Chiara Wilkinson

Dreaming of sand between your toes, wind blowing in your hair and sun beating down on your skin? You might just be due a trip to the beach. Here in the UK, we can’t quite guarantee the sunshine, but we can guarantee some seriously stunning beaches which will rival those of Mediterranean (and might even be contenders for the best beaches in the world).  We have white sand beaches, we have pebbles, we have towering chalk cliffs and rock pools galore. We pretty much have a beach for every occassion. Not sure where to go? We’ve rounded up the best beaches in the UK right here, from Scotland to Cornwall, all chosen by Time Out travel writers who have been to visit them IRL. You’ll also find our expert reccs for where to stay, so you can make the most of your beachy getaway. Enjoy.  Where are the UK’s most beautiful beaches? Pretty beaches are dotted all over the UK, but you’ll find some absolute beauties in Scotland, Cornwall and Wales, where the water is often clear, beaches are surrounded by tall cliffs and greenery and you might even find sand between your toes. On our list of the UK’s best beaches, we’ve included the prettiest and most serene stretches of coast out there, but we’ve also included those better for vibes, families and big old picnics. They might not be lookers, but they’re perfect for a seaside day out.  RECOMMENDED:🏖️ The most amazing hidden beaches in the UK🌊 The best outdoor swimmming pools in the UK🏊 The most amazing wild swimming spots in the UK🌤️ The be

Europe might be home to 44 countries, 34 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and seven Wonders of the World – but the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen here could be something totally unknown. That’s the thing about beauty: it’s personal. So rather than list 35 of the most famous sights on the continent, we instead every year ask our network of editors and travel writers to name us the most beautiful thing they’ve seen on their European travels.  The result? Beautiful places that come with a story. Like taking boats out on Germany’s hidden lakes, and tucking into picnics in the park in Portugal at sunset. Holidays spent exploring vast sand dunes in France, afternoons wandering through Art Nouveau streets in Latvia and childhood tales of clambering over jagged stones in Ireland. And that’s just a few of the memories you’ll find on this list, which stretches from Iceland all the way to Greece, from solitary islands to well-trodden walking routes. Here are the most beautiful places in Europe, according to us.  ➡️ READ MORE: The most underrated destinations in Europe Updated April 2026: We’ve just added North Macedonia’s most enchanting Lake, a frozen-in-time Bosnian village and Italy’s answer to Turkey’s Pamukkale hot springs to our list – plus many more beautiful tales.    Ella Doyle is Time Out’s Europe editor. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by experts across Europe. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links

The smog and stress of London can really take its toll on your skin. That’s why there’s nothing better than a regular facial (or a one-off treat) to give you that much-needed top-up, leaving you feeling glowing, fresh-faced and dewy.  Just thinking about what we put our skin through is enough to give you frown lines. That’s thanks to the combined efforts of pollution and air-conditioned offices, as well as the added bonuses of harsh weather, booze, sun exposure, dehydration and – our least favourite – the inevitable passing of time. Happily, there are loads of great spas, treatment rooms and estheticians in London who can give your face a break and a much-needed zhuzh. Whether you’re after a relaxing, soothing facial massage, some instant radiance, a total skincare overhaul or something a little more intense such as microneedling or laser treatment, read our pick of facials in London.  RECOMMENDED: The best spas in London. 

*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id="request-WEB:71d6b288-c88a-4520-89ca-7454fcda89e0-1" data-testid="conversation-turn-2" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn="assistant"> You’ve decided you’re heading to London. Transport? Sorted. Tube map? Downloaded. Now comes the tricky part: where to stay. And, let's be honest, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. London is a huge patchwork of neighbourhoods, each with its own personality and pace. From the leafy, laid-back corners of Chiswick to buzzing cultural hubs in Camden, where you base yourself can shape your whole trip. So, before you panic-book a pricey hotel in the West End, take a breath. There’s a whole city beyond the tourist core, with fantastic places to stay that might suit your style (and budget) even better. If you're after local living in 2026, hit up Leyton or Walthamstow, or Brixton has an endless array of cheap eats, bars and culture on every corner. Whether you’re after lively nightlife, easy access to gorgeous green spaces, culture on your doorstop, or serious dining, you’ll find it here. Ready to get booking? Read on for our guide to the best neighbourhoods and places to stay in London.  ➡️ READ MORE: The best Airbnbs in London – with expert local tips Where to stay in London at a glance 👶 Best for first-timers: Covent Garden, S

Whatever your vibe (and whatever your budget), London’s got it all – and anyone will find something they love here. Historic pubs, leafy parks and gardens and an unmatched restaurant scene make this city worth visiting year-round, but before you’ve booked anything in London, you kind of have to know where you’re going to be based. To get you started, we’ve rounded up the city’s best Airbnbs available to book right now, with expert tips from our local editors. And, new for 2026 is our top Airbnb, a garden flat in Leyton, perfect for a summer BBQ! Should I choose an Airbnb or a hotel in London? London is not short on lovely hotels, ranging from budget to luxury and just about everything in between. But it’s fair to say that even the cheaper options cost a pretty penny – and you’ll often find them in more central, touristy areas in the city. If you want to live like a Londoner, an Airbnb can allow you to properly immerse yourself in a more residential area of London – and all the locally-loved bars, pubs and restaurants that come with it. You’ll find lots of our local tips below, but for a detailed breakdown of the best neighbourhoods to stay in London, check out our ultimate area guide. More of a hotels guy? No problem. Here’s our list of the best hotels in London.  📍 RECOMMENDED: Ultimate guide to the best hotels and Airbnbs in London Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every Airbnb featured, our writers have based our list on expert knowledge of the de

