Annie McNamee

Sure, winter has its perks. Cosying up by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate in hand is lovely. Big woolen jumpers are ever-chic. But there’s no warm, fuzzy feeling that comes close to feeling actual warmth. In our eyes, you just can’t beat the sunshine: sitting on a rooftop terrace, ice-cold cocktail in hand… bonus points if everyone back home is stuck with endless grey drizzle. There are plenty of places across the world still basking in glorious sunshine from October to February. Our list of the best winter sun destinations this year spans six continents and five months, giving you 20 recommendations for the very best places you can visit during the winter months. Whether it’s Thai beaches, African safaris or sunny city breaks in Europe, we’ve got you covered. The best winter sun destinations at a glance: 🏖️ Best for beaches: Thailand 🏙️ Best for a city break: Cape Town, South Africa 🌡️ Warmest in Europe: Tenerife, Spain 🐘 Best for wildlife: Namibia 🎭 Best for an arty break: Cartagena, Colombia 🍜 Best for food: Vietnam At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides written by local experts. RECOMMENDED:☀️ Europe’s 10 best winter sun destinations

This list is from 2024. Our latest ranking for 2025 is live here. In 2024, what exactly makes a neighbourhood cool? Craft breweries, natty wine bars and street art are well and good, but the world’s best, most exciting and downright fun neighbourhoods are much more than identikit ‘hipster hubs’. They’re places that reflect the very best of their cities – its culture, community spirit, nightlife, food and drink – all condensed in one vibey, walkable district. To create our annual ranking, we went straight to the experts – our global team of on-the-ground writers and editors – and asked them what the coolest neighbourhood in their city is right now, and why. Then we narrowed down the selection and ranked the list using the insight and expertise of Time Out’s global editors, who vetted each neighbourhood against criteria including food, drink, arts, culture, street life, community and one-of-a-kind local flavour. The result? A list that celebrates the most unique and exciting pockets of our cities – and all their quirks. Yes, you’ll find some of those international hallmarks of ‘cool’. But in every neighbourhood on this list there’s something you won’t find anywhere else. Ever been to a photography museum that moonlights as a jazz club? Or a brewery with a library of Russian literature? How about a festival dedicated to fluff? When communities fiercely support and rally around their local businesses, even the most eccentric ideas can become a reality. And that, in our eyes, is

On March 25, 1925, at London’s Selfridges department store in central London, Scottish inventor John Logie Baird made the first public demo of his latest creation: a way to broadcast visual information from a camera to a screen. A full century later, Baird’s discovery has led to perhaps the most vital, creative and popular mode of artistic expression in the entire world. But it’s only in the past 25 years that television has really fulfilled its artistic potential.  The result has been the so-called ‘Golden Age of Television’, a boom kickstarted roughly around the turn of the century with the rise of shows like The Sopranos and later Breaking Bad, and continuing with awards-winners from Succession to Shōgun to Slow Horses. So while our list of the 100 greatest TV shows may pay tribute to the unmissable programs of yesteryear, you’ll find that the majority hail from our own century – meaning there’s no excuse not to watch every single one. Paring the list down to only 100 was a painful process, so we decided to omit sketch shows, talk shows, news and non-fiction in order to focus on scripted drama and classic comedy. Time to go goggle-eyed. Recommended: 🔥 The best TV and streaming shows of 2025 (so far)🍎 The best shows to watch on Apple TV+ right now📺 The best Netflix original series to binge🎮 The best ‘90s TV shows

This bustling coastal city is absolutely steeped in history, maritime heritage, and of course, there's loads to see. It’s roots date back as far as the Stone Age, and its first ever museum (the Tudor House) remains a top attraction, with gorgeous gardens and guided tours on offer.  There’s plenty of modern-day action too, with a treasured football team, The Saints, and their fans bringing life to the city on match day. Southampton is also only a 20-minute drive away from the New Forest, or a ferry-ride away from the Isle of Wight, there's plenty going on that makes this city worth a visit. Check out our list of top picks for all the best things to do in Southampton.  RECOMMENDED:  🚆The best day trips from London⛰️ The best things to in the New Forest🏖️ The best seaside towns in the UK💕 The best things to do in the UK Annie McNamee is a writer at Time Out UK. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

