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James Manning

James Manning

Content Director, EMEA

James Manning is Time Out’s content director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He’s been a writer and editor at Time Out since 2012, covering travel, music, nightlife, food, culture and the best things to do around the world.

Born and bred in London, he’s been writing about the city and its culture since his mid-teens and is also a voracious traveller.

He’s a past winner at the BSME Talent and PPA 30 Under 30 awards.

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Articles (178)

The best new restaurants in London

The best new restaurants in London

Every week, a frankly stupid amount of brilliant new restaurants, cafés and street food joints arrive in London. Which makes whittling down a shortlist of the best newbies a serious challenge. But here it is. The 20 very best new restaurants in the capital, ranked.  Go forth and eat, featuring everything from Med sharing dishes at Morchella in Clerkenwell and Akara, a Michelin star restaurant offshoot in Borough, to sublime small plates at Hackney's Sune, modern Malaysian cuisine at Mambow in Clapton, tasty sausage at Bistro Freddie in Spitalfields, Italian-ish snacks at Forza Wine on the South Bank and Filipino sharing feasts at Donia in Soho.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED: The 50 best restaurants in London.

The 23 best songs about money

The 23 best songs about money

Money makes the world go around. Sometimes it also makes the turntables spin. It may be the root of all evil, but money’s a hell of a muse – as this list of the best songs about money proves. Like the power of love and the pain of a broken heart, cash – too much of it or too little – has inspired some of the best pop songs of all time, from classic-rock standards to 99 percent of ’90s hip-hop. With dollar signs in our eyes, we’ve rounded up 23 of the best songs about money. Time to make it rain. RECOMMENDED:🎉 The best party songs ever made🎤 The best karaoke songs🎧 The best podcasts right now🎵 The best new songs of the last year Written by Nick Levine, Andy Kryza, Grace Goslin, James Manning and Ella Doyle. 

The 10 best family holidays in the world to try this year

The 10 best family holidays in the world to try this year

Family-friendly travel is changing. For many years, it was presumed that people travelling with kids would be content to be kettled into a soulless holiday park every summer – but today’s parents are looking for more. So, whether you’re dealing with travel-averse toddlers, kinetic kids who won’t stop moving, screen-obsessed tweens or teenagers who want to be as far away from you as possible, we’ve got the break that you need. These are the very best places for a family holiday in the world right now. Happy travels!Marcus Webb is Time Out’s former global editor-in-chief and has written about family travel for various publications. 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. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here. RECOMMENDED:🇬🇧 The best family breaks in the UK🇺🇸 The best places for a family vacation in the US🌃 The top European city breaks to try this year🖼️ The world’s best museums and galleries

The best restaurants in Hackney

The best restaurants in Hackney

Head to Hackney and you've got a seriously exciting evening of dining ahead of you, as some of the city's boldest chefs have set up shop in this rapidly-gentrifying patch of east London. High-end restaurants sit alongside chic brunch spots, inviting gastropubs and long-established neighbourhood joints. Whatever you're after, you'll more than likely find it here. Go east(ish) and eat. New additions to the list include smoke and fire fun at Lagom, Michelin starry-ness at Behind, chef Abby Lee's incredible Mambow – which recently moved to Clapton from Peckham and canal-side standout, Sune.  Recommended: Here are London's 50 Best Restaurants. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.  

The 100 best TV shows of all time you have to watch

The 100 best TV shows of all time you have to watch

‘The idiot box’. ‘The boob tube’. ‘The opiate of the masses’. For decades, television was maligned as one of the lowest forms of entertainment available, a conduit for hypnotising slop was actively making the populace dumber. Was that perception justified? Maybe, at times. The fact that it was being beamed directly into your home, and you had little choice in what to watch, made it seem worse.   Now, 70 or so years after it became widely available, other mediums are having to play catch up. The best shows compete with movies for cultural positioning, while elite filmmakers make movies for the small screen. The premiere of The Sopranos in 1999 is credited as the big bang that changed TV’s reputation, and the advent of streaming has made it so viewers actually have more to watch than anyone could possibly consume in an entire lifetime.   That makes selecting the 100 greatest TV shows much more of a challenge than it would have been 20 years ago. For that reason, we elected to limit the field a bit, leaving off talk shows, docuseries, variety shows and sketch comedy, instead focusing on scripted, episodic dramas, comedies and miniseries. Even then, it proved to be an exhausting task – after all, television has been popular since after World War II. While this list is dominated by 21st century programs, there are hundreds of shows from the pre-Sopranos era that deserve credit for pushing TV forward into its current golden age. Here’s what we chose as the best of the best. Recomme

