Estella Shardlow

Spicy ‘n’ smoky is the name of the game for much classic Jamaican cuisine, with rainbow-bright Scotch bonnet peppers firing up everything from jerk chicken to curried goat. Throw in the national dish of ackee and saltfish, piping hot patties and aromatic Blue Mountain coffee, and you can see why Jamaicans are so passionate about mealtimes. Big on flavor and short on pretention, some of the best bites in the capital are found at no-frills joints (if you're looking for quintessential things to do in Kingston, digging in at a jerk shop should top your list). For a different experience, enjoy a languid lunch at one of the picturesque colonial properties overlooking the city, where fresh tropical produce is taken to new heights. Kickstart your culinary adventure now with our pick of the best restaurants in Kingston. Recommended: the best all-inclusive hotels in Jamaica

So you’ve landed in the capital of Jamaica; what to do now? What are the best things to do in Kingston? Well, you could start by taking in the saccharine serenity of the Blue Mountains and the stunning natural harbor in which the city lies, but that tranquility will soon be punctured by the energy and excitement that this cultural center has in spades. If there is a city in the Caribbean that does it all, Kingston is its name. Kingston’s role in the history and development of reggae is well known, but the vitality of this famous genre is best experienced in the surroundings that birthed it all those decades ago. The Jamaican capital’s roster of museums is as fascinating as any other in the region, while the diverse selection of restaurants will ensure there are no rumbling stomachs during your stay. Kingston at night is another experience entirely, a thrilling explosion of joy that will get even the most concrete of shoes shuffling. If you’re looking for Jamaica at its most, well, Jamaican, Kingston is the place to be. Recommended: the best all-inclusive hotels in Jamaica Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. Find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world.

Undoubtedly the most iconic of all the Caribbean island states, Jamaica is everything you expect it to be and then a whole lot more. All of the dreams you’ve had that about palm-shaded hammocks in deserted covers were strangely accurate, but Jamaica is as much about what you can do as it is about doing nothing at all. This is a thrilling treasure trove of an island, an adrenaline-pumping adventure playground brimming with excitement, culture and history. And yes, that hammock will still be waiting when the day is done. Kingston’s cultural vibrancy will envelop you with its energy. The capital bounces from raucous dancehall parties and jerk pits to grand public gardens and museums in the blink of an eye. It also acts as a tremendous base for exploring the incredible natural beauty of Jamaica’s waterfalls, mountain trails, coffee estates and the rest. The hotels here are spectacular, the food is incredible, and the history of this proud island positively flows from every nook and cranny. Get that trip booked; the best things to do in Jamaica are among the best things to do on this magical planet of ours. Recommended: the best all-inclusive hotels in Jamaica Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. Find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world.

There’s plenty more to this tiny, horseshoe-shaped string of islands than preppy shorts and aviation mysteries. Lonely in the mid-Atlantic, Bermuda is an intriguing medley of British, American and Caribbean influences, right down to the locals’ accents. Quaint place names that conjure up Ye Olde England and red telephone boxes meet pink sand beaches, rum cocktails and sherbet-colored cottages. The first settlers arrived by chance in 1609, when a ship bound for Virginia ran into a storm; the episode apparently inspired Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Today, Bermuda’s naval heritage is writ large on its landscape, salt air whipping through historic fortresses and dockyards. Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. Find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world. RECOMMENDED: The best hotels in Bermuda

Eating in Cuba is a curious adventure, for want of a different phrase. The island’s cuisine has long suffered a less than glittering reputation, unsurprising when one takes into account the food-rationing days of the Special Period, but modern developments mean that change is being felt here. Home-run restaurants have built a buzz around ‘Nouveau Cuban’ cuisine, and chowing down has become one of the best things to do on this most fascinating of islands. From fine dining in palatial apartments to hipster tapas bars, these are the best restaurants in Cuba.  

Few cities boast as many beaches as Rio. These stretches of golden sand are a backyard and playground for cariocas (aka residents), whether they’re sweating over a volleyball match or strutting their stuff in those infamously tiny bikinis (fio dental – fittingly, it means dental floss) and budgie smugglers (sungas). In a city where social inequality is often stark, beach time is an egalitarian pleasure. You won’t go hungry on these sun-kissed shores, thanks to a constant stream of restaurants and food and drink vendors – must-try local snacks include skewers of grilled cheese, refreshing acai smoothies and crispy cassava Globo biscuits. There are plenty of things to do, from sunbathing and people watching to frolicking in the waves or walking miles of shoreline.

