Amy Houghton

In 2026, European travel is shifting fast. We’ve seen overcrowding, overheating and plenty of anti-tourism measures across the continent – and as a result, travellers are actively seeking out quieter, lesser-known destinations away from the tourist crowds. And if that sounds like you, you’re in luck – here at Time Out, underrated destinations are our bread and butter.  This list has been updated for 2026 by Time Out’s global network of local experts who have been to every single destination featured (often multiple times), highlighting destinations that are not only overlooked, but genuinely worth visiting right now. We’ve got alternative Scandinavian city breaks, remote islands only accessible by ferry, and destination dupes for some of Europe’s hottest beach holidays, from the Algarve to the Amalfi Coast.  ➡️ Discover the best city breaks in Europe for 2026 Why travel to underrated destinations in 2026? Sure, we love the classics for a reason. But if you’ve ever queued an hour for a pastry, spent your day’s budget on a coffee or had to book a museum three months in advance, you’ll know why more and more of us are searching for under-the-radar breaks: it’s the crowds. In fact, in some cities – the likes of Amsterdam, Venice, Barcelona – overtourism is so bad, they’ve been forced to clamp down on crowds with anti-tourism measures, from daily visitor limits to outright bans on new hotels. If you’re coming up against these, then we’d say that’s a pretty good reason to head some

We’ve made it through the most depressing month of the year, the endless wait for that post-Christmas payday is finally over, and festival season 2026 is on our minds. By the time summer rolls around, Londoners will be absolutley spoilt for choice. With something taking place almost every weekend throughout the warmer months, you can forget trekking across the country to live in a field for five days; simply hop on the tube and before you know it you’re listening to your favourite artists, tinny to hand, knowing that there’s a hot shower and a cosy bed waiting for you once the day is over.  The future of events in Brockwell Park was thrown up in the air in 2025, but you’ll be glad to know that most of the south London park’s usual lineup of events will return in 2026, with Cross The Tracks, Field Day and Mighty Hoopla all in the diary for late May. And the line-up announcements for next year’s events are already coming in thick fast, with huge acts like Tyler, The Creator, Lewis Capaldi, Lorde, Lily Allen, Blood Orange and Deftones all set to take to London stages come the summer. Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – and see what takes your fancy. RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The best UK music festivals🌍 The best festivals in Europe

Work-dos are a hard art to master. How do you find something that strengthens your team spirit and that everyone in the office, across multiple generations, is actually going to find fun?  Stuck for ideas? You’re in the right place. Whether you’re after some healthy competition among co-workers or an activity that requires all your colleagues to work together, London has a load of classic and quirky ways for your team to let their hair down. So, take notes, we’ve rounded up the best of them. These are some of the top places in the city to go to build your office bonds.  RECOMMENDED: The best office party venues to hire in LondonThe top London venues for a private bash 

The Irish really know how to celebrate, so when it comes to St Patrick’s Day in London, the city’s Celtic community has no problem showing us how it’s done. With an estimated 170,000 expats from the Emerald Isle living in the city, and many more Londoners with Irish heritage, the celebration of Ireland’s patron saint is always one big welcoming bash, involving plenty of dancing, hearty traditional dishes, a huge parade and as many pints of Guinness and drams of whiskey as you can handle. The Mayor of London’s annual St Patrick’s Day Festival celebration will take place on Sunday, March 15 – two days before the official holiday – and, as usual, thousands of revellers are expected to watch the parade wend its way from Hyde Park Corner to Trafalgar Square for a giant free party with Irish music, food and performances from 12noon to 6pm. If you don’t fancy braving the crowds of central London for the main event in the capital, there are still plenty of St Patrick’s Day parties and events to check out. We’ll be rounding up the best of them below as they get announced, so you’ve got plenty of time to get planning for a very green week. RECOMMENDED🍻 The best Irish pubs and bars in London☘️ Our ultimate guide to the St Patrick’s Day parade and festival🌱 The best London events in March

The Six Nations rugby tournament is almost wrapped up for another year, but not before one last weekend of action. For the final time in 2026, rugby fans will be taking over boozers, beer gardens and outdoor screens across London on Saturday to watch the three climactic fixtures. And it’s an especially exciting final round this year, with three teams battling it out at the top of the table.  France, Scotland and Ireland all have a shot at taking home the championship trophy, depending on the results of their fixtures, at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin and the Stade de France in Paris.   You could just watch on your telly at home, but if you’d prefer to catch every scrimmage, try and conversion in a lively atmosphere with a nice freshly-poured Guinness in hand, head to one of the rugby pubs, bars, beer halls, markets and social clubs listed here, where you’ll find free-flowing pints, special guest appearances and countless renditions of ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’. RECOMMENDED: More great things to do in London this weekend  Fifth Round Fixtures Here are the final three matches of the Six Nations 2026: Saturday 14 March 2:10pm kickoff – Ireland vs Scotland 4:40pm kickoff – Wales vs Italy 8.10pm kickoff – France vs England Best Spots to Watch Six Nations: At A Glance 🏉 Best for pre-match fun: Bat & Ball, Stratford 🍀 Best for Irish fans: London Irish Centre, Camden 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Best for Welsh fans: London Welsh Centre, Bloomsbury 🍻 Best for big groups: Flat Iron Square, Boroug

