Liv Kelly

It will come as no surprise that Amsterdam is overrun with exceptional places to stay. And we mean every kind: 18th-century canalside mansions, converted bridge keepers’ houses, luxury historic hotels that have hosted royal weddings – the lot. But that isn’t to say that every stay here will blow the budget – there are plenty of affordable options in Amsterdam too, if you know where to look. On our list, we’ve made sure to include a bit of everything, all individually reviewed and rated by Time Out’s very own travel experts. Read on for five-star luxury, budget boutiques and everything in between. And for 2026, one hotel sits firmly at the top of the list: Rosewood Amsterdam, a spectacular new canalside stay that’s quickly become the city’s most talked-about address. What is the best neighbourhood to stay in Amsterdam?  There isn’t necessarily one answer to this, as each of Amsterdam’s districts offers something totally unique. If it’s your first time in the city, Centrum is best to access touristy experiences. For something more off-grid (and often more affordable), you’re best off catching the free ferry to Noord, Amsterdam’s creative warehouse district. But for a reliable all-rounder? We love hipster haven Oost, where you’ll find many of the city’s coolest bars, restaurants and hotels. For more, check out our full area guide.  🏘️ Looking for even more options? Check out our guide to Amsterdam’s best Airbnbs Amsterdam’s best hotels at a glance 👑 Best overall: Rosewood Hot

New York: it’s a frantic experience. That’s why, when you’ve only got a handful of days to dine, sight-see, museum hop and shop, that oh-so-precious shut-eye becomes all the more important. But, despite its famous moniker as the “city that never sleeps”, the Big Apple is brimming with stylish, innovative, and world-renowned hotels. So, here’s Time Out’s gleaming collection of our absolute favorite places to stay, all tried and tested by local writers.  New for spring 2026 are reviews of Nine Orchard, Ace Hotel Brooklyn, The Ned NoMad, and our brand-new number one, The Fifth Avenue Hotel. Scroll on. Which area is best to stay in New York? Well, we’ve compiled an entire neighborhood guide to help you find the best fit for your trip, but first-timers should consider Midtown (particularly on and around Fifth Avenue), frequent visitors who want to feel like a local should opt for hotels in Williamsburg, and for particularly stylish boutique stays, you’ll find plenty of those in Tribeca, NoMad, the Lower East Side, and the Meatpacking District.  New York’s very best hotels at a glance: 💎 Most luxurious: The Plaza 👛 Best budget: The FiDi Hotel 🌃 Best view: The Ritz-Carlton New York NoMad 👙 Best pool: Equinox Hotel New York 🍸 Best boutique: Nine Orchard 🪩 Coolest: The William Vale 🤩 Most iconic: The Hotel Chelsea 📍 Discover our ultimate guide to the best hotels in New York How we curate our hotel lists Our team of writers and travel experts review hotels all over the world—

This list is from 2025. Our latest ranking for 2026 is live here. People who don’t live in cities will tell you they’re busy, lonely and expensive places. But there’s a reason so many people choose to live in them: with world-class art and culture, unbeatable food and nightlife, buzzing neighbourhoods and a dizzying amount of stuff to do and see, there’s simply no better place to be.  Every year, we take the pulse of city living by quizzing thousands of locals across the planet about life in their hometowns. This year, more than 18,500 city-dwellers shared their insights on everything from food, nightlife and culture to affordability, happiness and the overall city vibe. When urban living can sometimes feel isolating and costly, this year we wanted to get a sense of what, exactly, makes a city feel like home. Sure, the nightlife is great, but is the city safe and walkable? Is good quality food and art available at a reasonable price? Is it easy to make friends, find love, and access nature?  Livability was a key factor in our ranking this year. But a great city to live in is, naturally, a great city to visit. So, along with the thousands of responses from locals around the world, we asked Time Out’s global network of city experts to vote on the places they think are particularly exciting right now. After crunching all that data, here we are: Time Out’s definitive ranking of the world’s best cities in 2025. Read on to see how your hometown fared… RECOMMENDED:🛍️ The coolest n

