Just as sports obsessives will travel to Paris this summer for the Olympics, pop music lovers with a penchant for camp will travel to Malmö for the Eurovision Song Contest.
23.04.2024 - 08:32 / lonelyplanet.com
With its compact size and abundance of architectural landmarks, navigating Florence is hardly a challenge.
Yes, getting lost in the narrow streets that branch out from the open squares does happen, but it’s usually only a matter of minutes before you find yourself in front of a world-renowned monument that reminds you where you are.
The UNESCO-listed centro storico, the heart of the Renaissance city, stretches for about 5 sq km (1.9 sq miles) on both sides of the Arno River and while the list of cultural sights is seemingly endless, there is no better way to explore than walking. A good pair of sneakers might be the only essential item to pack.
In case you are planning to go further afield, an expanding network of tram lines allows you to get out of the inner city and the conveniently located Santa Maria Novella railway station links you to a great number of cities in Tuscany and the whole of Italy through regional and high-speed trains departing daily.
Heading out on a day trip from Florence? Here are our favorites
More often than not, walking is not just the best way of getting from A to B, but also the only way to do so. Many of the inner streets are reserved for pedestrians during the day and, even when other options are available, crowds can make moving on wheels difficult.
It doesn’t really matter where in the city center you decide to book your accommodation – all major sights will be within walking distance from any of the central neighborhoods. Most of the inner city is flat, with the exception of the areas of the Oltrarno that rise from San Niccolò. Climbing up the San Miniato hill to reach Piazzale Michelangelo and then the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte may break a sweat, but you’ll be rewarded by views that are hard to beat.
Florence has no subway system, but it does have a modern tram network that links the city center with the airport and the neighborhoods outside of the historic center. If you’re flying to or from Florence’s Amerigo Vespucci Airport there is no need to take an expensive taxi to get there – with just €1.70 you can travel in and out of the city center in about 25 minutes.
Tip for buying tickets on the tram: Since early 2024, all trams in Florence have added contactless ticket machines on board. You no longer need to worry about purchasing a ticket in advance and validating it – just tap your credit or debit card and you’re good to go.
While walking is often faster than using public transport in the inner city, Florence’s fleet of buses run by Autolinee Toscane allows you to get to the hilly surroundings effortlessly.
Take bus 12 from Piazza Ognissanti to get up to Piazzale Michelangelo, where a bronze copy of David will welcome you to the terrace overlooking the Duomo and
Just as sports obsessives will travel to Paris this summer for the Olympics, pop music lovers with a penchant for camp will travel to Malmö for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Padua, in northern Italy's Veneto region, is the site of one of the world’s greatest art treasures that should be on every art lover’s bucket list. The Scrovegni Chapel houses the extraordinary 14th-century fresco cycle by Giotto that covers all the walls and ceilings. Despite having such a masterpiece and being a lovely small city, filled with history, culture and culinary delights, Padua is far less touristy than other Italian other art cities like Florence, Rome or nearby Venice. It’s a real hidden gem. And, at just 25 miles from Venice and easy to reach from Marco Polo airport, Padua is an easy day trip or addition to a Venice itinerary.
Ever dreamed of spending a night in the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy, tucked in a bed crafted with the same leather as Ferrari car seats? What’s more, you’ll be surrounded by 110 elite trophies and encircled by the Ferrari cars that won those accolades and feel the speed of the Ferrari 296GTB on a private ride on the Pista di Fiorano, Ferrari’s private racetrack.
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.
Nothing can ruin a vacation like being the victim of a pickpocketing scam. Throughout Europe specifically, a new study shows that there are some destinations where theft is more prevalent than others.
Summer is the perfect time to combine a road trip through Ontario with a jamming live music festival. Whether your passion is rock, jazz, blues, or trending pop, these five summer music festivals have something for everyone. It’s also an opportunity to discover up and coming local musicians and bands that will be performing against the backdrop of Ontario’s rugged natural beauty. This diverse east-central Canadian province borders the United States and the Great Lakes and is home to rich varied landscapes, vibrant multiculturalism, and fun events happening all summer long. So grab your dancing shoes and sense of adventure to experience the best music in Ontario for summer 2024.
Launched in London more than 20 years ago, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards has become one of the most important ratings in the rarefied world of top tier fine dining (though not without some criticism and controversy). But regardless what people think of the process behind selection, there’s no doubt that some of the big winners over the years have in fact been some of the world’s very best, places like Spain’s El Bulli, England’s The Fate Duck, Italy’s Osteria Francescana, Denmark’s Noma and in the U.S. notables have included Napa Valley’s French Laundry and New York City’s Eleven Madison Park.
Venice is among many cities grappling with the effects of overtourism as the number of visitors bounced back from pandemic lows.
Food is big business in Florence, to the extent that the city council introduced a law limiting the opening of new bars and restaurants in the UNESCO-listed city center.
Before joining TPG in 2021, I was a newbie to the world of points and miles. Despite traveling frequently throughout the previous decade, I was oblivious to the benefits of loyalty programs or how straightforward it could be to earn points or miles for airfare and hotel stays.
There’s a reason why Oʻahu is nicknamed the Gathering Place – it’s the Hawaiian island that has everything.
It’s inevitable: Every spring when we pull together the Hot List, our annual collection of the world’s best new hotels, restaurants, and cruise ships, a staffer remarks that this latest iteration has got to be the best one ever. After a year’s worth of traveling the globe—to stay the night at a converted farmhouse in the middle of an olive grove outside Marrakech, or sail aboard a beloved cruise line’s inaugural Antarctic voyage—it’s easy to see why we get attached. But this year’s Hot List, our 28th edition, might really be the best one ever. It’s certainly our most diverse, featuring not only a hotel suite that was once Winston Churchill’s office, but also the world’s largest cruise ship and restaurants from Cape Town to Bali. We were surprised and inspired by this year’s honorees, and we know you will be too. These are the Hot List hotel winners for 2024.