Liv Kelly

Whether you need to get away from it all, stretch your legs a bit, or remind yourself of how tiny and insignificant you are in the immensity of Mother Nature, there’s only one thing for it: it‘s time to take a hike. Be it a month-long spiritual pilgrimage, a coastal amble or a mountain scramble, there are magnificent trails the world over – and we’ve rounded up some of the very best on the planet to help you plan your next great hike. From red rock canyons in the American Southwest to the bonnie lochs of the West Highland Way, there’s a hike, trek or trail on this list that’s calling your name. With each hike tried and tested by our editors, we’ve got all the info on where to go, when to go and how long to set aside, plus tips and tricks and the best sights to look for along the way. All you need to do is pack your bags. These are the world’s greatest hikes, according to Time Out. Updated April 2025: We’ve added four new trails to this list to help you plan for summer hikes – and moved a certain Spanish pilgrimage to the top spot. RECOMMENDED:🌲 The best national parks in the world ⛰️ The best destinations for solo female travellers🌊 The most spectacular places to swim in the world🏝️ The best beaches in the world🚂 The best train journeys around the world

Want a drink? You've come to the right place. This is Time Out’s list of best bars in London, our curated guide to London’s drinking scene, featuring the buzziest booze dens in the capital right now. If it’s on this list, it’s excellent. These are the 50 places we'd recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many times over. From classy cocktail joints to delightful dives, hotel bars, speakeasys, bottle shops, rooftops and wine bars, London's got them all. But what makes a truly good bar? Well, our critieria for inclusion on this list is simple; a menu of genius drinks is important, but so is overall vibe – there’s no point having the perfect paloma if you have to drink it in a bar that smells of bins. To make the Top 50, a bar has to be fun, inclusive, and full of lovely folk as well as looking the part.  April 2025: A rash of great new bars have opened in London over the past year or so and many of them have made the immediate jump to our hallowed Top 50. The latest additions to our list include rowdy sports bar meets 80s horror movie set Bloodsports in Covent Garden, whisky wonderland Dram Bar on Denmark Street, the hypnotic Bar Lotus in Dalston, Below Stone Nest in Chinatown, Rasputin’s by London Fields, and Bar Lina, an Italian aperitivo spot underneath a famous Soho deli. Now go forth and drink. RECOMMENDED: Like bars? Then you'll love London's best pubs.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and she'll have a gibson marti

Still reminiscing about all that sweet time off you had over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend? Well, there’s another one on the way. The early May bank holiday means we have a bumper three-day weekend coming up. Luckily, us Londoners have a city full of world-renowned restaurants, theatre, galleries and events to fill up that sweet time off, and if that means you need some help narrowing down what to do with your spare hours, Time Out is here to help.  Take in some culture by going to see the great Irish playwright Conor McPherson’s first original play since 2013, The Brightening Air. See Anthony Gormley’s early lead sculptures from the mid-1970s at a new White Cube Mason’s Yard exhibition. Or, head to the laugh-a-minute, technically impressive comedy show Weer from professional clown Natalie Palamides.  There’s plenty for music buffs waiting for festival season to get into full swing. Head to Brixton for the neighbourhood’s annual disco festival, listen to extreme metal at Incineration Festival, or watch DJs in a 360-degree arena surrounded by high-tech lights and speakers at spatial audio festival Polygon Live LDN. Get out there and have a beautiful bank holiday.  Start planning: here’s our roundup of the 25 best things to do in London in 2025 Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

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

If you’re dreaming of finding sand in your shoes after a long day out and queuing too long for ice cream, then you could do a lot worse than venturing out of the city and planning a trip to one of the UK’s seemingly endless coastal towns. This is an island nation, after all, which means it’s packed with rugged cliffs and windswept headlands as well as quaint fishing villages and shoreline surf spots. We might not have the sunkissed weather of our European neighbours, but when it comes to costal charm, the UK ticks a hell of a lot of boxes. Planning a trip to the seaside? Check out our list of the best coastal towns in the country, from Scotland to Cornwall.   Which UK seaside towns get the best weather?  If you’re chasing sunshine, you’re probably going to want to go south. Brighton, Margate, St Ives, Salcombe and Falmouth can clock some serious sun hours in the right season – but we can’t make any promises, so be sure to pack a raincoat to be on the safe side.  Where are the best beaches in the UK? If beach walks and swimming in the sea is what you’re after, look no further than our list of the best beaches in the UK. From the list below, we’d recommend Brighton if you’re more of a pebble person. Head to Nefyn for natural beauty and extreme quiet. Try North Berwick if you want sand between your toes and can stomach chillier waters. And for higher temperatures, head to East Portlemouth beach and stay in Salcombe.  RECOMMENDED:🌊The best outdoor swimmming pools in the UK🏖️T