May truly is one of London’s finest months if you ask us. Not only is the city pleasantly warm and bursting with colourful spring blooms, but everyone is giddy with the possibilities of the coming summer. And most excitingly of all, there are not one, but two bank holidays on which to embark on inaugural rooftop bar excursion of the summer, rock out at one of the year’s first music festivals, lounge about in your favourite park, check out all those must-see exhibitions you’ve been meaning to catch or escape the city on a day trip or mini-break. And if that isn’t enough to keep you entertained, here’s our guide to the best events, parties, pop-ups and things to do in May 2026 in London. You’re in for one sweet, sweet month. London’s best things to do in May at a glance: 🪩 Best for party people: GALA 🌷 Best for botanists: RHS Chelsea Flower Show  🎶 Best for pop music stans: Mighty Hoopla  ✏️ Best for something new: Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration 🎭 Best for theatre-goers: 1536 at the Almeida

London has never exactly been known as a bargain destination. But the good news is that The Capital still has plenty of great places to stay without blowing your entire travel budget. Every hotel on this list has been picked by Time Out’s editors because it offers something special – whether that’s a brilliant location, standout design, or simply excellent prices. Book one of these and you’ll get the kind of buzz only a great deal can deliver. Then spend the money you’ve saved on the really important things. Like, erm… the pub. What do we mean by ‘budget’? In a city like London, ‘budget’ is always relative. Prices can vary hugely depending on the neighbourhood, time of year and even the day of the week, so finding a good deal is often about knowing where to look and booking smart. For this list, we’ve focused on places where rooms come in under £200 a night, with plenty dipping well below the £100 mark if you book ahead or travel off-peak. You’ll also find a few hostels offering dorm beds for as little as £12 per person, making them some of the cheapest ways to stay in the capital. 🛌 Our guide to the best Airbnbs in London What's the cheapest area to stay in London?  Honestly, it depends on what you're looking for! Budget hotels and hostels are scattered all over the city, so it often comes down to how far you’re willing to travel. Central areas like Shoreditch, King’s Cross and parts of the South Bank can still offer surprisingly good-value stays (which means you're in wal

London summer has officially kicked into gear. And that means that the Wimbledon Tennis Championships – aka the oldest, and arguably the very best, tennis tournament in the world – is back very, very soon.  This year the tournament is happening from Monday June 29 - Sunday July 12 2026. Thousands will be descending on SW19 to see the matches go down in real life but live screenings will be peppered all over London for thousands more who missed the ticket ballot or can’t be bothered to queue in the hopes of getting in day of.  With a jug of Pimms in one hand and a punnet of strawberries in the other, you’ll hardly know the difference. Even better – most watch parties won’t cost you a single penny. So, pack your picnic blanket, fill your flask and pull up a pew at a summery screening near you. Most haven't been announced for 2026 yet, but check back and more will be added closer to the time. RECOMMENDED: Our full guide to Wimbledon 2026.

Every week, a frankly silly amount of brilliant new restaurants, cafés and street food joints arrive in London. Which makes whittling down a shortlist of the best newbies a serious challenge. But here it is. The 20 very best new restaurants in the capital, ranked in order of greatness and deliciousness. All of them have opened over the past 12 months and been visited by our hungry critics. So go forth and take inspo from this list, which is updated regularly. Check in often to find out what we really rate on the London restaurant scene. And look here for all the info about the best new openings in March 2026. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🍛 Central: DakaDaka, Mayfair 🍠 North: Ling Ling’s, Islington 🇹🇭 South: Kruk, Peckham 🍝 East: Tiella, Bethnal Green 🥗 West: Martino’s, Chelsea March 2026: We have a new Number 1! The newly-opened Tiella in Bethnal Green has scooped the top spot thanks to knockout regional Italian dishes from chef Dara Klein. Other fresh additions include the slinky Martino's in Chelsea, Cambodian residency Barang at The Globe in Borough Market, foodie wine bar in a one-time Clerkenwell tattoo parlour Passione Vino, perfect produce at Dockley Road Kitchen in Bermondsey, Korean fusion spot Calong in Stoke Newington, Hunanese heat at Fiery Flavors in Surrey Quays, Ukrainian elegance at Sino in Notting Hill, cool diner energy at Dover Street Counter in Mayfair, Georgian classics at DakaDaka in Mayfair, and veggie-friendly Thai at Kruk in Peck

