europe holidays
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Booming Brno, with its creativity, history and subterranean mystery, is the perfect antidote to overrun Prague and its forests of selfie sticks
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Menus are bulging with seasonal produce at this time of year, often amid traditional food festivals. From Andalucía to Tuscany, via the Scottish Highlands, our tipsters forage for treats
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Spain is the top destination for British tourists, with 18 million people visiting in 2016, but increased demand is straining resources and prices may rise by up to 10% for 2018 holidays
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A short vaporetto ride from the Doge’s Palace, the island of San Giorgio Maggiore is not only a lovely landmark, but a setting for free major art shows, especially during the current Biennale
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Stylish but affordable hostels and hotels aimed at the Instagram generation continue to open apace across Europe, offering excellent value and a party atmosphere
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The area of northern France known for battlefields and memorials also has pretty landscapes, unspoilt beaches and some of the country’s best cuisine – all just a short hop from the UK
top 10s
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It’s blockbuster art show season across Europe, with old masters, surrealists and 60s radicals in the spotlight at the continent’s top galleries
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House, techno, grime and hip-hop all get ear-space at Paris’s coolest clubs. In this selection, local DJs, producers and promoters share their favourites
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You don’t have to be by the sea to enjoy beaches and watersports. These lakeside resorts offer sunbathing, boating, hiking and great views
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Step out of the sea and straight into one of these drinking dens, many offering top-notch food and cocktails – plus a party atmosphere after sundown
winter sports holidays
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The popular French winter sports destination is hosting a ‘British festival’ to keep UK customers and staff coming
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This unspoilt village on the doorstep of the vast Alpe d’Huez ski area offers stunning scenery, but is free of the crowds and commercialism of the bigger resort
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Champion freerider Reine Barkered on the food, ski trails – and gruff characters – of his mountainside home in northern Sweden
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The lakes of northern Germany are an idyllic setting for a watery adventure, but prove a stern test of Kevin Rushby’s boatmanship
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Accidental detours are embraced on a family break amid the Lot valley’s forests, abbeys and wildlife – all in the company of Lulu, their trusted donkey companion
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beach holidays
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Today’s Ligurian hotspots are the Cinque Terre and swanky Portofino. But head west of Genoa for now-quiet resorts such as Alassio where, a century ago, Brits went to see and be seen
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activity holidays
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It’s no easy stroll … but a spectacular new Balkan trail provides soaring peaks, lake views and memories of friendly locals – and real endeavour
restaurants
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In sheds, gardens and fields in the north of the island, wine growers run makeshift guachinches, selling their own wine and excellent local food
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A cookery school and some amazing restaurants transport Harriet Green and her family to foodie raptures
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A €30m cultural redevelopment has funded the revamp of many of this walkable Italian city’s main attractions – including its tower – and there are great bars, restaurants and hotels to relax in after the sightseeing
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Lisbon is teeming with fresh (and cheap) seafood, tapas and exotic dishes from Portugal’s colonial past. But it’s not just the food – our readers are wowed by the ambience and views, too
most viewed
Bilbao city guide: what to see plus the best restaurants, bars and hotels