Peterjon Cresswell

Budapest has made a name for itself as the home of ruin bars (derelict buildings made into poppin’ clubs), thermal spas and baths, admirable architecture and seriously affordable attractions. But whatever you’re in the Hungarian capital for, don’t sleep on its many and varied offerings for absolutely exquisite cuisine. Of course, there’s a load of great Hungarian food on offer, from classic gulyás (beef stew) to chicken paprikás with nokedli or rice. Then there’s the lángos, deep fried bread covered with sour cream and cheese, best enjoyed late at night after one too many drinks. But Budapest does a number of cuisines very well, including Turkish, Italian and Portuguese. Ready to eat? Us too. Here’s the best restaurants in Budapest right now.  RECOMMENDED:🏰 The best things to do in Budapest🍻 The best bars in Budapest🏛️ The best museums in Budapest🏘️ The best Airbnbs in Budapest Peterjon Cresswell is a writer based in Budapest. 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. 

A classic city-break destination that gives a flavour of the east while awash with contemporary hotels and restaurants, Budapest can be as affordable or as lavish as you like. As photogenic as when it was fashioned in the gilded late 1800s, Budapest has long provided the perfect backdrop for flings, proposals, honeymoons and more. Those oh-so romantic interludes can be interspersed with a whole load of stuff: gallery visits, panoramic walks and boat tours, to name a few. Many, however, come to party, as the nightlife scene is as good as the day after, where you can treat your hangover to a soak in the spa or breakfast in an ornate coffeehouse. Long-term resident Peterjon Cresswell takes you on a whirlwind weekend around Budapest. RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in Budapest🏛️ The best spas and baths in Budapest🏘️ The best Airbnbs in Budapest🍻 The best bars in Budapest Peterjon Cresswell is a writer based in Budapest. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

Does anything conjure up an image of beach bliss quite like the Med? Surrounded by 22 countries and bordered by three continents, the Mediterranean Sea boasts miles and miles of coastline – not to mention hundreds of islands. And while there are certain seaside spots where you’ll need to fight for space on the sand (we’re looking at you, Barceloneta), there are plenty of other secluded stretches of coastline across the Med. Our selection of alternative beach spots, chosen by Mediterranean-based travel writers, takes you beyond Europe to North Africa and the Middle East. From wild, flamingo-frequented beaches in Spain to a culture-packed port city in France, this is where to find the Mediterranean’s best alternative (and affordable) beach breaks. There’s plenty of room to lay out your towel here. Grace Beard is Time Out’s deputy travel editor, based in London. 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. RECOMMENDED:🗺 Europe’s most underrated destinations🌆 The best European city breaks🚫 The travel destinations that want tourists to stay away

Controversial Croatian band Let 3 gave a typically dramatic performance to present their number, Mama ŠČ!, at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. The event carried the motto United by Music and was held in support of Ukraine. The Let 3 tune is seen as a subliminal mocking of the leaders behind the current conflict. As we recently reported, a Croatian couple had travelled all the way from their home in Vir to see the band’s big night.In the most-watched Eurovision in history, Let 3 went home empty-handed. Swedish singer Loreen became the first woman to win the contest twice.

Whatever you want from a city break, Budapest can deliver. Steeped in history, blessed with spa waters, embellished with grandiose façades from the Habsburg days (and full of plenty of spots to eat your bodyweight in lángos and goulash), Hungary’s capital keeps visitors coming back for more. Facilitated by a first-class transport system, this is a 24-hour city, where you can sip panoramic cocktails, sail the Danube and seek out tiny statues across town. While no longer a cheap date, Budapest offers sparkling elegance and the dingiest of dive bars within a few hundred metres of one another. Come on in, the water's lovely. Here are the best things to do in Budapest right now. RECOMMENDED:🪩 The best nightlife spots in Budapest🏛️ The best spas and baths in Budapest🏘️ The best Airbnbs in Budapest🏨 The best hotels in Budapest This guide was written by Peterjon Cresswell, a writer based in Budapest. 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. 

No cal dir que Europa està plena de llocs increïbles. Però molts d'aquests llocs són també bastant obvis. Venècia, Amsterdam, la costa Amalfitana... sí, són impressionants. Però el problema és que tothom vol anar-hi, i moltes de les capitals del continent, hubs culturals i paisatges bonics estan plens de turistes i amb preus desorbitats. Algunes d'aquestes destinacions fins i tot han començat a dir que volen que els turistes no hi vagin. Però per cada lloc que està atapeït de visitants, n'hi ha d'altres que passen injustament desapercebuts: llocs on pots passar-te hores sense veure un altre turista, o almenys alternatius a les tradicionals destinacions de vacances. De manera que això és el que suggerim: aquest estiu, eviteu trencar-vos el coll intentant veure la Mona Lisa. Estalvieu-vos les cues del Vaticà i viatgeu a algunes de les destinacions menys conegudes del continent. Des dels Balcans fins als països bàltics, des de l'Atlàntic Nord fins a la costa Adriàtica, hem reunit escriptors de viatges i experts locals per tal de descobrir les ciutats infravalorades d'Europa, les illes, regions, platges, pobles, llacs i tot el que hi ha al mig.  NO T'HO PERDIS: Les 10 millors destinacions per viatjar el 2023

From spa nights to ruin bars and floating boat clubs, Budapest knows how to party. And it's all over the city; Budapest's nightlife vortex is still delineated by key streets in the Jewish Quarter such as Király utca and Dob utca, between which runs a lively corridor of mainstream hangouts known as Gozsdu Udvar, and more touristy spots – like the aforementioned ruin bars – are found on Kazinczy utca, Akácfa utca and Klauzál utca. If it's your first time in the city, these are a must. But if you want to party like a true local, check out nightlife street Madách tér, and over the river, the terrace cafés of Bartók Béla út. Buda, as they say, is the new Pest. But you still can’t move for drinking spots on the busier side of side of the Hungarian capital – it’s more a question of what vibe you're after, and who you prefer to share your bar space with. On our list of the best nightlife in Budapest, we’ve included the once-in-a-lifetime tourist hotspots alongside the low-key places only locals will know. Here is your local’s guide to Budapest’s nightlife.  RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in Budapest🏛️ The best spas and baths in Budapest🏘️ The best Airbnbs in Budapest🍻 The best bars in Budapest This article was recently updated by Peterjon Creswell, a writer based in Budapest. 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.