Twice a year, fashion Christmas comes to London, bringing with it whole closets full of covetable new looks you’ll dream of wearing. London Fashion Week returns next week for another deep-dive into the trends and styles that will be dominating red carpets, shops and streets in autumn and winter 2026 (AW26).  Across five days, the city’s most stylish will be hanging out around the Strand and sitting front row to see fresh looks from the likes of Simone Rocha, Chopova Lowena, Harris Reed, Burberry and Fiorucci. Yes, the majority of shows are invite-only, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be in the know. Here’s all the information you need ahead of London Fashion Week AW26.  When is London Fashion Week 2026?  LFW takes place twice a year: in February and September. The next fashion week will be from Thursday February 19 to Monday February 23.  Where is London Fashion Week held?  London Fashion Week usually takes place at the British Fashion Council’s own show space at 180 The Strand. The closest tubes are Holborn and Temple. Several events will also be held at external locations across the city. How do I get tickets to London Fashion Week 2026?  We hate to be the ones to tell you but unfortunately, most of the LFW shows are invite-only, so you can’t buy tickets.  What designers should I be watching out for?  Although you may not be able to see the shows in real life, you will be able to watch them live on the London Fashion Week website. So, these are all the one’s worth tuning in

Tell someone you’re taking a city break to Belgium and you’re generally met with a painfully unenthusiatic ‘oh, that’s cool’. For one reason or another, that small nation bordered by holiday heavyweights like France and the Netherlands, has long been cursed with a reputation for being the most beige country on the continent. Travellers are slowly starting to see through that myth, though. Increasingly, people are booking trips to the likes of Brussels for its grand political prestige, Antwerp for its fashion crowd or Bruges for its historical cobbled streets. But what if I told you there’s another Belgian city that gives all three of those, as well as Europe’s more famous cities, a run for their money?  Thirty miles east of Bruges, Ghent is a small and endearing city that’s understatedly cool. It’s packed with stunning cycle routes and environmentally and socially conscious communities, littered with fantastic slow fashion stores and a wealth of organic shops. It’s also the veggie capital of Europe – every week its cafes and restaurants focus on serving plant-based fare as part of the ‘Veggie Thursdays’ initiative – and in 2024 it held the title of the European Youth Capital. Oh, and here’s an adorable fun fact: every time a baby is born in one of Ghent’s maternity wards, parents can press a button that causes the city’s streetlamps to flicker in celebration. Does it get more wholesome than that?  ➡️ READ MORE: The best city breaks in Europe for 2026, picked by Time Out edito

With a bounty of great parties happening in the capital this Easter bank holiday, you can dance till you drop. Here’s our round-up of the long weekend’s best parties from Thursday April 2 to Monday April 6 2026, from (hopefully) sun-soaked daytime soirees to late-night ragers at some of the city’s best clubs.  If you’ve got the stamina, you could turn Easter into a proper bender. Just don’t count on a quick resurrection in time for work on Tuesday. RECOMMENDED:The best Easter events and activities in LondonThe 50 best nights out in London

What is it?  Brockwell Park is a much-needed slab of green (84 acres) just south of Brixton. Locals from the surrounding areas flock here in summer to sun-worship (if they’re lucky), fly kites, play football, swim in the outside pool, garden in the community greenhouses and parade a stunning array of dogs. The vast space was once the private grounds of Brockwell Hall and was opened to the public in 1891 by the London County Council. The hall still stands today and is one of several grade II listed buildings dotted about the park, including the emerald green Tritton Tower Clock, which was gifted to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.  Why go?  It's big, diverse and interesting, with numerous areas to appeal to different tastes, from the calm, rolling meadows around Tulse Hill and walled ‘Old English’ flower garden to the BMX track and sloped football pitches by the Dulwich Road. The playground in Brockwell Park is a favourite, with its aerial slide, massive sandpit and sections for different age groups; nearby you’ll find duck ponds and a huge paddling pool. There’s also a lovely little minature railway open at the weekends May to October, weather permitting – it’s not particularly massive but it’s been just £1 for a return for years now. Don’t miss:  Regular events at the park include circuses and a busy schedule of summer concerts and festivals including Wide Awake, Mighty Hoopla, Field Day and Cross the Tracks. But one of the most beloved annual events is the Lam

Afternoon tea is a classic Mother’s Day activity, so you can’t go wrong with this offering from Biscuiteers, available at both its Notting Hill and Belgravia cafés for a month from March 8. The spread will include Biscuiteers’ signature hand-iced biscuits, Tregothnan tea, plus the mini sandwiches (with fillings like cheese and fig, ham and truffle and smoked salmon and cream cheese), patisserie (think coconut and mango mousse cake and strawberry and champagne macarons) and freshly baked scones crucial to any good afternoon tea. If you’re willing to spend a little extra on mumsie, you can add a glass of bubbly or a DIY biscuit icing session. There’s also a complimentary (undisclosed) gift included for the woman of the hour.