April 2026: It’s a massive month for London’s museums. As well as loads of great new spring exhibitions to check out – from Elsa Schiaparelli at the V&A to Water Pantanal Fire at the Science Museum – the city is about to get a major new venue. More than a decade in the making, V&A East is finally set to open on April 18 in Stratford’s Olympic Park, with a landmark exhibition on Black British music among its inaugural offerings. We can’t wait! Museums are one of the things that London does best. This city boasts grand institutions housing ancient treasures, modern monoliths packed with intriguing exhibits, and tiny rooms containing deeply niche collections – and lots of them are totally free to anyone who wants to come in and take a gander. And with more than 170 London museums to choose from, there's bound to be one to pique your interest, whatever you're in to.  Want to explore the history of TfL? We’ve got a museum for that. Rather learn about advertising? We’ve got a museum for that too. History? Check. Science? Check. 1940s cinema memorabilia, grotesque eighteenth-century surgical instruments, or perhaps a wall of 4,000 mouse skeletons? Check, check and check! Being the cultured metropolitans that we are, Time Out’s editors love nothing more than a wholesome afternoon spent gawping at Churchill’s baby rattle or some ancient Egyptian percussion instruments. In my case, the opportunity to live on the doorstep of some of the planet’s most iconic cultural institutions was a b

Vinyl is back, baby. After decades in the dumps, records are now even more popular than CDs and are officially the best-selling of all physical music form. Suddenly your parents’ dusty Fleetwood Mac collection in the attic is looking a bit cooler, eh? London is one of the world’s best cities for crate-digging. Driven by stuff like dazzling vinyl-only editions and massive events like Record Store Day, this city’s independent record shops are thriving. Where, in the past, you’d have to head to Camden, Brixton, and Soho for your vinyl fix, these days, stores are flourishing all over the capital. Whatever your music taste, from reggae and hardcore to new wave and hip-hop, there’s a London record shop for you. Here are 30 of our absolute favourites. Get thumbin’ through those discs! RECOMMENDED:🛍️ The best markets in London.🎤 The best music festivals in London.👩‍🎤 The best London songs.🎸 The best shows and live gigs this month.

Right now, it feels like a great time to celebrate our cities. What cities do best is bring people together – everything we love about urban life, from the galleries and bars to the neighbourhood parks, exists thanks to the communities that make it all happen.  That’s why, every year, we raise a toast to the city with our definitive annual ranking, created on the back of a comprehensive survey of city-dwellers worldwide. Our survey asks not only what people love about their cities – the food scene and nightlife, the shops and museums, the parks and people – but also how it feels to live there. We asked you about happiness, affordability and quality of life, among a variety of other criteria. And, in order to dig deeper into the everyday lives of locals, this year we expanded our survey to cover aspects like love, romance and community feel. Time Out’s Best Cities with Intrepid Travel spotlights the destinations that offer the best of both worlds: an endlessly exciting catalogue of reasons to visit, as well as all the good stuff that makes a place feel like home. The 50 cities that made the list this year did so thanks to the insights of more than 24,000 people across 150 cities worldwide. To determine the final Best Cities ranking for 2026, we combined their thousands of responses with the votes of more than 100 Time Out city experts. Then we tapped up our network of local writers to tell us exactly what makes their city worth a visit right now. The result? A rundown of the m

Miami is gorgeous restaurants, stylish cocktail bars, amazing nightclubs and jaw-dropping beaches galore, but if you’re looking for somewhere to stay while you visit this center of coastal cool (you deserve a comfy bed after all of that sight-seeing and indulgence, of course), then look no further. Miami also happens to have its fair share of excellent hotels for you to rest your head in, from South Beach mega resorts to Downtown boutiques and beachfront spas. Read on for our pick of the best hotels in Miami—we’d be surprised if at least one isn’t the ideal spot for you.  Which area is best to stay in Miami? A quintessentially Miami neighborhood can be found in the form of South Beach, which is known for its long stretch of white sand, exuberant nightlife and Art Deco architecture. Bricknell is the city’s financial district, characterized by high-rise hotels and swanky restaurants, and Downtown is a great spot for easy access to Miami’s cultural scene, theaters, museums, and cruise ports. Miami’s best hotels at a glance: 💎 Most luxurious: St. Regis Bal Harbour 👛 Best budget: Generator Miami 🫧 Best spa: Eden Roc Miami Beach 👙 Best pool: JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa 🤩 Coolest: The Betsy Hotel 📍 Discover our ultimate guide to the best spa hotels in Miami How we curate our hotel lists Our team of writers and travel experts review hotels all over the world—new openings, old classics and everything in between—to bring you fresh, honest recommendations, all year

London has never exactly been known as a bargain destination. But the good news is that The Capital still has plenty of great places to stay without blowing your entire travel budget. Every hotel on this list has been picked by Time Out’s editors because it offers something special – whether that’s a brilliant location, standout design, or simply excellent prices. Book one of these and you’ll get the kind of buzz only a great deal can deliver. Then spend the money you’ve saved on the really important things. Like, erm… the pub. What do we mean by ‘budget’? In a city like London, ‘budget’ is always relative. Prices can vary hugely depending on the neighbourhood, time of year and even the day of the week, so finding a good deal is often about knowing where to look and booking smart. For this list, we’ve focused on places where rooms come in under £200 a night, with plenty dipping well below the £100 mark if you book ahead or travel off-peak. You’ll also find a few hostels offering dorm beds for as little as £12 per person, making them some of the cheapest ways to stay in the capital. 🛌 Our guide to the best Airbnbs in London What's the cheapest area to stay in London?  Honestly, it depends on what you're looking for! Budget hotels and hostels are scattered all over the city, so it often comes down to how far you’re willing to travel. Central areas like Shoreditch, King’s Cross and parts of the South Bank can still offer surprisingly good-value stays (which means you're in wal

