Liv Kelly

It's easy to get so tangled up in the tinsel-decked glories of Christmas that you forget there's another big bash, just a week later. But New Year's Eve is the kind of night that you forget at your peril. Attempt to wing it and you might well end up stuck at home in front of Jools Holland's Hootenanny, because all London's best clubs and parties book out weeks or months in advance.  But fear not, we're here to make sure you give 2025 a seriously good send-off. Here's our list of the best NYE bashes to ring in 2026 at, from never-ending club nights to LGBTQ+-friendly celebrations. Assemble your crew, book your tickets, plan the perfect ‘fit and prepare to say a big fat goodbye to the old year. London’s best NYE parties at a glance 🎆 Best for views of the fireworks: New Year’s Eve at Sky Garden 🦖 Best for a one-of-a-kind celebration: NYE at the Natural History Museum 🍴 Best for midnight snacks: New Year's Eve at Aram, Somerset House  🌟 Best for glitz and glamour: New Year's Eve at W London RECOMMENDED: Find things to do in London on New Year’s Day.

As you've almost certainly noticed, December's here and that means that this city is going into festive overdrive. All around London, people are untangling fairy lights, crowding into tinsel-decked pubs and pacing the streets in search of pressies. But isn't it time you slowed down a bit and did something a little cosier? As winter arrives, Christmassy pop-ups spring up all over central London, with plenty of fairylit atmosphere that makes them perfect for a festive tete-a-tete. We’re talking riverside heated igloos, Alpine-themed lodges and kitschy nostalgia-themed bars that will keep you warm and, most importantly, full of food and festive drinks. Here are the best hideaways, markets and quirky festive experiences waiting to lure you in from the cheek-tingling cold in 2025. London's best winter pop-ups at a glance: 🎢 Best for coaster kids: Winter Funland, West Kensington🎅 Best for partying with Santa: Humbug, Waterloo🥌 Best for silly sports: Club Curling, various locations🐷 Best for old-school feasting: The Great Christmas Feast, West Kensington🥶 Best for daredevils: Up at the O2's snow globe climbs, Greenwich PeninsulaRECOMMENDED: Here are the best things do in London this Christmas

Can you believe December is here already? One day you're necking tinned cocktails on a picnic blanket in a packed summer park, the next you're looking up mulled wine recipes and wondering why you don't seem to have a night off til January. But make some time in your packed schedule and you'll find loads to do: you can shop in quaint Christmas markets, arrange family pantomime outing, drag your friends to a jolly carol service, check out seasonal pop-ups and get stellar pics of London's OTT light displays. Time Out’s editorial team started thinking about Christmas long before the first autumn leaves flutter to the ground. We've beaten the crowds for a spot at Somerset House ice rink and strolled around the Southbank Centre’s Winter Market, year after year, and we're ready to show you some more leftfield, imaginative ways to celebrate the season. Read on for everything you need to make the absolute most of the holiday season, London style. London’s best Christmas events at a glance:  Best for families: The Magic of Christmas at London Zoo Best for buying gifts: DIY Christmas Art Market  Best for a party: Humbug: The Immersive Christmas Dive Bar Best for music: Raymond Gubbay Christmas Festival Best for festive feels: Christmas at Kew  RECOMMENDED: 🎅Check out our full guide to Christmas in London🎄Discover the best hotels in London for unforgettable Christmas stays

December 2025: December is a great time of year for exploring London’s museums. Sure, it’s one of the city’s peak tourism seasons – as visitors descend to check out the city’s Christmas markets, do some gift shopping on Oxford Street, go ice-skating and visit Hyde Park Winter Wonderland – but with all the festive distractions, the capital’s iconic institutions can be quieter than you might think. If you have time in amongst all the Christmas chaos, it’s a great chance to catch up on some of the autumn’s huge openings, from Wes Anderson at the Design Museum to Marie Antoinette Style at the V&A. Elsewhere, you can check out the special Christmas performances at the Charles Dickens Museum, head to the Natural History Museum to see its t-rex sporting a jazzy Christmas jumper, or stop by Dennis Severs’ House and the Museum of the Home to find out how Christmas was celebrated in years gone by. 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 c

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

Everyone loves an advent calendar, and while selections of weird continental lager or some tasty but slightly bizarre chocolatey bites still have their place, London has got you covered when it comes to stuff which is tasty, cool, and a bit different.  Below is a roundup of our top advent calendar picks from a whole load of brands based in the capital: think bougie cheese selections, ridiculously lavish beauty offerings, tea, coffee, cocktails, caviar, oh, and some science experiments, just for good measure. Scroll on for our favourites. London’s best advent calendars at a glance:  💎Most luxurious: The Caviar House 2025 Advent Calendar 👛Best budget: Luxury Tea Advent Calendar 🧸Best for kids: Science Advent Calendar Volume 2 🧀Best for foodies: Artisan Cheese Advent Calendar 🎄Best for a Christmas miracle: Moth’s Cocktail Advent Calendar Recommended: The best London Christmas hampers to buy for 2025.