There isn’t really a bad time to visit New York, but when the streets are at their stuffiest and the sidewalks practically radiate heat, having a glistening pool at your hotel can offer travelers some much-needed respite. That’s why we’ve taken the time to handpick the best ones, from cabana-lined rooftops in Brooklyn to stylish, spa-adjacent plunges hidden away in Manhattan. Dive into our dazzling list, updated fresh for spring 2026. Which area is best to stay in New York? Pools are hidden away all over New York City, from deceptively secluded Manhattan rooftops to spacious Brooklyn hangouts with brilliant skyline views. For all the best local tips on where to stay, have a read of our guides to all NYC’s neighborhoods, compiled by Time Out’s local writers.   New York’s best hotels with swimming pools, at a glance: 🌃 Best view: 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge 👙 Best rooftop: Gansevoort Meatpacking District 👛 Best budget: Margaritaville Resort Times Square 💎 Most luxurious: The Peninsula New York 🤩 Most iconic: The William Vale 📍 Discover our ultimate guide to the best hotels in New York 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,

Much of the northern hemisphere is set to shiver through single-digit temperatures for the forseeable. And while even southern Europe won’t reach properly hot temperatures until springtime 2026 at the earliest, there are still a handful of perfectly warm European destinations to visit in the mean time. From Greek Islands to the coasts of Spain and Portugal, parts of the continent experience wonderfully mild weather, even in the coldest winter months. Tans are not garuanteed, but balmy, sunny t-shirt weather? Most certainly. Here are our top picks in Europe for a healthy dose of glorious winter sun. What is the warmest place in Europe in winter? The undisputed champion of European heat in December and January? Unsurprisingly, Spain’s Canary Islands take the title. This archipelago of eight inhabited islands just off the coast of northwestern Africa is Europe’s winter sun champion, sitting pretty with December and January temperatures that many towns in Northern Europe would be happy with at the height of summer. The Canaries are particularly delightful at this time, and you might even spot some migrating humpback and fin whales. If it’s good enough for the world’s largest mammals, it is good enough for us. Besides, does it get much better than Christmas on the beach in the Canary Islands?  Europe’s best winter sun destinations at a glance ☀️ Best for scorching heat: The Canary Islands 🏛️ Best for a balmy city break: Cadiz, Spain 🏞️ Best for hiking and scenery: Madeira 📍 D

March 2026: It’s spring, which means London’s arts and culture scene is in full swing with plenty of major openings across the capital’s biggest museums. Heading to the National Gallery, the Science Museum, Young V&A or the Tate Modern? There are new shows to check out on such disparate subjects as the studio behind ‘Wallace and Gromit’, legendary artist Tracey Emin, Pantanal – the world’s biggest wetland, Samurai, groundbreaking fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli and photographer Catherine Opie. Or find out more great things to see this year with our pick of 2026's cultural highlights. Museums are one of the things that London does best. This city boasts grand institutions housing ancient treasures, modern monoliths packed with intriguing exhibits, and tiny rooms containing deeply niche collections – and lots of them are totally free to anyone who wants to come in and take a gander. And with more than 170 London museums to choose from, there's bound to be one to pique your interest, whatever you're in to.  Want to explore the history of TfL? We’ve got a museum for that. Rather learn about advertising? We’ve got a museum for that too. History? Check. Science? Check. 1940s cinema memorabilia, grotesque eighteenth-century surgical instruments, or perhaps a wall of 4,000 mouse skeletons? Check, check and check! Being the cultured metropolitans that we are, Time Out’s editors love nothing more than a wholesome afternoon spent gawping at Churchill’s baby rattle or some ancient Egy

March 2026: It finally seems as if spring is on the way, so we've updated our roasts list to reflect the return of sunnier days. Try the Macbeth in Hoxton, which offers a great Portuguese-style Sunday sesh or the ravishing Jamaican-inspired roast at Buster Mantis in Deptford. There are a couple of posh restaurants in the mix too, with a Nordic roast at the plush Ekstedt at the Yard near Westminster, and a serious meat feast at Quality Chop House in Clerkenwell. Our worthy Number 1 is the simple, spectacular roast at London’s OG organic pub, The Duke of Cambridge in Islington.  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 pork and a decent plant-based option too. A Sunday roast is more than just lunch - it’s self-care. From snug neighbourhood staples to more bij

