Few places in Europe match Switzerland for scenery, and few match it for expense, so a good trip is less about seeing all of it and more about picking your version, the high Alps,...

A week in Spain can be Gaudi and tapas in Barcelona, Moorish palaces and free tapas in the south, world-class food in San Sebastian, or a quiet cove on the Costa Brava, and the...

Romania is not a country to rush through in three days. The distances are bigger than they look, the trains can be slow, and the best trips usually focus on one or two regions...

Albufeira is one of the Algarve’s easiest resort towns to book, but it is also one of the easiest to choose badly. The Old Town, The Strip, Oura, the marina, São Rafael and Galé...

In a week in Portugal you can stand in a Porto wine cellar, ride a tram through Lisbon and swim off a cliff-backed beach in the Algarve. For most first trips the best places...

Amsterdam is easy to visit and easy to get wrong. The centre looks compact, but the busiest areas can feel crowded fast. The museums need booking, cycling rules matter, and where you stay can...

Most visitors see Amsterdam and stop there, but the country is small and flat, the trains are fast and frequent, and you can be in a different city in half an hour, so a...

Verona is one of the easiest Italian cities to enjoy in a short trip. The centre is compact, the food is good, the river views are strong, and the main sights sit close enough...

Milan is often treated as a short stop before Venice, Florence, Rome or Lake Como. That can work, but it undersells the city. Milan has the Duomo, Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, strong museums,...

We use Cernobbio as our base on Lake Como, close to Como city but quieter and a lot grander. Cernobbio Lake Como is a small lakeside town about 10 minutes north-west of Como, best...