After a year out, Dialled In is returning to the capital city for its fifth birthday celebrations. Once again, the all-dayer will bring established and emerging artists from all over diasporic and South Asian countries and cities to east London. Unlike past editions, this year’s event will take over multiple venues throughout Dalson, from Café OTO to The Divine to Rio Cinema. It’ll see former member of The xx, Baria, make her first return to the London festival circuit in fifteen years, a rare London live set from rising star Gayathri Krishnan and the London debut of Lifafa, frontman of Peter Cat Recording Co. That’s alongside appearances from the likes of Sarathy Korwar, Mya Mehm, Anish Kumar and Raf Reza. This year will also see the festival expand into the realms of food, film, dance and comedy. 

Gather your brood and join Hackney’s ceilidh band Cut A Shine for its afternoon of family friendly St Patrick’s barn dancing. The bandmembers will teach you and the little’uns all of the crucial ceili moves and ensure that everyone is kept fueled with traditional Irish stew and champ (vegan option available). Things will round off at 3.30pm with a disco where the kids can show off all their newly-learned Celtic choreography. Oh, and there’s a fully stocked bar of Guinness and whiskey for the grown ups. 

Prepare to have your senses thrown into chaos. Anish Kapoor’s first major UK exhibition in the UK took place at the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery in 1998. Nearly 30 years later, the internationally acclaimed sculptor’s work is coming back to the gallery for his largest UK show to date. The exhibition displays recent pieces by Kapoor made with futuristic light-absorbing nanotechnology, as well as works that defined the early part of his career.  There will be huge disorientating mirror sculptures, a colossal PVC installation, a foreboding mass of red and black wax drooping from the ceiling, and a striking collection of carnal paintings made using silicone, resin and pigment.  

Homely isn’t quite the word that comes to mind when you pull back the heavy velvet curtain separating Casa Felicia from the dozy Queen’s Park street outside. Chic, for sure. Elegant, certainly. A parade of two-cover tables are packed close together in the main whitewashed dining room, and over in a far corner, there’s a booth for larger groups which is painted entirely in an intense sultry red. But the deeper into the evening we go, the more we’re taken in by this place’s unexpected down-to-earth charm.   Fettuccine porcini and paccheri with mussels and squid are simple but impeccable Casa Felicia is helmed by chef Francesco Sarvonio, formerly of Manteca and currently of Elephant. The menu switches up daily, but always promises southern Italian ‘soul food’. A pleasing heap of puntarelle salad embellished with pear and hazelnuts, and a faultless seabass crudo speckled with crispy red pepper starts us off. We’re then presented with the most intriguing take on parmigiana I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t come in the traditional form of layered aubergine coins, but as the whole vegetable roasted, skinned and fried in a tempura batter, then cocooned in cheese fondue with a pool of marinara on the side. It’s fantastic – the batter lightly encases the vegetable like a chiffon blanket and the aubergine manages to be both firm and completely melt-in-the-mouth.   Don’t get carried away with the antipasti, as the bowls of pasta (handmade with just semolina and water, no egg) are truly generou

Adoh! (Sri-Lankan for ‘oi!’) is loud.  Sat on Maiden Lane in frenetic, tourist-packed Covent Garden, this Sri Lankan spot from Kolamba duo Eroshan and Aushi Meewella fits right in. While Kolamba and its sister restaurant on Liverpool Street are sleek, sophisticated haunts, this is a maximalist whirlwind. Chopped roti gets more heavenly with each chewy bite Adoh’s goal is to emulate the rapid, chaotic energy of Colombo and its street food culture. The decor is raucous – the tables a striking shade of red and the walls busy with storybook murals depicting hand-painted trucks of South Asia. As for service, it’s full speed ahead. You can very easily be in and out within an hour, and fully satisfied. In the throbbing heart of the theatreland that’s no bad thing.  The menu features a blend of authentic bits (isoo vadai, mutton rolls or roti and curry) and some milder hybrid dishes (fried chicken and curry leaf waffles are best suited to less adventurous members of your party). Shiny squares of prawn toast dolloped with tamarind sauce start us off, swiftly followed by a supple dosa spread with smoky masala, alongside a rather dry coconut roti with eye-wateringly hot lunu miris chilli paste.  The must-order main (which at £17 is the priciest item on the menu) is crab kothu, a late-night classic in Sri Lanka. The bronze mountain of chopped roti, egg and stir fried crab meat (mutton, chicken or jackfruit kothu are available too) isn’t particularly pretty, but drenched in curry sauce (p