This is about the time when the January blues start to hit pretty hard. It’s dark at 4pm, you’ve got no money left after Christmas and winter feels like it’s dragging on forever. But we’re here to tell you that things are looking up, because 2025 is going to be a corker of a year for the UK.  It turns out that 2025 is going to be a bit of a big one, with a number of landmark occasions being celebrated across Britain. There’s Jane Austen’s 250th birthday in Southampton, as well as the art-packed Folkestone Triennial, a celebration of 200 years of the British railway in York and Bradford’s 2025 City of Culture festivities. Then, there are up-and-coming foodie towns in Cornwall, music scenes that are popping off in Cardiff and Belfast, and the reopening of grand cultural insitutions like the Tate Liverpool.  If there’s ever been a good time to book a trip, it’s now (it might even help keep some SAD at bay). There is so much fantastic stuff happening across the country this year, so read our list curated by local experts of the best places to visit in the UK in 2025, and get stuck in.  RECOMMENDED: 🇬🇧 The 25 best new things to do in the UK in 2025📍The 12 most underrated city breaks in the UK 🏨 The UK’s 13 best new hotels opening in 2025👨‍👩‍👧 6 amazing places to stay with Kids in the UK

If people make Glasgow, music is what fuels it. The city's music scene was thriving long before the rest of it had caught up, with places like the Barrowlands and the Old Fruit Market offering locals good, cheap live music when general attitudes of Glasgow were, let's just say, less than favourable.  But those days are behind us, and Scotland's biggest city is now known across the UK for its vibrant cultural heritage, nightlife, and, of course, its music scene. Whether you're looking for an arena of people to scream along your favourite songs with, or a small makeshift stage at the back of a bar to find your new favourite band, Glasgow's got you sorted. Fair warning though: crowds here are famously rowdy. They're a lot of fun, but don't be surprised if you end up beer-soaked. Oh, and brush up on our local chants. You don't want to be the only person not shouting along with 'here we, here we, here we f'ing go!'. 

History has it that Pollokshaws Road was once home to a merry band of Flemish weavers – known as the ‘Queer Folk’ – who were brought over to work in the city during the 19th century by local landowners. These days it’s still a thriving creative hub, threading down Glasgow’s Southside and linking up the districts of Govanhill, Strathbungo and Shawlands. Rows of sandstone tenements loom over traffic separated by wide pavements, behind which stand ornate townhouses designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson. There’s a juicy chunk of Pollokshaws Road where bars, cafés and boutiques jostle for space; pick it up from Allison Street and wander down past Queen’s Park. Since it’s a largely residential area, there’s a distinct feel of community – something that’s enhanced by the indie businesses that have popped up over the past few years. In particular it’s a brunch haven, with queues leaking out of living-room-sized cafés come rain or shine. You can also expect to find organic fruit and veg at Stalks & Stems, a fresh produce emporium with a florist next door, and (almost) a different coffee shop for every day of the week. It’s not all hipster territory, though. Punters tired of mustachioed baristas and bar staff will be cheered by the decent selection of old man pubs complete with smoked-glass windows. Recommended: Full guide to the best things to do in Glasgow

How easily could you be persuaded to shave off an eyebrow, or take a shot for every stair you climbed? Perhaps you’d feel more compelled if you were half a bottle of ‘Chicken Wine’ deep, 18, and surrounded by new friends that you were trying to impress? If you attended university in the UK you might have an uncomfortable feeling of deja-vu, perhaps being whisked back to the time you were ‘hazed’ as a first year student. If you didn’t, you’ve likely heard the rumours about former prime ministers getting it on with pigs, or rugby teams shoving carrots in places vegetables should never go. Hazing, or ‘initiation’ as it more commonly goes by this side of the Atlantic, is a practice which usually consists of ritualistically embarrassing rookie members of a given group in order for them to prove themselves. It’s also nothing new. There’s evidence of rowdy schoolboys dating as far back as 420 BCE when Plato recounted ‘practical jokes played by unruly young men’ which left both spectators and haze-ees injured. Somehow, this bizarre custom has survived the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the birth of Jesus Christ, several international plagues and found a home for itself in the modern age on university campuses. But for the past decade or so, hazing’s millenia-long reign has been threatened by a generation who supposedly care more about their physical and mental health than they do about banter and ritual humiliation. Today, hazing has met its match: Generation Z. So what do these