There’s nothing quite like a proper London pub. After many evenings of important, pint-based research, we’ve done the impossible and ranked the 50 best pubs in London, with a brand new list for 2025.  London’s best pubs at a glance:  🐎 Best pub in Soho: Coach & Horses 🪖 Best pub in Hackney: Army & Navy ⛪ Best pub in Peckham and Nunhead: The Old Nun’s Head 🍻 Best pub in Shoreditch: The Pride of Spitalfields 🎭 Best pub in Angel: The Shakespeares Head Old school boozers are the beating heart of this city, and the ones on this list are heavy with the powerful whiff of history – though that just might be the carpets – and throbbing with heart, soul and community charm.  How did we decide what made the final 50? With a worrying amount of the UK’s pubs closing weekly, we wanted to highlight some of this city’s less well-known and independent inns. The pubs included here are places where you’ll not only get perfect pints, but pickled eggs, karaoke nights and darts sessions. There’s no gatekeeping here at Time Out and these spots are where old-school regulars rub shoulders with the new wave of pintspeople, from Holloway to Hackney, via Bexleyheath, Brixton, Nunhead and more. Want cosy and convivial? You’ve come to the right place.  Of course, in a city with well over 3,000 pubs, not everything can make the cut. If you’re looking for posh pubs with fancy food, you’ll find them in our list of the best gastropubs in London. Wondering where London’s most legendary drinking dens ar

Borough is known for having one of the best food markets in the world, but it’s also home to some seriously good restaurants as well as the brilliant market. The Borough Yards development – just next to this historic, edible wonderland – is where you’ll find some of the latest and greatest spots to have a sit-down feast, including west African restaurant Akara and southern Thai sensation, Plaza Khao Gaeng. If you’re off to SE1 and your stomach is rumbling, then consult this list so you can hunt down all our favourite spots for a fabulous feed, from contemporary Greek classics at Oma and Pyro, to pasta at Padella, classy French cuisine at Camille and seafood at Applebee’s.  RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in London Bridge. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Paris is one of those places where finding affordable accommodation can feel like a genuinely impossible task. It’s either pay a small fortune, or settle for a hotel with mouldy ceilings or an AirBnB which is so far out you may as well be in Lyon. Luckily, there are a few good options out there if you know where to look (and if you’re willing to settle for something without bells and whistles).  StayCity is one of them: a neat, well-equipped apart-hotel within walking distance of Gare De L’Est station. If you’re looking for good value for money and no-nonsense rooms, head here for a reliable base to come back to after a long day exploring.  Why stay at StayCity Gare De L’Est? Book this if you want an easy trip away that doesn’t break the bank. StayCity is a chain of apart-hotels across Europe which offer well-connected locations, modern facilities and simple design – they’re known for their convenience and reliability, and Gare De L’Est didn’t disappoint in that regard. That said, most rooms at this particular location are definitely on the smaller side (that’s Paris for you), and the reception itself is tiny – so if you’re planning on spending significant time at the hotel or want somewhere a bit more aesthetic, this is probably not the place for you. But if you’re less about lounging around and are more of a get-up-and-go sort of traveller? You could do a lot worse.  I stayed over a long weekend during the Paris marathon and packed so much into the three days that I was rar

The Maldives is one of those ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ destinations: the type of holiday you book for a honeymoon, anniversary, or maybe if you’re just in the mood to drop a load of cash. The stakes are high, which can put a lot of pressure on booking. And then there’s the fact that you’ll find many similar-looking luxury resort islands here – around 170 in Lhaviyani Atoll, to be precise. That makes choosing the right place to stay a task in itself. The USP for Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa is its lower price entry point (and, since it is part of Marriott Bonvoy, you’re able to stay in exchange for points) and the family-friendly facilities on offer. It has overwater villas, delicious food and drink options, and a cheerful aesthetic, with pops of colour in the bedrooms and a ‘ring for rosé’ bell at the adults-only bar. Activities-wise, it offers everything from sea turtle snorkelling experiences to private dinners under the stars and padel lessons, meaning there are more than enough options to keep you amused if you’re staying for just a few days or more than two weeks. Your first glimpse of the resort is really quite something. If you were lucky enough to get a window seat for the half-hour seaplane flight over from Malé, then you’ll have enjoyed a kaleidoscopic aerial view of the islands in all their glory: rings of emerald reefs cradling still lagoons, curls of land edged with green palms, all surrounded by a vast indigo sea. Once you land, you’ll receive a White Lotus-styl