London’s LGBTQ+ scene is among the most fabulous in the world, with a wealth of bars, clubs, nights and other spaces serving the city’s queer communities. So it’s no surprise, then, that London celebrates Pride month like nowhere else in the world.  The culmination of this month of parties and protests is Pride in London, which usually takes place in the early days of July and sees the city centre transform into a huge, chaotic, rainbow-coloured celebration. The main event is the Pride Parade, a huge spectacle typically comprising around 600 groups and 35,000 participants, but there are also five stages around Soho and the West End and a Family Zone, all of which will be serving up a wealth of free entertainment throughout the day. Here is everything you need to know about the route and timings of Pride 2025’s Parade.  When is the London Pride Parade 2025? This year London’s Pride parade will place on Saturday, July 5.  How can I take part in the London Pride Parade 2025? With the big day now less than three months away, applications have now closed for groups wishing to take part in this year’s parade. But while you might have missed the boat (or float?) for this year’s march, you can still catch all the action from the best seats in the house by booking tickets for the Haymarket Grandstand, which go on sale shortly. What time does the London Pride Parade start? Timings have yet to be announced for this year’s parade, but in previous years it has started at aroun

There’s no season more welcome than the start of summer. Brighter days, warmer temperatures and more time outdoors results in an uplifted mood and a general lust for life. It also helps when you have a stellar summer playlist – the kind that draws on golden classics and modern hits alike to really add a healthy dose of that feel-good feeling we all love. Here at Time Out, our team of writers and editors have you covered when it comes to the most essential summer anthems. From a Bill Withers staple to some Sabrina Carpenter sparkle, our playlist of the best summer songs captures all the fun, warmth and mood-lifting magic you want when it comes to soundtracking your summer months. RECOMMENDED: 🎤 The best karaoke songs ❤️ The best love songs🎉 The best party songs🕺 The best albums of 2025 so far

Television has been around for 70 years, but only in the last two decades has it earned true respect as an artistic medium. Up to that point, elitists referred to TV as ‘the idiot box’ or ‘the boob tube,’ and if you worked in it, you were either a hack or an upstart hoping to make the leap into the more dignified world of movies. Was its poor reputation deserved? Sure, there were blips of brilliance between The Ed Sullivan Show and The Sopranos, but by and large, the garbage outweighed the gold. Maybe it’s unfair, but the fact that it was all being beamed directly into our living rooms made the dreck more noticeable.  That’s all changed. Television has nudged film out from the center of popular culture, to the point that some of cinema’s truest believers – Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Steven Soderbergh – are making movies specifically for the small screen. The shift may have started with HBO and The Sopranos, but the advent of streaming has made it so that hundreds of new shows are now continually flipping the script every few years, if not months. But that doesn’t mean everything before 1999 is pure dross. While this list is dominated by 21st century programs, there are hundreds of shows that deserve credit for pushing TV forward into its current golden age, and chiseling them down to a neat top 100 is difficult. So we elected to leave off talk shows, variety shows and sketch comedy, focusing on scripted, episodic dramas, comedies and miniseries. Even then, it proved to b

We don’t know about you, but we think we’re pretty damn lucky to have world-class festivals just a tube ride away. Forget trekking across the country to live in a field for five days. When you live in London, you can hop on a tube, and an hour later 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. We Londoners love live music, so it’s no surprise that we’re absolutely spoilt for choice when summer rolls around. You’ve got festivals devoted to hip-hop, jazz, leftfield pop, disco, afrobeats, heavy rock ‘n’ roll. Whatever your taste may be, my god does London have a day festival for you. After a flurry of acts announcements in February and March, the line-ups for summer’s festivals have pretty much taken shape by early spring, which means it’s time to make some decisions about which festivals are worth your time and money. Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – see what takes your fancy, and start planning a fantastic summer in 2025. But be warned, most London festivals get more expensive the later you leave it, and plenty of them will sell out long before the portaloos are installed and the stages are constructed. Grab your tickets right now if you know what’s good for ya! RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The best UK music festivals🌍 The best festivals in Europe

