Olivia Simpson

New for 2025: We’re off to a flying start with many new spots opening in Madrid – but there’s still more to come. We’ll see the return of famous Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio, as well as the new restaurant from Ramón Freixa, who previously held two Michelin stars at his restaurant in the Hotel Único. Arnanz has just opened (with a tasting menu by chef Rubén Arnanz) and it won’t be long until we can check out Bakko (where Alberto de Luna – one of the city’s most controversial food influencers – is one of the partners). Oh, and Joaquín Serrano and Jorge Velasco, one of the city’s busiest duos, are opening Boral in the ABC Serrano building. Plenty to look forward to, then.There are certain classic foodie experiences you simply have to have in Madrid: churros from San Gines, bocatas de calamares (calamari sandwiches) while exploring the city centre, and an afternoon spent hopping between different bars, sipping on cañas (small beers) and eating as many croquettes and slices of tortilla as you can handle – but it’s once you’ve ticked off those staples that Madrid’s food scene gets really interesting. Madrid is home to exceptional food for every budget, from the raft of Michelin-starred restaurants to the market stalls serving up dishes from all over the world at the city’s much-loved food markets. Our local editors know great food when they taste it and have poured that knowledge into this list.  RECOMMENDED: 🍸 The best bars in Madrid🥘 The best things to do in Madrid🏘️ Where to s

Such is the Portuguese capital’s draw, that I’d be willing to bet you’ve either visited Lisbon in recent years, or you’ve got it right at the top of your travel wishlist. It’s a popular place, and with very good reason: the food is spectacular, the nightlife is electric, and the views across the city from its many viewpoints are breathtaking. Happily, there’s still places to discover that are a little further off the tourist trail. How do we know? Because our team of local editors is out and about in this city, day in, day out, searching for the best Lisbon has to offer, from famed museums, to secret bars. How many days should I spend in Lisbon? You could zip through the city’s main attractions in just 48 hours, but Lisbon is best enjoyed at a more leisurely pace, allowing you to stop and smell the jacarandas that bloom in spring, or linger with a glass of wine long after you’ve watched the sunset from one of the rooftop bars. For this, we’d recommend a three night, four day stay. Looking for a longer holiday? It would be near criminal to visit Lisbon in summer without a day trip to the nearby beaches. Visiting in autumn? How about combining your visit to Lisbon with a trip to Porto (less than three hours away via high-speed rail), a city whose many parks look particularly spectacular when the leaves begin to change. RECOMMENDED:🏠 The best Airbnbs in Lisbon 🎭 The best attractions in Lisbon 🍷 The best wine tours in Lisbon 🏨 The best hotels in Lisbon This guide is by the ed

Too many of us stick to the coasts when travelling to Spain, and it’s not hard to see why: the beaches are truly stunning, and coastal cities like Barcelona and Valencia have a lot to offer too. But for those looking to go against the grain, a visit to Madrid, which sits right in the heart of the country, will not disappoint. Extraordinary food, exceptional galleries and museums, picturesque plazas and an abundance of green spaces are just some of the things that make the Spanish capital a great place to live or visit – just ask our editors, who live and work in the capital, and spend their days seeking out the very best of the city. No matter your interests, no matter your budget, you'll find something on this list for you. ¿Vamos? 🍂 Autumn 2024: Madrid is always a great place for art lovers, but this autumn, there’s even more to be excited about than usual, as Estampa Contemporary Art Fair 2024 and FERIARTE, an antiques and art galleries fair, come to town. Sport more your thing? There’s nothing like watching El Clásico (the match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, which will be held in the city’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium on October 26) in a Madrid bar, cerveza in hand. RECOMMENDED:🥘 The best restaurants in Madrid🍸 The best bars in Madrid🏘️ Where to stay in Madrid🏨 The best hotels in Madrid🏠 The best Airbnbs in Madrid This article was written by the editorial team at Time Out Madrid. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know thei