No hace falta decir que Europa está llena de sitios increíbles. Pero muchos de estos sitios son también bastante obvios. Venecia, Ámsterdam, la costa amalfitana... sí, son impresionantes. Pero el problema es que todo el mundo quiere ir, lo que significa que muchas de las capitales europeas, hubs culturales y bonitos paisajes están llenos de turistas y con precios desorbitados. Algunos de estos destinos incluso han empezado a decir que quieren que los turistas no vayan. Pero para cada sitio abarrotado de visitantes, hay otros que pasan injustamente desapercibidos: lugares donde puedes pasarte horas sin ver a otro turista, o al menos alternativos a los tradicionales destinos de vacaciones. Así que esto es lo que sugerimos: este verano, evitaos romperos el cuello intentando ver la Mona Lisa. Ahorraos las colas del Vaticano, y viajad a algunos destinos menos conocidos del continente. Desde los Balcanes hasta el Báltico, desde el Atlántico hasta la costa Adriática, hemos reunido a escritores de viajes y expertos locales para descubrir las ciudades infravaloradas de Europa, las islas, regiones, playas, pueblos, lagos y todo de por medio. NO TE LO PIERDAS: Los 10 mejores destinos para viajar el 2023

It goes almost without saying that Europe is full of incredible places. But a lot of those places are also kind of obvious. Barcelona, Venice, Amsterdam, the Amalfi Coast… yes, they’re amazing. But the problem is that everyone and their mums want to go there, meaning many of the continent’s capitals, cultural hubs and beauty spots are majorly overcrowded and eye-wateringly expensive. Some of these major travel destinations have even started saying that they want tourists to stay away. But for every place that’s bursting at the seams with visitors, there are a host that are unfairly overlooked: places where you can spend hours and not see another tourist, or at least low-key alternatives to the regular holiday hotspots. So here’s what we’re suggesting: this summer, save yourself the neck crane trying to glimpse the Mona Lisa. Skip the Vatican queues. Step out of the Sagrada Família crowds – and travel to some of the continent’s lesser-known destinations. From the Balkans to the Baltics, from the North Atlantic sea to the Adriatic coast, we’ve tapped up seasoned travel writers and local experts to uncover Europe’s underrated cities, islands, regions, beaches, towns, lakes – and everything in between. Looking to venture outside of Europe? Read our guide to the most underrated destinations in the world. RECOMMENDED:🏰 The best city breaks in Europe💘 The most romantic places in the world🚞 The ultimate three-week Europe train itinerary

Think of Hungary, and you think of paprika, as fiery red as the top band of its national flag. Walk across Budapest, and it’s hard to miss it: pretty packets of paprika beam bright crimson from market stalls garlanded with strings of spicy peppers while vendors and regulars banter in a language whose roots lie in Asia. It feels a world away from Europe. And it sort of is. Paprika, like coffee, was brought here by the Ottomans in the 1600s. But it only rose from ornamental use to the dining table 200 years later, thanks to a flood, a canny entrepreneur and a Nobel Prize-winning scientist. But first, what is Hungarian paprika? Put simply, it’s the spice that results from grinding dried red peppers like the ones you see hanging in clusters across those market stalls and tourist shops. Hungarian paprika is generally not smoked like its Spanish counterpart, pimentón. It’s used both for flavouring and colouring, especially but not exclusively in traditional Hungarian dishes like goulash and spicy fish soup. Eight grades range from the standard, sweet édesnemes to the strong erős, touching on the aromatic (rózsa) and the mild (csipősmentes). Photograph: Shutterstock.comA paprika shop in Tihany, Hungary Hungary’s paprika trade has traditionally centred on two main hubs: Kalocsa and Szeged, both in the hot Hungarian south, towards Serbia. If you fancy a spicy day trip from Budapest, there’s a paprika museum in each. Kalocsa is smaller and trickier to reach from Budapest by public tr

Teletrabalho obrigatório. Escolas encerradas. E nós a pensar em viagens. Claro – vale tudo para não desanimar. E em 2022 não vão faltar razões para dar a volta ao mundo. Aberturas de museus impressionantes, exposições campeãs de likes nas redes sociais, peças de teatro imersivas, festivais de música e até um parque temático de Game of Thrones: todas são óptimas desculpas para apanhar um avião e conhecer uma nova cidade ou revisitar um sítio onde fomos felizes. Seleccionámos 22 destinos e coisas para descobrir em 2022, um género de bucket list do ano novo, em tom de esperança no que aí vem. Recomendado: Precisa de ajuda para cumprir as suas resoluções de ano novo? Aqui vai  

Rijeka is a city with internationally-recognised museums, galleries and collections. For the city's special European Capital of Culture 2020 year, each of the existing institutions alongside the main event organisers have pulled out all the stops in order to fill every space available with exhibitions to satisfy all. From past masters to contemporary art and everything in between, here are some of the best exhibitions of Rijeka European Capital of Culture 2020.RECOMMENDED: The best interactive and installation events of Rijeka European Capital of Culture 2020