Winter wonderlands: 10 family activity days and adventures in the UK
Walking with snowmen, skating with penguins… get festive with our top 10 days out for children
Feel the heat: the Northern Irish beach that’s embracing Scandinavian sauna culture
The Finnish-style Hotbox is making waves on Benone Strand but Ireland has its own tradition of therapeutic ‘sweathouses’. Plus six more stylish beach saunas, from Shetland to Sussex
Smoke, sweat and tears: my initiation into Estonia’s sauna sisterhood
A powerful documentary about the Baltic state’s sauna tradition has proved a surprise hit. But what’s it like for an outsider to join this sacred and intimate space?
‘It was so exhilarating’: readers’ favourite spas and saunas in Europe
Sauna shacks on beaches and lavish spas in luxuriant grounds are among our tipsters’ pick of places to unwind, everywhere from Albania to the Irish Sea
Campaign trail: follow Napoleon’s progress across Europe
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon biopic is released next week, but from birthplace to battlefields you can still follow in Bonaparte’s mighty footsteps
Tell us about a scenic winter train journey in Europe – you could win a holiday voucher
Share a tip about your favourite rail trip – the best one wins £200 towards a Coolstays break
Steam and sparkle: six of the best Christmas railway journeys in the UK
From Santa Specials for excited children to a luxury Yuletide Evening Express for the grownups, these colourful trips will get you into the festive spirit
Merseyside’s towpath to the past: a 20-mile walk along the Industrial Revolution’s first canal
Giant relics from previous centuries, a restoration effort and our writer’s childhood memories loom large on this hike along Britain’s first modern canal
The ultimate haute cuisine: outdoor cooking on the Lake District’s fells
Harrison Ward, better known as Fell Foodie, began cooking elaborate meals on mountain summits as a way to improve his mental health. Now he’s sharing his recipes in a cookbook
‘A delirious deco dream’: former TB sanatorium is now Finland’s most unusual holiday let
For a limited period, architecture lovers can spend the night in a modernist masterpiece designed by Alvar Aalto
Paris for art lovers
New must-see exhibitions and canalside boutiques and indie stores make the French capital the perfect place for an autumn getaway
A two-hour walking tour with ChatGPT: ‘I’d not suggest that to my worst enemy’
The AI app has been praised and panned for its itinerary planning abilities. In Sydney, the city she knows best, travel writer Kate Hennessy puts it to the test
How I learned to make and sleep in a Swedish snowhole – at minus 30C
Kevin Rushby saw a way to fulfil his childhood dream with an adventure company in Sweden – but could he ski into the snowy wilderness on a twisted ankle?
From stargazing to a festival of fire: five activities to light up the UK’s dark winter months
Travel and wildlife writers share their favourite places to revel in the dark of winter
Booking.com to compensate some hotels over delayed payments but others miss out
Travel website apologises to partners left out of pocket, but those told they do not qualify for compensation say it adds insult to injury