The best gigs we went to in 2023

The best gigs we went to in 2023

This year has been a belter for live music. Our cities have come alive with pop comebacks, raging metal shows and some damn good dance tunes. We’ve fully embraced our tastes, however cringe they may be (there’s no shame in loving something). We’ve screamed out lyrics, two stepped to our heart’s content, moshed in a festival field and everything in between. Gen Zers bragged about ‘escape room pop stars’, veteran jazz fans stroked their chins to legends of the scene and some of us unleashed our inner teens by watching pop-punk superstars. Here are Time Out’s favourite live music moments of 2023 – taking in picks from all over our huge, juicy global network of editors.  RECOMMENDED: 🎬 The best movies of 2023🕺 The 23 best songs of 2023🎵 The 30 best albums of 2023

Digital nomad visas: the countries where you can live and work remotely

Digital nomad visas: the countries where you can live and work remotely

Of all the many things that the last few years have upended, office life is one of the biggest. Tools like email and video chat apps have (at least in theory) untethered many of us from the workplace, meaning there may be very little need for many restless workers to stay rooted in one place. And that makes moving somewhere sunnier, cheaper or just more fun sound incredibly tempting. As nations around the world have reopened their borders to travellers, many popular destinations have emphasised longer-term stays over short-term breaks. And at the very extreme end, some are even trying to sell themselves as idyllic remote-working spots, with new ‘digital nomad’ visas that would allow you to live and work there for up to a year – or sometimes even longer. Here’s a guide to the countries offering digital nomad visas right now, and how you can qualify. And here’s what it’s actually like to be a digital nomad – and how to become one yourself.

The 16 best things we ate in London in 2023

The 16 best things we ate in London in 2023

Well, we ate a hell of a lot this year, didn’t we? As always, London got a whole load of brand-new restaurants, so we’ve been a little bit spoilt for choice for seriously good food. But if you’re anything like us, there’s a few dishes you just can’t shut up about. Here at Time Out, we’ve rounded up every fantastic thing we feasted on in 2023, so you can get out there and try ’em for yourself. You’ll find everything from Speedboat Bar’s insanely hot curry to Mount St’s cheese and haddock omelette. It’s spicy, it’s chewy, it’s saucy, and it’s right here for your viewing (and eating) pleasure. Here are the best things we ate this year.  RECOMMENDED:😜 The best restaurants in London🎶 The best new albums of 2023🎤 The best new songs of 2023🎧 The best podcasts of 2023

The 30 best albums of 2023

The 30 best albums of 2023

Some year, eh? We’ve been blessed with some absolute crackers of albums over the last 12 months. We’ve had sad girl anthem after sad girl anthem (boygenius, Mitski and Lana Del Rey in the same year?!), breakthrough pop stars (hello: Raye and Olivia Dean), as well as dancefloor-ready K-pop, killer soundtracks and emo kid comebacks. It’s been a stand-out year for new music, and while it’s never fun to have to choose your favourite, yes, we’ve gone and done it. We asked Time Out writers and editors from around the world to choose the one record they had on repeat over the last 12 months. Without further a do, here are 30 of our favourite albums of 2023. RECOMMENDED:The best movies of 2023 (so far)The best TV shows of 2023 you need to streamThe 50 best podcasts to listen to in 2023

London’s best Christmas sandwiches 2023

London’s best Christmas sandwiches 2023

It’s that time of year again – time for the legendary, heroic and what some are calling era-defining Time Out Christmas sandwich taste test. Our team have tirelessly trawled London’s high streets, foodie markets and bakeries for the mightiest seasonal sarnie of the year, leaving no chiller cabinet unturned. After all, the true meaning of Christmas is surely all about putting some vaguely festive fillings between two slices of bread. Let battle commence. RECOMMENDED: For more festive fun here’s our guide to the best Christmas markets in London.  And don’t miss the best Christmas events, either. 

The 65 best Christmas songs of all time

The 65 best Christmas songs of all time

Love them, hate them, or just accept them as a sort of immutable fact of life, it's officially Christmas song season in 2023. And although there’s been a fair amount of disposable novelty rubbish written over the years, the reality is that a lot of Christmas songs are bangers. There are plenty of keepers from the ‘40s-‘70s heyday of the Christmas record as an art form, for example, but even more cynical later generations of pop have produced plenty of gold. Festive cheer has found its way into pop, hip-hop, R&B, metal, punk, indie… you name it. So as a gift, we've rounded up the very best Christmas songs going. Ho ho ho.  RECOMMENDED:🎅 The best places to go at Christmas 🎉  The best party songs🎤  The best karaoke songs🕺  The best pop songs of all time Written by Andrzej Lukowski, Oliver Keens, James Manning, Alim Kheraj, Ed Cunningham, Liv Kelly and Ella Doyle. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

The 20 best friendship movies of all time

The 20 best friendship movies of all time

In the movies, love gets all the love. But what about friendship? Platonic relationships can often loom larger in our lives and define who we are even more than romantic ones. Certainly, it’s a more universal experience. Not everyone can claim to have been in love, but everyone has bro’d down and/or girl crushed at some point. So let’s raise a glass to those films about buddies, pals, homies, mates – whatever you want to call them. We asked the Time Out staff to name their personal favourite friendship flicks. We  enjoy the company of these cinematic friends so much, it’s almost like we’ve come to see them as friends themselves. Recommended: 🤣 The 100 best comedy movies💓 The 100 best romantic movies of all-time✍ The 100 best animated movies of all-time