There’s nowt wrong with a pork scratching or bag of Scampi Fries to accompany your hand-cranked pint of amber ale, but we are ever grateful for the invention of the gastropub. London boozer The Eagle, which opened in Farringdon in 1991, is widely regarded as the first one. Its chalkboard full of dishes with ‘big flavours and rough edges’ brought proper butcher’s sausages with lentils, generously portioned pasta dishes with fennel and lemon and lovingly crafted steak sandwiches to the polished pedestal table. It changed the pub food game in the ’90s and the dining world has never looked back. Outside of London, one of the best ways to enjoy a gastropub is to arrive several hours before your booking and take yourself off on a hike to work up an appetite. That first sip of a pint when your chosen trail guides you right back to the pub’s door tastes even sweeter when your cheeks are ruddy and your glutes are burning. When it comes to the main event, dishes can be hearty classics or surprising takes, like when a ‘pickled onion’ accompaniment comes as a swoosh of gel on your plate. Ingredients must be as local as possible, seasonal, obviously, and there has to be a decent wine list as well as a cracking pint. Oh, and you should absolutely never be at risk of going home hungry.  There’s a separate list for you if you’re looking for London’s best gastropubs. But here are 15 of the best gastropubs across the rest of the UK right now. Tuck in.  Kelly Bishop is a food writer based in M

Whether it’s your first or your one-hundredth time in New York, you could do a lot worse than booking a hotel right in the middle of the concrete jungle. Manhattan’s Midtown neighborhood is perfectly placed for sightseeing and exploring all of the shops, bars and world-class restaurants right at your fingertips. You’ll find everything from luxury landmarks  plus more affordable boutiques, and to keep you up to date with all the very best places to stay, we’ve added brand-new reviews of Andaz 5th Avenue and Sofitel New York. Enjoy. Which area is best to stay in New York? Well, we’re obviously gonna make a strong case for Midtown, which is home to a shedload of any first-time visitors’ bucket list attractions. It’s also well connected to both the Upper West and East, Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, and pretty much anywhere else you’d want to go. Have a read of all our guides to all NYC’s neighborhoods, to help you decide.  New York’s best Midtown hotels at a glance: 🌃 Best view: The Shelburne Sonesta  👙 Best pool: The Peninsula New York 👛 Best budget: voco Times Square South New York 💎 Most luxurious: Ritz-Carlton Central Park 🤩 Most iconic: The Knickerbocker 📍 Discover our ultimate guide to the best hotels in New York 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

If there’s one thing—just one thing—you’re coming to New York City for, it’s got to be the views. There are few spectacles more iconic than the twinkly Manhattan skyline, after all, but housed inside many of those towering skyscrapers are hotels with magnificent views. With brand-new coverage from our local writers on Equinox Hotel, The Shelburne Sonesta and the Park Terrace Hotel, as well as many, many more.  Which area is best to stay in New York? Manhattan’s dense concentration of high-up, high-end hotels means you’re blessed with options for up close and personal views of The Big Apple, but heading over to Brooklyn is also a great option for more sweeping city vistas. Have a read of all our guides to all NYC’s neighborhoods, to help you decide.  New York’s best hotels with a view, at a glance: 🌃 Best view: Ritz-Carlton Central Park 👙 Best pool: Equinox Hotel 👛 Best budget: The Shelburne Sonesta 💎 Most luxurious: Mandarin Oriental 🤩 Most iconic: The Plaza 📍 Discover our ultimate guide to the best hotels in New York 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

‘When a man (person) is tired of London,’ as Dr Samuel Johnson wrote in 1777, ‘he is (they are) tired of life.’ Well, it’s fair to say that Johnson wasn’t running for the tube before squeezing himself into a sweaty, crowded carriage and then spending the day being bombarded with short videos about apocalyptic geopolitics on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter? London is the greatest city in the world, but should you find yourself a little tired and in need of some R&R what better way to recover than booking yourself into one of London’s world-class spas? And, better still, getting a massage or, even, a facial with a bespoke sound journey while you’re at it? Spa culture - from high-end luxury to community spaces - is really starting to take off in London. On our list, you’ll find standout spas and treatments, five-star hotels and community spots all offering you the chance to unplug and unwind, regardless of whether you’re on a champagne or lemonade budget. Here - in no particular order - are our absolute favourite places to relax in the capital. Best spas in London at a glance Best for affordable pampering: Ironmonger Row Baths Best for a serious splurge: Ushvani Best for men’s grooming: Thai Square Spa Best for couples’ visits: Aire Ancient Baths Best pool: Surrenne at The Berkeley Best facial: Salon C Stellar RECOMMENDED:The best saunas in LondonThe best facials in LondonThe best hotels in London

