Travel in city Old

Among the Gothic churches and scenic squares of Palma’s Old Town, one of the city’s oldest buildings has been transformed into Nobis Hotel Palma, the latest addition to Nobis Hospitality Group’s five-star portfolio, Nobis Hotels, joining locations in Stockholm and Copenhagen.

Beyond Epoka’s grand, neo-Renaissance facade, a theatre-inspired interior welcomes diners. And the show begins swiftly. Within minutes of entering the landmark restaurant that overlooks Warsaw’s elegant Ogród Saski (Saxon Garden), I’m enjoying the pleasant bitterness of a cynar negroni and admiring plush velvet booths in shades of blue and green. Chef Marcin Przybysz approaches my cosy seating, accompanied by a giant bowl overflowing with fresh produce. He shows me some garden-fresh lettuce, a piece of wasabi root and honey so local it comes from beehives on the roof of the building. 

Nowhere is perfect, but let’s face it, Switzerland gets pretty darned close. 

There's been a lot of hype about artificial-intelligence chatbot ChatGPT and how it can make tasks easier — and I wondered if that usefulness could extend to planning trips.

Ringed by the waters of the Baltic, the Kattegat and the Øresund, Malmö is Sweden’s third-largest city. Originally part of Denmark, it became Swedish in 1658. Today, you get the sense that the southern port city is thumbing its nose at both Copenhagen and Stockholm by remaining far cheaper to live in than either capital — and in doing so, it’s attracted a crowd of dedicated creatives unafraid of experimentation.

Tbilisi is a city of contradictions, where Soviet-era feats of concrete, Silk Road caravanserais and decadent European-style mansions sit cheek by jowl. Moulded by invaders for much of its history, Tbilisi’s skyline can be read like a book, each city block a catalogue of its trials and triumphs.

Alpine Italy lights up for the Christmas season with some of the best Christmas Markets on offer in Europe, combining Mediterranean flavours and German traditions, festive food and wine, gift ideas, decorations, and local handicraft. Here is a selection listed by each region. ALTO ADIGE (South Tyrol/ Süd Tirol)

Crowned with an impressive royal castle and dotted with church spires and world-class museums, Kraków combines the historic with the cosmopolitan.

Camels in AlUla Photo Credit: Saudi Tourism Authority

Some of the best places to visit in Scotland will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s ever gazed at a whisky label or shortbread tin. Think dramatic peaks, lonely glens, lochs, tartan and haggis!

The holiday season is almost upon us. Soon, the TV screen will be swamped with festive ads, the radio will be jingling with holiday tunes and presents will be wrapped.

In our 5 Shops series, we’ll point you in the direction of our favorite independent shops across some of the world's best cities. From food markets and bookshops to vintage and homegrown design stores, we’ve found a diverse and exciting mix of local retailers where you can pick up one-of-a-kind pieces.

This is the view from the peak of Mount Srđ at dusk, looking out across the Old Town and harbour of Dubrovnik. The city’s historical core has remained virtually untouched since it was completed in the 13th century, and I was keen to convey its distinctly ethereal atmosphere. Looking to capture the magic of the walled city, I chose to shoot the view as the streetlamps in the Old Town were flickering into life.

Tallinn is a stunning metropolis set beside the Gulf of Finland. Its Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing medieval facades and fortifications that have remained largely unchanged since the 13th century. Its modern bonafides are almost equally as impressive. Beginning with the birth of Skype here back in 2005, the area has built up a reputation as the “Silicon Valley of Europe.” All the delicious hallmarks of hip contemporary society have crept in alongside it: a craft brewing boom, Michelin-caliber gastronomy, cocktail bars.

There are some cafés with such great names, you just have to eat there. So, in spite of grey, drizzly skies and a stiff breeze, we head to Goat Ledge in St Leonards – set on the seafront with tables on the shingle – for breakfast. One of the town’s new breed of hip cafés and eateries, Goat Ledge is a brightly painted beach shack, with bookable huts for dinners of freshly caught fish or crab-loaded fries, and lip-smacking breakfast baps, washed down with Coldblow coffee, hand-roasted just over the border in Kent.

For the first time in a decade, I went away without my husband.

Nestled in a picturesque valley surrounded by rolling hills, Ljubljana is often described as one of Europe's best-kept secrets. Ljubljana's small size and pedestrian-friendly layout make it a city that's easy to explore on foot or by bicycle. No cars are allowed in the center of town after 10 am every day. There’s plenty to do in town and its central location allows for lovely day trips to nearby lakes and national parks. No trip to Slovenia would be complete without a visit to the picturesque Lake Bled, the former summer playground of the infamous dictator Tito. Today, it’s a popular vacation spot for Slovenians and tourists, less than an hour from Ljubljana.

In the 1790s, what had been the small fishing port of Hastings in East Sussex blossomed into a popular seaside resort and today it’s one of England’s favorite coastal towns. With its pebbly beach and black wooden fishing huts, the imposing castle on the cliffs and a charming cobblestoned old town, Hastings offers a mix of old-world allure and modern experiences and it’s a town of surprises. Hastings is the birthplace of television. TV’s inventor, John Logie Baird, conducted experiments in his lodgings on Queen Street, which resulted in the world’s first television in 1925. The shingle beach, the Stade, is home to Europe's largest fleet of beach-launched fishing boats with the freshest seafood on sale daily from small huts.

October is one of my favorite months in New York City. Here, you get a mix of chilly fall days and unexpectedly warm temperatures, plus the leaves change into vibrant hues of orange, yellow and red. With many schools on fall break, there are plenty of tourists in town checking out that delightful Central Park foliage (and staying at the best hotels in the area) and, for me, it's one last chance to hold onto the city before it really gets cold.

Ecuador, a country known primarily for The Galapagos, has so much more to show off: the Andes, the Amazon, indigenous cultures, cuisine and traditions, rapids and waterfalls and birds and monkeys, and in Quito , the most well-preserved Spanish city in the world.

I've lived in Philadelphia my whole life, so I've watched plenty of tourists come and go.