Culture holidays
Opinion
Tips & advice
Here’s why I hate using Google Maps when I’m travelling
I ignore hectoring instructions and commanding blue lines and choose my own route based not on efficiency, but pleasure.
- by Brian Johnston
Opinion
Europe
Snooping in famous dead people’s homes is one of my favourite things to do
I’d much rather visit a place that was a real home, one that has its living history preserved. That’s why snooping in famous dead people’s homes is one of my favourite things to do.
- by Lee Tulloch
Seven magical things you’ll discover at Spain’s astonishing Alhambra
This sprawling palace complex is one of Europe’s most visited monuments, but you can escape the tour groups and see its more tranquil side.
- by Brian Johnston
How a gigantic, mechanical elephant help revitalise a struggling city
It is enormous at 18 metres tall and 48 tonnes, with dozens of human passengers riding on its head, shoulders and flanks.
- by Nick Place
Palm Springs’ celebrity homes are a feast of desert drama
A record 105,000 visitors attended the annual Palm Springs Modernism Week in 2023, glimpsing the mid-century estates of Sintra, Elvis and DiCaprio and more.
- by Louise Goldsbury
Your favourite costly perfumes will make sense after a visit to this farm
After a tour of Jurlique’s gorgeous sustainable farm in the Adelaide Hills, it isn’t difficult to appreciate why natural fragrances are so expensive.
- by Lee Tulloch
This grand, 800-year-old hotel overlooks one of the most beautiful cities in France
With so many centuries of history seeped into its walls, it’s practically a portal to the Middle Ages.
- by Kristie Kellahan
‘I was almost brought to tears’: Navigating Tokyo’s hugely popular tourist attraction
Part museum, part art installation and part amusement park – as one of Tokyo’s most popular attractions, it pays to know before you go to teamLab Planets.
- by Barry Divola
The summer dance festival in Japan revellers won’t want to miss
In Shikoku, Awa Odori attracts around 1.3 million people, creating a carnival-like atmosphere at what is now one of the largest summer festivals in Japan.
- by Julietta Jameson
Opinion
Opinion
It might be a crock, but this is one of the most fun things I do on holiday
Fortune-telling is a worldwide pastime, and it has also been used by scammers over thousands of years to separate people from their wallets.
- by Lee Tulloch