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 after a refined and polished bar perfect for quiet conversation, Homeboy is not the place. What it is good for, however, is expertly-executed cocktails served in what feels more like a raucous Irish pub. Enter and you’ll be enveloped into a snug, pleasingly low-lit space and affably greeted like a regular, even if you’ve never been here before. It’s a welcome tonic to the monosyllabic, named-after-a-generic-white-bloke bars which have proliferated London of late: there’s ample room on plump Chesterfield banquettes and lots of dark wood. On Thursdays and Sundays your evening will be soundtracked not by vinyl, but by a live Irish band.  There are TVs which, when we visited, were blaring the Six Nations, and once the music actually gets going, this place gets properly noisy. However, the seamlessness of the table service and the lively atmosphere proves that this place is a well-oiled hospitality machine – as do the drinks. Homeboy Bar’s menu features a signature collection of cocktails which have been steadfast inclusions since it opened, but there’s also a list of drinks inspired by Irish idols. The Punk Poet is one of these: it blends Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon with orange zest-infused oil, dark chocolate liqueur and demerara sugar, and it’s moreish, sour and sharp. The emphasis is very much on mixing a bit of Irishness into classic cocktail recipes, and dirty martini drinkers will also enjoy an Irish Sea.  Oh, and arrive hungry. This place doesn’t just knock it out of

Pass under the quintessential New York black awning, rotate through the revolving door and Sofitel New York greets you with a lengthy, imposing, Art Deco-esque lair of a lobby. It’s a lowly illuminated but pleasingly warm welcome from New York’s crispy late-fall streets, and while confusingly you’ll need to walk all the way towards the glitzy statement staircase at the far end to reach the actual reception, there are plenty of staff floating around to assist you.  This hotel is Sofitel’s new North American flagship property, which, after a substantial facelift, is a Midtown base that brims with potential. Despite a slightly bizarre entrance and shortcomings in the food offering, the hotel’s impressive location, immaculately designed beds and assured luxury service are where it gleams. Here’s what we thought of Sofitel New York.  Why stay at Sofitel New York? You probably haven’t traveled all the way to New York for a glimpse at the French way of life, but Sofitel is keen to deliver at least a flavor of it anyway. With the brand’s renewed emphasis on eating, drinking and sleeping well (which they refer to as the ‘French zest’), Sofitel New York has emerged from its site-wide renovation, striving and mostly succeeding to deliver on all those with polish.  The number one reason you should stay at this hotel is because of its prime—and we mean prime—location. Beyond having the Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building, Bryant Park, Central Park, Broadway and Times Square all with

Head along to University of East London’s Docklands campus after dark and you'll find this spectacular free festival brightening up the skies. This year, the theme is the four elements, which means there'll be tons to see inspired by the wonders of wind, earth, fire and water. Its eclectic line-up includes glowing hula hooping, fire acrobatics, a giant roaming octopus and dragon, and illuminated performers walking high above the crowds. There'll also be refreshments from local street food stalls throughout the evening. Book your free place to be part of the fun. 

Lisbon strikes an unmatched balance of spontaneous small town energy while ticking all the criteria a great city should – stellar restaurants and bars, cool museums, top-tier places to go shopping and plethora of unique and interesting neighbourhoods to explore. It’s that balance which is also somehow executed by ME Lisbon, a large luxury stay in Marquês do Pombal which, despite its glassy exterior, intimidatingly polished lobby and sheer size, is an unabashedly friendly and thoughtfully designed hotel that I would definitely return to.  Why stay at ME Lisbon? While this hotel is big, corporate, and ultra luxurious, the warmth of the service, the excellent restaurant and the tasteful design mean it still feels quintessentially Lisbon. Sure, it’s a far cry from the whimsical little boutique hotels you’ll find in Alfama or the city centre, but ME Lisbon, armed not only with a friendly team, good food and a marvellous scent (literally everything smells good – even the air in the lifts) but also a downright beautiful spa and rooftop pool mean you can properly kick back here.  What are the rooms like at ME Lisbon? There are 213 rooms at ME Lisbon, with a whopping 12 different types to choose from – we stayed in an expansive Beyond ME+ Suite Street View which overlooked Avenue António Augusto de Aguiar and bragged a walk-in dressing area with shedloads of storage, a bar and mini fridge, living space and Smart TV, plus a bedroom area and a vast and luxurious en suite.  The entire sp

It’s been four years since Mozart’s revered comedy was performed on a London stage, but the English National Opera’s upcoming production of Così fan tutte has had some whimsy injected thanks to a collaboration with Improbable, an improv-based theatre company. The opera follows the outcome the cynical placing of a bet by two soldiers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, that if tested their fiancées, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, would have affairs, and soprano Lucy Crowe OBE and mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven are starring as the two sisters.  With Olivier Award-winner Phelim McDermott at the helm and Critics’ Circle Young Talent Award winner Dinis Sousa conducting, this co-production (in partnership with New York’s Metropolitan Opera), written originally at the height of Mozart’s career in the 1790s, has now been transformed by set (by Tom Pye) and costume design (by Laura Hopkins) to unfurl on 1950s Coney Island.

