Inspiration tips

Europe is often seen as an over-populated, over-travelled continent. But it can still serve up huge helpings of mind-blowing natural beauty – and the peace and quiet with which to contemplate it at leisure. To prove it, we’ve listed eight of Europe’s wildest, most exhilaratingly and away-from-it-all spots – and the best ways to explore them.

Osaka is affectionately known as "Japan's kitchen". It's the birthplace of ramen noodles (which celebrate their 60th birthday in 2018) and is home to some of the country's quirkiest restaurants.

The Carretera Austral – Chile’s Southern Highway – begins nowhere and leads nowhere. Over 1000km in length, it was hewn and blasted through the wettest, greenest and narrowest part of the country. This sliver of Patagonia is a majestic land of snowcapped volcanoes, Ice Age glaciers, emerald fjords, turquoise lakes and jade-coloured rivers, set among lush temperate forest where giant trees seem to drip with rain the whole year long. The Carretera was built with the very purpose of settling this damp, secluded sliver of territory, but the only way to reach it from the rest of Chile is by boat or plane or overland from Argentina. Few roads can feel more remote.

Picturesque Wales has long drawn holidaymakers to its unspoilt countryside, rugged mountainous terrain and long, lonely coastline. Whether you’re after a dream-like hike or scenic drive, beautiful views aren’t hard to find. Here are some of our authors’ favourites – walks, nature reserves, beaches, railway journeys and much more – taken from new Rough Guide to Wales.

Rum is history in Puerto Rico. This island is the leading producer of rum (ron) in the Caribbean and there were once hundreds of small distilleries here.

It hasn’t been long since the fantastic sights of Central Asia were hidden behind a barricade of expensive and convoluted visa-application procedures, compounded by a general perception that these were difficult and even dangerous countries in which to travel. In recent years, however, the local authorities have sought to open up to tourists, visas have been simplified – or even abolished – and word is spreading of the rewards of travelling to this relatively unexplored region.

Autumn (or Fall) in New England is a breathtaking and beautiful season: the billions of leaves change from green to a rainbow of browns, reds, oranges and yellows across the fields and forests of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. At this time of year the air is cool and crisp, making it perfect for walking or cycling; the wildlife is abundant, with thousands of birds and wild moose to spot; and you can find top lobster in Maine to accompany the wine trail in Connecticut.

The 6th June 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy. To mark the occasion, in this Rough Guides podcast episode we take a look at how the Second World War is memorialised across Europe, and the importance of doing commemorating such events.

During August, all rules and social conventions are put to one side when Edinburgh hosts the world’s biggest arts festival.

People have looked to the mountains for spiritual consolation for millennia. “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,” say the Psalms, “from whence cometh my help.” For Nepalis, the link is especially powerful. The Himalayas are where the Hindu gods go to meditate and replenish their tapas, or spiritual “heat”, and the Buddhist peoples of Nepal’s Himalayan regions regard many of the highest peaks and lakes as sacred.

Sierra Leone has everything adventurous travellers could want – exquisite, empty beaches fringed by palms, rainforest jungles with monkeys swinging through the trees, a fascinating heritage and warm, welcoming people. But its troubled history of civil war and Ebola means that few visitors actually make it here.

Colourful Australian slang, or strine, has its origins in the archaic cockney and Irish of the colony’s early convicts as well as the adoption of words from the many Aboriginal languages. And for such a vast country, the accent barely varies to the untutored ear; from Tasmania (“Tassie”) to the northwest you’ll find little variation in the national drawl, with a curious, interrogative ending to sentences fairly common – although Queenslanders are noted for their slow delivery.

Go to Venice or Amsterdam, and you can hardly cross a street without tumbling into a canal. In London, you have to dig deeper.

Argentines are a superstitious lot — many taxi-drivers religiously garland their rear-view mirrors with rosaries; fur-clad ladies-that-lunch avidly read their horoscopes; busmen faithfully display images of the Virgin of Luján over their dashboards; nearly everyone routinely tucks a banknote under their plate of gnocchi at the end of each month in the hope of better financial fortunes. But all this pales in comparison to their fervent dedication to the people’s saint, Antonio Gil – better known as the Gauchito Gil.

Tired of your local nightclub? Bored of trekking to the same venue every Saturday night? Then try one of these awesome experiences from Make The Most Of Your Time On Earth , as witnessed by Rough Guides writers all over the world.

Central Asia often gets a bad deal – seen as bleak and boring with a cuisine to match. But make the journey to this oft-overlooked part of the continent and you'll be rewarded with striking scenery, surprisingly tasty food and some of the world's friendliest people. Here, we bust the unfairest myths about Central Asia.

A great fire festival should be on everybody’s bucket list. Here we rundown some of the greats...

After a road trip through Uruguay , Greg Dickinson discovers the joys of self-drive.

The Cammino BasilianoⓇ is a long-distance hiking route tracing the dramatic and varied landscapes of Calabria in southern Italy. It takes in an area of great cultural, historic and spiritual significance, once travelled by Basilian monks who left a collection of fine religious buildings and sublimely sited shrines in their wake. 

Sitting on the far west coast of Africa , just south of Senegal, Guinea Bissau is a small yet vibrant African nation just beginning to take its place on the tourist map. Years of colonial rule followed by decades of political instability kept this once-Portuguese outpost a secret, known only by dedicated deep-sea fishermen and a handful of NGO workers. But it’s not going to remain a secret for much longer, as Explore begin running trips to Guinea Bissau in November 2016. We sent photographer Diana Jarvis to uncover Guinea Bissau – here are some of her best shots.

When it comes to exceptional escapes, the South African province of Limpopo is ahead of the game. Just a few hours drive or a short flight north of Johannesburg, Limpopo offers visitors the unique opportunity of combining safari and first-rate golf. It's home to both one of the largest game parks in the world, the prestigious Kruger National Park, and a wealth of word class golf courses.