There’s enough colour and flavour in Victoria to satisfy any culinary craving and at any price – whether you’re after an Aussie brunch, a delicate tasting menu, Danish baked goodies, a good old British roast or the best burgers for miles. Moving out towards Pimlico, you’ll find fancy contemporary cooking, opulent Ottoman eats and some stonking Chinese cuisine. Here’s our pick of the best. RECOMMENDED: The 50 Best Restaurants in London. 

Ah, September. In the northern hemisphere, summer is drawing to a close, but in the south, spring is only just beginning. It’s a time between the mid-year travel peak and the busy festive season, and that means it’s a solid time to get away.  It’s also cheaper, the weather is more temperate and there’s a cracking roster of festivals and local traditions scheduled for this time of year, from region-wide book fairs and rock music festivals to scenic annual wine tours and massive flea markets. So, no matter the vibe you’re after this September, our list of the best places to travel will have something for you. RECOMMENDED:✈️The best places to travel in October🗺️Full guide to the best places to travel🛍️The world’s coolest neighbourhoods🎭The best cities for culture right now 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 guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

London is absolutely world-class when it comes to museums. Obviously, we’re pretty biased, but with more than 170 of them dotted about the capital – a huge chunk of which are free to visit – we think it’s fair to say that there’s nowhere else in the world that does museums better.  Want to explore the history of TfL? We’ve got a museum for that. Rather learn about advertising? We’ve got a museum for that too. History? Check. Science? Check. 1940s cinema memorabilia, grotesque eighteenth-century surgical instruments, or perhaps a wall of 4,000 mouse skeletons? Check, check and check! Being the cultured metropolitans that we are, Time Out’s editors love nothing more than a wholesome afternoon spent gawping at Churchill’s baby rattle or some ancient Egyptian percussion instruments. In my case, the opportunity to live on the doorstep of some of the planet’s most iconic cultural institutions was a big reason why I moved here at the first chance I got, and I’ve racked up countless hours traipsing around display cases and deciphering needlessly verbose wall texts in the eleven years since. From iconic collections, brilliant curation and cutting-edge tech right down to nice loos, adequate signage and a decent place to grab a cuppa; my colleagues and I know exactly what we want from a museum, and we’ve put in a whole lot of time deliberating which of the city’s institutions are worth your time. So here’s our take on the 25 best ones to check out around London, ranging from world-famou

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

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

Entering our park-view room on the ninth floor of the Athenaeum, our jaws dropped not because of the suite itself, but because it immediately lived up to its name: the south-facing hotel rooms offer tremendous views of the lush treetops of Green Park, and if you’re lucky enough to stay in on one of the top floors (nine is the highest), it’s pretty splendid. What’s more, the hotel has been designed to incorporate the park’s proximity: the compact, comfortable rooms and ground-floor reception feature floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of mirrors to complement and exaggerate the nearby greenery. Entering the hotel feels almost like you’re stepping inside an opulent conservatory.  Throughout the hotel there are nods to grand decor, but it’s not overdone. Twinkly light fixtures, velvet Chesterfield headboards and touches of gold are not going to be to everyone’s taste, but they feature in the light-flooded rooms and add glamour to mostly white walls and bedding – this hotel is in Mayfair, after all.  That emphasis on elegance is also reflected in the kind of service you get at the Athenaeum. Front of house members, at the reception during check-in and in the restaurant, were congenial, warm, but the atmosphere here is formal: there’s no small talk, no chit-chat during breakfast service – everything feels very proper.  While the surrounding neighbourhood boasts plenty of bougie places to eat, the hotel’s ground-floor restaurant is a worthy alternative, particularly for afternoon t

With interiors that look like they probably haven’t been updated since the place opened in 1997, and prices that also feel like they’re stuck in the past, a trip to locally loved Bayswater restaurant The Bengal feels like stepping back in time. The dated decor serves to create a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere in which to enjoy generous portions of classic curry house fare. The chef’s special bhunas and jalfrezis – both traditional Bengali dishes – stand out on a large menu of traditional Indian and Bangladeshi curries. Whether you’re sitting in or ordering a takeaway, this is a reliable option for inexpensive, flavoursome dinner. 

