre, but it shouldn’t be too affected by the new opening. The company has assured that it will remain in place, although some staff members might be transferred. M&S reckons about 138 new jobs would be created and has said that it will prioritise hiring locals. Babergh District Council will discuss the planning request next week, on December 17. It will consider, among other things, the potential reduction in people visiting the city centre that could come as a result of su

We don’t mean to alarm you, but as of today (December 11) Christmas is exactly two weeks away. That means any final gifts, cards, or travel plans need to be sorted imminently, but for some of the millions of people leaving London for the holidays there might be a little bit more disruption than expected. Hundreds of easyJet staff members at Luton airport are planning to strike on some of the busiest travel days of the year, due to an unresolved pay dispute. The Unite union confirmed earlier this week that around 200 baggage handlers and check-in staff will walk out if an agreement is not reached, causing disruption to passengers on some of the busiest travel days of the year. There is still time for a deal to be reached and the strike to be called off, and we will update this page if that happens. For now, here’s everything you need to know about the Luton airport strikes that could impact you this Christmas. When are Luton staff going on strike? Workers are set to walk out for a total of six days this December, bookending Christmas. There will be two periods of three day-long walkouts, which will be: 3am on December 19 - 3am on December 22 3am on December 26 - 3am on December 29 These are expected to be some of the busiest travel days of the year, on what some experts are predicting will be the highest-traffic Christmas period on record. Which flights and airlines will be impacted? The staff walking out work for easyJet, so it will primarily be easyJet flights and check-in

British trains haven’t worked as well as they should in a very long time. That’s not a particularly controversial take – anyone who regularly travels by rail in this country will be all too used to delays, cancellations, jam-packed carriages and sky-high ticket prices. Clearly, we’re in need of a lot of change. And change is what we’re about to get. The Department for Transport (DfT) has just revealed the train designs and logo for Great British Railways (GBR), the brand new publicly owned body that will be managing our railways from 2026 onwards. The government pledged to re-nationalise the railways in its election manifesto, arguing that bringing things under one roof would allow for more reliable service and more efficient management.  Image: Department for Transport Since Labour got into power last year nationalisation has been full steam ahead, with seven operators now back under government ownership. The other 10 will be absorbed as their contracts run out, with CrossCountry expiring last in 2027. Here’s when every UK rail operator will be nationalised. The new-look train liveries are a patriotic red, white and blue, ‘mirroring’ the Union Jack. They also feature the iconic National Rail double-arrow, which is to become the logo for GBR. The bright design will be gradually rolled out across the network from next spring, accompanied by a brand new app where you can check train times and buy tickets without any extra fees. Photograph: Department for Transport and Doveta

Earlier this year Marks & Spencers revealed that it would be investing a massive £90 million into its London locations, revealing that six new or improved locations would be added to its roster in the capital by Christmas. The last of those store additions has taken place this week, as M&S Chiswick has reopened.  The west London Marks and Sparks has had a revamp that is so big that it’s basically a brand new store. The shop is 75 percent larger than it was before it closed in June, having taken over three next-door units to now sprawl over 15,200 square feet. More than 50 new jobs were created by the expansion. Inside Chiswick’s revamped M&S you’ll find a bakery, flower shop, large fresh aisle, sushi counter, and freshly cooked BBQ chicken. Of course, there also will be an extensive range of Percy Pig and Colin the Caterpillar themed treats, and it’s even got a stall where you can buy barista-made hot drinks to enjoy while you shop. The Marks and Spencer Chiswick store first opened more than 100 years ago, on November 9 1920, so it’s pretty cool to see it still going so strong. Here’s a sneak peek at the historic shopfloor’s new look. Photograph: Marks & SpencerThe flower stand at the new Chiswick M&S store Photograph: Marks & SpencerThe bakery and coffee stand at the new Chiswick M&S Photograph: Marks & SpencerThe chicken and sushi counters Did you see that a new independent record shop is opening in north London this week London tube fares are going up massively in 20

How do you plan to start 2026? In a bar? At home on the sofa? If you’re still on the hunt for something special to do this New Year’s Eve – and have a lot of spare cash – we may have just the activity for you. La Dolce Vita Orient Express is a super-swish train service, as you might expect from the name. It’s a ‘love letter to Italy’, influenced by the classical grandeur of the most iconic train of all time, the Orient Express, and taking it through the very best bits of the country – through vineyards, past shimmering waters and into the heart of historical cities. Now, the operator has announced a brand-new route, ‘Whispers at Midnight’, designed to give you the perfect start to the new year. The journey begins and ends in Rome, bringing passengers through Tuscany to Venice and into 2026. The trip takes three days and two nights in total, departing on December 30 and returning to Rome for January 1. RECOMMENDED: I’ve spent New Year’s Eve in 10 European cities – these are the ones worth travelling for. So, what exactly can passengers expect for a cool €11,280 per person? Obviously, the food will be excellent – there’ll be a sumptuous spread from 3-Michelin-star chef Heinz Beck every evening and breakfast served directly to your cabin. You’ll also be able to book culinary experiences at Montalcino, the Tuscan town on the route, and Venice. If food isn’t your thing, you can look forward to a canal boat trip, or a range of other ‘curated experiences’. The New Year festivities t