One hundred years ago, a strange curtained box appeared on Broadway in New York City. If you went inside and slotted in 25 cents, you’d emerge with eight sepia tinged photos of yourself in a matter of minutes. It was the Photomaton – the world’s first fully automated photobooth. Fast forward to the 21st century and photobooths are in bars, train stations, cinemas, record shops and on streets all over the world. The Photographer’s Gallery is marking a century of the machines with Click!, an archival exhibition exploring their imperfections, their quirks and their most famous fans. Naturally, there’ll be a working photobooth for visitors to take their own snap.

The UK’s first major retrospective of acclaimed Ukrainian artist Boris Mikhailov is coming to the Photographers’ Gallery. A ‘kind of proto-punk’, Mikhailov has been capturing and commenting on life in Ukraine since the 1960s – from the everyday consequences of the collapse of the Soviet Union to the realities of people living on the edges of society – through photography, conceptual work, painting and performance art. Ukrainian Diary brings much of that work together to illustrate the tumultuous social and political changes that have shaken Eastern Europe over the past fifty years.

In 1978, Zofia Rydet decided that was going to photograph the inside of every Polish household. Aged 67, she began knocking on doors and asking occupants if they’d be willing to partake in her project. She continued to knock on doors for the next three decades, collecting everyday stories and creating ‘one of the most important achievements in 20th century Polish photography’. More than 100 of Rydet’s prints will be on display at the Photographers’ Gallery alongside books and personal letters offering extra insight into her sociological mission.

When a place rates itself as assuredly (in huge bold letters, no less) as Good Hotel does, it’s natural to feel a little sus. But it’s true: Good Hotel really does make you feel good. Service is cheery and laid-back without being overly casual, the food leaves nothing to complain about and – maybe it’s the luxurious silence of the area or perhaps the proximity to gently lapping water – I visited in 2024, and I don’t know if I’ve ever had a better night’s sleep in the city. Aside from all that, guests can walk out of Good Hotel feeling extra gratified by virtue of its ‘do good’ DNA. Why stay at Good Hotel? As you walk along Royal Victoria Docks, this huge black shipping container is impossible to miss. Originally built as a Danish prison, this floating hotel docked in London in 2016 after sailing across from Amsterdam. Its founder, Marten Dresden, had come up with the Good Hotel concept four years prior while travelling in Guatemala. Now, each night you spend there pays for a week of school for a child in South America, with profits also going towards hospitality training for long-term unemployed locals (lots of whom become Good Hotel employees).  The hotel also hosts regular community workshops and events that guests can attend. There are comedy nights, yoga classes, salsa classes, kids art clubs and, if you’re in the mood to be extra good, litter-picking around the local area. What are the rooms like at Good Hotel? Throughout the hotel, the interiors are slick, earthy-toned

One of the more recent additions to Wimbledon Village, Good Fortune Club is bright and buzzy with a sprawling menu of Cantonese dishes, the best known of which is its handmade dim sum. Stop by with a large, hungry posse to pack your table with bamboo steamers and sample har gau (shrimp-filled dumplings,) xiao long bao (pork soup dumplings), cuttlefish cake and more.

The UK’s tourist hotspots are hotspots for a reason - they’re world-leading museums, hyped restaurants, centuries-old monuments and much more besides. But sometimes, it’s worth shunning the teeming crowds of London, Amsterdam or Paris and heading for a lesser-known part of the world instead.  That’s why Time Out’s travel team has put together a list of Europe’s most underrated destinations for 2026. The list features places flowing with history and culture, from Plovdiv in Bulgaria, one of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited cities, to Ghent in Belgium, home to the world’s most stolen piece of art. One UK city also made it into the top ten for 2026: Northern Ireland’s Derry.  If you’re a fan of the Channel 4 comedy Derry Girls, the city is probably already on your radar for its enormous mural of Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James, and notable locations featured in the show (many of which are also attractions in themselves).  Photograph: Shutterstock Derry’s two standout monuments are its city walls, which were completed in 1618 and are the only completely intact city walls in the county, and its nineteenth-century Guildhall, where Bill Clinton delivered his historic peace speech (as depicted in Derry Girls). Time Out contributor Richard Franks adds that ‘to really get under Derry’s skin’, visitors should take the one-hour walking tour led by Martin McCrossan City Tours. He also recommends the ‘excellent’ Walled City Brewery.  This year happens to be a particularly maj