You might never want to leave Edinburgh, and we get it. The Scottish capital is loved the world over for its culture, restaurants and Fringe Festival (to name a few). But if you limit your time in Scotland to just Edinburgh, trust us, you’re missing out.  Scotland is full of gems, but the best part is a whole lot of them can be reached by train or car in just one day – with enough time left to get back in time for dinner. From hilly hikes to wide-open beaches and from pretty towns to full-blown city breaks, these day trips from Edinburgh are not to be missed. Here are our favourites.  RECOMMENDED:🌤️ The best things to do in Edinburgh 🎨 The best art galleries in Edinburgh🏰 The best attractions in Edinburgh🏘️ The best Airbnbs in Edinburgh This guide was updated by Edinburgh-based Arusa Quereshi, and Time Out editors. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

What words come to mind when we mention the Olympics? Prestige? Excellence? Medals? Or is it: ‘Grom’?  The Olympic games have been around for nearly three millennia. As the entire planet tunes in to watch as the top sports people compete for those coveted gold medals, there’s some stuff you’ll probably want to get your head around to make the most of your viewing experience: jargon for you normies to weave into your vocab that will have you sounding like proper Olympic pros in no time.  RECOMMENDED:How to watch the Paris 2024 Olympics in the UK for freeHere’s the full schedule and timings for the Summer Games We’ve done some digging and unearthed some 100 percent real words and phrases that will almost certainly be used by professional Olympians and commentators across the next few weeks. What’s more, there’s something inherently funny about words which sound out of place to the average Joe. There’s nothing worth giggling about hearing the word ‘jaeger’ at a bar (especially as it’s usually followed by a friend trying to convince you to neck a shot of sweet battery acid and gone-off liquorice), but watching it earnestly come out of the mouth of a world-class gymnast? Now that’s entertainment. So what are you waiting for? Brush up on your sporty lingo and drop these into convo next time you’re watching the Games to impress your mates. Skateboarding  ‘Goofy stance’: Refers to when a skateboarder has their left foot on the back of the board. Also used in surfing and snowboarding

You remember the days. Assuring your friend that she definitely looks like her older cousin’s co-worker, especially with a ponytail in. Hovering awkwardly around the corner from the off-license as your one 18-year-old pal does God’s work for the rest of you. The pit in your tummy as you recite a fake birthday to the bouncer of a sticky-floored nightclub – remembering your star sign, memorising your imaginary postcode – and the elated relief when he lets you in with a raised eyebrow and a reluctant nod. Finding increasingly inventive ways to get around age-restrictions was half the fun of being 17, but today’s teens seem to be going off going out altogether. ‘You definitely see fake IDs less than you used to,’ says one bouncer at a popular student nightclub in Bristol. When he started working at the venue a decade ago, he’d encounter a load of fakes on any given night – but not so much anymore. ‘The worst one I ever saw had the back on upside down,’ he says. ‘The ones we do see are getting a lot better and it can be harder to catch them. But they’re definitely rarer now.’ Something has certainly shifted. A few weeks ago, as I walked through the Triangle, Bristol’s premier hotspot for stumbling freshers and lovers of three for two Jägerbombs, I noticed that the local Sainsbury’s was busier than all of the clubs combined. Two years ago, dancefloors would’ve been filling up at 11pm on a Monday. This wasn’t a fluke: since that night, two of the clubs in question have closed their

For all of the stick we give the UK – the grey skies, the pigeons, the Greggs sausage roll packets littering the pavements – it’s actually a pretty gorgeous country. In London alone, you can be goggling over the Barbican’s brutalist beauty one moment, the next, you might be basking in the tranquility of Hampstead Ponds. Add the turquoise coasts of Cornwall, the rugged mountains of Snowdonia and the fairytale wonder of Scotland’s highlands and islands to the mix, and you’ve got a country which is as good looking as they come.  When we set about curating this list of the most beautiful places in the UK, we called on our network of expert travel writers. These guys have have personally experienced the pinch-me moment of seeing every place on this list IRL – so we can guarantee you there is no catfishing going on here. Of course, you’ll find the usual suspects – you can’t argue with the magic of the Isle of Skye, after all – but you’ll also find some more surprising beauty spots to add to your travel bucket list. RECOMMENDED:🚂 The UK’s most beautiful train stations🇬🇧 The best things to do in the UK🏝 The most beautiful places in the world🏠 The best Airbnbs in the UK Chiara Wilkinson is Time Out’s UK features editor, based in London. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content

