Esslingen Christmas market, Germany
The medieval theme of Esslingen am Neckar’s Christmas market, near Stuttgart, ensures it stands out from the many Advent markets held across Germany each winter.
Places to visit
With a Local: Porto, Portugal
Porto, around three hours from Lisbon by both rail and road, has emerged as one of Portugal’s urban tourism hotspots in 2016.
A polar bear safari in Manitoba, Canada
A 400-kilogram polar bear lumbers towards us on the semi-frozen shoreline of the Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. Just ten metres of open ground stands between one of the planet’s largest land-dwelling carnivores and the group of a dozen people that I’m standing in.
The Canadian – Canada’s transnational train service
Rail journeys have long been loved by unhurried travellers who appreciate opportunities to view the landscapes through which they traverse. The Canadian runs for 4,466 kilometres between Toronto and Vancouver. It is a long-established passenger service and widely regarded by rail aficionados. It is reputed to be one of the world’s great train journeys. Running...
With a Local: Vienna, Austria
Renowned for outstanding coffee and as home of Sachertorte, Vienna, the capital of Austria, has lots for lovers of history. Duncan JD Smith, a British travel writer, is based in the Austrian capital. He’s the sole author and publisher of the ‘Only In’ Guides series of guidebooks.
George Stephenson’s birthplace in Northumberland
Perhaps George Stephenson, the engineer who’s best remembered for his pioneering work on steam locomotives and for overseeing the construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, would deem it a tad foolhardy that I’ve walked 10 miles from Gateshead to take a look inside the cottage where he was born?
With a Local: Brighton, East Sussex
Bumbling about in Brighton is always fun. To find out where to go and what to do there I turned to Jools Stone, a freelance travel, music and arts writer, for the lowdown about his home town.
Peter Lindbergh photography exhibition
Cindy Crawford stands radiating glamour a couple of metres in front of me. Fellow supermodel Eva Herzigova struts assuredly by. A posse of people point cameras. Meanwhile, smiling and looking relaxed, Milla Jovovich jokes with a woman who wants to join her for a selfie. They are in Rotterdam for the opening of the exhibition Peter Lindbergh: A Different Vision of Fashion Photography.
Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador
Serendipity is a wonderful thing. A chance meeting while walking a heritage trail in the town of Bay Roberts in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, resulted in me meeting former mayor Glenn Littlejohn.
With a Local: Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the provincial capital of Saskatchewan in Canada. Search the internet and you’ll see it has produced a string of talented ice hockey players who have made it into the NHL. Yet it’s uniforms of a different type that draw many visitors to Regina.