Montreal is a cool city – and I don’t just mean literally. From its dazzling fine art museum whose architectural engineering is just as outstanding as its collections, to its hearty, diverse food, stylish bars, top-tier shopping and an actual underground network of streets (yes, really), it’s somewhere I recommend you move to the top of your bucket list for 2026. And when you do pay a visit, the Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile is ready and waiting to greet you. Just like the city, this hotel has an effortless, stylish je ne sais quoi about it, largely thanks to the conclusion of a recent site-wide refurbishment. The result? A comfortable and exceptionally well-run hotel, perched on one of the coolest streets in the world. Why stay at Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile? The Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile is, simply, an expertly run hotel. The service is attentive but not overbearing, the rooms and suites are spacious with considerate details, and you’re in a handy Downtown location, just minutes from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Mount Royal.  On top of all that, the hotel has impressive environmental credentials – it was awarded 5 Green Keys in early 2025, the highest possible certification from eco-label programme Green Key Global, plus a local Montreal sustainability award – thanks to details such as its policy on using no paper or plastic bottles. It’s also platinum certified by SHe Travel Club, a certification platform for women travellers. What are the rooms like at Sofitel

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

Don’t Cha just love when a legendary noughties girl band regroups for an anniversary tour? In 2024 we were blessed with a reprise of Girls Aloud, but 2026 marks the return of the The Pussycat Dolls, whose PDC Forever Tour kicks off in June but will be darting to 53 different cities across the US, UK, and Europe. Three of the (most iconic) original six members – Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts, and Kimberly Wyatt – are reuniting, and the announcement was paired with the release of a brand-new single, ‘Club Song’. Below is all the information you need on tickets, dates, prices and presales.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS (@pussycatdolls) Recommended: The 8 best concerts worth travelling for in 2026.  When are The Pussycat Dolls going on their European tour in 2026? Below is a full list of all the PCD Forever tour dates across Europe and the UK: Sep 9 - Royal Arena, Copenhagen Sep 10 - Oslo Spektrum, Oslo Sep 13 - Rockhal, Luxembourg City Sep 14 - Olympiahalle, Munich Sep 16 - COS Torwar, Warsaw Sep 18 - AFAS Dome, Antwerp Sep 19 - Accor Arena, Paris Sep 21 - Hallenstadion, Zurich Sep 23 - O2 Arena, Prague Sep 26 - PSD Bank Dome, Düsseldorf Sep 27 - Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam Sep 29 - Utilita Arena, Birmingham Sep 30 - Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham Oct 2 - First Direct Arena, Leeds Oct 3 - M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool Oct 5 - 3Arena, Dublin Oct 7 - OVO Hydro, Glasgow Oct 9 - Utilita Arena, Newcastle Oct 10 - Co-op Live, Manche

There are many things we can rely on in our favourite cities. Those landmark restaurants that have stood the test of time, or a nightlife scene which continues to thrive despite a major shift in our habits. However, just like we do, cities live, breathe and adapt – and that’s why we annually refresh our ranking of the planet’s top metropolises.  This year, Time Out’s Best Cities with Intrepid Travel awarded the number one spot to Melbourne. The ranking was created thanks to our massive annual survey, which this year more than 24,000 people took part in, as well as the insights of more than 100 Time Out city experts.  An Asian hub claimed place number two, ranking ahead of London, Paris, New York and Tokyo. The city in question? It was Shanghai – so let’s take a look at the data.  According to the locals we spoke to, the city received the highest overall score for affordability, with 88 agreeing it’s cheap to dine out and 90 percent saying the same about buying coffee or going to the cinema. Oh, and 78 percent of people agree that it’s cycling-friendly, too.  Photograph: Shutterstock So, why should you visit Shanghai in 2026? Well, according to Sammi Sowerby, Time Out’s English editor in Shanghai, ‘Chances are high that you – yes, you – no longer need a visa to visit Shanghai, or China at large.’ ‘Citizens of more than 50 countries can now enter visa-free for short stays, and the list keeps getting longer; Canada and the UK were officially approved on February 15. China is h