You’ve been here before. Almost.  With a clientele which would be perfect for a Love Island spin-off featuring exclusively people with ‘entrepreneur’ in their bios and a healthy amount of exposed pipework, The Counter is what those in the know would probably call ‘trendy’. Its dim lights, small plate selection, and strategically chipped brick feature wall put it on the verge of parodically hip, but a glance at its menu and a quick chat with any member of its team reveal it to be much more down to Earth than some of its equally Instagrammable peers. If you close your eyes you can almost feel the Istanbuli breeze flowing through your hair The sense of deja-vu you feel may not be coming solely from its open-plan bar though. Chef Kemal Demirasal’s first UK venture, opened up two years ago in Notting Hill to much success. Originally from Turkey, he’s taken much of the charm of the original joint (as well as its most popular recipes and excellent cocktails) and transported it to Kingly Street – and combined it with a series of fresh ideas and a lot of seafood. Fresh is definitely the operative word. The cocktails are infused with real fruit. The tomatoes have been imported from Turkey. There’s sort-of-caviar sprinkled on avocado-topped fish. If you close your eyes and just bite, you can almost feel the Istanbuli breeze flowing through your hair. A series of enthusiastic staff members recommended a variety of dishes to us. Some, like the tomato salad or prawns, were familiar classi

It’s a great time to be a train nerd. There are plans to connect every major city on the continent with a high-speed rail network, the iconic Orient Express is making a comeback, and new sleeper train routes are popping up all the time. Earlier this month, plans for overnight trains between Barcelona, Milan, and Brussels were announced, but the very latest news is the launch of a connection between Switzerland and Scandinavia. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) is about to release the first batch of tickets for a brand new sleeper service between Basel, Copenhagen, and the Swedish city of Malmö. Trains will run three times a week, and become the first direct rail connection between the Scandinavian nations and Switzerland. This is being backed by the Swiss government, which says that it is glad to see SBB ‘expanding its international services and making climate-friendly travel to Northern Europe even more accessible’, and adds that the introduction of the link ‘meets the growing demand for sustainable, cross-border mobility’. Each train will have space for 350 people across beds and seats. Although the seated tickets will be cheaper, this is a pretty long journey, so it’s probably worth investing in that full-sized bed and hunkering down for the trip. Trains will leave Basel at 5.35pm every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and won’t arrive at their final destination (Malmö) until 9.35am the next day. That’s a total of 16 hours – far too many to not be sitting vertically the whole tim

Makeovers can be hard to get right, especially when you’re working with old buildings, and even more so when it’s a cherished community spot. You want to make sure the original character of the property remains, but that it’s brought into the modern age when it comes to things like decorations and double-glazed windows. That’s the sort of balance that developers are looking to strike at St John’s Tavern in Archway, which is set to reopen this week. Things have been moving pretty quickly for St John’s Tavern. It was purchased by Urban Pubs and Bars, a local company who owns more than 60 boozers in London, back in September. Then, it was then closed on October 6 to allow for a series of renovations to take place, and now we’ve got a date for reopening: Friday October 31. The pub is a local favourite. Sitting on an unassuming street in Archway, it’s known for serving great food alongside warm service, all inside a stunning Victorian building. A total of £1 million has gone into giving the place a new look and feel, and the new owners have promised great things. Photograph: St John’s Tavern Chris Hill, the managing director for Urban Pubs and Bars, says that the company’s investment into St John’s Tavern ‘ensures it remains a neighbourhood favourite while evolving into something fresh and exciting’. According to him, we can expect ‘beautiful new interiors, a focus on great seasonal food and a vibrant community feel’. A new menu is at the ‘heart’ of the tavern’s relaunch. An emp

