Features

Four luxury camping experiences in Southeast Asia

Luxury camping, or ‘glamping’ as its also known, is on the rise. Once the preserve of high-end safari camps, you can now stay under canvas – with all the creature comforts – in destinations worldwide. In Southeast Asia in particular, a number of new luxury camping sites have been springing up over the past few years,…

Where to go for a winter escape in 2019

Late February… the time of year when it feels like Spring can’t come soon enough. Ease the transition through the last weeks of cold weather with a last minute winter escape to sunnier climes. We’ve chosen three options for you depending on how far you’re willing to travel for your sunshine. No plane required: a…

Athens in pictures: a visual tour

In a city so packed to the rafters with historic sights, planning a trip to Athens can be overwhelming when it comes to knowing what to see and what to skip. There are several ancient sights well worth the effort (including the Acropolis of course), but a lot of the city’s charm lies in cafe-hopping…

Spain in winter: a chance to explore the south’s historic cities

If a Spanish summer is all about sun, sea and sand (in other words, the beaches), winter in Spain offers the opportunity to explore the country’s many fascinating cities, especially those in Andalucia that become semi-unbearable ovens in the summer months. Temperatures in Cordoba and Seville regularly top 40℃ in July and August, but sunny winter days with…

Where to go skiing in France in 2019

If you were lucky enough to go on family ski trips in the 1990s you’ll remember the brightly coloured onesies, zinc sunscreen and impossible-to-undo salopettes that used to characterise skiing in the French Alps. Maybe you’ve been keeping up with the Joneses ever since, but if you’re planning your first ski trip in a while,…

The best places to visit in Portugal

Lisbon has been getting a whole lot of press recently, and visitors numbers are higher than ever. And while you really should visit Lisbon if you haven’t been before, there’s a whole lot more to Portugal than its capital city. For people looking a little further afield, we’ve rounded up some of best places to…

Why a winter holiday in Greece is a great idea

Picture Greece, and what do you see? Sun-baked white sand beaches, sparkling turquoise ocean and queues of overheated tourists queuing for ferries? You’re not alone. While the multi-island nation – spread out as it is across the Mediterranean – is undoubtedly a summer favourite, there’s a whole lot to explore in the wintertime too. Pack…

The most beautiful national parks in Costa Rica

Over a quarter of Costa Rica’s landmass is National Park, which means you’re more than likely to come across at least one on your visit. Covering rainforests, beaches, volcanoes, cloud forest and more, for many people, exploring the biodiversity of this small but beautifully formed country is a major reason to visit in the first…

Introducing tailor-made travel by Rough Guides

37 years ago, Mark Ellingham met Martin Dunford while travelling around Greece. Not being able to find a reliable guidebook for their trip, they came back to the UK and wrote one themselves. The Rough Guide to Greece was a publishing phenomenon, and we’ve been accompanying adventurous travellers on their trips ever since. Now, we’re…

Things to do in Lisbon off the tourist trail

Have you noticed that Lisbon is having a moment? If not, where have you been? For the past three years the Portuguese capital has been slowly climbing up all the “best-of” lists. Tourists numbers reached a record 20 million people in 2017 (according to a report from the Portuguese tourism industry) while the country’s resident…

Christmas markets in Paris: how to plan a festive foray to the French capital

Paris is a city in thrall to electric light. From the sparkling stars that flicker nightly on the Eiffel Tower to the atmospheric globe lights that line the banks of the Seine, a evening stroll at any time of year is sure to charm. All that goes up at notch in the weeks before Christmas,…