It was raining the entire time I was visiting Porto. Luckily, I was staying at Le Monumental Palace. That meant that when I wasn’t crouched under an umbrella attempting my fill of sightseeing, I was kicking back in the spa’s turquoise pool, sweating in the sauna or indulging in a breakfast of several courses after rolling out of my plumped-up king-size bed. In other words: I was doing more than all right.This majestic historic property, situated in a 1923 neoclassical building on the wide Avenida dos Aliados in the centre of the city, has all you need for a comfortable, chic stay in Porto. You’ll feel the hospitality as soon as you set foot in its lavish art-nouveau entrance, and it will stay with you right up until you wave goodbye. My stay here was glorious – you could even go as far as to say that the hotel gave the city a run for its money. Why stay at Le Monumental Palace, Porto? Stay here if you want luxury without too much of the pomp and splendour. Le Monumental Palace, by French group Maison Albar Hotels, has a great location, facilities and also boasts some serious style: the interiors are done by local design studio, Oitoemponto Decoration, who did a good jobs of integrating the property’s original art deco elements. There are also sights to be seen: there’s a Michelin-starred restaurant, an intimate cocktail bar and a luxurious basement spa, all right there in the same building.  What are the rooms like at Le Monumental Palace, Porto? There are 76 rooms (some wit

If you find yourself yearning for red cups, beer pong and running around a stranger’s house while buzzed on rum punch, this one is for you. House Party, co-founded by rapper Stormzy, is a unique bar concept modelled around an old-school house party, slap-bang in the middle of Soho. Set across a seven-floor townhouse, you’ll find a teenager’s bedroom, complete with Page Three pin-ups tacked to the wall and a clunky, noughties-style PC; the parents’ room, where you can roll around in a double bed and queue karaoke songs; a kitchen (known to host secret gigs); a rooftop (for beer pong); a living room with game consoles and a DJ-soundtracked basement that fills up like a club. The attention to detail is quite wild – at moments I felt genuinely nostalgic (especially when I was belting out Avril Lavigne in the bedroom). It’s recommended you register for a party ‘invitation’ online for priority access, rather than risking not being let in on the night. Make sure you arrive before 10pm, so you don’t miss any surprise performances.  Order this The cocktail menu has all of the classics, but the standout is the ‘Kitchen Punch’, made with rum, blueberry purée and pineapple juice. It sounds like the sort of questionable concoction you made in university halls using leftover mixers and odd spirits, but actually tastes good.   Time Out tip Want a little privacy for you and your mates? You can book rooms – the basement, terrace treehouse, living room, parents’ bedroom and teenager’s bedroo

It’s hard to overlook the level of care that has gone into The July at London Victoria. As the first UK property from the Amsterdam-based hotel group formerly known as City ID, it combines the independence of a rented apartment with the ease of a hotel. It does all of that, and it does it very well, but it also exceeds expectations in pretty much every other area. It has modern, well-curated design throughout – from the choice of mid-century designer coffee table books in the co-working space lobby to the Marie-Stella-Maris toiletries in your ensuite. There’s a gorgeous on-site restaurant. And the staff strike the perfect balance between laid-back charm and professional hospitality. If anything, it’s the sort of property that would be more suited to a trendier neighbourhood – it feels more Shoreditch High Street than Victoria station.  Why stay at The July London Victoria? Victoria is not short on hotels – I could see at least three from my room window in The July. There’s a reason for that: this area is exceptionally well connected to the rest of London, it’s close to major tourist spots and is easily accessible from Heathrow airport. What’s not short on, though, are stylish new boutique hotels – in that category, The July definitely stands out. The building is completely new, comprising two former townhouses, one hotel and two office buildings. It’s so new that I actually noticed a stray bit of bubble wrap still clinging to one of the bar furnishings. But it’s also finished

Le Mas de Chabran is unlike anywhere else you’ll probably ever stay – it certainly was for me. It’s not a hotel per se, but a rentable serviced villa with a level of privacy, comfort and quality that is very hard to come by, especially if it’s to be matched with picture-perfect design in every corner like this place.  Taken over from a former olive oil mill turned bourgeois family home which was falling into disrepair, Le Mas de Chabran is the baby of architect Alain Meylan and interior designer Liliana Atilova, who transformed it into an eight-bedroom luxury property. It’s part of a growing collection of five, soon to be seven, villas in the area, each thoughtfully restored to preserve original features and decked out with exquisite antique furniture, tasteful artworks and top-notch facilities.  What they’ve created is almost dreamlike, but it’s quite hard to imagine until you’re here. Large windows view out onto rolling fields where horses graze lazily with their foals. Super-sweet strawberries grow in the kitchen garden and are picked fresh, laid delicately onto homemade pistachio tarts. Fresh flowers cover a wall at the entrance, filling the hallway with gently floral aromas. Le Mas de Chabran will exceed the most idyllic, wild, fairytale vision of the south of France you’ve ever imagined – like a living, breathing Pinterest board.  Why stay at Le Mas de Chabran? Stay here for a genuinely special experience. The property is can host just 16 people in total, with five star

Le Mas de Chabran is unlike anywhere else you’ll probably ever stay – it certainly was for me. It’s not a hotel per se, but a rentable serviced villa with a level of privacy, comfort and quality that is very hard to come by, especially if it’s to be matched with picture-perfect design in every corner like this place.  Taken over from a former olive oil mill turned bourgeois family home which was falling into disrepair, Le Mas de Chabran is the baby of architect Alain Meylan and interior designer Liliana Atilova, who transformed it into an eight-bedroom luxury property. It’s part of a growing collection of five, soon to be seven, villas in the area, each thoughtfully restored to preserve original features and decked out with exquisite antique furniture, tasteful artworks and top-notch facilities.  What they’ve created is almost dreamlike, but it’s quite hard to imagine until you’re here. Large windows view out onto rolling fields where horses graze lazily with their foals. Super-sweet strawberries grow in the kitchen garden and are picked fresh, laid delicately onto homemade pistachio tarts. Fresh flowers cover a wall at the entrance, filling the hallway with gently floral aromas. Le Mas de Chabran will exceed the most idyllic, wild, fairytale vision of the south of France you’ve ever imagined – like a living, breathing Pinterest board.  Why stay at Le Mas de Chabran? Stay here for a genuinely special experience. The property is can host just 16 people in total, with five star