It may only be the start of the festive period, but we are already thinking about festival season 2026. And we can’t wait.  By the time summer rolls around, Londoners will be absolutley spoilt for choice. With something taking place almost every weekend throughout the warmer months, you can forget trekking across the country to live in a field for five days; simply hop on the tube and before you know it you’re listening to your favourite artists, tinny to hand, knowing that there’s a hot shower and a cosy bed waiting for you once the day is over.  The line-up announcements for next year’s events are already coming in thick fast, with huge acts like Tyler, The Creator, Lewis Capaldi, Lorde, Lily Allen, Scissor Sisters and Deftones set to take to the London stage next summer. Plus, the future of events in Brockwell Park was thrown up in the air in 2025, however the south London park’s usual lineup of events – which includes Cross The Tracks, Wide Awake and Field Day – will all return in 2026.  Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – and see what takes your fancy. RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The best UK music festivals🌍 The best festivals in Europe

November 2025: Cool, crispy weather and far less daylight can only mean one thing - Sunday roast season is here. Not simply just a decent hangover cure, Sunday lunch is one of the most winter-y things a Londoner can possibly do. Our latest update to this list has prioritised the cosiest pubs in town, with extra points for roaring open fires, as well as nooks and crannies to hunker down in as the city gets darker, colder and way more snuggly. There are a couple of posh restaurants in the mix too, with a Nordic roast at the fancy Ekstedt at the Yard, and a proper meat feast at The Quality Chop House. We also have a brand new Number 1; the simple, spectacular roast at London’s OG organic pub, The Duke of Cambridge.  London’s best Sunday roasts at a glance: 🥩 Central: Duke of Cambridge, Angel 😇 North: The Angel, Highgate ⛪ South: Old Nun’s Head, Nunhead 🌈 East: The Nelson’s, Hackney 🍻 West: The Mall Tavern, Notting Hill Sunday lunch. There’s nothing quite like it. An elemental meal, one that Londoners take incredibly seriously. Debates about what constitutes the ‘perfect’ Sunday roast have been known to last for hours. There is no shortage of top roasts in London. We’ve rounded up the city’s best Sunday meals from a host of pubs, restaurants and breweries all around town. What makes a good roast? For us, it’s simple; a welcoming room is a good start, maybe in a pub with an open fire. Then it comes to the plate – we need perfect roast potatoes, well-cooked lamb, beef or por

As much as Christmas trees, turkey and a mildly overworked Santa have become staples of the festive season, so has the music that soundtracks this cheer-soaked time of year. Christmas songs don’t just endure – many end up becoming the crown jewels of an artist’s entire career. From golden oldies by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Bing Crosby, to ‘80s icons like Wham! and The Pogues, to modern favourites from Ariana Grande and Leona Lewis, these tunes have embedded themselves into our seasonal rituals. What is the best-selling Christmas song of all time? That honour still belongs to Bing Crosby’s 1942 classic ‘White Christmas’. With over 50 million sales, it’s not only the biggest Christmas record in history – it’s the best-selling song of all time, full stop. Guinness World Records first crowned it back in 1955, and it’s held onto the title ever since. What is the most-streamed Christmas song of all time? Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ may trail Crosby in pure sales (a mere 16 million), but streaming has turned it into a seasonal juggernaut. It finally hit No.1 in both the UK and US decades after its release and became the first Christmas song to pass 2 billion Spotify streams. Hot on its heels: Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ (1.83 billion) and Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ (1.27 billion). Are there any new Christmas songs for 2025? The past decade has delivered plenty of modern holiday staples, from Ariana Grande to Sabrina Carpenter to Cher. As

Europe is incredible for festivals, make no mistake about it. And what could be better? Travelling to festivals abroad means getting to explore somewhere new and see a bunch of cracking artists, as well as maybe – just maybe – enjoy better weather and cheaper beer. Europe is certainly not in short supply of some really brilliant places to party, from tiny, lesser-known spots in the Azores to headliner-packed fests in France and the Netherlands. There’s just one festival you’ll see sadly missing from our list – everyone’s favourite festival Glastonbury is taking a fallow year in 2026.  What is the largest festival in Europe? Glastonbury is normally thought of as the biggest festival in Europe (if not the world). But though it’s certainly the most well known, in terms of numbers, it’s not even the the biggest in the UK! The biggest in Europe is actually Donauinselfest in Vienna, Austria, which sees upwards of two million visitors a year. After that, it’s probably joint between Glasto and Tomorrowland in Belgium. The more you know! RECOMMENDED: 🎪 The best UK music festivals🎤 The best music festivals in the world🌃 The most underrated destinations in Europe🌤️ The best European city breaks At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide may include affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate gu

It’s officially winter. There’s no denying it. It was only Halloween a second ago and now we seem to be hurtling ever closer to Christmas. But don’t let it feel like Christmas is the only thing going for this time of year – there’s plenty of time for nesting in December. In our opinion, this is the perfect time for a holiday. After all, European breaks weren’t all they cracked up to be this summer, marked by heatwaves and overtourism. So we’d go as far as to argue that a ton of the most well-loved holiday hotspots are even better in winter, when summer destinations lose their throngs of tourists, and cosy breaks get even cosier. On our list of the best winter destinations in Europe, we’ve got everything from Italian foodie breaks to the official home of Santa Claus. Here are our favourite spots in Europe for winter to embrace the cold for 2024. RECOMMENDED:⛲️ The most underrated destinations in Europe⛷️ The most affordable ski holidays in Europe🏞 The most beautiful places in Europe⛄ The world’s best Christmas destinations🏔️ The best places to travel in December, January and February Ella Doyle is Time Out’s guides editor. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