Which area in London is the best place to live is a contentious topic. Some may say Camberwell (Time Out London’s coolest neighbourhood) for it’s youthful vibe and independent spirit, others may say Hampstead for its pretty alleyways and access to the Heath while someone else might argue that it’s Finsbury Park, with its parade of brilliant shops, pubs and caffs on Blackstock Road. In the Times’ opinion, the capital’s greatest place to live is a posh borough in the southwest.  The paper has just released its latest list of the best places to live in Britain. And once again, Richmond was named the top spot in London, with the Times describing it as the ‘most serene corner of the capital’.  To determine Britain’s greatest places to settle, the Times sent a team of judges to every corner of the country to chat to locals, soak up the atmosphere and try out the amenities. They also considered the quality of transport, broadband speeds and schools.  Photograph: Shutterstock The jewel in Richmond’s crown is, of course, the magnificent Richmond Park. But beyond that, there’s Richmond Green, which in the summer is always buzzing with people playing cricking, sipping on alfresco drinks or setting up drinks, and a vibrant high street home to beloved chains, indie stores and, as of last year, an Ottolenghi.  Locals don’t have to venture very far for a fine dining experience. There’s swanky seafood restaurant Scotts, Italian haunt Al Boccon Di’Vino, Bib Gourmand spot Mignonette, Michel

Teeny crustless sandos, jam scones, mini sponges, dainty china cups of earl grey, there’s hardly anything more quintessentially British than an afternoon tea. And our friends across the pond go crazy for it. Now, there’s one particularly special afternoon tea that has made it onto American magazine TIME’s World’s Greatest Places list 2026.  The publication’s 100-strong list is divided into two categories: places to stay and places to visit. It features a fish market in Australia, a spa in the Faroe Islands, a contemporary art gallery in Uzbekistan and, most importantly for fans of tiny food, an afternoon tea aboard a retired luxury train here in the UK.  The Maid of Somerset, a restored 1921 British Pullman, is permanently parked up in the garden of the Creamery, a restaurant at Castle Cary station. The luxury carriage was transformed into an afternoon tea salon, its original mahogany marquetry and brass fixtures polished and given a new lease of life. TIME added the Maid to its list of the greatest places to visit for 2026 for its quintessentially British, but down-to-earth, service.  The locomotive is run by Karen Roos and Koos Bekker, the same people behind The Newt, the nearby three Michelin key country resort (one that Time Out gave a gleaming five stars). TIME wrote that ‘unlike the stereotypical snooty high tea’, the service on board the Maid is ‘steeped in the good humour—and obsession with quality—that typifies Roos’ and Bekker’s projects’.  Photograph: The Newt It

Pret A Manger has cafés everywhere – high streets, shopping malls, railway stations, airports, petrol stations. If you live in London, where Pret seems to occupy at least one site every few hundred metres, you’re probably sick of the sight of it. But there’s one place it has yet to venture. The ubiquitous coffee chain has its sights set on joining the likes of Costa and Starbucks and launching its very first drive-thru.  Pret first revealed that it was exploring the prospect of opening drive-thrus in November. In an interview with the Sunday Times, the brand’s chief exec Pano Christou said that it was discussing the idea because Pret’s ‘offer [of fresh products] is so different to everyone else’. He reckons there’s potential for up to 400 travel locations, whether they be airport kiosks or roadside drive-thrus.  We now know that Pret’s first drive-thru will launch in May, though it’s still not clear where it’ll pop up. The site will be opened in partnership with Motor Fuel Group, the UK’s largest forecourt operator. Finally, you’ll be able to pick a posh cheddar and pickle baguette without leaving the comfort of your car. There are 60 walk-in roadside Pret locations at the moment, with 30 more, including drive-thrus, on the way.  The latest update comes as Pret works on introducing a number of different formats across the country. It opened two fresh format regional coffeeshops in Broughty Ferry (near Dundee) and Maidenhead in Berkshire last year, putting more focus into dini

Quentin Blake – the man best known for drawing the Twits, the BFG, Willy Wonka and the rest of Roald Dahl’s motley crew of characters – has been trying to make a gallery dedicated to illustration happen for a long, long time. In just a few months time, his dream will finally become reality.  The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration is opening its doors in May. Set in an eighteenth century waterworks in Clerkenwell, it’ll be the largest gallery for illustrations in the world, showcasing work from legends of the art form alongside rising stars. Now, its full lineup of debut exhibitions has been confirmed.  Credit: Quentin BlakeAngelo (1970) Quentin Blake: Performance will showcase how Blake’s illustrations have been informed by theatrical traditions, with more than 100 of his original works on display. In his early career, he illustrated opening night performances to sit next to theatre reviews and later on drew the work of Ancient Greek, Elizabethan and modern playwrights, from William Shakespeare to Samuel Beckett.  The centre’s other inaugural exhibition will be the UK’s first show dedicated to LGBTQ+ comic-makers. Titled Queer as Comics, it’ll track queer comic-making from the 1940s to the present day with strip cartoons, graphic novels, zines and, of course, comics. Credit: Dave RichardsBoldfinger (1969) It’s been curated by renowned comics specialist Paul Gravett and will feature the UK’s first published gay comic strip (a 1969 parody of James Bond – ‘randy dandy wi

