Browsing: Europe

In a country packed with Alpine delights, four languages, and the world’s topmost producers of watches, sights are of an epic scale, but distances between them are short. Thus, against a backdrop of immense forested mountains, lush meadows, azure lakes, and cobalt-blue skies, I travelled across just a small part of the immaculate alpine passes and ravines and saw Switzerland as it’s meant to be seen – from the road driving a Porsche 911 Carrera …

Let’s get a few things straight. First off, Oxford University is not in London. Oxford is in Oxford, approximately 60 miles northwest of the United Kingdom’s capital city. Secondly, there is no “campus”; the University is comprised of over three dozen colleges and private halls which are spread across the aptly named “city of dreaming spires.” Finally, the University was conceived as an institution of higher learning—one of the world’s most prestigious, in fact—and …

Upon arriving in Lyon, France’s third-largest city and textile capital, it took me all of twenty minutes to figure out how French women maintain their slim figures.

They walk everywhere. And in a city like Lyon, where the topography rivals that of San Francisco, there’s nothing even remotely simple about a “simple stroll” through the boutiques of the Côte de Grande.

Fortunately, the city boasts a surprising number of alternatives—nine to be exact—thus proving that …

Istria lies on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. This region has actually belonged to a handful of other countries, including Italy and Yugoslavia, and has withstood the perils of war. The one thing that has never changed is the breathtaking views from Istria’s seaside cities. Those towns have now been modernized, but have retained their European charm and individual personalities.

Pula
If you thought all the Imperial Roman artifacts were in Rome, you’re wrong. From …

At Spain’s green northwest edge, the Miño River draws a natural line between Galicia and Portugal. Along this border, five small towns—Tui, A Guarda, O Rosal, Tomiño, and Oia—offer a compact route through medieval stone, Atlantic air, vineyard valleys, and Camino waymarks.

Some of my best memories of traveling by barge in France come from the simple act of stepping ashore. Alongside many of the French canals run towpaths, once used by horses—and sometimes people—who pulled cargo barges in the days before engines. Today, those same paths invite us to stretch our legs, pedal a bike or simply wander at our own pace, all while keeping company with the gentle rhythm of life on the canals.

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While travelers may dream of Florence’s galleries or Venice’s canals, those in search of something quieter—more intimate, more rooted—should set their sights northwest. Here, in the shadow of the Alps, the region of Piedmont unfolds like a secret worth sharing. Its name, meaning “foot of the mountains,” is more than geographical—it’s poetic. This is where the drama of jagged peaks meets the softness of vineyard hills, and where time seems to slow in step with …

Easily accessible from the capital of Brussels, Ghent has been Europe’s best-kept secret for many years. The second largest city in the Flanders region of Belgium, after Antwerp, it’s an enchanting and often overlooked destination. Situated on the confluence of the rivers Leie and Scheldt, Ghent is packed with fascinating architecture, scenic canals, chocolate shops, and bicycles. With a cosy vibe, it has a compact and walkable center, and all the main attractions are located …

Burgundy isn’t just a place – it’s a feeling, a flavour, and a memory in the making.

For travellers seeking a week where time slows to walking pace, European Waterways’ L’Impressionniste offers a six-night voyage through the heart of Burgundy’s wine country, gliding from Escommes to Fleurey-sur-Ouche along the tranquil Canal de Bourgogne. This intimate, all-inclusive river cruise pairs immersive cultural excursions with gourmet dining, creating a product travel professionals can confidently recommend to discerning …

From Bizet’s Carmen to Washington Irving’s Tales of the Alhambra, the lure of Spain’s Andalucía region has captivated travelers from around the world for centuries.  There is something captivating about the dry, arid region, where grandiose centuries-old cathedrals in Seville are surpassed in beauty only by the even older Islamic palaces.  Southern Spain, despite the seemingly relentless heat, has a romance to it, a mysterious exoticism that is difficult to experience anywhere else in …

Few passengers careening between tube stations know there is an underground city beneath London.

In the 19th century, digging deep-level underwater tunnels was hazardous. Numerous attempts to cross the Thames underground had failed, with many lives lost. Today, the East London Line uses Brunel’s Thames Tunnel, being the first successful under-Thames crossing.

When steam traction was exchanged for electricity, deeper tunnels could be dug using compressed air and a large circular drilling shield, which was …

Scenically situated on the banks of the Danube, the Hungarian capital of Budapest had been on my hit list for a while. Although its popularity has soared over the last few years, the city still receives only a fraction of the visitors that heavyweights such as London, Paris, and Rome do. Yet, Budapest has some particularly unique attractions. Where else could you indulge in delicious chimney cake in the morning, luxuriate in hot springs in …

A chill north wind blows across a landscape, stark but beautiful at the same time. But a peat fire is always nearby in some stone cottage with a thatched roof, where both the occupants and the ambiance are warm (and so, sometimes, is the beer; this is Britain, after all!). The sounds of the breeze are occasionally broken by the “baaah-ing” of a group of sheep.

The landscape rises and drops sharply in steep hills …