Visiting New York is a frantic experience, and when you’ve only got a number of days to get through shedloads of dining, cocktail-drinking, sightseeing and museum-hopping, that oh-so-precious shut-eye becomes all the more important. Thankfully, even though New York’s famous moniker is the ‘city that never sleeps’, the Big Apple is brimming with stylish, innovative, and world-renowned hotels. So, we’ve combed through all the neighborhoods and avenues to bring you this hand-picked roundup of the very best, from swish new-openings in Brooklyn to opulent institutions in Manhattan.  New additions for fall 2025 include Brooklyn’s gleaming William Vale, Manhattan’s iconic Knickerbocker, the elegant, Park Avenue-adjacent Loews Regency and the beachy Rockaway Hotel. But that’s only the beginning—scroll on for Time Out’s fresh roundup of the best places to stay in New York City.  📍 Discover our ultimate guide to the best budget and Midtown hotels in New York City 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 round. We have reviewed many of the hotels featured below, but we may not have stayed at every single one. Any we haven’t stayed in have been selected by experts based on their amenities, features, pricing and more. By the way, this article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content.

Through the MacSmiths Repair Shop on Hackney Road is where you’ll find this cave-like, perfect-for-the-winter cocktail bar. We arrived drenched from the rain into the pleasantly toasty, warmly but lowly-lit space which sits at the bottom of a small staircase, and the vibe feels most like the den of a whacky old professor – think kooky portraits, cluttered old computer monitors and even something called a poem-o-graph. This is the place to come if you’re trying to ‘get into’ whisky. As of 2025, the bar is run by the same team behind the nearby Absinthe Parlour at The Last Tuesday Society, and not only does it have 24 different kinds on an evolving roster (when a bottle runs out, a new whisky replaces it), but they also have Whisky Wednesdays for tastings and specially curated cocktail menu. It’s no surprise they refer to themselves as a ‘whisky bunker’. For a crash course on whisky without committing to a full drink, there were three flight options on the menu: the ‘world wonderer’, the ‘smoke stack’ and the brilliant dessert trolley, which included notes of tropical vanilla, honeycomb and banana bread – it’s definitely one for those of us with a sweet tooth. Service is suitably laid-back, and if you’re overwhelmed by the lengthy list of options, you won’t feel too intimidated to seek out some recommendations from the bar staff about the drinks or well-paired snacks. Order this If, like me, you’re a fan of cocktails that’ll make your face scrunch up, order the Pickleback Sour.

St Martin's Voices and St Martin's Brass will this year be bringing us some stunningly festive performances of glorious music, carol singing and festive readings. Conducted by Andrew Earis, expect to hear beloved classic songs such as ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ and ‘O Holy Night’ plus the audience carols of ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ and ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’. Set against the beautiful backdrop of St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, these concerts promise to be a magical start to Christmas. 

What’s the vibe?  This space is one of Brighton’s most refined restaurants. It sits on Upper Market Street unbeknownst to the majority of passers-by, which gives it an exclusive, elevated vibe. The restaurant is tastefully and simply furnished with lots of pale wood and natural light giving it a beachhouse feel, and that is reflected in the menu.  What should I order?  The menu here changes regularly, but there’ll be a three-course set lunch menu for £35 per person or a decadent six-course option at dinner time which costs £85 per person. Each will include simple but super elegant seafood dishes, and the restaurant’s signature dish, the egg and soldiers, will (hopefully) be available at dinner time.

What’s the vibe?  In a nutshell, the vibe here is casual, speedy and really, really tasty. It’s unlikely you’ll wait long for your food to arrive, nor will you be at the table for much more than an hour, but we guarantee every second will be worth it. Why? Well, Bincho’s isn’t just a favourite of Brighton’s locals, but also of its chefs. What should I order? The chef here describes himself as an Izayaka fanatic, and after spending three years in Japan finessing the cooking techniques, you can bet that this is the most authentic take on southeast Asian cuisine that Brighton has to offer. There aren’t any duds on this menu – the only mistake would be not arriving ravenous.  

You might expect a Grade I National Trust property to be a bit of a stuffy and impersonal place to stay for a weekend, but Bodysgallen Hall, a lovingly restored manor house on Pydew Mountain in north Wales, is quite the opposite.  The hotel provided us tired, post-hike guests with a stay so comforting that, despite its looming size, felt more like we were at the home of an impossibly wealthy relative than a high-end hotel. Swathed by crackling fires, good, tasty food and amiable staff, this place is primed for a properly restful weekend.  Why stay at Bodysgallen Hall?  If you don’t just want a break from your day-to-day life but some proper respite from the 21st century, this is the place to stay. Bodysgallen Hall’s Main House feels a bit imposing as you approach it, but there’s something undeniably old-timey and welcoming about the place once you’ve stepped inside.  It brags all the traditional quirks that a proper country estate should, with comically low ground-floor ceilings, dark wood-panelled walls, heartily-stoked fires and marshmallow-like armchairs throughout the reception area and jumbled hallways, and much of it was built around 600 years ago. Though modern elements (speedy wifi and high-pressure showers) have seeped through, a weekend here still feels like you’ve dipped back into a different era.  What are the rooms like at Bodysgallen Hall? The Main House bedrooms could well remind you of a grandparent’s house, and I mean that as a compliment. The furnishings are