What are your non-negotiables when you’re booking a hotel? Good breakfast? A great location? Maybe a lovely spa, if you’re feeling fancy? Whatever it is, we can guarantee that the best hotels in the world right now, which have just been crowned by World’s 50 Best, will have it (and then some). In order for a hotel to make it into the 50 best on Earth, it has to really shine. The service, the food, the amenities, the views; every single aspect has to be on top form, to impress the panel of industry experts who vote. After a longlist was revealed earlier this month, crowning hotels in spots 51 - 100, the top 50 list has finally landed. This year, Asian resorts dominated, with six out of the top 10 split between Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore. Beating out all of the rest to become the official best hotel in the world for 2025 was the Rosewood in Hong Kong, which judges described as ‘a beacon of modern Asian minimalist hospitality’. World’s 50 Best was impressed by Rosewood's impressive scale. Offering over 400 ultra-luxe rooms, it was noted that ‘none can match Rosewood's ability to deliver all-out hospitality for as many guests concurrently’. Overnight stays start at just shy of €750, so it’s not exactly a budget-friendly option, but it is literally the best hotel in the entire world, so that doesn’t come as a huge surprise. In second place was the Four Seasons Bangkok on the banks of the city’s Chao Phraya River. World’s 50 Best praised it for achieving a resort feel in the

Did you know that the world’s oldest international stadium is in Scotland? Hampden Park was built in Southside Glasgow back in 1873, and was home to the local team Queen’s Park until a railway line was built right through the middle of it in the 1890s. The current Hampden Park (home to the Scottish national team) was then built as a replacement in the early 20th century. These days a bowling club sits on the site of the original stadium, marked by a mural commemorating one of the greatest moments in Scottish football history: beating England 5-1 all the way back in 1882. However, the Hampden Bowling Club has been struggling recently. If the club is forced to close, the land would be fair game for commercial developers who might not care about its historical significance. Scottish football fans are now calling for the spot to be ‘protected and celebrated’ as a site of cultural significance. Lindsay Hamilton, who does walking tours around the area for football fans and history enthusiasts alike, told the BBC that the original Hampden Park was ‘the blueprint’ for modern stadiums; ‘Queen's Park built grandstands, toilets, turnstiles for it and it was the first purpose built international football stadium in the world… How we experience football today was all built at first on that site’. Photograph: Annie McNamee for Time Out But the bowling club is down to fewer than 50 members, and the committee has already decided that it will be dissolved in February of next year. If no one

Oxford is famous for being home to some of the smartest people on Earth, but not all of those clever clogses work at the ancient university. There are several other foundations and institutes based there, and one of them – the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) – is getting a brand new campus on the outskirts of the city. It will come complete with its very own train station, which is part of a new government-backed project to reopen a disused railway line. Littlemore station will form part of a wider project to bring back the Cowley branch, a suburban line in south-east Oxford which would link several local communities with the city centre, and with London. Only Littlemore station will be designed by Foster + Partners, the architects creating the new EIT campus. The EIT is a research institute with a goal to ‘[translate] scientific discovery into real world impact’ by ‘combining cutting-edge research and commercial capability’. In simple terms, it's full of a lot of very brainy people who are working to create tech for the healthcare, farming, energy, and AI industries which are profitable for businesses and good for humanity. It’s funded by Larry Ellison, an American tech giant who is currently the second richest man on Earth. Image: Foster + Partners An organisation with ambitions that lofty is deserving of an equally inspiring base, which is why the EIT has teamed up with world-famous architects Foster + Partners to design its brand new Oxford campus. For the uniniti

We love London. That won’t come as a surprise – Time Out has been chronicling the best of the city for decades – but even we can admit that sometimes you need some time away. Life in London is nonstop, so every so often it’s essential to escape into nature, and the city parks just won’t do it. We recently published a list of the very best walking routes which are within daytripping distance of the capital, including all the beaches, forests and moors a city-dweller could dream of. If you fancy a riverside stroll we recommend the Goring Gap and Thames Path, but if you’re more of a seaside kind of walker then the Kentish Coast is calling your name. If neither of those appeals and you’d rather explore a couple quaint English villages, then we present to you Chess Valley in the Chilterns. Instead of the Big Smoke’s skyscrapers or honking taxis, you will pass through little villages with cobbled streets and homely cafés. The sort of place that an Enid Blyton character might live, or where a classic Agatha Christie mystery could take place. You’ll start your countryside adventure at Chorleywood station and walk 10 miles (or as far as you feel like) along a ‘bucolic’ pathway which takes you through ‘rolling meadows, woods carpeted in dainty yellow celandines’ and, of course, the dainty villages of Latimer and Chenies. We recommend stopping for a pint at a pub in one of these towns to split up the trip.  There’s loads to keep a look-out for on this route on top of the idyllic country