No matter how much we want to keep them to ourselves, you can’t help but feel a sense of pride, deep in your chest, when a beloved neighbourhood restaurant graduates to Zone 1. First Leytonstone’s Singburi, and now Dalston’s Angelina are joining the big boys under the skyscrapers. And can we blame them? Real money isn’t in date night dinners – it’s in sharing steaks you can charge to the company card.   This food is interesting and adventurous – it’s fusion but not naff or ill-thought out Osteria Angelina is the shiny new outpost of the Japanese-Italian fusion tasting menu restaurant, and it is absolutely, hands-down brilliant. With loud music, high glassy ceilings and a smell which can only be described as new, this is a swanky place, just a short walk from Liverpool Street in a former cotton factory. It’s a thoughtful rethinking of the OG with an entirely different menu – though the care, quality and spirit of the original outpost remain.  I started with a glug of peachy Soave, before tucking into small plate starters, including quite possibly the best heritage tomato salad I have ever tasted. The milk bread, fluffy but dense, was a joy to use, sponge-like, to soak up the vinaigrette dressing (though I was less sold on its accompanying marmalade, which felt like overkill). Don’t skimp on the crudo, which is delectable: especially the seared tuna, with a small kick of wasabi, swimming in a sea of garlicky green juice. The sea bream, slightly nutty and served with pear, was

The Carnaby Street-adjacent area of Soho offers slim pickings when it comes to actually good places to wine and dine, especially if you want to avoid things feeling stiff or tacky. Marjorie’s has graciously stepped in to fill that suspiciously east London-feeling gap.  Earthy escargot is presented with enough artistry to convince even the most stubborn snail-swervers This place was inspired by wine bars on the outskirts of Paris, and two glasses deep, with a candle burning on your table, they could definitely have you fooled. On a Friday evening, punters mill outside (chic-looking people too – with Labubus on their handbags): cheers-ing, chattering or else craning their necks to nosy over fellow diners’ orders. The whole front of the restaurant is open, with some tables on the pavement. The view might be of a boarded-up construction site, but we’ll let it slide; some things are just too London to be within your control. Inside, the space is classy but casual: there’s a large communal table and stools dotting a bar stretching the length of the wall. The intimate downstairs area hosts a duo of cosy nooks and a big round table beside a buzzy open kitchen. Down here, you really do feel like you’re somewhere in-the-know (and couldn’t possibly be within walking distance of M&M’s World).  It helps that both the menu and wine list are small but extremely well-curated. We ordered a bottle of Anaïs Fanti, Pampa Rosa 2023, a tastefully tart unfiltered pink pinot, and an a sourdough bag

If eyes truly are the windows to the soul, then the intensely staring, delinquent characters created by Yoshimoto Nara have a lot going on inside. As one of the best-known (and best-selling) Japanese artists of our time, Nara has earned this massive retrospective at the Hayward Gallery. It’s his largest ever UK exhibition by far: spanning not only his paintings, but also drawings, installations, and sculpture across a four-decades-long career. On entering, you’re confronted with a rickety wooden house, complete with a patchwork corrugated iron roof and glass windows revealing a homey room scattered with drawings. Rock music whirs from the TV and empty beer cans litter one corner: this feels like a place of peace, a sanctuary where Nara’s interests and comforts intersect. Here, we’re introduced to his punkish tendencies – not only in his musical tastes (in some works, he plays up to his inner fangirl, scribbling ‘thank you for Ramones’ around a rough coloured-in cartoon), but also in attitude. This is an artist that is all about playing with innocence – like sticking cigarettes in children’s mouths – and protest, scrawling slogans about ending nukes in capital letters and adding pacifist symbolism to clothing. Nara is known for his kawaii, manga-esque figures which might look lost and sad as much as naughty and demonic. Some are loud, brash: like his collection of solid-lined paint marker drawings on paper. Others, like After the Acid Rain, 2006, appear innocent until you read

What is a portrait, really? What is its role? And what makes it different from ‘just’ a photograph of a person? These are all questions that spring to mind when walking around A Thousand Small Stories, the first ever retrospective of Eileen Perrier’s photography. Since the 1990s, the London-born photographer has used her camera to capture individuals in their local communities, and this show highlights some of her finest work.  In ‘Red Gold and Green’ – a series of pictures taken of British Ghanaians in their London homes – Perrier sets up rolls of fabric in block colours, matching the Ghanaian flag, acting as a DIY professional backdrop. But elements of their private lives sneak into shot, adding a sense of intimacy: we spot framed family pictures, a vinyl collection and other nicknacks, like a Hendon rotary club wall hanging. The result feels personal, as though the family home is an extension of the self. Discrete references to the formal rituals of portraiture – the dreaded school photo day, an awkward extended-family get together – continue throughout her practice. In ‘Nation’, a series of photographs of commuters on the Paris metro in 1999, plasticky red seating doubles as a background, uniting the windswept strangers in their shared surroundings. In ‘Peckham Square Studio’, she uses Victorian photography techniques, with a hidden headrest for the sitters – but the photographs aren’t uptight, they’re vibrant, with a movement and cleanness that feels hyper-modern.  Later