What’s the vibe?  Picture crisp white tablecloths, immaculately manicured waiters and an elevated, classy atmosphere, and you’ve pretty much got the opposite of Halisco. This is not the place for a formal evening dinner, but it most definitely is the place to take someone you’re trying to impress. Lip-smacking cocktails, inexplicably tasty Mexican-inspired small plates and an efficient, friendly, knowledgeable team of locals are what make this place so damn brilliant – and I bet my margarita that you’ll be telling your friends about it.  What are the prices like? The menu here follows a small-plates format – you’ll have snacks sitting around or just below £4, small plates, which range roughly from £8-£12, and of course the tacos, which tend to start at £9.50 for two. Lucky enough to swing by in the summer months? There could well be a salad and ceviche section, which last year started at £6. Mix it up, and don’t expect things to arrive in order.  What should I order? Halisco’s menu changes seasonally, but be sure to start your dinner with corn chips and guac, order the tenderstem broccoli (if it’s available) in whatever form it comes, and – even if you’re a meat eater – the oyster mushroom birria tacos. To wash it down, my go-tos are either a hibiscus margarita or a modelo chelada.  What’s worth visiting nearby? The newly opened Bar Halisco! Perched just over the road is Halisco’s brand-new sister venue, which opened just in time for National Margarita Day 2025. It’s got all

Despite being labelled by a cursive, neon pink signpost above its entrance, you could easily miss Viajante87 – it’s hidden in plain sight amidst the noise and fluorescence of Notting Hill Gate, and once you’re inside, feels miles away from all that too. The room is draped in moody layers and furnishings of rich teal with touches of gold, giving it a particularly luxe feel which is matched by the vibe of the service. Everything here is quite formal: we were met by a security guard who radioed a host to collect us at the bottom of the stairs, and, behind a heavy velvet curtain, were greeted with a cheery and unnervingly synchronised ‘hola!’ from the bartenders. That’s because, as is detailed on the cocktail menu, Viajante87 is based around the concept of ‘drinking like a local’, with your choices all inspired by flavours which hail from Central and South America. The three main sections on the menu are organised to mimic the stages of a journey: they’re branded as ‘comfortable’ (aperitif-like drinks), ‘curious’ (a little stronger) and ‘courageous’ (digestifs). If you’re feeling really courageous, you could even ignore the order in which they’ve designed the menu, though this lot clearly know what they’re doing.  Order this On the ‘be curious’ page of the menu, you’ll find the Pura Pache, a clean and fruity long drink which is a good light cocktail to kick things off. But if you’re a fan of bitter, negroni-esque flavours, don’t skip over the Blood Moon.  Time Out tip While this

Given it’s the second largest island in the Mediterranean (after Sicily), Sardinia brags quite a lot of coastline – 2,000 km, to be exact. Scenic beaches aren’t hard to come by here, but Delphina’s Valle dell’Erica occupies a particularly glorious spot on the island’s northern tip, on a plush green hillside where the coastal breeze ripples through the grass. Sounds lovely, right? On a clear day you can see across to Corsica, and when it’s hazy – as it was on my visit – you’re still surrounded by the ocean. Long story short, spectacular views are guaranteed.  Such vistas are best soaked in from the panoramic breakfast terrace in the main hotel building. Incidentally, the breakfast buffet is the only place where you’ll actually remember you’re in a resort. Valle Dell’Erica feels more like a small hilltop town: there are seven bars, seven restaurants, four pools, an enormous spa and a whopping 273 rooms. This sprawling complex houses two separate hotels: Hotel Erica (a slightly larger space with 148 rooms, catered to families) and Hotel La Licciola (a smaller, couple-oriented hotel, where 17 of the 125 rooms have access to an exclusive area and private pool). Rooms are cloistered in small blocks of three or four, each comfortably if plainly furnished, and are built with local granite and cork. From the resort’s beaches, the buildings appear to dissipate into the land – the brand calls this design ‘low visual impact’, a move to protect Sardinia’s coastline from the threat of towe

Given it’s the second largest island in the Mediterranean (after Sicily), Sardinia brags quite a lot of coastline – 2,000 km, to be exact. Scenic beaches aren’t hard to come by here, but Delphina’s Valle dell’Erica occupies a particularly glorious spot on the island’s northern tip, on a plush green hillside where the coastal breeze ripples through the grass. Sounds lovely, right? On a clear day you can see across to Corsica, and when it’s hazy – as it was on my visit – you’re still surrounded by the ocean. Long story short, spectacular views are guaranteed.  Such vistas are best soaked in from the panoramic breakfast terrace in the main hotel building. Incidentally, the breakfast buffet is the only place where you’ll actually remember you’re in a resort. Valle Dell’Erica feels more like a small hilltop town: there are seven bars, seven restaurants, four pools, an enormous spa and a whopping 273 rooms. This sprawling complex houses two separate hotels: Hotel Erica (a slightly larger space with 148 rooms, catered to families) and Hotel La Licciola (a smaller, couple-oriented hotel, where 17 of the 125 rooms have access to an exclusive area and private pool). Rooms are cloistered in small blocks of three or four, each comfortably if plainly furnished, and are built with local granite and cork. From the resort’s beaches, the buildings appear to dissipate into the land – the brand calls this design ‘low visual impact’, a move to protect Sardinia’s coastline from the threat of towe