Located next to the south-facing exit of Queensway station on Bayswater Road, this whacky little ice cream shop serves everything from bubble waffles to soft-serve gelato and slushies, all in a vibrant array of colours and with a huge variety of sauces and toppings. Need to reward the kids for making it through that sweaty journey on the Central line? With popcorn, apple sorbet and even unicorn flavour on the menu, they’re sure to love this place.

Quite unlike the uniform streets which characterise this patch of London, The Beachcomber – a tiki bar specialising in agricole rhums from the French Caribbean – can only really be described as loud. Loud in flavour, colour, atmosphere and texture, this animated place features decorated with palm trees, faux bamboo, wooden masks and colourful lighting, and is a great spot if you fancy trying inventive cocktails made using the UK’s largest collection of rhum agricole, plus other classic tiki ingredients like cachaça, coconut cream and guanábana. It also runs a lively programme of DJ nights, rum masterclasses and open mic evenings too.

You'll need to book well ahead for Halloween at the London Dungeon – but then they do always put on a simply frightful show. This year, expect to be haunted by the ancient and sinister force which has been awakened. The Exorcism of Peter Moore will send a shiver down your spine with the chilling whispers of his lost soul — it will take some courage to bear this unsettling show.  For all the information on what's happening at the London Dungeon this Halloween, check out their website here. 

Time Out certainly has a good grasp on the best cities for culture, food, nightlife and transport – but with wellness tourism booming, which European city can claim to have the healthiest glow? So many factors affect our health and wellbeing in cities, from air quality and pollution to walkability and the fitness venues on offer. Handily, travel booking platform Omio has just looked into 17 different criteria to rank Europe’s top cities for wellness. The factors included pollution levels, the quality of green spaces, the number of spas, gyms and fitness centres, quietness and sunshine. The crowning city, which had an overall score of 78.62 out of 100, was Madrid! According to the study, the Spanish capital scored well across the board, particularly thanks to its high quality of life, the fact it has 360 spas – yes, 360 – and 2,712 hours of sunshine per year. The city was included in the sunniest capital cities in Europe recently, after all. Check out the best swimming pools and parks and gardens in the city.  In second place was Lisbon, which came closely behind with a score of 75.36, but given the city has announced the creation of new ‘quiet zones’ and is opening up some of its most lush gardens for free, we’re hardly surprised.  After a wellness break that’s more focused on spa treatments and relaxation? Though Vilnius is in number 17 according to this study, Lithuania was recently named the world’s best wellness destination, according to the Health Tourism Awards. Read mo

There’s plenty of things that Portugal is famous for – Port wine, pretty tiles, pastel de nata, for example – but its beaches, particularly the ones in the Algarve, are up there with its biggest draws.  However, certain stretches of the country’s coast seem to be going missing. Why? Well, because the entire region is suffering the impacts of coastal erosion.  This is a phenomenon along all coastlines, but Portugal’s position at the edge of the choppy North Atlantic means it’s particularly vulnerable. The ferocious waves here are why the country is so popular for surfing, after all.  Local governments have been adding more sand to the beaches to try and combat this, as well as doing construction work to prevent further damage from landslides, which are both common ‘soft’ engineering methods to mitigate erosion.  Recommended: Europe’s best beaches to visit in summer 2025, ranked.  Fuseta-Mar beach in Olhão has had 80,000 cubic metres of sand added, which is known as beach nourishment, but there are still concerns about its durability for the upcoming summer season.  ‘We really need to justify opening an emergency competition so that [the work] is ready at the start of the bathing season,’ said Portugal’s environment minister Maria da Graça Carvalho, according to Daily Jang, ‘Without emergency intervention, it will be difficult to have this ready for the beach season. From what we saw and the opinions of the technicians who were with us, we really have justification to move forw

