The alt city guide to Manchester
Beyond the shiny, high-profile regeneration projects, independent, left-field Manchester is still thriving, as our guide to its vibrant bars, restaurants, music venues and creative arts scene proves
Albania’s bunker museums cast new light on a dark history
Bunkers from the postwar Hoxha era still litter Albania’s landscape and, in the capital Tirana, are being opened to the public as the country explores its communist past
10 of Europe’s oddest attractions and events
Get tropical in Germany, wander through a miniature Portugal, in Portugal, and sniff around Sweden’s Nose Academy … Guardian writers choose their favourite weird attractions across mainland Europe
Gomorrah director Matteo Garrone on how Italy inspired his new film
The Italian director used fairytale locations in Puglia, Sicily and Lazio to give Tale of Tales atmosphere and magic
10 of the best new travel books
There’s nothing like quality travel writing to transport a reader into distant realms. We pick entertaining, inspiring and challenging books that offer a different kind of journey
Peru’s ayahuasca industry booms as westerners search for alternative healing
Every year, thousands of tourists head to the Peruvian Amazon to take the plant medicine ayahuasca. But what does the powerful drink actually do, and what do local shamans think of the rise in its popularity?
Georgia on his mind: Chris Morgan Jones’s Tbilisi highlights
The Georgian capital, the setting for the author’s latest spy novel, is ‘like a European city that grew up in a slightly different universe’
Top 10 alternative music venues in Barcelona
Visitors to giant festivals Primavera Sound and Sonar this June should also check out the Catalan capital’s smaller live venues, which are bursting with energy and great music
Memories as a geisha: makeover fun at Studio Geisha Cafe, Tokyo
Transforming into geisha for a photoshoot, the Nomadic Boys’ makeover at Tokyo’s Studio Geisha Cafe was one of tradition, style and reverence
Roman roaming: a tour of Italy’s Pontine Islands
Maldives? Seychelles? No, grazie. When Romans need a break they sail to the Pontine archipelago, a cluster of former prison islands packed with history and surrounded by pristine blue water
‘In Peru, I was confronted by ancient instruments that people still play’
It’s not often you get to knock out a tune on a dead donkey’s jaw. Music producer Mala, of dubstep crew DMZ, skips the pan pipes to discover Peru’s ancient musical roots
What a performance: soaking up culture and sunshine at Stockholm’s oldest private theatre
Off the tourist track, the historic Södra Teatern, with its magnificent open-air terrace, keeps the locals entertained on balmy summer evenings
Holidays in Tuscany: readers’ travel tips
Besides Florence, Siena and San Gimignano, this beautiful region has many untrodden corners and family-run places to eat and stay. Readers pick their favourites
Top 10 Soviet-era experiences in St Petersburg
It’s 25 years since the USSR imploded but in St Petersburg there are still plenty of places to experience the highs and lows of the communist era, some of which are looked upon nostalgically by Russians
Havana rising: the millennials pushing Cuba forward
Forget trying to see Cuba before it changes: the change is going on right now