Given it’s the second largest island in the Mediterranean (after Sicily), Sardinia brags quite a lot of coastline – 2,000 km, to be exact. Scenic beaches aren’t hard to come by here, but Delphina’s Valle dell’Erica occupies a particularly glorious spot on the island’s northern tip, on a plush green hillside where the coastal breeze ripples through the grass. Sounds lovely, right? On a clear day you can see across to Corsica, and when it’s hazy – as it was on my visit – you’re still surrounded by the ocean. Long story short, spectacular views are guaranteed.  Such vistas are best soaked in from the panoramic breakfast terrace in the main hotel building. Incidentally, the breakfast buffet is the only place where you’ll actually remember you’re in a resort. Valle Dell’Erica feels more like a small hilltop town: there are seven bars, seven restaurants, four pools, an enormous spa and a whopping 273 rooms. This sprawling complex houses two separate hotels: Hotel Erica (a slightly larger space with 148 rooms, catered to families) and Hotel La Licciola (a smaller, couple-oriented hotel, where 17 of the 125 rooms have access to an exclusive area and private pool). Rooms are cloistered in small blocks of three or four, each comfortably if plainly furnished, and are built with local granite and cork. From the resort’s beaches, the buildings appear to dissipate into the land – the brand calls this design ‘low visual impact’, a move to protect Sardinia’s coastline from the threat of towe

Landing in Keflavik on a frosty 2C afternoon is a bit of a shock to the system compared to the balmy October temperatures of the UK, but once we start winding through the snow-dusted, ash-coloured peaks that loom moodily over Iceland’s coast, the biting cold feels appropriate.  Thankfully, the nippy feeling doesn’t last long. ION’s collection of hotels includes four properties – ION City and Hotel Von (starting rates are €430 and €175 respectively) where we stay in Reykjavik, Hotel Budir (from €277), our first stop nestled cosily between the mountains and the lapping shore of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, and ION Adventure (€565) which is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2024. Each embody the Nordic concept of ‘hygge’, that feeling of convivial cosiness that you can only really experience in such perishingly cold places.  All are intrinsically Icelandic, but ION Adventure is the true show-stopper. A sleek glass box emerging from the moss-laden Mount Hengill, the hotel is a bold contrast to the tumbling volcanic landscape around it. But that landscape is still incorporated into the design, with furniture made from locally-sheered wool and actual lava. Sustainability is at the heart of these designs – even the sinks are made from recycled tires – and much of the interior is crafted by Icelandic architects. The hallway leading to the brand-new wing of 23 rooms (where we stayed) features bare concrete walls which will not be painted – paint is bad for the environment, guys – an

You’d be forgiven for feeling a little intimidated upon approaching Eastwell Manor. Its stern, neo-Elizabethan stone façade is dotted with boxy windows which appear as if they allow little light, and reaching reception involves dragging your luggage through an eerily still, imposing courtyard. But the vibe’s pretty different inside.  Through the comically large, dark-wood doors, the formality of the building does match the tone of the service, but we were warmly greeted by wafts from the restaurant, the excited buzz of guests from a wedding party and formally dressed but amicable team members. And that’s what’s unexpected about this place – how homely a massive country estate (particularly one with a tennis court, a hawking centre and beehives) can feel as soon as you arrive.  Our room, in the cottage buildings in the west corner of the grounds, was one designated for people on a spa break (it’s only a two-minute walk from the spa building) and other guests were flitting between the two buildings in just their dressing gowns, despite the October chill. The spa itself, the facilities of which include a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room on the ground floor, as well as a restaurant, plus treatment and ‘relaxation’ rooms upstairs, does all the things a good spa should do, but is perhaps not quite matched to the size of the hotel – we arrived mid-afternoon to cop a poolside seat but were left with only one available spot to plonk ourselves. But the hotel doesn’t just of