Cuando piensas en las mejores playas del mundo, lo primero que te viene a la mente son las paradisíacas playas blancas de los trópicos. Sin embargo, Europa también cuenta con costas impresionantes, y el ránking de las 50 Mejores Playas del Mundo también las ha destacado. Al igual que la clasificación mundial, cada costa ha sido clasificada en función de algunos criterios clave: su fauna, su naturaleza, sus características únicas, lo intacta que está, los negocios que hay cerca, la accesibilidad y el estado del agua. Probablemente, no será una gran sorpresa que los destinos mediterráneos dominen esta lista de las mejores playas de Europa en 2025, con nueve destinos italianos, seis españoles, seis griegos y tres portugueses ocupando un lugar entre los 50 primeros puestos.  En primer lugar, se encuentra Cala Goloritzè, que también encabezó la lista mundial. Esta playa italiana está protegida por la UNESCO desde 1995 y la entrada cuesta 7 €, pero sus aguas de un azul celeste y sus espectaculares acantilados de piedra caliza sin duda lo valen. Las playas de Fteri y Voutoumi, ambas en Grecia, ocupan el segundo y tercer lugar, y la cuarta posición corresponde a la playa de Rodas en España. Sin embargo, mucho más al norte, Diamond Beach en Islandia y Puinn Sand Beach en Noruega también se incluyen en esta clasificación de 50 playas. Otras playas españolas que figuran en el listado son Calo Des Moro, en Mallorca, Cala Macarelleta, en Menorca, playa de Cofete, en Fuerteventura, la play

Thailand’s tropical climate, fiery food and gleaming beaches have been attracting travellers for decades, and recently the country’s tourism has seen a bit of a boost thanks to the White Lotus effect.  In fact, euronews reports that from January 1 to March 31 2025, Thailand welcomed a staggering 9.5 million visitors – clearly it’s as popular as ever.  But listen up – if you’ve got travel plans to the country any time on or after May 1, there are some new entry requirements you need to be aware of. All non-Thai nationals entering the country must complete a Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) three days before their arrival to the country – that’s anyone with a foreign passport, whether you’re a long-term resident, a business traveller or a tourist.  The new system is replacing paper forms and is in place to streamline the immigration process at the border. These TDACs will be synced with Thailand’s immigration bureau biometric database so that officials can quickly check the criminal backgrounds of all arrivals.  Simply passing through Thailand for an airport transfer? Good news, as this does not apply to you. However, if you are required to sign up, there’s no need to stress as the process is pretty straightforward. Register online here and you’ll be given a QR code to present at your arrival checkpoint – no other steps, and no fees.  While you’re here, check out our favourite beaches and things to do in Thailand, and have a gander at our deep-dive into what White Lotus got

Everyone’s got their own ideas about what makes a brilliant hotel, but booking one with outstanding reviews from people who have stayed there before is a pretty solid place to start.  That’s why so many of us check TripAdvisor before booking our break. To help you separate the wheat from the chaff, the platform’s Travellers’ Choice Awards for 2025 has just landed, which ranks the hotels with the highest volume of ‘above-and-beyond reviews’. Less than one percent of the platform’s 8 million listings make it into this ‘top’ status, so it’s a pretty big deal. Leading the way for hotels is Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya, a stay in Mexico which has an impressive average of 4.8 out of 5 from more than 13,000 reviews.  ‘The hotel features spacious rooms as well as inviting gardens and direct beach access. Wellness lovers will head for the fitness centre, steam room, and spa, while adventurers gear up for diving and bicycle tours,’ writes TripAdvisor, ‘Plus, the resort's ideal location for snorkeling adds a bucket-list activity to your vacay. You'll love the poolside buffets, tequila tastings, and a variety of dining options.’ In second place is Grandvrio Ocean Resort Danang, a beautiful beachside hotel in Vietnam, and in third place is Gokulam Grand Turtle on the Beach, nestled in a glorious stretch of India’s southern coast on the Arabian Sea. Read on for the full top 10, and have a look at the other hotel categories ranked on TripAdvisor’s webpage.  These are the 10 best hotels in th

