Campaign trail: follow Napoleon’s progress across Europe

The ripples are deep gold in the sunset light as we paddle across Coniston Water towards Wild Cat Island. Officially known as Peel Island, this is where the children camp in Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons. The canoe glides between rocks into the hidden harbour with its pebbly beach, and we climb, excited as kids, up through bronze-leaved oaks and tall pines to explore the clifftop clearings.

The European Commission reveals the 2024 European Capital and Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism, recognising their outstanding achievements in accessibility, sustainability, digitalisation, and cultural heritage & creativity as exceptional tourism destinations.

Even during the height of winter ski season, you can still hear the rhythmic pop of a tennis ball hitting a racquet around Stanglwirt, a decades-old luxury resort in the Austrian Alps near the tony mountain town of Kitzbühel. While Stanglwirt is now known for its laundry list of world-class amenities (including a fantastic wellness program), tennis is in fact what put it on the map. Through tennis management firm Peter Burwash International, Stanglwirt expanded its entire tennis program in the 1970s and 1980s, including building more facilities to accommodate tennis camps—a novelty at the time.

Train travel has seen a surge in popularity with the growing emphasis on slow travel and making a holiday more sustainable. The latest government data on train travel shows that there was a 155% increase in passenger rail journeys last year. Furthermore, research shows that 64% of UK travellers are searching for green travel options, including choosing more environmentally friendly transport options and sustainable accommodation. VisitScotland’s new campaign encourages people to enjoy train travel by promoting a route that connects all of Scotland’s historic cities by train.

The European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN) has unveiled its shortlist for Europe’s best filming location of 2023. For the first time, a single country dominates the list.

The European cities with the largest pipelines at the close of the quarter are led by London with 79 projects/14,078 rooms and Istanbul, up 20% by projects YOY with a record 48 projects, accounting for 7,936 rooms. Next is Lisbon, with 37 projects/4,070 rooms, then Dublin with 34 projects and a record 6,492 rooms, and Dusseldorf with 30 projects/5,465 rooms.

The European Young Chef Award 2023 programme will conclude on 23 November with a visit to the Hauts-de-France region to discover the local gastronomy and producers, including Fromagerie des Freres Bernard in Wierre Effroy, and Brasserie des 2 Caps at the Ferme de Belle Dalle in Tardinghen.

Retiring abroad is a dream for many and often a shrewd decision as costs of living rise.

During a two-and-a-half-week backpacking trip across Europe last summer with two friends, Jess Braun was delighted and a little perplexed to discover upon touching down in Vienna, Austria, that her hostel was located inside an Ikea.

The Skift Travel Health Index: October 2023 Highlights report shows a slowing trend in global travel momentum as the index dipped 2 percentage points and stands at 103.

With Ridley Scott’s new cinematic epic Napoleon hitting theaters on Nov 22, there’s renewed interest in the French general and emperor, as well as an upswell in visitation to many of the places that are indelibly linked to his career as a military genius, government reformer and controversial ruler.

Ski season is starting early in some places as resorts across Europe have welcomed bumper snowfall.