In some parts of the world, March 17 is just another day, but to anybody with Irish heritage, a penchant for the colour green, or who’s a regular splitter of the G, it’s one of the merriest days of the year – St Patrick’s Day.  Thanks to the Emerald Isle’s expansive diaspora, Paddy’s Day is now celebrated all over the planet. There’s everything from free Céilís and enormous parades to river-dyeing sessions and potato-flinging contests. We’ve compiled a handful of the biggest and best taking place in 2026, so grab your Guinness and have a scroll.  Recommended: These are the best hotels in Ireland, according to Time Out The world’s best St Patrick’s Day celebrations   1. Dublin Best for: Paddy’s Day purists There’s only one way to start this list, and it’s with the Irish capital’s monumental, four-day celebration of St Patrick’s Day, which this year takes place from March 14-17. Half a million people will line Dublin’s streets to watch colourful floats meander from Parnell Square to the junction of Kevin Street and Cuffe Street, but that’s far from all that’s lined up to mark the occasion. Think free traditional Irish Céilís, harbour walks on the Dublin Coastal Trail, all-ages treasure hunts and plenty of gigs, poetry readings and comedy sets, too. Great craic, right? 2. Montserrat  Best for: a history lesson  The Caribbean is home to its own Emerald Isle in the form of Montserrat, and March 17 is a massive celebration here. Not just for the sake of St Paddy, but to commemorate

Festivals come in all glittering shapes and brilliant sizes across Europe, from remote islands in the Atlantic Ocean to big city parties. And now, you can add an ancient Greek temple to the mix. Set to take place near Castellammare del Golfo (which translates to ‘sea fortress on the gulf’), a town in northern Sicily, Aura Festival has been described by organisers as ‘an intimate electronic escape with a focus on high-quality production, carefully curated sound and scenic immersion.’ Recommended: The best festivals in Europe for 2026, according to Time Out. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aura Festival (@aurafestival.it) What that means in reality is two days of music blaring from the gorgeous Parco Archologico di Segesta, which is nestled in the hills near Castellammare del Golfo.  The site is home to ancient Greek structures like a grand theatre and the Doric Temple of Segesta, which are both surrounded by sweeping, sun-baked countryside views. Sounds like an idyllic alternative to a dusty old field, right?  As for the line-up, confirmed so far is a collection of cult performers and emerging talents from across the house and tech music scene, including the likes of Francesco Del Garda, Oshana, Onur Özer, Quest, and Josh Baker.  Aura Festival will take place on May 1 and 2, 2026, and has a capacity of just 4,000 people.  You can find all the latest information on the official website, and cop your tickets from TicketSms.  🪩 Check ou

It’s that time again, folks – when Time Out, after quizzing urbanites from all over the planet about what it’s like to live in their city, unveils its list of the most exciting cities in the world.  Time Out’s Best Cities with Intrepid Travel for 2026 is the tenth anniversary of our ranking, and while we crowned the brilliant Aussie city of Melbourne as number one, European hubs have once again staked their claim on a large portion of our 50-strong list.  But, how did we decide? Well, a whopping 24,000 city-dwellers were quizzed about all things food, culture, and nightlife, as well as happiness, affordability and quality of life. The data from this survey, plus insight from over 100 Time Out city experts, was used to decide our final ranking.  Topping the list for Europe is Edinburgh, the pretty, history-packed Scottish capital, which ranked third on our worldwide list. It received the joint-highest score for walkability, as well as a 94 percent approval rating for food, 91 percent for green spaces and 90 percent for culture. Oh, and the people living here are some of the happiest we spoke to, with 91 percent of locals claiming they find joy in their day-to-day experiences.  Photograph: Dmitry Naumov / Shutterstock And you should visit now because, according to Time Out writer and former editor Chiara Wilkinson, ‘2026 will see the city’s long-running arts scenes come to the fore.’  ‘The ever-evolving Hidden Door festival returns with its cultural takeover of forgotten urba