The Cosmic House is one of those rare places deserving of the name ‘hidden gem’. A Victorian villa on a residential street near Holland Park station, it’s the former home of revered postmodernist landscape architect Charles Jencks, who renovated the building in the late 1970s with his wife Maggie and the architect Terry Farrell to earn its Grade I-listing. Remodelled into a liveable collage of cosmic references and playful mind-games, it can be interpreted as a mediation on our place in the universe via quantum physics, architecture and philosophy. But it’s also just an extraordinarily beautiful building; a masterpiece of light, shadow and symmetry.  Since 2021, the house has operated as a museum, and each year, the Jencks Foundation commissions an artist to respond to the surroundings. This time round, it’s a video work by Lithuanian-born musician Lina Lapelytė, composed of 12 screens dotted around the house to be hunted down like a game of hide and seek. Created in collaboration with five other artists, each screen shows a video of a musical performance taking place in the home, often right where you’re standing. In one film, singers assemble around the central spiral staircase: a dizzying kaleidoscopic shot of bodies circling a descending, twisting railing. On another screen, in the gallery basement, a performer sings a capella, sitting on the polished jade floor as light reflects in shards like a static disco ball. There is even a screen in the ‘Cosmic Loo’, complete with

A trip to Nepal wouldn’t be complete without lacing up your boots and heading into the Himalayas. Home to the world’s highest peak, Sagarmatha – meaning ‘forehead of the sky’ in Nepali and better known in English as Mount Everest – the region offers days of trekking through breathtaking landscapes. Along the way, you’ll fuel up on dhal bhat and spicy momos, pass yaks, monasteries and Sherpa villages, and unwind each evening in the warm hospitality of traditional Nepali tea houses. All pretty dreamy stuff.  I embarked on a 12-day trek to Everest Base Camp with Plotpackers, a UK-based tour operator designed with solo travellers in mind. Led by two local guides, my group was made up of 12 English-speaking women aged between 21 and 31, with varying levels of fitness and prior travel experience, from countries including Britain, the US, Australia, Denmark and Mexico. Being part of a large group had its upsides: around 80 percent of the hassle was taken care of, including the booking of overnight accommodation, transfers and organising local guides and porters, which meant you could focus on the experience itself rather than the admin. That said, there were certainly moments when I could feel my social battery dwindling, especially when coupled with the physical demands of an expedition of this magnitude. The days on your feet are long and the conditions can be tough, with visitors often suffering from altitude sickness and coping with freezing temperatures. I quickly learned that

At The Irish Pub in Namche Bazaar, everything mostly looks and feels, well, like an Irish pub. There’s a screen showing the footie (Arsenal versus Fulham). ‘Where Is The Love’ by the Black Eyed Peas is blasting from the speakers. The WiFi password is ‘getpissed’. There’s a darts board, a pool table, beer on draft, a tacky Jimi Hendrix artwork on the wall and tables graffitied with the signatures of previous customers. But look again, and you’ll notice some peculiarities that probably wouldn’t pass in your standard Dublin boozer. Guinness, for example, is only served in cans. The clientele is almost exclusively dressed in non-ironic gorpcore. A stray yak loiters outside the front door. That’s because, at 3,440 metres high, this is the highest Irish pub in the world.  RECOMMENDED: I visited the Central American region on every 2026 travel list – it’s wild, remote and worth the journey Photograph: Chiara Wilkinson for Time Out Namche Bazaar, the largest town in Nepal’s Khumbu region, is home to an estimated 1,600 permanent residents, primarily of Sherpa ethnicity – a population that swells significantly during peak hiking season, when porters and tourists from all over the world use the town as a base, staying in teahouses (or the swanky Everest View Hotel) to reach Everest Base Camp and surrounding treks. Nestled in a backdrop of dramatic snow-capped mountains, the walk from the closest non-commercial airport, in Lukla, takes around ten hours: less if you’re a porter, and u

If looking at more than 1,700 pieces of art isn’t enough for you, there are some great games you can play with yourself while walking around the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. Spot the famous artist. Guess the price of a painting. Or, my personal favourite: channel interior designer and pick works to 'imaginary decorate' your overpriced rented basement flat in Clapton.  The RA Summer Exhibition has been held every year since 1769, and in 2025, it’s been coordinated by renowned British-Iranian architect Farshid Moussavi. You’ll see architectural drawings, models and nods to our built environment dotted throughout the exhibitoin, not bound by one room. There will be no bright yellow or turquoise walls this year – it’s all cleanly white – and the whole thing feels calmer, less cluttered, with more space for works to breathe (and less craning of your neck to see the stuff up top).  It is, as usual, open to all. There’s plenty of the big dawgs here: you’ll see scribbled heads by Quentin Blake, a (Juergen Teller) photograph of Marina Abramović looking all witchy, a warm, washed-over Frank Bowling canvas, a collaged photographic face by Cindy Sherman and much more. But there also is, undoubtedly, a lot of shit art. Horrid, boring geometric neon stencils. Cats. Flat, unfinished-looking canvases. Sculpture which looks like it belongs in Primark’s home section.  But getting hung up on the crap is not really the point: it’s about the spectacle, the discovery, the loose themes you