Listings and reviews (53)

Gaia

Gaia

4 out of 5 stars

There’s no point complaining about the prices when you’re dining on Piccadilly: it’s been among the poshest streets in London for literally 400 years. Suffice it to say that Gaia, a palatial joint with sister restaurants in Dubai, Qatar and Monte Carlo, has landed across the road from the actual Ritz and you’ll pay accordingly to eat here. But enough about the bill – we haven’t even got to the food yet. It’s Greek, or at least Greek-inspired, with British-Nigerian chef Izu Ani joining forces with the Peloponnese’s own Orestis Kotefas. The first thing you see when you step into the opulent dining room is an epic display of lobsters, oysters, turbot and seabass, arranged just-so on a pile of crushed ice like the Platonic ideal of a Cycladic fish market stall. And in fact, much of the menu turns out to be refined takes on Hellenistic classics: tzatziki, spanakopita, Greek salad and the rest of the gang, along with the aforementioned massive pile of seafood. The prawns were hall-of-fame-worthy and served in a puddle of honey-coloured, rosemary-scented, paprika-spicy oil And yes, it’s good. I’ve honestly never tasted smoother taramasalata, and the prawns were hall-of-fame-worthy: done to a tee in a wood oven, served in a puddle of honey-coloured, rosemary-scented, paprika-spicy oil. There’s a moussaka that’s destined to appear on all of London’s fanciest Insta feeds: minced beef, potato, bechamel and cheese, all stacked up atop a meltingly soft, skinless grilled aubergine. The as

Aire Ancient Baths London

Aire Ancient Baths London

What is Aire Ancient Baths London? An atmospheric, subterranean day spa tucked away discreetly off the Strand, Aire Ancient Baths takes inspiration from way back: specifically, ancient Roman, Greek and Ottoman bathing rituals. The London outpost opened in 2021 in a beautiful Georgian building, with treatment rooms upstairs, the baths themselves down in the double-height brick vaults of the basement, and a legion of friendly, black-clad staff keeping everything running like a machine. Upon arrival, you’re greeted and ushered into the changing rooms, where you’ll find a robe and slippers ready. Then it’s down a candlelit staircase into the bathhouse itself. There are large warm and hot baths, ice-cold plunges, a bubbly hydrotherapy pool and a salt-rich one for floating weightlessly, and a gently scented steam room. If you’ve booked a massage or treatment, staff find you and whisk you upstairs, then return you to the baths when you’re done. Vibe is king here: the bathhouse and corridors are hushed and darkened, lit by hundreds of (real) candles. Phones and children are banned and guest numbers are kept low, so you’re rarely sharing a pool with more than two or four other punters – and pretty much everyone respects the ‘Silence’ signs dotted around the walls.  Is it worth visiting? Look, this isn’t one of London’s cheapest spas: prices start north of £100 for basic access to the baths. Then there are various add-ons (massages, scrubs, aromatherapy or even a wine bath) that can ta

Sune

Sune

5 out of 5 stars

Gripe all you want about east London’s current preponderance of boho bistros specialising in small plates and natural wines – but when it’s done right, it’s still a knockout formula. And Sune, just over the bridge from Broadway Market in Hackney, absolutely nails it. Hospitality power couple Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims are the brains, marshalling experience from  heavyweights of the London restaurant scene and beyond (Charlie spent a while as the manager of Noma in Copenhagen). And they’ve played a blinder in their choice of chef: Michael Robins, formerly of Pidgin up the road, doing the whole modern European/seasonal produce/small plates/cooking with fire thing. The level of depth, detail, thought and skill in some of these dishes is honestly staggering, and they’re picture-pretty That’s not unusual around here, but the quality of Sune’s dishes is. I’m not saying this lightly, but based on our visit, the quality of the food at Sune is a notch above what you’ll get at Café Cecilia across the canal – and that’s currently sitting at the top of Time Out’s big list of London’s best restaurants. It’s sharing plates all the way here, obviously – though some of them are definitely big enough for a main course if you prefer to eat the old-fashioned way. We kicked off with snacks. First up: a twist on the Spanish gilda – piquant olives, anchovies and guindilla chillies – mounted on a potato cake that’s essentially a hash brown, the crunchy carbs perfectly rounding out the appetite

