Rome isn’t all ruins – check out its breathtaking contemporary art and design, too
The Forum and Colosseum have to be seen once, but after that the Eternal City has a never-ending wealth of modern art worth exploring
On the trail of a Celtic goddess: the Irish town celebrating St Brigid
Catholic saint? Pagan goddess? Mythical brewer? A break in Kildare sheds light on a woman now honoured with her own bank holiday on 1 February
On the menu for 2024 … 20 chefs and food writers pick their dream meals across Europe
From roast goat in Greece to rhubarb cake in Romania, we ask the experts where they’ll be going for their culinary fix this year
Where tourists seldom tread, part 7: five more British towns with secret histories
From Slough to Stockton-on-Tees, these provincial towns have been derided, mocked and caricatured. But there are so many reasons to visit places that are snubbed by the guidebooks
‘I didn’t expect to feel so moved’: readers’ favourite cultural trips in Europe
From antiquity in Spain to modern art in Denmark, via three Erics in Morecambe, our tipsters reveal the places that left them feeling inspired
I took my toddler to Algeria – and we were welcomed warmly everywhere
Our writer discovers ‘a young, exciting and proud nation’ – little known to western visitors – amid Roman ruins and remnants of war
A light in the dark – traditions to brighten winter’s darkness, from Greenland to Antarctica
There’s joy to be found in the darkest winter months, and people living in cold places use a variety of rituals to celebrate the lack of light – and its eventual return
Dresden – the city that saved my Christmas
The city’s Christmas markets and baroque architecture will revive even a flagging festive spirit, while its steampunk street art is an edgy pick-me-up
Walking Leicester’s new Richard III trail – 530 years in the making
A walk threading through the city follows in the footsteps of the Yorkist king vanquished in 1485, whose remains were found – beneath a car park – in 2012
Bravo Toulouse, the French city hitting all the right musical and culinary notes
This newly-crowned Unesco City of Music in south-west France has historic and innovative cultural venues, and superb regional cuisine to boot
Limerick: the not-so-gritty city is one of Ireland’s overlooked gems
This handsome city on the west coast has atmospheric waterside pubs, medieval architecture, and a passion for sport and the performing arts
Where tourists seldom tread, part 6: ‘ugly, lovely towns’ with stories to tell
Dungannon, Burnley, Barrow-in-Furness, Harlow and Merthyr Tydfil may not be quaint, but these robust centres have a poetry that’s all their own
‘People dance on tables’: welcome to Belgrade’s kafana pub culture
Serbia’s ‘tavernas’ are fusing traditional food and drink with new cuisines and rousing live music as they evolve to attract a younger crowd
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
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