6 Of The Best London Painting Exhibitions To See In Winter 2024

Swimming coach Emma MacDonald set up Wild Hebridean Swimming in 2022 after moving back to Mull. The company offers holidays for open water swimmers, but also retreats for those who can only tread water or do a bit of doggy paddle. These involve short dips in the clear waters of the Inner Hebrides, where there are seals, underwater kelp forests and waterfalls. Longer swims can be arranged on request. The programme also includes a guided walk on Iona, the burial place of 48 Scottish kings including Macbeth. Guests stay at Achaban House, which has woodburners and a wood-fired hot tub, where there is a choice of activities, including yoga and massage. From £895 including all meals and wine, next retreat 8-11 March, wildhebrideanswimming.com

Maybe it’s the nation’s glut of centuries-old cellars and tunnels. Or perhaps it’s the world-class bar scene, which led the way with speakeasy-style drinking dens when they were trending a few years back. Either way, the UK today is full of quirky places to say ‘cheers’ at a subterranean level. Whether your preferred tipple is wine, beer, whisky or a mixologist-crafted cocktail, these celebrated bars from London to Edinburgh will serve it to you amid atmospheric underground vibes.

February half-term is usually a near-guaranteed time for ski lovers to find snow in Europe - but it may be significantly harder this year.

By the time I finished high school, I had already visited well over a dozen countries.

Life in Maastricht and our province of Limburg is sweet: our local specialities are proof. Two dishes stand out: limburgse vlaai is a delicious pastry with a sweet filling. There are lots of flavours, but the best is rijstevlaai, made with a rich rice-pudding centre. You won’t find that anywhere else in the Netherlands.

If you are an English speaker planning to move to Europe in 2024, you might want to find a country where you’re likely to be understood from the get-go.

Michael Bonsor introduces the Chancery Rosewood, due to open in 2025 in Grosvenor Square in the building that was formerly the U,S. Embassy in London. Bonsor, whose career incorporated the Four Seasons and Claridge’s spent 10 years at the Rosewood London as its General Manager.

It’s been more than two weeks since Northern Europe plunged into a deep freeze, with temperatures below zero. The result is magic for skiers and boarders: The most popular ski resorts are finally enjoying great snow in what’s already considered one of the best ski seasons in years.

Mark your calendars: On April 8, 2024, a rare total solar eclipse will cut a path across the continent beginning with Mexico, passing through the US, and exiting through Canada. The line of totality for this celestial phenomenon will cross through 13 US states with some areas seeing a maximum totality of over four minutes (including Bloomington, Indiana, and Mesquite, Texas). So, there are plenty of chances to observe the eclipse as it arches from Texas to Maine, hitting Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire on the way.

From air traffic control strikes to extreme weather, last year saw millions of passengers face flight delays across Europe.

Bern has been rated the most liveable city in Europe again, according to one expert ranking.

If you're ever wondering aloud where the hottest mid-winter celebrations take place, those in-the-know might quietly respond, “St. Barts.” The island's luxe air of mystery and remoteness are part of what makes it a seasonal staple for jet setters and superyachts as they follow the sun to the Caribbean in winter. The festivities rage on until the St. Barths Bucket Regatta in mid-March, but what most visitors don’t realize is that the island is practically a year-round one, since the only time hotels typically shut is at the height of hurricane season (late summer).