Milan’s Brera Modern finally opened its doors at the end of 2024 (after over 50 years in the making), but it’s far from the only Italian city to be graced with a stunning new arts space. In fact, Venice has been graced with two.  The Floating City already has a long list of impressive museums and galleries – the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the Venice Glass Museum, to name a few – and joining that collection is San Marco Art Centre and the Nicoleeta Fiorucci Foundation. San Marco Art Centre will be perched on the second floor of the Procuratie in St Mark’s Square. The space will have a broad focus on everything from art and fashion to architecture, film and technology.  Inside, there will be 16 galleries, all recently restored by esteemed British architect David Chipperfield. Two inaugural shows will coincide with the Venice Architecture Biennale (which runs from May 10-November 23), on Harry Seidler, an Australian architect, and Jung Youngsun, a Korean landscape designer.  Recommended: This stunning Sardinian beach has just been crowned the world’s best.  Founders David Hrankovik, Anna Bursaud and David Gramazio describe themselves as ‘a spontaneous and experimental organisation, testing traditional models of arts and institutions and exhibition making,’ according to The Art Newspaper.  Sounds pretty swish, right? The San Marco Art Centre will open its doors on May 9, and the inaugural exhibitions are on from then until July 13 – there’s more information on the SMAC websi

You might think you want to visit the likes of the Balearics or the Algarve this summer, but listen – it's going to cost you, and it's going to be crowded.  So why not think outside the box? Handily, Skyscanner is here to lend a hand – the travel booking platform has just dropped a list of alternative summer spots in its Smarter Summer Report. Best of all, the journey won’t completely wipe your wallet out before you’ve even arrived.  It’s based on the average seat price from UK airports between June 30 and August 31, 2025, and topping the list is Bremen, Germany, with an average price of just £60. Recommended: These are the world’s top trending destinations to book this summer, according to Expedia.  Perched on the Weser River in northern Germany, this city is famous as a maritime hub, and has plenty of culture to soak up. There are two UNESCO world heritage sites to visit, The Bremen City Hall and the Roland Statue, as well as the impeccably preserved Schnoor, the oldest district in the city, which is home to pretty fifteenth-century buildings.  The temperatures here in the summer tend to peak at around 23C, and Bremen is also one of Germany’s greenest cities – sounds like a perfect combo to us. In second place is Poprad in Slovakia, and in third place is Baden-Baden, also in Germany. Read on for the top 10 best alternative destinations, only one of which has an average seat price of more than £100.  These are the best alternative summer destinations for 2025 Bremen, German

There are plenty of beautiful places on this planet that feel more like heaven than earth, but some of the most heavenly are the long stretches of gleaming white sand with calm, blue waves lapping at the shore.  So, where can we find these paradise-like beaches? Well, the World’s 50 Best Beaches might be a good place to start. The annual list is back for another year with a shiny new ranking, created with the input and expertise of more than 1,000 travel professionals.  Each beach has been assessed on its wildlife, unique characteristics, how untouched it is, the frequency of idyllic conditions, business, accessible water, calmness of water and the soundtrack of nature, and these 50 ranked the best.  Recommended: These are the 30 best beaches in the world, according to Time Out.  Claiming first place as the world’s very best beach is Cala Goloritzè, a beautiful stretch of coast in east Sardinia, Italy. It was formed back in 1962 after a landslide, and has been a UNESCO-protected site since 1995 – boats cannot venture any closer than 200 metres from the shore, so you’ll either have to dock and swim inland to make the most of it, or go via the hiking trail.  It’s worth noting that entry to the beach costs €7 per person, but with the rugged limestone backdrop and glimmering blue waters, getting in to see the views is a no-brainer.  In second place is Entalula Beach in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines, which has steep, cliffy backdrops and coral reefs just offshore, and in third pla

Pour qu’un bar flirte vraiment avec l’exceptionnel, il faut évidemment une bonne ambiance et des cocktails encore meilleurs. Mais ce qui change vraiment la donne ? Qu'il jouisse aussi d'une vue à vous décoller la rétine. Parce que soyons clairs : quand le soleil tape, il n'y a pas mieux que siroter un verre tout là-haut en matant le monde d’en bas. Alors oui, il y a du rooftop de luxe dans le lot – mais pas que. Le rooftop sait aussi jouer la carte de l’éclectisme. Un jour, bar à cocktails ambiance salle des marchés au 19e étage d’un hôtel, le lendemain, terrasse rafistolée sur le toit d’un parking dans l’est de Londres. Nos préférés ? Ils vont du spot planqué au lieu qui fait "bling" dès l’ascenseur. Une seule constante : des vues à vous scotcher sur place. Voici nos rooftops préférés, aux quatre coins du globe. En haut du podium, direction Lisbonne, où le Sky Bar by Seen rafle l’or avec sa vue ciné sur le Tage, ses cocktails dignes d’un laboratoire de mixologie et son ambiance lounge cosmique. Médaille d’argent pour Le Perchoir Ménilmontant, sur les hauteurs de l’Est parisien, avec vue sur le Sacré-Cœur et foule cool en goguette entre plantes grimpantes et verres givrés. En 2013, ce belvédère indus' lançait à Paris la tendance des toits-terrasses pour tous. Douze ans plus tard, le spot perché au septième et dernier étage d'un immeuble de la petite rue Crespin-du-Gast continue de faire crépiter les Insta.  Les 20 meilleurs rooftops du monde selon Time Out Sky Bar

