Matador Network Sustainable Destination Award: Scotland

On 7 June 2023, trams ran down Leith Walk for the first time in 67 years, opening up parts of Edinburgh little trammelled by visitors. The new 2.91-mile, eight-stop route sweeps north from Edinburgh’s heart to meet the Firth of Forth at the docks district of Leith, then turns west to reach its end at Newhaven’s historic harbour. The arrival of the trams has injected life along the way: Leith Walk’s pavements have been widened, and new cafes, bars and restaurants are drawing in locals and travellers alike.

This is part of our global guide to the Best Places to Go in 2024—find more travel inspiration here.

The survey compared hotel rates across 40 European destinations for December 31, with prices at all hotels with a central location and rated three stars or more in each destination recorded.

Exploring Yorkshire’s coastline on two wheels is about to get a whole lot easier. Route YC, the organisation which promotes the Yorkshire coast, has teamed up with leading adventure cyclists to launch a series of new cycle routes in January. Ranging from nine to 260 miles, the routes are designed to help visitors of all abilities get off the beaten track on gravel, touring and road bikes.

They can act inadvertently witty, comically clumsy, laughingly foolish or simply truly funny. But are they aware of it? Do wild animals have a sense of humor? Or are humans the only species to possess that characteristic?

As midnight approaches, dark groups huddle on the freezing slope of one of the seven hills overlooking the soft yellow lights of the city of Edinburgh.

If they can grow tea in England, why not Scotland? So pondered Susie Walker-Munro after hearing about Cornwall’s Tregothnan Estate. An idea took root, but her plan wouldn’t be without challenges — not least Scotland’s short growing season and harsh winters. 

There’s nothing better than wrapping up warm and getting outside, especially knowing that the reward for a day well spent embracing the elements is warming up by the fire with a hot chocolate, or a wee dram, as part of a winter break in Scotland. Scotland is the place to be as winter begins to call, opt for one or more of the following winter experiences from the speed of sled dog racing to idyllic ice skating, or an adrenaline-fuelled weekend of skiing and snowboarding!

Christmas Eve is Sunday, December 24. And while Sundays aren’t typically the hardest nights to grab reservations, the holiday is changing things up, with plenty of top restaurants already fully booked. If you procrastinated, have a change of plans or just want to leave the cooking (and cleaning) to the pros, there are still plenty of great options to dine out in New York City this Christmas Eve. Here’s where to go:

Dad shoes may be the ultimate cool-girl travel shoe, but dad boots—you know, those serious and heavy-looking, bordering on workman, boots—are yet to have their moment. In fact, practical walking boots as a whole are in desperate need of a modern makeover—the closest cool options that come to mind are the chunky Ganni Chelsea boots. That is until I recently discovered and tested some boots by French brand Palladium. What caught my eye were the chunky rubber soles teamed with a slick sneaker-like silhouette; like a Converse high-top but much more sturdier. Plus there’s even a dedicated travel collection designed to be ultra-lightweight—ideal for those carry-on-only trips.

Moving abroad can be one of the most exciting and rewarding steps in life, but it also comes with plenty of worries. If you’re dreaming of relocating to Europe, you might be struggling to decide what country or city would suit you best.

Kingsbarns Distillery is the brainchild of Scottish golf caddie Douglas Clement. As a long-time caddie at Kingsbarns Links in the East Neuk of Fife in Scotland, Clement was constantly entertaining wealthy golfers who visited from all over the world to play Golf at St Andrews. His clients always wanted to go to a distillery for whisky tasting during their visit but there was nothing nearby, so he began to form a plan.