Lonely Planet Destination Editor Amy Lynch traveled to Tampere, Finland – the sauna capital of the world – to discover what lies behind the Finnish passion for saunas. Here, she shares some tips and insights for anyone planning a similar trip.
29.04.2024 - 11:23 / theguardian.com
Croatia’s fabulous mishmash of cultures – from ancient Greeks to Romans, Venetians, Austrians, Hungarians and Italians – has left a rich legacy all around the country. You’ll see it in the Venetian architecture of Rovinj, Korčula, Dubrovnik and Hvar, the Habsburg townhouses of Zagreb and Opatija, and the ancient Roman ruins of Istria and Dalmatia. You’ll taste it in the delicious cuisine where the Adriatic and central Europe meet and mingle.
You’ll hear it when top-flight performers bring their magic to the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, the Split Summer Festival and the baroque music festivals of Korčula and Varaždin. Sultry Dalmatian summer nights echo to the sound of polyphonic klapa singers whose a cappella music makes the skin tingle. The klapa festival in the beautiful Dalmatian coastal town of Omiš every July is one of the summer’s unmissable events.
Croatia’s 10 Unesco world heritage sites – eight of which are cultural ones – give you a tantalising taste of the country’s heritage. Dubrovnik is the biggest draw, its pedestrianised old town a warren of marble alleyways, Renaissance and baroque palaces, and 14th-century monasteries – all ringed by magnificent medieval and Renaissance walls. Game of Thrones fans will immediately clock a few of the series’ locations – the Minčeta Tower on the city walls, the hulking 15th-century Fort Lovrijenac just outside the fortifications (where Shakespeare plays take place in the summer) and the broad sweep of the Jesuit Stairs, where the famous walk of shame scene took place in the series.
The elegant stone atrium of the 15th-century Rector’s Palace doubles as an atmospheric setting for classical concerts. Get a crash course in Dubrovnik’s past by visiting the Cultural History Museum. Just outside the walls is Lazareti, built in the 14th century as quarantine quarters but now the city’s cultural hub where you can watch folklore performances from the Linđo Folklore Ensemble.
Dubrovnik hosts spectacular festivals – starting off the year with a celebration of its patron saint in February’s Festival of St Blaise with processions, parades and feasting on the wonderfully rich and meaty šporki makaruli pasta. That gets everyone in the mood for the lively pre-Lent carnival later in the month. Once harvest season comes round, the Good Food Festival takes over Dubrovnik’s main thoroughfare, Stradun, in October with communal lunches and chefs’ workshops. One delicacy you won’t want to miss is the delicately sweet Ston oysters, which come from the village of Mali Ston on the nearby Pelješac peninsula.
Croatia’s second-largest city, Split, has one of the more unusual Roman relics, Diocletian’s Palace, built around the 3rd century AD and whose Unesco-listed ruins were
Lonely Planet Destination Editor Amy Lynch traveled to Tampere, Finland – the sauna capital of the world – to discover what lies behind the Finnish passion for saunas. Here, she shares some tips and insights for anyone planning a similar trip.
Belfast did not have the best of starts to 2024. Never mind the mass public sector strikes, the not-unrelated fact of Northern Ireland being without a functioning government (the government returned, the strikes were settled, or suspended … for now), at the end of January, one of the city’s most respected – revered – publicans, Pedro Donald, who over the years had brought us the John Hewitt, La Boca, the Sunflower and the American Bar, announced that he was leaving for Amsterdam. There may not be bombs and bullets any more, he said, but Belfast was “a dump and derelict”. Indeed, apart from a few good years between the Good Friday agreement and the financial crash, the city was in many ways no further on than when he started in the trade in 1984.
A mind-boggling glimpse into layers upon layers of Earth’s planetary past, Canyonlands National Park is Utah's largest – and least visited – national park, even though part of it sits a short distance away from Arches National Park, a 40-minute drive from the town of Moab.
The first time is a point, the second time is a line, and by the third time it’s a pattern. Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience (HWFE) is back on Thursday, May 16 for a 4-day celebration. It’s here in Sonoma County, amidst the clinking of wine glasses and laid back luxury that first-time visitors will question why they didn’t find this place and event sooner. Having had the distinct pleasure of attending this Healdsburg wine and food event since its inception, I've witnessed its evolution firsthand. From its humble beginnings to its current status as a must-visit for any serious food and wine aficionado, each year has built upon the last, refining and expanding the experience in ways both subtle and significant.
Imagine Austria and your mind might well drift to the lavish palaces and coffeehouses of Vienna, the snow-white peaks of the Tyrolean Alps, the river romance of the Danube and Mozart symphonies ringing out in the baroque concert halls of Salzburg.
JetBlue is doubling down on Puerto Rico, slashing service from New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA), scaling back its winter Europe offerings, and deploying more of its Mint-equipped jets throughout North America.
Stargazing, seals and sandbanks in MandøDenmark’s wilderness zones and sparsely populated isles have long been havens for nature lovers and stargazers. Mandø, on the south-west coast of Jutland, is the most recent addition to the country’s four Dark Sky Parks. A small island in the Wadden Sea National Park, Mandø is most easily accessed at low tide via tractor bus over the causeway from the mainland – adding to the adventure and reducing the chances of latecomers’ annoying car headlights ruining your night vision. By day, you’ll likely want to visit the lovingly preserved, thatched and white-walled Mandø House museum (an early 19th-century shipmaster’s home), not to mention the island’s landmark windmill and church. Observe thriving seal and migratory bird species on a bike ride around the marshes and sandbanks.
There's a reason 75 million people visit Orlando annually, and it isn't just the mouse. Don't get us wrong. Disney World is incredible and deserves a place on any theme park lover’s bucket list, but Orlando is so much more than its theme parks. It’s an ever-evolving city with vibrant parks, public art and award-winning restaurants. And that’s before you get to amazing day trips to the Kennedy Space Center or New Smyrna Beach.
Art in hotels, both to admire and to purchase, has become a strong focus in recent years. The Fife Arms in the Scottish Highlands has an impressive art collection including a giant Louise Bourgeois spider in the courtyard, 45 Park Lane in London has regularly changing exhibitions and art tours, Claridges has its own gallery with regularly changing shows, while La Residencia in Mallorca, Spain has 33 original pieces on display by Joan Miró. The luxurious Hotel Savoy, in Florence, is another hotel that takes art seriously by creating suites for artists to stay in and through hosting regular exhibitions in its public spaces.
The Netherlands is a treasure chest of exquisite art-filled cities and towns, canals, windmills and tulip fields, along with shiny-new sustainable urban environments, and glorious natural landscapes, coastlines and islands. While it’s one of Europe’s smaller nations (you can cross the entire country in a handful of hours), choosing where to spend your time takes planning.
Thwack! My knee slams into the boxing pad my coach, Win, is holding up. “Power!” Win yells. “More power!” Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! My kneecap feels like it’s about to explode. Sweat dribbles off my nose and onto the mat, little raindrops of exertion. “Harder!” he says. “Stronger! You can do it!”
Last month, the 2024 Priority Pass Excellence Awards revealed the best-rated lounges in the world. It crowned the excellent Vienna Lounge in Terminal 1 at Vienna Airport (VIE) as the overall winner.