The Smartest Giant in Town

The Smartest Giant in Town

4 out of 5 stars

  So totally do Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler dominate the imaginations of Britain’s under-fives that not one, not two but three Donaldson-Scheffler adaptations are playing in the West End this Christmas. But if you and your offspring haven’t already been done in by ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’ (nepo baby much?) at the Garrick or ‘Stick Man’ at Leicester Square, then it’s well worth throwing in your lot at St Martin’s Theatre with ‘The Smartest Giant in Town’. Based on a (relatively underrated, imo) early work by the reigning king and queen of kids’ picture books, ‘The Smartest Giant…’ tells the story of George: an actually rather scruffy but extremely kind-hearted giant whose attempt to smarten up his act quickly unravels as he meets five animals in need. In George’s bucolic town, giants, regular-sized humans and talking animals coexist in apparent harmony amid rolling hills and cute cottages, making for plenty of opportunities for the show to mess about with scale with Kate Bunce’s economical set and props – especially when George hands over his suddenly-giant-sized clothes to the animals. Giraffe, goat, mouse, fox and dog are played by adorable puppets – designed by Judith Hope – based faithfully on Scheffler’s illustrations, and animated with a variety of accents by an energetically multitasking pair of actor/puppeteers. (The show is a transfer from Little Angel Puppet Theatre in Islington, and directed by its head honcho Samantha Lane.) Duane Gooden plays George, channel

Eline

Eline

3 out of 5 stars

Seasonal Modern European cooking, an eclectic wine list, tasteful décor and a homely vibe… stop me if you’ve heard this one before? In certain parts of east London, you can hardly nip to Tesco without passing at least one friendly oenophilic bistro (case in point: our recent review of Bambi). And honestly, it’d be churlish to complain about that: these places are independent businesses run and staffed by earnest, passionate people, and they’re usually really nice places to spend an evening. The only trouble is that in a crowded market, you’ve got to work miracles to stand out. The MVPs were a veritably banging duck with poached cherries and beetroot and a lush chocolate tart with blackcurrant cream A good location really helps. Eline is slotted into the side of a fairly soulless brick block off Hackney Road. God knows it’s hard to find a decent place to live in London these days, for restaurants as much as humans. But the lack of footfall and the echoey, single-aspect newbuildness of the space are a buzzkill from the start. That’s despite the immense pains taken in the dining room to turn Eline into the kind of cosy, stylish little bistro that everyone east of Camden wants in their neighbourhood: a bottle shop up one side, a cushion-strewn banquette down the other, and Scandi tables and chairs through the middle. So how about the food? Here’s one definite plus: a (relatively) affordable, very approachable set menu with a choice from three starters, three mains and three des

Provocateur

Provocateur

4 out of 5 stars

Anyone who’s seen ‘Cabaret’ knows that the ’20s in Berlin were a riot… sometimes literally. Okay, so life in the Weimar Republic was no picnic – but the nightlife was undeniably fabulous, darling. And if you’re looking to bring a little of that Jazz Age glamour into your Berlin trip today, look no further than the Provocateur hotel in old West Berlin. The fantasy starts at the front door: this place is seven floors of velvet, parquet, marble, brass, mirrors, pot plants, parquet, Persian rugs and chandeliers, all linked by a delightfully rickety vintage lift. (The décor is by London’s SZ Design, in case you were wondering.) Some of the rooms have freestanding baths; others (including ours) come with a spacious balcony to catch the sunset. The soundproofing is excellent and the beds are massive. Sexy times are gently encouraged by a couple of particularly raunchy mini-bar items and a mysterious ‘Provocateur Mode’ wall switch – you’ll find no spoilers here… Down on the ground floor, there’s an appropriately ritzy bar (check the luscious velvet booths) and a Franco-Chinese restaurant, Golden Phoenix (sadly closed for our Sunday/Monday stay), plus a lovely, secluded terrace. Minor niggles included the odd questionable design choice (a profusion of plastic plants, some tacky photography on the walls) and the occasional whiff of understaffedness. But if you’re after a decadent, stylish and fairly affordable stay with a heap of character, Provocateur serves it up on a silver platter.

Villa Lena

Villa Lena

5 out of 5 stars

An hour’s drive from the swarming streets of Florence and Pisa, Villa Lena could have settled for being just another gorgeous hilltop agriturismo. Instead, it’s something quite unique: an art foundation based in a nineteenth-century villa, with a stylish hotel sprawling across the outbuildings. Artists of all sorts come here from all over the world for month-long residencies, and – as well as rubbing shoulders with hotel guests at the breakfast buffet – they run workshops for all comers in the on-site artists’ studios; donate their work to the hotel’s art collection; and put on gigs and performances throughout the summer. There’s no shortage of inspiration up here, with sweeping views in every direction over fields and woods, every hilltop crowned by a picturesque little village or farmhouse, and a backdrop of cloud-capped mountains. And then – because even artists can’t survive on views alone – there’s the food. The laidback on-site restaurant, Osteria San Michele, would be worth the trip even if you weren’t staying the night, with a menu of souped-up Tuscan classics (ribollita, pappa col pomodoro), superlative pasta dishes and decadent beef- and pork-based secondi piatti. Herbs and vegetables come from the on-site kitchen garden; the 500-hectare estate also turns out top-notch olive oil and sparkling rosé. You’re free to explore pretty much anywhere, and I did – but in the Tuscan summer heat, you might not want to drift far from the striped parasols of the San Michele pool