O ritual repete-se todos os anos: aquela notificação que aparece no telemóvel e nos lembra que ouvimos certas músicas vezes demais e outras vezes de menos. O Spotify Wrapped está a chegar e a curiosidade instala-se sempre da mesma maneira. Nunca há data oficial, nunca há comunicado pomposo. Há apenas um padrão. E, este ano, tudo indica que o resumo anual está mesmo aí à porta. O Wrapped costuma aterrar entre a última quarta-feira de Novembro e a primeira de Dezembro. Uma já passou, a outra é amanhã. A margem de erro é mínima. Respire fundo. Está quase. Como ver o seu Spotify Wrapped 2025 Não tem ciência nenhuma. Abre a aplicação e deixa-se guiar. Quem tiver a app no telemóvel recebe uma notificação que funciona como convite: entre, percorra, admita o gosto duvidoso de certos dias e partilhe o resto com quem tiver paciência. Até quando conta o que ouvimos? O Spotify regista tudo desde 1 de Janeiro até sensivelmente meados de Novembro. As últimas audições ficam de fora. Um alívio para quem começa a ouvir música de Natal em modo reincidente. Os nomes do ano que já mexem com os números Os dados finais ainda estão a ser afinados, mas o Spotify Pie deu conta de uma tendência clara: The Weeknd lidera 2025. Logo atrás surgem Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber e Ariana Grande. Nas músicas, o Kworb.net aponta um top três composto por “Ordinary” de Alex Warren, “DtMF” de Bad Bunny e “Golden” de HUNTR/X. Falta apenas o veredicto oficial do Spotify para confirmar o pódio. Um olhar rá

Museums need just as much care as the artefacts and artworks they house. Just this year, Paris’s Centre Pompidou shut up shop for a five-year revamp. But renovations on this particular institution in the French Basque country have taken so long that locals wondered if it would ever reopen.  Luckily, it has. After shutting its doors for a facelift back in 2011, the fine arts Bonnat-Helleu Museum in Bayonne, which houses an extensive collection of French Old Masters to rival the Louvre’s, officially reopened on November 27.  So, what took so long? Well, according to Le Monde, the cost of the renovation was woefully underestimated. Originally earmarked with a budget of €10 million, this didn’t factor in the cost of new furniture, roadworks surrounding the building and educational resources. There were also plans to update the building’s basement, but its proximity to the Adour River (and the subsequent potential for flooding) weren’t considered. The cash spent has since built up to to €35 million.  On top of that, the museum’s leadership has turned over quickly – in fact, there have been three directors in the last three years, and plans only started to take proper shape when Barthélemy Etchegoyen Glama, an École Normale Supérieure graduate and former advisor to Louvre president Laurence des Cars, joined the project.  Now that it’s reopened, the museum aims to double its pre-renovation intake of visitors, which will be between 60,000-80,000 per year. To do that, there’s going to

Yes, the most wonderful time of year is upon us once again – the season of Spotify Wrapped. While we never quite know when the annual, personalised recap of all our most-streamed music from the year is going to land, we can make an educated guess that, based on previous years, the Wrap is imminent.  So, how do you view yours, when does Spotify actually track your listening habits, and who are looking like the year’s top artists? We’ve answered all that below – scroll on for everything you need to know about Spotify Wrapped 2025, and keep your eyes peeled for that all important notification.  Recommended: These are the best albums of 2025, according to Time Out.  What date does Spotify Wrapped come out? While the date varies a little each year, Spotify wrapped tends to land either on the last Wednesday of November or the first Wednesday of December. One of those was obviously last week, and the other is tomorrow, so it’s looking pretty likely that the roundup is imminent.  How to see your Spotify Wrapped for 2025 All you need to do is open the Spotify app – if you have it downloaded onto your phone, you’ll have a notification to say that it’s ready and waiting for you to click through, cringe at or boast about, and share.  How long does Spotify Wrapped track your listening and when does it stop?  The app tracks your listening from the beginning of the year until around mid-November, so any very recent listening habits won’t be reflected in your overall stats. Good news for tho

Our cities are growing rapidly – there’s no doubt about that. Almost half of the world’s 8.2 billion people live in cities (according to the World Urbanisation Prospects 2025 report) and while back in 1975 only eight of them could be considered ‘mega’ – that means they’re home to more than 10 million people – today, there are 33.  Of those 33, 19 are in Asia, and while Tokyo held the crown as the world’s largest city for the last few years, it’s now been overtaken by Jakarta, according to a UN report. Indonesia’s capital is home to a staggering 42 million people – it’s a megacity four times over.  Recommended: These are five countries that really need more travellers in 2025.  What are the other largest cities in the world? The rejig of the ranking is partly due to changes in the criteria. There are now much clearer definitions of what a city, town and a rural area actually are, according to the Guardian. Based on this, Jakarta technically took over back in 2010.  Closely following with a population of 36 million is Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital, and Tokyo now sits in third place. Following is New Delhi, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Cairo, Manila, Kolkata and Seoul.  Is every city’s population set to grow? While cities expanding might conjure images of prosperity and accompanying economic growth, Jakarta buckles under being home to so many people. On top of being prone to earthquakes, the city is often flooded, overcrowded, and according to NBC, rapidly sinking. However, the report s

