The 2014 hot list: which destination has the most buzz?

Persepolis, Iran

Need a little holiday inspiration for the new year? We’ve scoured the weekend supplements to see what the top tips are for 2014. From brave new frontiers to hot beach destinations, there’s a good spread of new horizons to tackle. Not enough recommendations below? Then check out the Manchester Evening News’s list of the best places to take a selfie in 2014, which is either … [Read more...]

Placecrush: See where Noah’s Ark set sail

Mount Ararat

Mount Ararat is A 5km high-mountain located in eastern Turkey. It is supposedly the place where Noah’s Ark set sail. But although the mountain may be in Turkey, the best place to see it is just over the border in Armenia. Heck, the Armenians like it so much it’s on their flag. (Lenin gave the mountain away to Turkey as a gesture of goodwill, as one does.) Welcome to the Khor … [Read more...]

Placecrush: Stay in a Nazi holiday camp

Prora hostel

Want to get away to the beach, but also want to take in some history and architecture at the same time? Here’s an unexpected solution: Prora, on Rügen Island in Germany - a massive holiday camp built by the Nazis. It never saw use as a holiday camp, but it has now been reborn as a massive hostel. (Not the whole thing, mind; it’s three miles long and six stories … [Read more...]

Placecrush: Get lost in the Czech Republic’s Bohemian Forest

Sumava

We’ve had our curiosity piqued about the Czech Republic’s Bohemian Forests - near the German border, and known locally as Šumava - ever since seeing these astounding photos of the mist-covered landscape on Colossal last week. They’re part of the largest wooded area in Europe, with ancient forests and clear lakes as far as they eye can see (head for the hidden Black Lake for … [Read more...]

Placecrush: Get into the orbit of Poland’s Torun, Copernicus’s birthplace

Torun

There are vast tracts of central Europe where the only city architecture you see is post-war. Torun is one of the few cities in Poland where you can see medieval architecture so good it is classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Old Town that bears the UNESCO status was a trading town, giving a remarkable town hall to the area. There’s also the ruins of a 13th-century … [Read more...]

Placecrush: Head underground in Sarajevo

Sarajevo tunnel

To an outsider, the troubles in the Balkans are rapidly approaching that 20-year mark that makes serious historical events feel like they’re vanishing in the rear view window of history. Give yourself a reminder of what happened by visiting the Sarajevo Tunnel Museum, constructed in a house over the top of the tunnel. During the siege of Sarajevo in 1993, Bosnians who held … [Read more...]

Placecrush: Explore the wintry forests of Thuringia

Thuringia Forest

While Britain has spectacularly failed to shift up the season gear from autumn to winter, the massive forests of Thuringia in central eastern Germany provide a beautiful way to get into the wintry spirit (or toilet cleaner label spirit, depending on your disposition). The pine and beech trees are vast and dense, and the 1200-year-old Wartburg castle helps to complete the … [Read more...]

Five amazing European places to stay on Canopy and Stars

Milandes treehouse

We’ve already rounded up five of the best UK places to stay at treehouse/yurt/tent AirBnB-alike Canopy and Stars, but they also have loads of sites across Portugal, Spain and France. We’ve picked out five of the most interesting ones we’ve not been to – but hope to get to soon… Enter a castle treehouse near Bergerac Not one but three different treehouses that look ready … [Read more...]

Let’s all go to Reykjavik: Boat magazine heads north for issue six

Reykjavik shot from Boat mag

Indie travel magazine Boat has released a new video on the spirit on Reykjavik to herald its new issue on the city. Boat magazine dedicates each issue to a new city, setting up shop there to really get a feel for what's going on. This Icelandic issue shows there's more to the city's music culture than just Bjork, a photo series on strongmen, a meeting with a feminist … [Read more...]

Google Street View arrives in Venice

Venice Canal by Michael Bauer

Google has managed to add Venice to it's Street View service, despite the city having no real roads. The photo-mapping service which has seen cars roam city streets across the globe has managed to wind its way though the plethora of cobbled alleys and winding canals to picture the city thanks to a team of Google employees who walked the streets with a camera on their … [Read more...]