The space around Tate Britain at Millbank is set to undergo a major green transformation – and now we’ve got a taste of how it will look, after seeing first-stage designs for the revamp of the gallery’s outside area.  Developed by landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith Studio and architects Feilden Fowles, who were selected for the project last year following an open competition, the new Clore Garden has been ‘carefully designed to complement and enhance the gallery’s neo-classical architecture and withstand the UK’s changing climate’. It will feature pathways navigating flowers, trees and a wildlife pond, as well as a reimagined café terrace and a freestanding classroom to host school groups and adult learners, in addition to an area for outdoor programmes and activities.  The plans were made in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) with funding from the Clore Duffield Foundation. The garden will also feature sculptures by British artists from Tate’s collection as well as integrated seating, an interactive water feature and bench circle.  ‘These innovative designs demonstrate the role museums can play in our cities, places where contemplation and relaxation can go hand in hand with joy and creativity,’ said Alex Farquharson, Director, Tate Britain. ‘We hope the garden will offer new ways to engage with Tate’s Collection, for both visitors and local residents alike.’  Tom Stuart-Smith said: ‘It’s a wonderful opportunity to create a haven for people, plants

Remember the Zabludowicz Collection? That converted church in Chalk Farm which housed a vibrant free art programme? After closing its doors at the end of 2023 – the Zabludowicz family had its fair share of controversies due to its links to Israel, though the collection claimed the closure had no connection to an ongoing boycott or the war in Gaza – the space at 176 Prince of Wales Road is now being re-launched. Enter Camden Arts Projects, an all-new not-for-profit space with a focus on contemporary art and film. The new cultural hub opened its doors on May 9 with an exhibition featuring Martin Creed’s interactive installation, ‘Work No. 3891 Half the air in a given space (2025)’, in which a sea of balloons takes over the gallery, inviting visitors to feel them, move them and play with them as they navigate the room. The work was last on display in London more than ten years ago, for its Hayward Gallery debut in 2014. Photograph: Guzel Photography Services Creed is also making his mark outside the gallery: visitors will be welcomed into the building by the Turner Prize-winning artist’s iconic 12-metre neon text piece, ‘Work No. 1086: EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT (2011)’.  The building, built in the 1860s as a place of worship, has a long history of supporting creatives. The London Drama Centre took it over in the ’60s before it was turned into an art gallery in 2017 by AHMM architects. For its new era, Camden Arts Projects promises to ‘exhibit the works of both est

Step foot in the National Gallery’s new-look Sainsbury Wing and you’ll be greeted with a genuine sense of anticipation. A sanctuary from the pigeons, buskers and walking tours crowding Trafalgar Square, neutral limestone shades and vast expanses of glass encompass a wide, open foyer. Your eyes are immediately drawn to one of three digital HD screens – a large horizontal stretch at the back of the room, and a smaller two on pillars to your left – each showing a slow-moving pan of a painting housed in the floor above. Look closer, and you can see every crack of oil paint, every scratch, every immaculate stroke. Now this is a proper welcome to one of the world’s greatest art museums.   Photograph: Edmund Sumner / National GallerySainsbury Wing Foyer looking North Designed by US postmodernists Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, the Sainsbury Wing originally opened in 1991 as an addition to the main gallery building – but the foyer was dark and low-ceilinged, cluttered with false columns and dimmed by shaded windows. Needless to say, not everyone was a fan. During the wing restoration last year, contractors discovered a regretful note from benefactor Lord Sainsbury inside one of the hollow columns, writing: ‘Let it be known that one of the donors of this building is absolutely delighted that your generation has decided to dispense with the unnecessary columns.’ Old Sainsbury might have been glad to hear that after two years and a £85 million spend, the refurbished Sainsbur

Film lovers, this is one for you: a landmark Wes Anderson exhibition is coming to London later this year, and it looks genuinely quite brilliant. But you’re going to want to act fast: tickets have now gone on sale, and we expect them to sell pretty fast.  As the director’s first-ever retrospective, ‘Wes Anderson: The Archives’ at the Design Museum will feature more than 600 items from the filmmaker’s back catalogue: costumes, storyboards, sketches, props, motion puppets, handwritten notebooks and the three-metre wide model of The Grand Budapest Hotel which was used to capture the building’s façade for the iconic 2014 film.  You’ll have the chance to see all sorts of recognisable stuff up close – like vending machines from Asteroid City and the FENDI fur coat worn by Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums. There will also be a rare screening of Anderson’s 1993 Bottle Rocket 14-minute short film that went on to be remade as his first feature. If you fancy it, tickets are priced from £19.69 and the exhibition opens in November, running through to July next year. Tim Marlow, Director and CEO of the Design Museum, said: ‘Wes Anderson has created some of the most visually distinctive and emotionally resonant films of the last two decades — from the melancholic charm of The Royal Tenenbaums to the youthful adventurism of Moonrise Kingdom. ‘He’s an utterly compelling creator of cinematic worlds, whose singular vision and attention to detail are underpinned by a

I know we say this every month, but May really is looking like a particularly great time for art-lovers – not least because you have two bank holidays to fill with shows, as well as two major institutional openings as the V&A East Storehouse opens its doors and the National Gallery unveils its refurbished Sainsbury Wing. Of course, there are a load of excellent art and photography exhibitions already on, but if you want to see what’s brand-spanking new, look ahead for our round-up of the best exhibition openings this month. From the Tate Modern’s eagerly anticipated Genesis Exhibition, where you can see Do Ho Suh’s vast, architectural fabric installations in the flesh, to Alberto Giacometti’s spindly human-like sculptures and another photography takeover of Somerset House, London is basically bursting with new things to see and ponder over. All you need to do is find the time to go.  The best new London art exhibitions in May 2025 1. ‘The Genesis Exhibition – Do Ho Suh: Walk the House’ at Tate Modern The home, migration, global displacement: these are all themes Do Ho Suh explores in his work, consisting of videos, drawings, and large translucent fabric installations of interiors, objects, walls and architectural structures. Often brightly coloured, skeletal and encompassing, this survey exhibition at Tate Modern will showcase three decades the celebrated Korean-born, London-based artist, including brand-new, site-specific works on display.  ‘The Genesis Exhibition – Do Ho

