Oct 15, 2024 • 9 min read
15.10.2024 - 21:03 / lonelyplanet.com
Oct 15, 2024 • 8 min read
Scotland often feels bigger than it is. That’s in part because of its impact on the world – think Edinburgh’s cultural clout and or Speyside’s famous whiskies – but it’s also because of the sheer range of things to do here.
Two fascinating, but very different, cities dominate Scotland’s central belt, the expansive Highlands feature some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes, while islands pack in wildlife and echoes of the past. There are fine sights all over the country, but these are some of the top experiences in Scotland.
The world’s largest arts festival transforms Scotland’s capital in August. Everywhere turns into a venue (literally: swimming pools, fudge shops and public toilets have featured in recent years), the streets throb with performers and festival-goers and pubs are packed until the small hours.
The Fringe, International Festival and Military Tattoo are the biggest events. If you want to see popular shows, booking early is essential, but there’s plenty of diversity beneath the headlines – seek out smaller venues for a unique experience that will make you feel you’ve been in a different city to the crowds.
Local tip: Missed out on tickets for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo? Head to the top of Royal Mile and watch the troops parade down Castlehill, with bagpipes, brass sections, and colorful costumes, after the main performance at 10.30pm each night.
By day, Glasgow’s grand architecture and resurgent museums are more than worth your time. But you may have the most fun at night, when glorious local scenes come alive and visitors to the city are treated with warm curiosity. Pubs host folk gigs, clubs judder to house and techno and the alt-rock scene bulges with talent. You can check out indie acts at King Tut’s, bounce on a historic ballroom floor at the Barrowland, check out a folk session at the Ben Nevis or get a sweat on at the Sub Club, which has been a temple to electronic music for over 30 years.
With its grand peaks, Gaelic culture and windswept beauty, Skye is the main draw in the Highlands. Rather than trying to cram its many highlights into a single itinerary – and risking getting stuck in a tourist traffic jam as you do so – it can be worth getting your perspective on this special island by choosing the part that most suits you and staying for a few days.
That might mean climbing the knife-edge ridges of the Cuillin Hills, exploring basalt sea stacks on the Trotternish Peninsula, eating roasted hake or devilled pigeon at the Michelin-starred Three Chimneys, or sipping ale at sunset on the little-visited Waternish Peninsula.
Planning tip: Stagecoach operates the main bus routes on the island, linking all the main villages and towns, but you'll need your
Oct 15, 2024 • 9 min read
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The traditional territories in Alberta are home to many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit who have called these territories home for time immemorial. We respectfully acknowledge the diverse histories, cultures, and territories of Treaty 6, 7, 8, 4, and 10, as well as the homelands of the Métis, the 8 Métis Settlements, the 6 Métis Regions of the Métis Nation of Alberta.
Oct 13, 2024 • 8 min read
Floridians are returning to their homes and businesses to survey the damage after millions were advised to evacuate before Hurricane Milton.
This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Helene Sula, an American travel blogger and author of "Two O'Clock on a Tuesday at Trevi Fountain: A Search for an Unconventional Life Abroad." It has been edited for length and clarity.
The best things to do in Australia go well beyond Bondi Beach and having a flat white. While those are absolute musts, there are plenty of other reasons to visit Australia over and over again, and at different times throughout the year.
On my first morning in Donegal, a place sometimes referred to as Ireland's forgotten county, a man named Séamus Doohan drove a friend and me down a twisting ribbon of road in a van filled with electrical equipment. Although the county is one of the most beautiful in Ireland, it doesn't attract many tourists, so Doohan also works as an electrician. It was a bright, clear day, which isn't often the case in this part of the country, known for its beautiful mountains and the mists that often conceal them. We left the van and hiked up a windswept hillside, turning now and then to look at the glittering Atlantic below. There were no trees to obstruct our view. Like most of the region, the hill was covered in bog, a great green carpet of moss and grass speckled with flowers that Doohan named in Irish, which he said was the only language he spoke until he was five.
At the Lodging Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, Larry Cuculic, the CEO of BWH Hotels, leaned forward, his West Point-honed posture softening as he warmed to his subject.
Oct 9, 2024 • 6 min read
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Oct 8, 2024 • 6 min read