‘Dracula’ review

‘Dracula’ review

3 out of 5 stars

Horror’s coming home, it’s coming home, it’s coming – back to the very library where Bram Stoker researched ‘Dracula’ between 1890 and 1897. Oxford company Creation Theatre has pulled off two impressive feats here: firstly by persuading the members-only London Library to host a production in its historic Reading Room (where Stoker almost certainly boned up on Eastern Europe and the occult) and secondly by devising a version of the vampire story in which no one plays the title role. In fact, Creation’s site-specific ‘Dracula’ features just two actors, Sophie Greenham and Bart Lambert, playing Mina and Jonathan Harker in a sexually repressed post-war setting. Solicitor Jonathan hasn’t been the same since his business trip to Romania, and a stay in Whitby to sort through the possessions of Mina’s late friend Lucy Westenra isn’t helping – especially when the weather turns, claustrophobia sets in and Jonathan’s Transylvanian flashbacks start to get very real. Projected visuals help collapse huge chunks of backstory into effective, supernatural fever dreams, and there are even a few laughs in some original scenes by writer/adapter Kate Kerrow, as the recently hitched Harkers fail to seal the deal on the chaise longue in Lucy’s library. The weaker bits of Creation’s production are when the plot strays from the Jonathan-and-Mina psychodrama, with Greenham and Lambert donning some iffy accessories and voices to play other characters from the novel. (As dodgy ‘Dracula’ accents go, Lam

A Home Away from Home: The India Club

A Home Away from Home: The India Club

The India Club is one of the city’s most fascinating post-colonial relics: a bar, lounge and Indian restaurant (one of the UK’s oldest) that’s hardly changed in 65 years. Last summer it was saved from redevelopment, and this week the National Trust opens an on-site exhibition which explores its history and celebrates the survival of a London institution. Opened on this site in 1964 by the India League, which had campaigned for the former British colony’s independence, the India Club became a first port of call for new arrivals from the subcontinent and a hub for the capital’s burgeoning Asian community. ‘A Home Away from Home: The India Club’ is an immersive oral history consisting of interviews with club regulars over the decades plus archive photos and documents. You can book in for a series of themed supperclubs and cooking classes too – because history is always better with snacks.

Circle Collective

Circle Collective

Here’s a sobering fact for you: young people from a BAME background are less likely to have a job than any other Briton. Being unemployed between 18 and 25 can have a major impact on later life chances, and the biggest barrier to work is lack of experience. So a big hand for Circle Collective: a social enterprise that helps young Londoners get jobs – and runs a very cool streetwear shop in Dalston (there’s another branch in Lewisham). Since 2012, the charity has helped more than 350 disadvantaged young people into work by providing them with CV advice, mentoring, training and, crucially, experience working in retail. For nearly half of Circle Collective participants, it’s their first time in the workplace. Want to help? Just pop along to one of Circle Collective’s outlets next time you need to buy someone a present (there’s an online shop too). They stock independent designers alongside the big labels, all profits are reinvested in the charity, and you’ll be helping young locals perfect their sales technique.

OnBlackheath

OnBlackheath

There’s plenty of history on Blackheath – former hotspot for highway men and an urban oasis – but it wasn’t until 2014 that this expanse of common ground in south-east London hosted its first proper music festival. OnBlackheath returns this September for a fifth year, once again bringing together the worlds of music and food for some end-of-the-season festival action. On the music front, there'll be the likes of Squeeze, Paloma Faith, Billy Bragg, Corinne Bailey Rae, De La Soul, Lightening Seeds and London Afrobeat Orchestra (performing Talking Heads) on the line up.  Beyond the live acts, they'll be a food village where you can see pro cooks in action, and there'll be family fun of all varieties to get involved in. Find out more here.

Bohemia Place

Bohemia Place

Thought you knew every nook and cranny of Hackney? Here’s a bit you’ve probably never even heard of. Tucked between a railway line and a bus depot opposite Hackney Central Overground, Bohemia Place was once a tram shed. Until last year, you would only have gone down there to get your car fixed. But now, like other arch-lined streets across the city, Bohemia Place is getting a makeover. Pressure Drop (based here since 2012) has shacked up with Verdant Brewing Company to turn its former brewery into a joint taproom. Another brewery tap, St John at Hackney, has just opened its doors, as has a new cocktails-and-food spot from party stalwarts Night Tales. Zero-waste grocery shop Bulk Market and madcap cocktail crew ABQ are moving in this summer too, and in the long term, there are grand plans for a ‘creative maker yard’. Hackneyed? Not yet it isn’t.

