Packed with iconic museums and monuments, together with low-key treasures cherished by locals, Paris is a city that emanates "la belle vie" (the good life).
21.07.2023 - 08:29 / roughguides.com
Whether we dwell in city centre or suburb, we nearly all dream of escaping the humdrum and finding somewhere truly off the grid. As the world shrinks, more and more places that promise isolation find their offerings increasingly crowded. Here's five destinations, drawn from Rough Guides' Make The Most Of Your Time On Earth, that still deal in true escapism.
Remote, getaway holidays are the secrets of Croatian tourism. Usually week-long breaks on uninhabited islands, they are the ultimate escape in a country of insanely popular rivieras. The question is how isolated you get.
If isolation feels like exile choose the Kornati islands in central Dalmatia, where the neighbours are just beyond your bay. For true Robinson Crusoe types, however, there’s little in Europe that compares to Palagruža. Nowadays the only resident is a lighthouse keeper who lets two simple apartments to adventurers eager to experience Croatia’s most distant island, a nature reserve that is closer to Italy than the Croatian mainland 120km away.
With a week to explore an island you could circuit in an hour – rummaging through the Mediterranean scrub that fuzzes its rocky fin, peering over 90m cliffs – you can’t help but discover a golden beach. And what beaches, washed by the cleanest seas in the Mediterranean but without a sunbather in sight: the shock comes when you return to the real world.
Cottages in the Kornati National Park (www.kornati.info) sleep two to six and can be booked through UK agencies Croatia for Travellers (www.croatiafortravellers.co.uk).
The Empty Quarter is well named. Covering an area the size of Belgium, Holland and France combined, it is almost entirely devoid of life. With its constantly-changing colour, vast, ever-shifting dunes and eerie silence, it’s quite simply the most mesmerizing desert in the world. Once home to the fascinating Bedu, who regarded the dunes with reverence, the desert today hosts the Arabian oryx, endemic to the region and one of the most beautiful creatures on Earth, around two dozen species of plants and hundreds of species of insects.
Visiting the Empty Quarter requires serious preparation. With few if any useful maps, very little chance of meeting another human being, and extremely low chances of survival in the case of stranding, you need to travel well prepped and well equipped. Most visitors choose to join a tour run by any of several reputable local tour companies. Guides, tents and even camels can also be arranged.
Saudi Arabia is still one of the world’s most inaccessible kingdoms. Non-business visitors can visit as a group travelling with a recognized agency. See www.saudiembassy.net.
© Josef Hanus/Shutterstock
Stuck out in the Labrador Straits, the jagged knot of granite that is
Packed with iconic museums and monuments, together with low-key treasures cherished by locals, Paris is a city that emanates "la belle vie" (the good life).
Once limited to billionaires, celebrities and high-level politicians, private jet travel has recently become affordable for a good number of travelers who prefer to up their budgets for the convenience offered by flying private.
Western Europe’s most populous country doesn’t always spring to mind as a low-cost destination. However, in a place this big and diverse, there will always be a smarter way to spend your euros.
Jacob Keanik scanned his binoculars over the field of ice surrounding our sailboat. He was looking for the polar bear that had been stalking us for the past 24 hours, but all he could see was an undulating carpet of blue-green pack ice that stretched to the horizon. “Winter is coming,” he murmured. Jacob had never seen Game of Thrones and was unaware of the phrase’s reference to the show’s menacing hordes of ice zombies, but to us, the threat posed by this frozen horde was equally dire. Here in remote Pasley Bay, deep in the Canadian Arctic, winter would bring a relentless tide of boat-crushing ice. If we didn’t find a way out soon, it could trap us and destroy our vessel—and perhaps us too.
Maldives resorts offer an extraordinary experience in one of the world’s most exclusive destinations. Known for its pristine white sandy beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and vibrant coral reefs, the Maldives is home to many luxurious resorts, private villas, overwater bungalows, beachfront accommodations, and other secluded hideaways. Expect impeccable service, world-class dining, and a wealth of leisure activities, including snorkeling, diving, and spa treatments ensuring a memorable and indulgent stay on the archipelago.
Every journey starts with one small step, to paraphrase Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. But some journeys contain more steps than others.
For five days of the year each summer, the somewhat soulless exhibition centre in Earls Court is transformed into a giant pub (pictured above). Or at least that’s what it feels like. Gone are the trade stalls and suited delegates, replaced by an army of (mostly bearded) volunteers manning hundreds of kegs, dispensing beers few people have ever heard of to thousands of squiffy punters – a lot of whom are wearing traffic-cone hats or sombreros for no apparent reason.
Britain is a nation bursting with song. While this most musical of islands has nurtured numerous world-class singers and bands, it almost bursts with festivals and concerts all year round. Here's five favourite escapes for music fans. Add yours below.
From cricket at Lords to darts in Lakeside and boxing in London, here's ten of our favourite British sporting breaks. Share your own below.
If you're feeling tired of your local concert hall, or you fancy combining a trip with some world-class music, you may want to consider one of these truly memorable music holidays, from Rough Guides' Make The Most Of Your Time On Earth .
The Ridgeway really is as old as the hills — well, almost. For over 5000 years, travellers, farmers, soldiers and, more recently, cyclists have followed this 87-mile-long trackway (pictured above) between Avebury in Wiltshire and Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire — part of an ancient trading route that once stretched from the Dorset coast all the way to Norfolk. The chalky downland ridge that comprises the Ridgeway's western half is open to cyclists all year round, and provides a moderately challenging 42-mile ride.
Catching a religious event or gathering in another country can be an exhilerating experience. Here, from the pages of Make The Most Of Your Time On Earth , we present five spectacular declarations of faith from all over the globe.