Whether they’re rocky islets off the coast of Italy, popular Greek destinations like Santorini, or the volcanic, sun-soaked Canaries, one thing’s for sure: Europe is blessed with glorious islands. But, as you might expect, plenty of the most famous ones get rather crowded during high season.  So why not go for a quieter alternative? To help you figure out which islands to visit (and which to dodge), car hire company Avis has looked into the popularity of islands across Europe based on search volume and Instagram hashtags.  Topping the busy list? That would be Ibiza – and no, we’re hardly surprised either. The Spanish island, renowned as one of the world’s top party and clubbing destinations, has more than 20 million hashtags on Instagram, and almost 2 million average monthly searches.  Recommended: The southeast Asian island named the world’s most picturesque.  Malta came in second place on the busy list, with over three million monthly searches and 10 million hashtags, and Majorca came in third with 1.5 million hashtags and, like Ibiza, nearly 2 million monthly searches.  Don’t fancy jostling with the crowds at these destinations? Maybe check out Lesbos, (known as Lesvos in Greek), one of Greece’s lesser-visited North Aegean islands, which has just 155,000 hashtags and 135,000 monthly searches.  Porto Santo, a Portuguese island, claimed second place on the quiet list, with just 201,000 hashtags and 110,000 monthly searchers, and Symi, another Greek island, claimed third.  In

Sure, loads of cities around the world boast amazing public transport networks, but if you’re able to, the best way to really get a sense of a place has gotta be by foot. You can soak up the atmosphere, properly see the architecture and maybe discover some lesser-known little spots along the way.  Some cities are much better sites for a stroll than others, though. To walk us through the options, Compare the Market AU has evaluated the average rainfall, number of walking trails, safety score, cost of public transport and car-free places – among other factors – to see which cities are the most walkable.  And thanks to its pedestrian-friendly city centre, high safety levels and a staggering 1.4 million km of bike trails, Munich was crowned as the winner. In second place it was Milan, which has an even more impressive 1.9 million km worth of bike trails, and in third it was Warsaw, where 74 percent of the population live within 1 km of a car-free space.  Europe walks all over other continents in this list, with Tokyo being the only non-European entry at number six. But given the Japanese capital has a whopping 264 walking trails (the next highest was Helsinki with 116), it’s certainly earned its place.  These are the ten most walkable cities in the world Munich Milan Warsaw Helsinki Paris Tokyo Madrid Oslo Copenhagen Amsterdam Take a hike If you really want to stretch those legs, take a look at our roundups of the best hikes in Europe and across the world. There’s some gorgeous

Picture a summer holiday and days spent lounging about under the beating sun might spring to mind, but with Europe getting worryingly hotter, more and more travellers are opting for cooler climes over the last couple of years.  According to hiking holiday website Inghams Walking, searches for ‘coolcations’ have spiked by a staggering 3,500 percent since the beginning of 2024. That surge in interest led them to conduct an analysis of more than 200 cool-climate destinations to work out the planet’s top places to head to escape the heat this summer.  Topping the ranking is Nuuk in Greenland, which has seen a 48.39 percent increase in searches over the last year. Remote and beautiful, the island nation has seen a spike in interest thanks to the destination becoming a whole lot more accessible.  Photograph: Paul Zizka Photography / Visit Greenland In Time Out’s ranking of the best new things to do in the world for 2025, we included visiting Greenland thanks to a brand-new international airport opening on the outskirts of Nuuk, now allowing for multiple services from Europe, every single week.  But that’s not the only destination spotlit for its ‘coolcation’ appeal – Les Contamines-Montjoie, an Alpine commune in France, saw searches leap by 39.79 percent, and the Beara Peninsula in Ireland followed in third place with an increase of 23.11 percent. Scroll on for a look at the rest of the top 20.  The 20 best places for a coolcation this summer Nuuk, Greenland Les Contamines-Montj

At Time Out, we love all things city life. That’s why, for the last decade, we’ve surveyed urbanites all over the planet about life in their city to create our definitive annual ranking. That’s right – this year marks the tenth anniversary of our city research, and Time Out’s Best Cities with Intrepid Travel for 2026 has just landed.  To compile it, we spoke to more than 24,000 locals, including Time Out’s regular readers, who told us all about the nightlife, culture, food, affordability, happiness and general vibe of their city, and factored in insight from a panel of more than 100 Time Out experts.  Shanghai, Edinburgh, London and New York all claimed a spot in the top five, but the champion of our Best Cities list for 2026 was Melbourne.  That’s right – Australia’s largest city, also known by its indigenous name Naarm, is already the country’s sports capital, having hosted the Australian Open (which, in 2026, broke all attendance records), the F1 Australian Grand Prix, AFL Grand Final and the Boxing Day Test of late.  Photograph: Supplied/Runner Up The city’s coolest streets and neighbourhoods are peppered with kooky galleries, indie cinemas, rooftop bars and vinyl shops, and many also brag colourful murals and world-class gardens. It sits on the Yarra River, which holds cultural significance for the city’s Indigenous communities, and across Melbourne you’ll find everything from historic, heritage-listed buildings (just one part of a lauded cultural scene, according to M