News (676)

Time Out Market is coming to Barcelona

Time Out Market is coming to Barcelona

First came Time Out Market Lisbon, serving up the best of the Portuguese capital since 2014. Then came New York, Boston, Montreal, Chicago and Dubai. Now we’ve got some big (and delicious) news: Time Out Market is coming to… Barcelona! The Time Out Market concept is simple. Our local editors and experts pick the greatest eats, drinks and cultural goings-on that the city has to offer. Then we bring them all together in one vibey space. In Barcelona, that space will be in Maremagnum: the shopping and fun complex that sits out in the waters of the city’s Port Vell, linked to La Rambla by a floating bridge. Time Out Market Barcelona will take up residence on the top floor of Maremagnum, with 14 kitchens (plus communal tables to eat at) and a full-on restaurant – all slinging the city’s best dishes, and all hand-picked by our local Time Out Barcelona team. They’ve been covering the city week in, week out since 2008, so they know the city like nobody else. Photograph: ShutterstockTime Out Market Lisbon There will also be two bars indoors, and an outdoor space with two more bars. (Plus, it should go without saying, amazing views over the spectacular Barcelona skyline.) Just the place for an afternoon vermut. And it’s not all about eating and drinking: an events space and studio will bring the best of Barcelona’s culture scene through the doors on a regular basis. So when can you plan your visit? Sooner than you think: Time Out Market Barcelona is expected to open in the first half

Could Paris go car-free for the 2024 Olympics?

Could Paris go car-free for the 2024 Olympics?

The Opening Ceremony of next year’s Paris Olympics is less than a year away, and the French capital is gearing up to host the world. Now an upcoming proposal from the Parisian Green Party is set to get tongues wagging at the next city council meeting. They’re suggesting that, for the six weeks of the Games – from the eve of the Olympics to the end of the Paralympics – Paris (and nearby towns affected by the event) should go totally car-free. Not only that, but the city should offer free public transport. To back up their case, the group has laid out 14 reasons, touching on everything from plain common sense to environmental and safety issues. They’re also reminding folks of commitments made by various layers of government. For instance, they point out the challenge of managing a flow of 15 million people in public spaces and on public transport; carbon emissions estimated at 1.58 megatonnes; and Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s statements about the Games being a ‘catalyst for ecological transition’. Plus, they're suggesting the whole free transport thing could be funded by an eco-levy on ecommerce deliveries. So that’s the proposal. Now comes the hard part: making it happen. When it comes to free transport, let’s be honest, it’s a bit of a long shot. The fate of the transport network is in the hands of IDF Mobilités, chaired by Valérie Pécresse, who seems more likely to hike up travel pass prices than hand out free rides. And as for getting this motion through the council, it’s a bit of

Madrid is getting a huge new city-centre park

Madrid is getting a huge new city-centre park

It’s always great when cities get greener, and the latest European capital to announce a major new park is Madrid. The Cuatro Caminos neighbourhood, not far from Real Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium, is in for a significant redevelopment. Following the approval of the project, the area is set to see an influx of residential housing, car parks, office spaces, and green areas. There will be nearly 60,000 square metres of new built-up space, and more than 9,400 square metres will be allocated for public green spaces and new community areas. The plan also aims to improve connectivity between several key streets, namely Bravo Murillo, Reina Victoria, and Pablo Iglesias. The residential spaces will be centred around a large green area, and beneath it will be railway transport facilities, particularly for metro carriage maintenance. The green space will complete Esquilache Street to connect it to Ramiro II and Reina Victoria Avenue. Additionally, a new public road will be opened to link Bravo Murillo, Esquilache, and Pablo Iglesias. Virgen de Nieva Street will also be extended to better connect with Bravo Murillo and Esquilache, making it easier to get around. On the preservation side, two buildings on Esquilache Street are to be protected. There’s also a special plan for the El Porvenir school on Bravo Murillo, aiming to improve both environmental quality and the visibility of the school’s landmark chapel from public spaces. The plan also involves preserving the heritage of old metro tun

This European city is the world’s best place to live right now

This European city is the world’s best place to live right now

Finding life a little tough right now? Feeling ground down by city living? Then you may – passport allowing – want to consider a move to Vienna. The Austrian capital just topped an authoritative study of the world’s most liveable cities… for the second year running. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released its annual Global Liveability Index on Thursday, and Vienna came in at number one out of 173 cities analysed. What makes it such a great place to live? According to the report: its ‘winning combination of stability, good culture and entertainment, reliable infrastructure, and exemplary education and health services.’ Which, I’m sure we can all agree, are pretty important factors. In second place was Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, followed by Melbourne and Sydney in Australia. Here’s the full top ten… Vienna, Austria Copenhagen, Denmark Melbourne, Australia Sydney, Australia Vancouver, Canada Zurich, Switzerland Calgary, Canada Geneva, Switzerland Toronto, Canada (=) Osaka, Japan and Auckland, New Zealand Some of the biggest losers were cities in the UK and USA such as London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Los Angeles and San Diego, all of which dropped way down the list compared to 2022. Vienna retained its place at the top of the ranking for the second year running, having previously dominated the list prior to the disruption of 2020 and 2021. And that’s not all: earlier this week it was also named the world’s most liveable city by Monocle magazine. Planning your trip

