A guide to Munich, Germany's boisterous beer capital, beyond the bars

Berlin’s food scene is flourishing as never before. Over the past decade or so, partly thanks to relatively inexpensive rents and the city’s reputation for fostering creativity, local culinary entrepreneurs have been given platforms to experiment and grow, and chefs and restaurateurs have been drawn here from all over the world. Danish-born, Icelandic-trained chef Victoria Eliasdóttir is currently culinary director at vegetable-focused Dóttir; Vancouverite Dylan Watson-Brawn, chef and co-founder of Michelin-starred Ernst and its minimalist ‘little brother’, Julius, was named the top chef in Germany by Gault-Millau in 2022.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee added 42 sites to its World Heritage List this month, recognizing cultural and natural sites across the globe from Europe and Africa to the United States.

A pair of Lufthansa flights were forced to U-turn to avoid flying over Azerbaijan on Tuesday, as the country's military launched an assault on a breakaway region.

Rocco Forte Hotels have launched two urban art-themed tours which have been designed to immerse guests into the deep history of the world of graffiti and street art in Berlin and Munich. 

Madame Ziemowit the witch nods and scratches her beard as I flip a tarot card, revealing the chariot symbol. Picking the chariot seems fitting, as the turban-clad sorcerer and I are on a train, having just crossed the border from Germany into Poland. Multicoloured lightbulbs adorn carriage windows, framing a green-blue blur of fields and rivers. Next to us a toddler, sitting in a mini-library by the loo, draws squiggles on an Etch A Sketch. A jaunty brass fanfare plays through the carriage speakers.

One of the fruits of getting on a train is that it makes me want to chat. So instead of gazing at Kent as we proceed to Paris from London, I talk to my neighbour. Martha grew up in San Francisco, studied in Oregon, and puts syrup on everything. When we part ways on the concourse of Gare du Nord – she to lunch with a friend from Wisconsin, me to amble around before continuing towards Turkey – she says the best things about the US are Taylor Swift and meatloaf. It’s good to talk.

When Irene Ortega's new, shiny black Rimowa suitcase was lost on a Lufthansa flight, she spent more than $1,000 on flights and 14 hours on a plane in an attempt to track down her bag, she told Insider.

CDS Groupe, a hotel booking platform for business travel, is expanding into the German market through an acquisition. 

Shanghai is known for its forest of skyscrapers with the world’s third-largest megatower leading the charge. Travelers wary of heights will find a medley of things to do at ground level including the historic waterfront, trendy Xintiandi, and the ancient Yu Garden. In terms of where to stay in Shanghai, the city is a playground of high-rise luxury hotels with infinity pools, rooftop bars, and awesome skyline views. The best hotels in Shanghai, China, are near or within eyesight of The Bund.

The first written evidence of beer being brewed and consumed dates back as far as 4,000BC, with the ancient Sumerians believed to have developed the earliest known methods for creating the alcoholic drink. Its history and connection to human civilisation runs deep, and a number of today’s beers have their own remarkable heritage.

You’ll soon be able to fall asleep in Paris and wake up in Berlin thanks to the return of Austrian rail operator ÖBB’s night train service.

The Adirondacks is often known for its scenic beauty, enticing many visitors to this New York State region. The area has also been the subject of paintings, sculptures and other mediums, so much that a museum recently unveiled a new exhibit on its artistic inspiration.