The signs are already there – the sun has been out more, the daffodils have sprung, the trees are starting to blossom, and everyone’s just that little bit cheerier. This weekend, the UK will officially enter springtime.  With the spring equinox happening on Friday (March 20), the days will finally become longer than night. That means Londoners will have more time to bask in sunlight in the city’s various beer gardens, rooftop bars and green spaces. It’s what we’ve all been waiting for! As tempting as it might be, the arrival of warmer weather and more daylight hours doesn’t mean you need to blow your paycheque on endless goblets of Aperol Spritz. There’s plenty of fun to be had in the city that doesn’t cost a thing. From a small but mighty theatre to the last of the St Paddy’s parties, here are the best free things happening in London on the first weekend of spring.   The best free things on in London this weekend, March 20-22 2026  Have one last hooley at St Patrick’s Day in Camden Market Stretch out the Paddy’s Day celebrations going by heading to Camden Market for its huge Emerald Isle takeover. It’s an opportunity to get a taste of all the greatest parts of Irish culture – tuck into Irish street food, listen to live ceilidh music, watch traditional dancing from ‘Jig and a Swig’, join a soda bread making workshop with north London’s Sun Flour bakery, tap your feet along to a Bodhran drumming parade, or treat the kids (or yourself) to some Irish-themed face-painting. Slái

Walking is one of the best ways to get to know a city. If you spend all your time hopping on and off public transport, you’ll miss so many treasures and hidden gems that a place has to offer. Stroll down a random street in London (such as the coolest of them all, Blackstock Road), and you’ll likely come across a parade of beloved institutions, trendsetting restaurants and pioneering cultural centres. Often, those streets are landmarks in themselves.  With all of that in mind, travel writers at the Telegraph put together a list of 20 streets around the world that ‘you must walk in your lifetime’. The list isn’t in any particular order, but right at the top is Strand, here in London.  The Telegraph’s destination expert (and former Time Out staffer) Chris Moss said: ‘This classy Monopoly mid-price street (£220 to Park Lane’s £350) invites pedestrians to dance through old London history.’ As it happens, the central London street was also among Time Out’s top places in the UK to visit this year. Photograph: Shutterstock The Strand is one of the capital’s most ancient and historic streets, connecting Trafalgar Square to Fleet Street. Along its 1.3 kilometres, walkers will find leading West End theatres, historical landmarks, major art institutions and a slew of fantastic pubs, cafes and restaurants. Its most historic monuments include one of the city’s oldest shops, Twinings, which has been around since 1696; the church of St Clement Danes, thought to date back to pre-Conquest t

London has long been a powerhouse of cultural innovation. This is a place where megastars hone their craft, where playwrights debut their productions, where artists train and where writers find inspiration. So, it’s little surprise that a new venue here in the capital has featured on TIME magazine’s latest edition of World’s Greatest Places.  Each year, TIME’s international network of correspondents and contributors nominate places around the world that they believe are offering new and exciting experiences for travellers. The result is a list of 100 game-changing hotels, cruises, restaurants, attractions, museums and parks, from Philadelphia’s Netflix House to Sydney’s Fish Market.   There were just two places in the UK that made the cut this year, one of which was London’s V&A East Storehouse. TIME spotlighted the venue, which opened in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Park in May last year, for its ‘radically different approach’ and the way that it ‘reimagines the museum-going experience as a two-way conversation, not a top-down monologue’.  If you’re unfamiliar with the Storehouse, the concept is fairly simple. Stacked with more than 250,000 objects and 350,000 books from the V&A’s archives, it offers a peek behind the scenes to show how a working museum goes about cataloguing and caring for artefacts. It’s the first public venue of its kind.  Unlike a regular museum, there are no permanent displays and archivists can move the objects around at any time. There are no lengthy g