I took the new sleeper train to Berlin – here’s what it was like

I took the new sleeper train to Berlin – here’s what it was like

Yesterday morning, I woke up on a shiny metal carriage rolling through the suburbs of Berlin. I had gone to bed the night before somewhere just outside Amsterdam. In the eight hours in between, I had (mostly) slept like a baby while the wheels beneath me gobbled up the roughly 400 miles between two of Europe’s most spectacularly entertaining cities. Let’s backtrack. There was much excitement when, in 2021, a brand-new Dutch company called European Sleeper announced plans for an overnight train between Brussels and Berlin – a route that hadn’t seen sleeper trains in donkey’s years. The announcement was hailed as part of the wider revival of European sleeper trains, after decades when the rise of budget airlines had seen many overnight rail routes mothballed. After a few delays, European Sleeper’s ‘Good Night Train’ finally made its debut on May 25 2023. And just a few days later, I hopped on a Eurostar from London to see what the fuss was about. I left London bound for Brussels, where there’s an easy change to the European Sleeper service at Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid station. A Eurostar train from London to Brussels leaves at 15.04 each day, giving you just over an hour at Brussels to grab a beer, change platforms and board the Berlin sleeper in time for golden hour. Photograph: James ManningThe European Sleeper train pulls into the platform at Brussels Midi/Zuid Alternatively, you could catch a train from London to Amsterdam and catch the Good Night Train there. The last

The brand-new sleeper train to Berlin launches this week

The brand-new sleeper train to Berlin launches this week

European train travel is back in a big way. A slew of new European sleeper trains have been announced for 2023 and beyond, including Nightjet’s Germany to Croatia service and an exciting new route from Prague to Switzerland via Czech national rail operator ČD. But surely the most anticipated is the brand-new European Sleeper service – and it’s about to make its first official voyage. Initially billed to launch in 2022, the so-called ‘Good Night Train’ will link Brussels and Berlin via Amsterdam and Rotterdam, letting travellers shuttle between three dazzling European capitals via one overnight service. What’s more, the route will link up with Eurostar, meaning passengers from the UK will be able to join the sleeper train service to Berlin with one quick change in Brussels. That’s right: from this week, you’ll be able to hop on the 15:04 from London St Pancras, enjoy a quick beer in Brussels and wake up in Berlin. The service from Brussels will initially run three times a week, and tickets from Brussels or Amsterdam to Berlin start at €49 for a seat – though you’ll want to spend a bit more and book a couchette or sleeper bed for a better night’s kip. Depending on the size of your group, taking a sleeper train could be cheaper than flying. And all services will include free wifi, coffee and a light breakfast – something you wouldn’t get on a budget flight, that’s for sure. If that’s not exciting enough, the pan-European sleeper route is set to extend even further in 2024, swe

Hong Kong will pay for your plane ticket to visit in 2023: here’s how to apply

Hong Kong will pay for your plane ticket to visit in 2023: here’s how to apply

Last year, the Hong Kong tourist board announced plans to give away half a million free plane tickets to encourage tourism in 2023 – and now it’s finally, officially happening.  Details of the giveaway were unveiled on February 2 by Hong Kong’s leader John Lee Ka-chiu, as part of the ‘Hello Hong Kong’ campaign.  How to get free air tickets to Hong Kong Hong Kong Airport’s website allows travellers to select their departure location and enter a draw to win a round-trip ticket. The giveaway periods are staggered, depending on what part of the world you live in. Travellers from Europe The ticket giveaway has now ended for travellers from the UK and Europe. Entrants were asked to register for tickets on Cathay Pacific’s website and complete a quiz. Tickets will be allocated to those who answered the questions correctly on a first come, first served basis. Winners from the UK will be contacted with details on how to redeem their prize on June 5. Travellers from North America Starting May 17, travellers from the USA and Canada can apply for tickets from Cathay Pacific. The US giveaway opens at 5pm PST/8pm EST, while the Canada giveaway opens at 6pm PST/9pm EST. The entry period will close on May 24. Travellers from Australia and New Zealand The giveaway will open to travellers from Australia and New Zealand on May 29.  Travellers from Asia The giveaway is now closed for Southeast Asian travellers, but travellers from Seoul can apply from now until the end of June. Those from Japa