You’ve seen it in countless films, you’ve read about it in 100 books – even if you’re planning your first visit, you’ve probably got a clear idea of Paris. But here’s the thing: in real life, the City of Light exceeds all expectations. The attractions really are that beautiful, the restaurants really are that good, and the art really is that impressive. And our editors are out there all day every day, experiencing it all. That’s how we bring you this list of the best things to do in Paris – every spot you’ll find here is tried, tested and tried again. How long should I spend in Paris? Four days (or a long weekend) will give you an excellent taste of Paris. But you can just as well speed through a few top attractions in a fun-packed 24 hours, or slow down for a food-fuelled two-week break, and still leave feeling like there’s more to be discovered. However long you spend in the city, just make sure to balance the iconic sites with some of the lesser-known spots we’ve highlighted below – Paris wouldn’t be Paris without that blend of both that gives it a certain je ne sais quoi. RECOMMENDED:🥘 The best restaurants in Paris🏘️ Where to stay in Paris🏺 The best museums in Paris🏡 The best Airbnbs in Paris🎢 The best rides at Disneyland Paris Rémi Morvan is a journalist at Time Out Paris. 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

Everyone should visit Barcelona at least once. Everyone. No excuses. The Catalan capital is a bustling city that lives up to its reputation, a thriving cultural centre with brilliant museums, magnificent restaurants and a club scene that goes all night long. Barcelona is brilliant, bombastic, and bloomin’ marvellous. But what are the best things to do while you’re here? We’re glad you asked. We’ve done the hard yards and put together the ultimate Barna bucket list. You can’t go wrong with this place. Here are the best things to do in Barcelona right now. What's new in Barcelona for 2025? It’s shaping up to be another exciting year for Barcelona. Music fans can catch some of the world’s biggest artists performing in the city, including Guns N’ Roses, Charlie XCX, Nathy Peluso, Maluma and Carlos Santana. The city’s Fundació Joan Miró, a gallery dedicated to Barcelona-born artist Joan Miró, will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a programme called ‘For Tomorrow’s People’, which will connect the artist’s legacy with modern themes and visions of the future. Finally, football fans should have a chance to see Barcelona FC play in the revamped Camp Nou for the first time since May 2023, with the club hoping to return to its iconic home by the end of April. RECOMMENDED:🥘 The best restaurants in Barcelona🍸 The best bars in Barcelona🎟️ The best attractions in Barcelona📍 Where to stay in Barcelona🌅 20 must-see places in Catalonia Maria Jose Gomez is the Time Out Barcelona editor.

Paris has an incredible number of museums and galleries and you can find some of the world’s most famous artworks in their permanent collections. Add to that the many world-class exhibitions that come to town every year and it can be difficult to know where to start. To make it simpler, we’ve rounded up some of the very best artworks in Paris’s permanent collections. This isn’t a list of the city’s most famous artworks (although you can find a short roundup of those pieces and their whereabouts in the paragraph below); rather, this list highlights those slightly less well-known pieces that are still a must-see for any art lover in Paris. What is the most famous artwork in Paris? Undoubtedly, Da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ is the most famous painting in Paris (never mind that it was actually painted by an Italian, in Italy). An estimated three-quarters of the museum’s 30,000 daily visitors make the pilgrimage to see the painting, so to cope with these high numbers, the Louvre has announced some major changes. But what are the other famous artworks in Paris? Some of the most iconic include ‘Liberty Leading the People’ by Eugène Delacroix (Louvre), ‘Aphrodite of Milos’ (also known as the Venus de Milo) by Alexandros of Antioch (Louvre), ‘Starry Night Over the Rhône’ by Vincent van Gogh (Musée d'Orsay), ‘Self-Portrait’ by Vincent van Gogh (Musée d’Orsay), ‘Water Lilies’ by Claude Monet, (Musée de l’Orangerie). RECOMMENDED: 🎟️ The best things to do in Paris🎷 The best jazz bars in Paris?

As much as we love Barcelona, Catalonia is so much more than its capital. For starters, it might be bigger than you realise (it’s about 1.5 times the size of Wales) and it's home to an incredible range of landscapes, from the peaks of the Pyrenees, to the wetlands around the Ebro Delta, to the craggy coastline. And that’s before we even mention the medieval villages, impressive Roman and Greek ruins, fascinating cities and whitewashed fishermen's towns. Oh, and the food is excellent: in fact, Catalonia was named the World Gastronomy Region for 2025 in recognition of its innovative and regenerative tourism model and gastronomic revolution. Catalonia, you really are spoiling us. Here are its most beautiful spots, as chosen by local editors. RECOMMENDED:🎟️ The best attractions in Barcelona🏛️ The best things to do in Barcelona📍 Where to stay in Barcelona🍴 The best restaurants in BarcelonaAt 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.  