Cities are brilliant places, but they can be noisy too, and while having access to green space where you can tap out of the mayhem is important, it can be hard to properly escape from the city’s soundtrack.  That’s why one European capital is launching some new policies. According to a recent study, 13.6 percent of Lisbon’s residents (that’s around 74,118 people) are exposed to noise levels above 65 decibels specifically due to traffic, but the city council is aiming to change that.  Since 2014, an action plan has been in place for the city’s noise management, which includes a noise map, and Lisbon currently has 12 areas which can be considered ‘quiet zones’ – where environmental noise should not exceed 55 decibels during the day, nor 45 at night.  Recommended: Lisbon’s most beautiful gardens will open to visitors free of charge this spring.  However, Lisbon Municipal Assembly has approved an overhaul and that includes more than doubling the number of these zones to 26 in total. Just think: almost 30 spots where all the honking, revving and screeching will feel like it’s miles away – sounds lush, right? But it’s not just traffic on the roads. Supercasa reports that Lisbon City Council is calling on other bodies, such as the Port of Lisbon and the Portuguese Environment Agency, to also factor in data on maritime and air traffic for the new noise map.  So, is this all just to make Lisbon a little more peaceful? Well, yes. The fact is that continuous exposure to high levels of n

Culture? We at Time Out know a thing or two about that. Every year, we produce a roundup of the very best cities for culture on the planet, with eight cities from across Europe featuring on the latest edition. From London’s free museums to Berlin’s unmatched music scene, this vast continent is jam-packed with art and culture – but which countries can claim to be the most culturally rich? To answer that question, Latvian art gallery Inner Light has ranked all 27 EU states (sorry, UK) based on four key factors. They’ve looked at the number of UNESCO world heritage sites, the number of museums per 100,000 people, the number of well-known movies per 100,000 people, and combined all that with data from the European Commission’s cultural engagement index.  Recommended: These are the world’s most dynamic cities, according to a new index.  Topping the ranks as the most culturally rich country in Europe by this metric is Denmark. It came second in the cultural engagement index (second only to Luxembourg) with a score of 77.3, plus it has 11 UNESCO world heritage sites and around 10 museums per 100,000 people.  What makes Denmark so rich in culture? Its capital, Copenhagen, is home to brilliant museums like the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, one of the most ‘enchanting’ in the world, and nightlife venues such as Joy, a ‘music-focused bar with a very cool crowd, which hosts a revolving door of brilliant DJs most nights of the week.’ Check out our comprehensive Copenhagen guide for mor

It’s a tough time to be working in the aviation industry. Faced with staff shortages and huge levels of disruption, many workers at airlines and airports are facing long, stressful hours and poor working conditions. And, thanks to the cost of living crisis and the resounding impact of pandemic-era pay cuts, loads of them are doing it all for lower wages, too. Needless to say, it’s no wonder that so many staff at airports and airlines have been going on strike. From Italy and Belgium to Greece and France, airports across Europe have seen thousands of flights delayed and cancelled by industrial action. Strikes can, of course, have a serious impact on your holiday, so it’s best to be as informed about them as possible. Read on for our guide to who’s going on strike in Europe right now, where and when those strikes will happen – and whether you need to worry about them.   General strike in Belgium According to the Belga News Agency, both Brussels and Charleroi airports have cancelled all departing passenger flights today, Tuesday April 29, as a result of general strike against government budget cuts.  ‘Brussels Airport has just received information from the external security provider G4S that, contrary to previous communication, they cannot guarantee any staffing for the security check on Tuesday,’ said the airport, ‘This means that no departing flights can take place.’ Passengers arriving should experience less disruption, but check directly with your travel provider for all the