東京はどのくらい文化的? タイムアウトがアンケートを実施中

東京はどのくらい文化的? タイムアウトがアンケートを実施中

訪日外国人客(インバウンド)が復活し、国内でも延期や中止となっていたさまざまな文化イベントが再開され、「アフターコロナ」のにぎわいを謳歌(おうか)している人は多いことだろう。ここ数年、世界もまるで「ひっくり返ったような状態」になっている。そんな中、タイムアウトは世界の各都市に向けてカルチャーアンケートを実施する。 東京のカルチャーシーンは今どうなっているのだろうか、何が良質とされ、楽しめるコンテンツなのか。簡単なアンケートに答えて、あなたの意見を聞かせてほしい。「カルチャー」は幅広いカテゴリーを指す言葉だが、アート、ライブミュージック、映画、演劇、伝統芸能、コメディーなど、東京のあらゆる文化的な施設や活動が対象だ。 今すぐ「タイムアウトカルチャーアンケート」に参加する   (上記にフォームが表示されない場合は、こちらからもアンケートに参加可能) 調査は完全に匿名で、回答は2分ほどで終わる。2023年の東京の文化を鼓動させるものは何なのか、そして今世界中で最も輝いている文化的なホットスポットを明らかにしたい。 関連記事 『京都の伏見稲荷大社が「世界で最悪な観光地」にランク入り』 『「世界のベスト空港」が発表、日本からはトップ10に2つの空港がランク入り』 『日本から2都市が選出、タイム誌が2023年に訪れるべき場所を発表』 『タイムアウト東京 読者アンケート 2022-23』 『日本のレトロな温泉街ランキングをじゃらんが発表』 東京の最新情報をタイムアウト東京のメールマガジンでチェックしよう。登録はこちら  

¿Cómo es la cultura de Madrid? Participa en nuestra encuesta y dinos tu opinión

¿Cómo es la cultura de Madrid? Participa en nuestra encuesta y dinos tu opinión

El mundo ha cambiado mucho en estos últimos años. Así que nos preguntamos: ¿cómo van las cosas en Madrid? Concretamente, ¿qué hay de bueno en la escena cultural de tu ciudad ahora mismo? 'Cultura' es una categoría amplia, lo sabemos, pero queremos conocerlo todo, desde el arte visual hasta la comedia, desde la música en directo hasta los museos. Ahora, si tienes dos minutos, ¿por qué no llenas nuestra encuesta Time Out sobre cultura? Nos ayudarás a saber qué hace que late el corazón cultural de tu ciudad en 2023 y rastrear los centros culturales que más brillan en el mundo en estos momentos. (¿No ves el formulario? Haz la encuesta aquí.) NO TE LO PIERDAS: Los planes imprescindibles de este invierno en Madrid Lee la revista de invierno de Time Out Madrid, con entrevistas, reportajes y las mejores recomendaciones de ocio y cultura de la ciudad. O descárgala gratis aquí.

Com de cultural és la teva ciutat? Fes aquesta enquesta de cultura Time Out ara!

Com de cultural és la teva ciutat? Fes aquesta enquesta de cultura Time Out ara!

El món s'ha capgirat aquests últims anys. De manera que ens demanem: com van les coses a la teva ciutat? Concretament, què hi ha de bo a l'escena cultural de la teva ciutat ara mateix? 'Cultura' és una categoria àmplia, ho sabem, però volem conèixer-ho tot, des de l'art visual fins a la comèdia, des de la música en directe fins als museus. Ara, si tens dos minuts, per què no omples la nostra enquesta Time Out sobre cultura? Ens ajudaràs a saber què fa que bategui el cor cultural de la teva ciutat el 2023 i a rastrejar els centres culturals que més brillen al món en aquests moments. (No veus el formulari? Fes l'enquesta aquí.) NO T'HO PERDIS: Les millors exposicions de Barcelona Ja pots llegir el número de febrer de Time Out Barcelona amb entrevistes, reportatges i les millors recomanacions d'oci i cultura de la ciutat   

¿Cómo de cultural es tu ciudad? Haz esta encuesta Time Out de cultura ahora

¿Cómo de cultural es tu ciudad? Haz esta encuesta Time Out de cultura ahora

El mundo ha cambiado mucho en estos últimos años. Así que nos preguntamos: ¿cómo van las cosas en tu ciudad? Concretamente, ¿qué hay de bueno en la escena cultural de tu ciudad ahora mismo? 'Cultura' es una categoría amplia, lo sabemos, pero queremos conocerlo todo, desde el arte visual hasta la comedia, desde la música en directo hasta los museos. Ahora, si tienes dos minutos, ¿por qué no llenas nuestra encuesta Time Out sobre cultura? Nos ayudarás a saber qué hace que late el corazón cultural de tu ciudad en 2023 y rastrear los centros culturales que más brillan en el mundo en estos momentos. (¿No ves el formulario? Haz la encuesta aquí.) NO TE LO PIERDAS: Las mejores exposiciones de Barcelona Ya puedes leer el número de febrero de Time Out Barcelona con entrevistas, reportajes y las mejores recomendaciones de ocio y cultura de la ciudad

How cultured is your city? Take the Time Out Culture Survey now!

How cultured is your city? Take the Time Out Culture Survey now!

The world has been turned upside down these last few years. So: how are things going in your city? Specifically, what’s good on your city’s culture scene right now?‘Culture’ is a broad category, we know – but we want to hear about all of it, from visual art to comedy, live music to museums. So if you’ve got two minutes to spare, why not fill in our Time Out Culture Survey? You’ll be helping us learn what makes your city’s cultural heart beat in 2023, and track down the cultural hotspots shining brightest around the world right now. Take the Time Out Culture Survey now: (Don’t see the form? Take the survey here instead.)Thanks for taking the survey! Sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter and you’ll be the first to hear about the results.