The best bank holiday days out

From seaside fun for kids to food and music festivals for grown ups, here are loads of ideas for making the most of the last bank holiday weekend of the year

The best of the UK’s national parks

To mark National Parks Week, we’ve rounded up the best ways to enjoy some of the country’s most celebrated landscapes, with expert’s tips, favourite campsites, activity guides – and our national parks picture quiz

Greek island holiday guide: Crete

Of all the Greek islands, Crete is one of the most distinctive and beautiful. Our holiday guide features great places to stay (from campsites to boutique hotels), the best tavernas and the island’s must sees

School summer holidays: the best days out in the UK

The school summer holidays are here – which means you've got at least 40 days to keep the kids entertained. For inspiration we’ve rounded up the best of our family days out and children’s attractions across the UK. Happy holidays!

Sweden’s wild west coast

You have to leave your car – and the real world – behind to explore Sweden’s beautiful rugged coast that runs north of Gothenburg

Let battle commence – the world’s biggest jousting tournament in Bavaria

Every July, a little corner of Bavaria in southern Germany turns its back on the hi-tech world and embraces the blood and thunder of medieval society at the world’s biggest jousting tournament in Kaltenberg. It’s ‘like stepping through the screen into Game of Thrones’, says Christine Madden. It’s ‘like stepping through the screen into Game of Thrones’, says Christine Madden