Being crowned the world’s happiest country for no less than eight years in a row is a pretty solid indicator that Finland know how to embrace a joy-filled lifestyle – and now, they’re inviting international travellers to get involved.  VisitFinland has announced the enticing chance to win a week-long, all-expenses-paid trip to the Finnish Lakeland, to experience firsthand the nature-drenched and unhurried summer tradition of embracing the slow life away from the city.  The largest lake district in Europe, Finnish Lakeland is a heavenly ‘coolcation’ destination. It’s home to hundreds of islands and lakes all blanketed by verdant green forests, and its warm days and cool evenings make for brilliant hiking conditions. Here, your days could be spent fishing, cold-plunging, visiting saunas, indulging in local food and – most importantly – properly switching off.  Recommended: The best ‘coolcations’ in Europe, according to Time Out.  ‘An increasing number of international tourists come to Finland searching for the secret to happiness, yet Lakeland is still an undiscovered gem for many,’ said Senior Director of International Marketing at Business Finland, Heli Jimenez. ‘It’s the region Finns themselves return to when they want to relax truly, and the perfect destination for anyone looking to step away from the noise of everyday life.’ Photograph: Chill Like A Finn / VisitFinland Photograph: Chill Like A Finn / VisitFinland Photograph: Chill Like A Finn / VisitFinland Photogra

Choisir la ville où faire grandir sa tribu, ce n’est pas juste une affaire de carte postale. Bien sûr, il y a l’essentiel, la sécurité. Mais il faut aussi compter avec des critères autrement plus terre à terre : le congé parental, le coût de la vie, les aides disponibles. Et si la campagne garde pour elle le fantasme des cabanes et des bottes pleines de boue, la ville, elle, promet une enfance plus remuante, plus dense, pleine de possibles. Reste une question, quelles sont celles qui offrent vraiment le package complet aux jeunes familles ? C’est précisément ce qu’a cherché à trancher un nouveau rapport signé Compare the Market AU. Pour établir son classement, l’étude a passé au tamis neuf critères, ensuite pondérés pour attribuer à 50 villes un score global. Dans le lot : la sécurité, le World Happiness Score, le nombre d’activités à faire avec des enfants, le coût mensuel de la vie, les dépenses nationales consacrées aux aides familiales, la durée légale du congé parental, les taux nationaux de vaccination infantile, les budgets alloués à l’éducation et la quantité d’espaces verts par habitant. Oui, autant dire qu’ils ont ratissé large. *]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id="request-WEB:c3bdf1d0-ffa0-411d-8b81-7ac4c75fa528-5" data-testid="conversation-turn-10" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn="assistant"> D’après l’étude, la meilleure ville au monde pour élever une famille n

*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id="request-675864f4-bb58-8006-b6e8-4487534fddaf-0" data-testid="conversation-turn-414" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn="assistant"> Il se passe beaucoup de choses en ce moment sur la scène artistique parisienne, des importants travaux de rénovation en cours au Louvre à l’installation spectaculaire « La Caverne », qui doit investir en juin le plus ancien pont de la ville (et qui est notre choix numéro un des meilleures nouvelles choses à faire dans le monde cette année). Et bientôt, une toute nouvelle galerie viendra s’ajouter au paysage, puisqu’un espace très attendu dédié au sculpteur suisse Alberto Giacometti va voir le jour dans la capitale française. Selon Artsy, la Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti a annoncé que le Musée & École Giacometti, qui sera installé dans l’ancienne gare des Invalides dans le 7e arrondissement de Paris, devrait finalement ouvrir ses portes dans la seconde moitié de 2028. La rénovation de la gare fait partie du projet plus large de renouvellement urbain « Réinventer Paris », dans lequel de nombreux sites patrimoniaux délaissés doivent être transformés. Le projet a été remporté par deux promoteurs immobiliers, Emerige Group et Nexity, et le bâtiment lui-même avait été construit à l’origine pour l’Exposition universelle de 1900. Aujourd’hui, la fondation est installée à l’Institut Giacometti, un espace de 350