Have a stately Christmas: 10 historic houses and gardens to get the festive party started

Scrooge, Santa, polar bears, gingerbread and light shows are among this year’s seasonal family delights at castles, palaces and Palladian piles throughout the UK

Tell us about a great Scandinavian winter holiday

Share a tip on a fabulous Scandi winter break for the chance win £200 towards a Coolstays break

We skied three countries in one day: a backcountry tour of the Balkans

Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro converge in the Accursed Mountains, offering skiing days where you see more countries than you do other skiers

Six of the best winter mountain breaks in Europe

From the Arctic Circle to Slovenia’s Julian Alps, we pick scenic and soothing retreats to don snowshoes, ski empty pistes and tune into winter

From Arctic sunrises to snow sports: readers’ favourite European winter getaways

Whether you’re into proper winter adventures, such as snorkelling in Iceland, or just a bit of après-ski, our readers’ tips include something for everyone

The road from Wigan: a walk along Greater Manchester’s new 200-mile green trail

The GM Ringway is an extraordinary new circular route that takes in industrial heritage, countryside, towpaths and hills. Here’s how one 10-mile section shapes up …

‘Majestic brightness’: Warsaw’s Museum of Modern Art finds a new permanent home

After decades of nomadic existence, the Polish capital’s art temple is open for permanent business in an inspirational, light-filled new building

A car-free trip around Aberdeenshire: I saw natural beauty I thought was out of reach

The city and its stunning setting on Scotland’s north-east coast are surprisingly easy to explore by rail, bus and on foot

Tell us about your favourite remote place in Europe

Share your tip on a wild and remote spot for the chance to win a £200 Coolstays holiday voucher

My rail journey to Naples and Pompeii to chase the last rays of sun

A trip from the UK in search of late-season sun leads to fresh discoveries in Pompeii as well bonus trips to Procida and Paestum

Venice without the crowds: the inside story by Tracy Chevalier

The bestselling novelist reveals her secret tips to enjoy Venice as you always hoped you could

Exploring the Silk Roads: 10 stunning sites in 10 countries from Turkey to China

There are extraordinary places to see and adventures to be had along the strands of the ancient Asian trade route

On the Silk Roads: adventure and historical riches in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

A new British Museum exhibition gives a taste of the rich cultures along these ancient routes, but a trip to central Asia offers much more – stunning architecture, moreish food and wild trekking

‘I stood on the sunny hilltop imagining I was a Roman’: readers’ favourite ancient sites in Europe

Celtic coins in Jersey, vast Neolithic structures in Spain and France, and a Roman bath or two feature in our tipsters’ picks from antiquity and beyond

Stargazing on the Isle of Rum, Scotland’s first dark sky sanctuary

Thanks to the near nonexistent light pollution, the Hebridean island has been officially recognised as one of the best night skies in the world