In case you’ve somehow missed it: Lily Allen is back, in a pretty explosive way. After several years without new music, the songstress returned to the airwaves last week with West End Girl, a 44-minute long chronicle, in excruciating detail, of the breakdown of her marriage. The album has been a huge hit, with fans and critics alike lauding it as a career-best, and giving gossip bloggers enough fodder to get them to Christmas. Now, Lily has announced that she’s going to be taking the album around the UK, on her first tour in seven years. Appropriately, the tour is titled ‘Lily Allen Performs West End Girl’. This tour will be slightly different – instead of traditional gig venues she’ll perform to theatres and concert halls, playing the entire album front-to-back, in order. Each venue has been personally chosen by Lily as the perfect places ‘to showcase her new material’. Want to see Lily Allen live in the UK 2026? Here’s everything you need to know. When is Lily Allen going on tour in the UK? Lily will be touring throughout March 2026, with the opening night in Glasgow on March 2 and the big finale in London on March 21. What tour dates have been confirmed so far? Thirteen UK dates have been confirmed so far, including two nights in the London Palladium where you’ll be able to see West End Girl in the titular West End. Here are all of the dates for Lily Allen’s 2026 tour: March 2: Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall March 3: Liverpool. Philharmonic Hall March 5: Birmingham, Symphony

Ni les vistes més espectaculars ni el millor menjar del món poden compensar estar envoltat de persones que et fan sentir incòmode. Per això és important planificar les teves pròximes vacances –o potser planejar on et vols mudar a llarg termini– en un lloc on et sentis benvingut. Hi ha gent amable a tots els racons del món, i les ciutats no en són una excepció, especialment quan vas més enllà de les zones turístiques i coneixes comunitats locals diverses. Com a part de la nostra enquesta anual per descobrir les millors ciutats del món, volíem esbrinar quines de les nostres urbs són les més acollidores. Per fer-ho, vam enquestar més de 18.500 persones d’arreu del món i els vam preguntar si estaven d’acord amb l’afirmació “la meva ciutat és acollidora i amable”. Segons la nostra enquesta, gairebé la meitat de les ciutats més amigables del món són a Europa, amb nou de les vint repartides entre tres països: el Regne Unit, Espanya i Portugal, però ja us avancem que Barcelona no és dins el top 10. Foto: Shutterstock/Porto Porto va ocupar el primer lloc, amb un 85% dels habitants que van afirmar que la seva ciutat és un lloc acollidor. Lisboa, la capital de Portugal, va quedar en vuitè lloc mundial —no és estranyar, doncs, que totes dues ciutats fossin reconegudes recentment com les dues millors escapades urbanes d’Europa als World Travel Awards. Espanya va aconseguir quatre llocs: Bilbao –que va quedar segona en la classificació general–, Madrid, València i Sevilla. Això convertei

Ni las vistas más espectaculares ni la mejor comida del mundo pueden compensar estar rodeado de personas que te hacen sentir incómodo. Por eso es importante planificar tus próximas vacaciones –o quizás pensar dónde quieres mudarte a largo plazo– en un lugar donde te sientas bienvenido. Hay gente amable en todos los rincones del mundo, y las ciudades no son una excepción, especialmente cuando vas más allá de las zonas turísticas y conoces comunidades locales diversas. Como parte de nuestra encuesta anual para descubrir las mejores ciudades del mundo, queríamos averiguar cuáles de nuestras urbes son las más acogedoras. Para hacerlo, encuestamos a más de 18.500 personas de todo el mundo y les preguntamos si estaban de acuerdo con la afirmación “mi ciudad es acogedora y amable”. Según nuestra encuesta, casi la mitad de las ciudades más amigables del mundo están en Europa, con nueve de las veinte repartidas entre tres países: Reino Unido, España y Portugal. Eso sí, Barcelona no está en el top 10. Foto: Shutterstock/Porto Oporto ocupó el primer lugar, con un 85% de los habitantes que afirmaron que su ciudad es un lugar acogedor. Lisboa, la capital de Portugal, quedó en octava posición mundial —no es de extrañar, pues, que ambas ciudades fueran reconocidas recientemente como las dos mejores escapadas urbanas de Europa en los World Travel Awards. España consiguió cuatro puestos: Bilbao –que quedó segunda en la clasificación general–, Madrid, Valencia y Sevilla. Esto convierte al pa

