‘Unable to tell morning from afternoon, I felt my sense of time opening up’: a (mostly dark) winter break in magical Swedish Lapland

With just a few short hours of daylight, the usual boundaries marking time fall away in Abisko, one of the most reliable places to see the northern lights

It’s snow time: the best winter activity holidays in Europe for non-skiers

From husky sledding and chasing the northern lights in Lapland to bear-spotting in Transylvania, here’s our pick of wild and magical snowy breaks in Europe

10 spine-chilling places to visit in Britain for Halloween

Ghostly shipwrecks, an abandoned nuclear bunker, a haunted folly … we dare you to visit these weird and ghoulishly eerie sites

‘Expect goosebumps!’: to celebrate Halloween, readers choose the spookiest places in the UK

From a ghostly hill fort on the South Downs to a haunted farmhouse in remote Northern Ireland, you guide us to some frightfully scary places

Behind the scenes at the scream park: fear, fainting, clowns – and ‘code brown’

At Norfolk’s ‘premier scare attraction’ there are ghouls, chainsaws, satanic cults and a haunted hospital. But what goes on behind the scenes?

‘Looming stone towers like Maya temples’: a hike through Snowdonia’s slate country

A new trail in the national park traces the legacy of Welsh industry, while offering some of the UK’s finest riverside and mountain walks

Passengers stranded in Cambodia after cruise halted due to high fuel costs

The luxury MV Odyssey ship slated for a years-long voyage around the world suspends operations amid high fuel prices

Cycling in the wild heart of the Netherlands: an autumnal break in the Veluwe

The untamed, magical landscape takes in a vast national park, palatial houses and a sculpture garden and museum stuffed with Van Goghs – all easily accessible by bike

‘The view from the Mournes was CS Lewis’s idea of Narnia’: how Northern Ireland inspired a magical kingdom

Ahead of Netflix’s Chronicles of Narnia dropping early next year, we discover the fantastical landscapes that fired the Belfast-born author’s imagination

Airport lounges: how did they get so horribly, competitively decadent?

High-end cocktails, nap pods, waffle stations, tapas attendants, sashimi bars and brutalist art. The airlines’ battle to please the 1% is getting increasingly bizarre

Tell us about an escape or adventure in the wilds of Scotland

Share a tip on your favourite trip to Scotland’s wilder regions – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break

‘Meet my new après buddies!’: a joyous group skiing trip in Les Deux Alpes, France

One large ski chalet in the French Alps and 17 strangers. An organised trip for solo travellers is a leap into the unknown

Carving out a greener future: how the Swiss ski resort of Laax is meeting the climate crisis head on

Gondolas on demand, electric piste-grooming and chemical-free snow cannons – how Laax is ‘greenstyling’ its future

Fast track to the slopes: 12 European ski resorts by train – in less time than you may think

For skiers looking to reduce their carbon footprint, rail travel from the UK to the Alps has never been quicker or easier. Here’s how to get there

‘The run ends in the centre of this beautiful village’: readers’ favourite small ski resorts in Europe

From cosy Alpine villages to queue-free skiing, you tell us where to head to avoid the crowds