No matter how much you love your friends or your family, organising a holiday with other people can be stressful. If you’ve had enough of arguing about where to get dinner every single night, it might be time to ditch the drama and book yourself a solo trip. According to Airbnb, solo travel will be trendy in 2026 with more users than ever having already booked a night away for one next year. Lucky for us Brits, one of the most popular destinations amongst those travellers is right here in the UK. The nation’s furthest north city, Inverness, has been named Airbnb’s top recommended solo-travel destination in the UK. It’s an ideal spot for your first trip alone; the Scottish city is about as far away from the rest of the country as you can get without actually leaving, making both it easy to access and exciting. Inverness itself is quite a small city, but it is a perfect base for exploring the Scottish countryside. There is so much world-class scenery only minutes away from the city centre, including the iconic Loch Ness where you can do a bit of monster spotting, hop on a boat tour, or take a hike through the rugged landscapes. Photograph: Shutterstock Inverness is also the starting point of the Far North Railway Line. This 168-mile stretch runs all the way up to Thurso at the very top of mainland UK, so it is often referred to as the most remote line in the country. It’s also one of the most scenic, running through the UNESCO World Heritage Flow Country and loads of stunning

Picture this: it’s a crisp, freezing winter’s afternoon. You might be doing some Christmas shopping, or just strolling through a market, but either way you’re in need of something to keep you warm. Clearly, a hot chocolate is in order. If you’re a real fan, you’ll know that not all hot chocolates are made the same. Some are watery, some are rich, some are creamy; but according to a new study, one European city gets it right more than any other. As Christmas gets nearer, ferry company DFDS has done some digging on behalf of cocoa fans everywhere. Using data from Google and its own survey, it has analysed customer reviews and ratings to calculate an overall ‘sentiment’ score for major European cities in order to figure out where to get the very best hot choc on the continent. Budapest came out on top, with an ‘average hot chocolate sentiment’ of 95.7 out of 100. That means that most reviews of most of the drinks in the city were positive. The Hungarian capital is well known for its signature hot chocolate concoction, which is slightly thicker and much richer than your typical cup. This stuff is properly sweet and usually served with a hefty dollop of thick cream, but when you’re craving it, nothing else will do. If you want to sample the very best of the drink, check out Time Out’s local guide to Budapest’s best hot chocolate cafés. @budapestfortourists If you’re looking for the teddy bear coffee and hot chocolate in Budapest, this is the place! Sirap Brunch & More is a smal

A few hundred years ago, the average diet was mostly determined by the crops that could be grown in local farms. Today, however, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, you can have a wider range of dishes in one day than your ancestors had in their whole lifetimes. There is one downside though: sometimes when foods are transported overseas, they become diluted or altered, so finding properly authentic examples of regional cuisine outside of its country of origin can be a challenge. That’s where the Korean government has decided to step in. The nation’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has teamed up with the Korean Food Promotion Institute to create an official stamp of approval for international Korean restaurants. So far, only seven spots across three cities have been given the ‘Excellent Korean Restaurant’ badge of honour. Photograph: Courtesy Wonho Frank LeeThe regular rice course at Baroo. In order to earn the accolade, eateries must meet a laundry list of criteria, including exceptional food, service, hygiene, good-quality ingredients and more. In total, there are 27 different elements that a business has to ace before it can receive the accolade. The government hopes to upgrade 100 places to ‘Excellent’ status before 2030 in hopes of ‘contributing to expanding the exports of K-Food’. Once a restaurant gains its certificate, it’s eligible for discounts on ingredients and tableware from Korea. This year, only one European restaurant made the cut – th

Viajar es fantástico, pero también es caro, y si elegís Japón, lo es aún más. Eso sí, si decidís viajar durante los próximos meses, quizá la escapada os salga mucho más económica, ya que el gobierno ha anunciado que ofrecerá vuelos nacionales gratuitos a los viajeros europeos este invierno. All Nippon Airways (ANA) se ha asociado con la oficina nacional de turismo para ofrecer a los pasajeros vuelos internos gratuitos. La oferta permitirá a los clientes hacer dos escalas complementarias con cualquier vuelo internacional de entrada, para que puedan ver más partes de Japón. Foto: All Nippon Airways ¿Qué condiciones hay? Aunque es una gran oferta, hay unas cuantas condiciones que se deben cumplir para poder beneficiarse de ella. Primero, debéis ser pasajeros procedentes del Reino Unido o de Europa, y tendréis que pagar vuestro vuelo de entrada a Japón. Viajaréis en clase estándar, y la oferta solo se aplica a los trayectos entre el 24 de noviembre de 2025 y el 31 de enero de 2026. El objetivo es alejar a los turistas de los puntos calientes como Tokio y Kioto, y dirigirlos hacia algunas de las destinaciones menos exploradas del país, en las zonas rurales y costeras. Foto: Shutterstock ANA vuela a más de 40 destinos japoneses, todos incluidos en la oferta, así que hay mucha variedad para quienes buscan una auténtica aventura. Entonces, ¿qué lugares podréis visitar sin coste adicional? Podréis explorar las montañas y los paisajes espectaculares de Tohoku, o si sois más de play