Hundreds of Just Stop Oil protestors marched through the streets of London today for a ‘last day of action’ – after announcing that the group would be ‘hanging up the hi-vis’ after winning its demand to end new oil and gas licences. Orange-clad demonstrators rallied from St James’s Park to Waterloo, holding signs and occasionally blocking roads. For the last three years, the climate group has made headlines for its controversial direct action protests, which included throwing soup at Van Gogh paintings in the National Gallery, spraying Stonehenge with orange powder paint and bringing part of the M25 to a standstill for four successive days. The group claims that more than 3,300 people have been arrested for their cause, as well as 180 jailed – their website stating that ‘eleven people are in prison right now for doing everything they can to limit climate catastrophe’.  In an official statement shared last month, the group said: ‘Just Stop Oil’s initial demand to end new oil and gas is now government policy, making us one of the most successful civil resistance campaigns in recent history. We’ve kept over 4.4 billion barrels of oil in the ground and the courts have ruled new oil and gas licences unlawful.’ The claimed victory comes as the Labour government said it will not issue licences for new oil and gas exploration. However, the BBC reported that some members of Just Stop Oil admitted that new powers on policing disruptive protests ‘made it almost impossible for groups

Amateur d’art ? En 2025, Londres mérite largement le détour. Entre ses collections permanentes parmi les plus prestigieuses au monde, ses galeries pointues, ses lieux culturels de quartier et ses installations en plein air à tous les coins de rue, la capitale britannique déborde d’art sous toutes ses formes. Et c’est sans compter son calendrier d’expositions temporaires, toujours plus riche et passionnant. Autrement dit : s’il y a une ville où prendre un aller-retour pour se gaver de culture cette année, c’est bien Londres. Peut-être même trop d’expos pour tout voir – un doux problème, on vous l’accorde. Heureusement, Time Out est là. Depuis des décennies, nos critiques passent en revue les expos majeures (et aussi les plus discrètes) pour dénicher la crème de la crème : peinture, photo, sculpture, performance… on a tout vu, tout testé. Voici donc notre sélection des meilleures expos à voir en ce moment à Londres. De quoi justifier un petit saut de l’autre côté de la Manche. Les 10 meilleures expositions d’art à voir à Londres Ed Atkins, Tate Britain Considéré comme l’un des artistes contemporains les plus influents du Royaume-Uni, Ed Atkins s’offre une grande rétrospective à la Tate Britain. L’exposition couvre 15 ans de carrière à travers des vidéos générées par ordinateur, des animations, des sculptures, des installations, du son, de la peinture et du dessin. Pourquoi y aller : Parce qu’Atkins dissèque les angoisses, les absurdités et les fragilités de notre époque, dans

Ever fancied snoozing next to a Cezanne? Resting your head beside a Rembrandt? If you’ve ever dreamed about dozing off next to world-famous artworks, you might just be in luck.  The National Gallery is still going big on its 200th anniversary celebrations, and as part of it, the gallery is offering one lucky person the chance to sleep overnight in a bed ‘within sight of the world’s greatest paintings’. The winner will be the first member of the public to see the newly refurbished Sainsbury Wing following its two-year closure and rehang of its collection C C Land: The Wonder of Art. The sleepover will take place on Saturday, May 10, and the winner will also cop a private tour of the space with a National Gallery curator, and dinner for two at Locatelli, the National Gallery’s restaurant, as well as a breakfast hamper. Then, they’ll be able to enjoy the gallery’s 1000-plus artworks all to themselves before the Sainsbury Wing opens for its fist public visitors at 10am.  Fancy your own Night At The Museum? You can enter the draw from 9am on Monday April 7 if you’re over 18 and subscribe to the Gallery’s newsletter. The competition is open until 6pm on Monday April 28 after which one lucky winner will be randomly selected. All current subscribers will be automatically entered into the draw.  Don’t miss these amazing new London art exhibitions in April 2025. SXSW London has just revealed its huge music line-up. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews

With its vast, manicured grounds, swanky spa and fine dining restaurant, Gleneagles is one of Scotland’s best-known – and perhaps most-loved – hotels.  Situated in Perthshire on a sweeping countryside estate, the hotel has recently launched a Highland cow ‘safari’, which gives guests the chance to admire Scotland’s long-haired native species (often locally referred to as ‘coos’) via an off-road four-by-four tour.  Billed as the ‘Highland Cow Safari’, visitors will load onto a fleet of the estate’s Land Rover Defenders and head through farmland into the Ochil Hills to spot the creatures out in the open. A local guide will also be on hand to share facts and answer any questions about the breed. The hotel website wrote: ‘These gentle giants might even come closer for some unforgettable photo opportunities, though direct handling will not be permitted.’ The experience is part of a set of new outdoor activities being introduced at the hotel for 2025, alongside an off-road driving adventure, where visitors can travel on Land Rovers through ‘steep hills, rocky tracks and breath-taking vistas across the Perthshire Highlands’. Gleneagles also offers guided Atlantic salmon fishing on the River Tay, as well as horse riding lessons and tree climbing experiences.  The Highland Cow Safari experience will cost £320 per car for up to four guests on a one-hour private tour, and £50 thereafter with up to six guests maximum per vehicle. Find out more here.  Check out our five-star review of G