Seeking respite from Rio’s hedonistic side? The city has no shortage of world-class day spas, which are just the ticket to soothe aching limbs after all that samba dancing hiking around the city’s many hilltop sights and exploring the best things to do in Rio. Residents love pampering themselves in sleek neighborhood salons – fitness and beauty are, after all, both big business in Rio – while the spas at luxurious five-star hotels give non-guests a taste of the celebrity lifestyle. On a serious shoestring? Even on the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, skilled masseurs work their magic, setting up massage chairs right on the sand.

Much like its audacious mountains-meet-sea topography, Rio’s meals pack a big, sensorial punch: sizzling all-you-can-eat barbecues at neighborhood churrascarias; the hearty pork-and-bean feijoada stew; salt-crusted sardines grilled right on the beach. All cut through with the citrus-sweet kick of a caipirinha. From snack-bar kiosks on seemingly every corner, doling out cheese dough balls or popcorn, to the perennially popular por kilo buffet joints (a quintessential thing to do in Rio), there are plenty of ‘bom e barato’ (cheap and good) options to keep hunger at bay in the Marvelous City. At its lively pub-like botecos, portions are often enough for two to share. Rio has traditionally been cast as a meat lovers paradise, but these days vegetarians are better catered for, as are gourmands seeking contemporary Michelin-starred fine dining. In fact, cariocas (locals) tend to see eating out as a daily occurrence – why not follow their lead at these mouthwatering venues?

The words 'hotel' and 'Rio' tend to conjure up a certain Art Deco icon on Copacabana beach, but this sprawling, fun-loving Brazilian city offers plenty more options for travelers besides one (admittedly lush) postcard picture – from converted mansions in the arty hilltop enclave of Santa Teresa to hard-partying hostels in hipster Botofogo. Rooftop pools and beach views remain, unsurprisingly, the most sought-after elements of any Rio de Janeiro address. The 2016 Olympics prompted a slew of restaurant and hotel openings – especially for stylish mid-range options, with various flashpacking or boutique brands filling Rio’s long-standing gap between high-end hotel chains (think Sofitel and JW Marriott) and basic B&Bs. Whether it’s a post Carnival crash pad you’re seeking, or a private cabana with celeb-worthy service, Brazil’s most popular tourist city now has all accommodation bases covered.

Brightly-colored, breezy and a little boho, no wonder carioca (anything that is born or made in Rio) brands have such a global following; who wouldn’t want to bring a slice of Rio’s sand-in-the-toes, beach style home? A rainbow array of Havaiana flip-flops and glam swimwear are easy to cram in your suitcase, while those with deep pockets and an eye for design could get carried away at the city’s treasures troves of iconic Brazilian furniture. There’s an insatiable love for American-style mega malls – called ‘shoppings’ – among Rio’s expanding middle and upper classes, so you can buy from familiar global brands in a safe, sanitized setting. But don’t miss the artisanal boutiques around the cobbled streets of Santa Teresa, or the sensory experience of a local craft market—both quintessential things to do in Rio—such as Ipanema’s Feira Hippie or antiques-focused Feira do Rio Anigo in Lapa. This list serves up some examples for each of Rio’s retail tribes.

Tel Aviv boasts 2,500 tech startups in a city of only 435,000 inhabitants. Let that sink in for a minute. Only China and the U.S. – which dwarf Israel in size and population – have more firms listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Thankfully, you don’t have to be a CEO or coder to get a taste of Tel Aviv’s flourishing startup ecosystem. With new and innovative tours exploring the scene, alongside tech-focused museums and urban co-working spaces, visitors can now delve into the mainframe of Israeli innovation. From the fourth floor of Start-Up Nation Central’s HQ, Tel Aviv’s skyline takes on a unique perspective. The white Bauhaus buildings and gleaming glass offices are speckled with dozens of brightly-colored dots. They shift and multiply with every turn of the head. Fortunately, I’m not hallucinating; just wearing one of the company’s virtual reality headsets, which map the startups populating neighboring buildings – over there is Blockchain-based digital property marketplace WeMark, a few doors away cannabis farming innovator Indorz, and in the distance, Amazon’s natural language processing R&D lab. Ten years on from Dan Senor and Saul Singer’s groundbreaking book Startup Nation, Israel is still clearly streaking ahead in high-tech advances. It boasts the world’s largest number of startups per capital, despite being the size of New Jersey, and the highest investment of GDP in research and development. And in the latest boost to this tech titan status, Tel Aviv University rec