Hot on the heels of fresh openings in New York and Budapest, Vancouver will soon be the newest city to join the Time Out Market family, and we’ve already bagged a cheeky look at what will be on the menu. Time Out Market Vancouver is slated to open its doors in spring 2026 in Oakridge Park shopping centre, boasting three bars, a handful of event spaces, more than 1,000 seats and 18 kitchens.  So, who’s going to be showcasing their food? Well, below we can officially unveil the first six kitchens and chefs – scroll on for a look at the drool-worthy plates we can expect, plus some info about why they were selected.  Feenie’s  You can’t really go wrong with a dirty, juicy burger, and that’s precisely what Chef Rob Feenie will be bringing to Time Out Market Vancouver. This guy has previously won accolades such as Iron Chef Canada, and he’s created a special menu especially for this venture – don’t sleep on the Time Out Market Burger, made from house-ground wagyu and gruyeré. Yes, we’re drooling too.  Photograph: Feenie’s / Time Out Market Vancouver Mee Bar Head to Top Chef Canada 2024 champion Chef Yen’s outpost, and you’ll sample delicious, innovative takes on classic Cambodian cuisine. The Mee Kola is a rice bowl topped with seafood and smoky charcoal-grilled meat, and the Nom Banh Chok is a traditional-style curry broth with rice noodles, herb salad and vegetables – make sure you arrive hungry.  Photograph Mee Bar / Time Out Market Vancouver Lunch Lady Is Vietnamese food mo

Skiing is far from the ultra-luxe and exclusive break that it used to be. In fact, while the biggest and most famous resorts still charge a hefty price for ski passes and accommodation, there are plenty of destinations across the planet with much more accessible offerings.  To shed some light on where exactly these are, SportsCover Direct has analysed more than 50 ski resorts on indicators including the price of a main season day adult ski pass and a child’s ski pass.  Recommended: Europe’s best budget-friendly ski resorts, according to an expert.  The planet’s best value ski resort? According to this research, it’s Kolašin 1450/​Kolašin 1600 in Montenegro. Here, an adult pass costs just €25 and a child’s €16.50, meaning a family of four can ski for €83 per day – pretty reasonable, right? Second on the ranking went to Dundret Lapland – Gällivare, a ski resort in Sweden, and in third place was Via Lattea, which is in France and Italy. Clearly, there are bargains to be found in quintessential ski destinations; you just need to know where to look.  These are the most affordable ski resorts in the world Kolašin 1450/​Kolašin 1600, Montenegro  Dundret Lapland – Gällivare, Sweden Via Lattea, France and Italy  Riksgränsen, Sweden Tauplitz – Bad Mitterndorf, Austria Ruka, Finland Niseko United, Japan Voss, Norway Kvitfjell, Norway Geilo, Norway Oh, and in case you missed it, have a read of our expertly curated roundup of the most underrated ski resorts in Europe.  Did you see that

The US is home to some of the best national parks on the planet, but if you’re an international visitor who has travel plans to one or more of these brilliant sites in 2026, we’ve got some bad news.  It’s just been announced by the secretary of the interior Doug Burgum that a new initiative will significantly increase both individual park fees and the cost of an annual pass, as the Trump administration ‘always puts American families first’. This follows an executive order from the President back in July, which called on parks to increase fees for foreign tourists.  ‘These policies ensure that US taxpayers, who already support the national park system, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations,’ he said, according to The Times.   Photograph: Shutterstock How much will the new entry fees cost international travellers? What this means for international travellers is that from January, the annual pass will increase from $80 to $250, and the fees to enter parks on an individual basis – which currently ranges between $10-35, no matter your citizenship status – will now have a surcharge of $100 on top of the standard entrance fee.  The interior department also said that ‘resident-only patriotic fee-free days’ will take place on US holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and the President’s birthday on June 14.   Which national parks are affected?  The new

Nipping about on two wheels is quicker than walking, greener than driving, and more economical than using public transport, but not every city is created equal when it comes to cycling.  Several factors contribute to making a city good for cyclists. Copenhagenize, a company that advocates for and consults on bike-friendly urban planning, explains that these exist in three overarching pillars, which culminate in an ecosystem of cycling. They are safe and connected infrastructure (cycle lanes, bike parking areas, traffic management), usage and reach (bike share systems, women’s share of bicycle trips), and policy and support (urban planning, political commitment, and what they call the image of the bicycle). The results from their 2025 research are based on a scoring of quantitative data, policy documents and evidence of recent action regarding cycling, and European cities overwhelmed the top 30 ranking, claiming a staggering 27 spots on their annual index. Recommended: These are the world’s 19 best cities for public transport.  Oh, and the first of these wasn’t actually Copenhagen (which claimed second place) – it was Utrecht. Scoring 71.1 overall, the Dutch city did best in the ‘policy and support pillar’ and ranked particularly well for the security of bike parking.  Three Canadian cities – Montréal in fifteenth, Québec in twenty-ninth and Vancouver in thirtieth – were the only non-European entries in the top 30.  According to the Copenhagenize Index, French cities, namely B

Pizza, when you think about it, is quite a contentious subject: deep dish or thin and crispy, pineapple or no pineapple, shedloads of toppings or pure margherita supremacy, everyone’s got an opinion. But the kind of pizza we all go for isn’t the only thing up for debate – so is the best place to source it.  To shed some light on the discussion, 50 Top Pizza just unveiled a brand-new list of the world’s 50 best artisan pizza chains at the European Pizza Show. Read on to see if your local outpost or favourite chain has made the ranks.  Recommended: Italian food is set to be granted Unesco-listed status.  Claiming first place was Da Michele, an institution founded 150 years ago in Naples, which now has locations in 70 different spots all over the planet. It’s famed for its loyalty to the ‘cartwheel-style’ pizza (where the crusts stretch over the edge of the plate). Its most famous location, Via Cesare Sersale in Naples – also known by its lofty title the ‘temple of pizza’ – is where Julia Roberts tucks into a pie in Eat Pray Love.  Big Mamma Group, the French chain with lots of restaurants all over Europe, claimed second place, and Grosso Napoletano, which serves up (you guessed it) Neapolitan-style pizzas all over Spain, claimed third. Oher big-name chains like Pizza Pilgrims, Rudy’s, Peppina, Berberè and Eataly all claimed a slice of the action, too.  These are the world’s 50 best artisan pizza chains, according to 50 Top Pizza Da Michele Big Mamma Group Grosso Napoletano Brá