In the UK we have several of the most scenic railway lines in the world. We’ve got the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct – made famous by the Harry Potter films – the far north line in the Highlands which goes through a UNESCO world heritage bog, trains which traverse the Yorkshire Dales, and some which go deep into the gorgeous Welsh countryside. But it takes a lot to keep things looking this good. The Conwy Valley Line, which Network Rail says is ‘one of the most picturesque in Wales, but also one of the most weather-exposed’ has been in need of some serious TLC in recent years. In the past 10 years, the route has been closed for more than 500 days due to stormy weather. Over the next decade, however, that number should drop, as £1.4 million of improvements has recently been made to the line. After nearly a month of work, including clearing ‘high-risk’ trees and vegetation and upgrading essential infrastructure, the 54-mile stretch between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llandudno Junction opened back up to the public this week, on Monday October 27. RECOMMENDED: The best scenic train journeys in the UK. Hopefully this should mean fewer trees falling onto the tracks, and more sturdy rails for when one or two do inevitably blow down. A state-of-the-art leaf-clearing tactic is also being trialled; a special gel is applied to the rails which ‘breaks down leaf contamination, stays effective for up to seven days, and reactivates with rain’. The future of leaf-clearing is well and truly here. Ph

Islands are the ideal holiday destination. They’re self-contained so you can get to know them and the locals pretty well during your trip, and in most cases they come with gorgeous beaches – worth exploring whether it’s sunny or freezing cold. There are island escapes all over the world, and as it turns out the very best aren’t always the most famous. At least, that’s what the readers of Condé Nast Traveller say. The travel magazine has just released the results of its Readers’ Choice awards 2025, including an extensive list of the best islands in every region of the world. In order to determine winners, CNT surveyed nearly 500,000 people, and then created rankings based on the percentage of respondents who reported a positive experience. For instance, Valletta, the capital of Malta, was named the best city to visit in Europe with an impressive 97.3 percent approval rating. Ninety-seven percent is a pretty impressive number of people to have gone home happy, but when it comes to islands, the satisfaction rates are even higher. A whopping 98.91 percent of people who visited Turks and Caicos, the world’s best island, said their stay was ideal.  Sapodilla Bay Beach, Turks and Caicos | Photograph: Shutterstock It’s not hard to see why. Turks and Caicos is one of those places that’s basically heaven on Earth, with white sands backing onto bright blue waters, loads of sunshine, and friendly islanders. Unless you hate tanning with a cocktail in one hand and a book in the other, yo

While it’s been a long time since everything in Poundland cost just £1, earlier this year it was revealed that there was one thing about the chain you could get for just a quid: the shop itself. That’s not a joke. In the summer the entirety of Poundland was sold by its owners Pepco to a US investment company called Gordon Brothers (which used to own Laura Ashley) for a ‘nominal fee’ of a single pound. The low cost was not quite the deal that it appeared at face value – it was estimated that it could cost the new owners up to £100 million to get the brand back on its feet. Following the sale a huge restructuring plan was announced and approved. Dozens of stores were set to close by the end of 2025, and further Poundlands were expected to shut as a result of the brand seeking rent reductions and lease expirations. Before the closures, Poundland employed over 16,000 people across 792 branches in the UK and Ireland.  Pepco maintains that this does not mean that it’s the end of Poundland, stating that it ‘remains a key player in UK discount retail, with millions of customers annually and a well-loved brand and proposition’, and adding that this is simply a move to ‘[simplify] the group and [focus] on our successful Pepco business.’ Poundland managing director Barry Williams said of the closures: ‘It’s no secret that we have much work to do to get Poundland back on track.’ ‘While Poundland remains a strong brand, serving 20m-plus shoppers each year, our performance for a significan