Longer, brighter days are finally in sight! In a little over a week, the UK will be swapping Greenwich Mean Time for British Summer Time (AKA daylight saving time) and putting all our clocks forward by an hour. The sun will set later in the evening and the season of beer gardens, festivals and al fresco dinners will finally be upon us. No more leaving the office in the pitch black, no more vitamin D deficiency and no more being in pyjamas by 6pm. Before we know it, Easter and its delicious four-day bank holiday weekend will be upon us, too. From the exact date clocks go forward to why we have it in the first place, here’s everything you should know about British Summer Time this year. RECOMMENDED: When is Easter 2026? UK bank holiday dates in April. What date do the clocks go forward in 2026? The clocks will go forward by an hour to mark the start of British Summer Time on Sunday March 29. That’s a little over a week after spring officially begins which is this Friday March 20.  What time do the clocks go forward? The clocks will spring forward one hour at 1am. So, it’ll become 2am.  What is British Summer Time? Also known as daylight saving time, British Summer Time is is simply the name for the practice of turning clocks forward in the summer so that darkness falls at a later time. Why do the clocks go forward? Winding the clocks forward in spring started in the UK in 1916 as a way of making better use daylight hours and getting maximum sun. Back then, it meant people c

Power to the people! This week, South Yorkshire’s mayor revealed plans to create a brand new integrated transport network for the region, with buses set to come under public control for the first time since 1986.  Buses, bike hires and trams in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield will all come under the new network, known as the People’s Network (a nod to Sheffield’s 1980s nickname, The People’s Republic of South Yorkshire). They’ll be rebranded in a bold orange and black colour scheme.  First, the branding will be rolled out across bus stops and bus shelters in the regions. Then, in 2027, residents will start seeing it on the buses themselves, on driver uniforms, on trams and tram stops and across the Sheffield city centre bike hire scheme. And within five years, the People’s Network brand will be splashed across 25 new trams and on wayfinding signage throughout South Yorkshire.  Image: South Yorkshire People Network The huge overhaul is part of a £1.5 billion investment in the region’s transport, which will see the tram network upgraded and the buses brought under public control over the next three years (the Sheffield Supertram was already returned to public hands in 2024 after nearly three decades of private ownership under Stagecoach). Buses in Doncaster and Sheffield will be franchised in September 2027 and the rest across South Yorkshire will be franchised by 2029.  The move follows in the footsteps of Greater Manchester which, under Andy Burnham, was the f

It can be easy for us Brits to take for granted, but here’s your reminder – there are endless stunning sights to see across the UK. We’ve got towering mountains and pristine beaches, otherworldly forests and surreal fairy pools, charming villages and dramatic indigo lochs.  There are some parts of this country that are so spectacular that we’ve named them among the 51 most gorgeous places on the planet.   Our list includes the immense Victoria Falls in southern Africa, the storied Red Rocks Amphitheatre in the USA, the mirrored salt flats of Bolivia and the striped mountains of the Zhangye National Geopark in China. But ranking above all of those was one place far closer to home. In at number six on Time Out’s guide to the most beautiful places in the world is Ullswater. Curving seven and a half miles, Ullswater is the second largest lake in the Lake District and, plunging 250m deep, is the third deepest in England. Wherever you stand on its shores, there’ll be majestic mountain vistas to see, including Hellvellyn to the west and Arthur’s Pike to the east.  Photograph: Shutterstock The lake is far quieter than its larger, often overcrowded counterpart, Windermere. Soak the views in from atop paddle board, aboard the Ullswater Steamer or from the trails and majestic peaks  that wrap around it. If you stay at Another Place hotel, which sits right on the shores of the lake, you can borrow a wetsuit for free or hire a kayak or paddle board and be taken down the lake by a local

With its glassy waters, unspoiled coastline, rolling mountains and fresh Atlantic air, Scotland is already a prime place for rest and relaxation. Add in a spa and you’re guaranteed to emerge feeling more rejuvenated than ever.  Of course, Caledonia is already home to a vast collection of peaceful retreats. But, come one – can you really have too many? Last month, a brand new spa was added to its roster.  The new Si! Spa in West Kilbride is tipped as ‘one of the most exciting leisure and tourism developments in Scotland for 2026’.  The wellness venue has six treatment rooms, a four-person Rasul (mud therapy) experience and an indoor thermal area with a steam room, showers and relaxation areas. Outside, looking over the Firth of Clyde and across to Ailsa Craig, there’s a large hydro pool, a sauna, a cold drench bucket, a fire pit and direct access to the beach. So, if you so wish, you can work up a sweat in the sauna then run down the sand to cool down in the water, and repeat.  Photograph: The Waterside Hotel & Spa It’s part of the £3 million expansion at the Waterside Hotel at West Kilbride, which is less than an hour from Glasgow. The enormous makeover also included the addition of 17 new guest rooms and a luxury suite with its own balcony and hot tub.  The brand new spa restaurant also offers a menu of healthy dishes like poke bowls or porridge alongside some more indulgent bites such as fries loaded with haggis, peppercorn cream and crispy fried onions or pulled pork, ho