Hitting the slopes is a go-to winter getaway for loads of travellers, but it can be quite the hassle to organise – there’s your transport and accommodation, then all your equipment, ski passes, and packing a shed load of layers to worry about.  However, a shiny new night train is set to launch this winter, and it’s making the whole process a hell of a lot easier.  The Travelski Night Express, which has been developed with Pegasus Trains (part of Compagnie des Alpes) is a new winter sleeper service that will whisk skiers from Paris to Bourg-Saint-Maurice in under 10 hours.  📍 RECOMMENDED: Discover more of the best new train routes in Europe Courchevel, Les Arcs, La Plagne, Tignes, Méribel, Val d’Isère, Val Thorens and Les Ménuires will be stopped at en route, and it looks like services will be departing on Friday evenings and arriving early Saturday mornings, before returning to the capital on Sundays.  The trains feature 660 couchettes, a bar carriage and a restaurant, and 14 round trips will run from December 19, 2025 to March 20, 2026, reports Paris Secret.  But it’s not just the train ticket that’s included – the company is also offering all-inclusive package deals. The complete option covers your train ticket, transfers to the resort of your choice, accommodation, ski pass and ski equipment.  Then there’s the option to add on ski lessons, courses, plus accommodation extras like having your bed made upon arrival. Posh, right? If you’re interested in booking what sounds l

A molts ens espanten les baixes temperatures i els dies plujosos que s’allarguen durant mesos quan arriba l’hivern, però, com cada any, hi ha molts llocs plens de llums brillants, productes artesanals encantadors i tasses de xocolata calenta que ens ajuden a passar-ho millor. Els mercats de Nadal són espais plens d’alegria, i això és innegable, i malgrat que el de Santa Llúcia és el preferit de molts barcelonins i barcelonines, fora de la ciutat també n'hi ha de meravellosos, i des de Time Out hem elaborat la llista dels millors del continent. Placetes d'arreu d’Europa es farceixen de detalls per decorar el pessebre o l'arbre i omplir els mitjons de Nadal, i tant si somies amb un Nadal nevat com si busques escapar-te al Mediterrani, hi ha una destinació perfecta per a tu en aquesta llista. Foto: Shutterstock/Nuremberg Els millors mercats de Nadal d’Europa La primera posició ha estat per a Nuremberg, a Alemanya, una ciutat que acull el que probablement és el mercat més famós d'Europa. Si voleu anar-hi, podeu visitar-lo des del 28 de novembre fins al 24 de desembre, i us assegurem que no quedareu decebuts.  Foto: Shutterstock/Manchester Al de Nuremberg el segueix el mercat de Manchester, a Anglaterra, que acull més de 200 parades dins de casetes de fusta nadalenques, des del 7 de novembre al 4 de gener. El pòdium el tanca el mercat de París, que s’estableix al jardí de les Tulleries des del 16 de novembre fins al 15 de gener. Aquesta és la llista completa: 1. Nuremberg, Ale

A muchos nos asustan las bajas temperaturas y los días lluviosos que se alargan durante meses cuando llega el invierno, pero, como cada año, hay muchos lugares llenos de luces brillantes, productos artesanales encantadores y tazas de chocolate caliente que nos ayudan a llevarlo mejor. Los mercados de Navidad son espacios llenos de alegría, y eso es innegable. Y aunque el de Santa Llúcia es el preferido de muchos barceloneses y barcelonesas, fuera de la ciudad también hay otros maravillosos, y desde Time Out hemos elaborado la lista de los mejores del continente. Plazas de toda Europa se llenan de detalles para decorar el pesebre o el árbol y para llenar los calcetines navideños. Tanto si sueñas con una Navidad nevada como si buscas escaparte al Mediterráneo, hay un destino perfecto para ti en esta lista. Foto: Shutterstock/Nuremberg Los mejores mercados de Navidad de Europa La primera posición ha sido para Núremberg, en Alemania, una ciudad que acoge el que probablemente es el mercado más famoso de Europa. Si queréis visitarlo, estará abierto del 28 de noviembre al 24 de diciembre, y os aseguramos que no os decepcionará. Foto: Shutterstock/Manchester Al de Núremberg le sigue el mercado de Mánchester, en Inglaterra, que cuenta con más de 200 puestos dentro de casetas de madera navideñas, del 7 de noviembre al 4 de enero. El podio lo cierra el mercado de París, que se instala en el Jardín de las Tullerías del 16 de noviembre al 15 de enero. Esta es la lista completa: 1. Núr