As a born and bred Glaswegian who has spent several years in England and abroad, I can confidently say that there’s no place like home. Long seen by outsiders as Edinburgh’s shabby little sibling, the city is enjoying a renaissance, fuelled by home-grown talents cultivated at the city’s world-leading art school and from within the thriving music and arts scene, all whilst grassroots community organisations fight to ensure that development happens as fairly as possible.  How long do I need in Glasgow? A weekend visit will give you a great sense of the city, but I’d recommend staying longer to get to know its distinct neighbourhoods (and increase your chances of enjoying a rare sunny day). Rain or shine, a perfect Glasgow day should include a coffee at Outlier, some culture at the Tramway, some independent shopping (try Category Is Books) and a dance in one of the city’s famous clubs (for me, it’s got to be sweaty basement venue The Berkeley Suite). But read on – we’ve got plenty more where that came from. Here are my favourite things to do in Glasgow.  RECOMMENDED:🍔 The best restaurants in Glasgow🍸 The best pubs in Glasgow🏨 The best hotels in Glasgow🏩 The best Airbnbs in Glasgow This guide was recently updated by Time Out editor Olivia Simpson, who is from Glasgow. 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

Moonlight shimmering on the Seine; the sound of jazz drifting out from candlelit bars; strolling hand in hand through the winding streets of Montmartre: it’s hard to think of many cities that rival Paris for romance. You know what’s not romantic? Your date seeing you sweat as you feverishly scroll through Instagram looking for a last-minute restaurant recommendation. Never fear: with our guide to the 10 most romantic restaurants in Paris, you can whisk your date off for a meal that’s bound to win them over, at least in terms of the food. The rest? That’s up to you. RECOMMENDED:🥘 The best restaurants in Paris🎨 The best things to do in Paris🥐 The best patisseries in Paris🏨 The best hotels in Paris📍 Where to stay in Paris Antoine Besse is the food and drink editor Antoine Besse. 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.

Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, or just a rainy Tuesday – we’ll take any excuse to treat ourselves to some quality chocs. But where to find the very best in Paris? Our Paris food and drink editor is here to help. He’s put in the hours sampling the city’s most prestigious chocolate to put together this list – it’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. Below, you’ll find both bean-to-bar artisans and chocolatiers who buy pre-roasted beans to use as a base for their own concoctions, but whatever the approach, you can trust the final product will be delicious. Here are the best chocolate shops in Paris. RECOMMENDED: 🥘 The best restaurants in Paris🏘️ Where to stay in Paris🏺 The best museums in Paris🏡 The best Airbnbs in Paris🎟️ The best things to do in Paris Antoine Besse is a journalist at Time Out Paris. 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.

Barcelona is a cultural powerhouse, with world-class galleries, attractions and museums. If you’re a fan of art and museums, you’re probably happy to pay for the experience. However, if you’re trying to persuade a friend who’d rather hit the beach or browse the city’s many great shops, then finding free museum options could be a great way to convince them to come along. Sunday is a great day to visit museums in Barcelona, since some institutions offer free entry on the first Sunday of every month, while others have free access on Sunday afternoons. Below, our local editors have compiled a list of the Barcelona museums which open for free on Sundays – don’t say we’re not good to you.RECOMMENDED:🥘 The best restaurants in Barcelona🍸 The best bars in Barcelona📍 The best attractions in Barcelona🏨 The best hotels in BarcelonaRita Roig is the Culture and News Editor at Time Out Barcelona. This piece was written by the editorial team. 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.

What makes a city a city? Or at least, what makes a city a good option for a city break? Good food, an arts and culture scene, vibrant bars, beautiful green spaces, walkable areas – I’m willing to bet these criteria would be on just about anyone’s list. As my plane descended past snow-shrouded mountains on its approach to Akureyri International Airport, I knew I’d spend the next few days exploring the area’s otherworldly landscapes: thundering waterfalls, crater-filled lava fields, hot springs and steep-sided fjords. What I didn’t expect was that in Akureyri, our base for the trip, I would find a city that, despite its small size, checked off everything on my city break list. City life  After dropping our bags at the stylish and comfortable Hotel Akureyri, we headed out to explore the city. Located at the bottom of the Eyjafjörðurfjord fjord and known as the capital of North Iceland, it’s home to around 20,000 inhabitants, making it the country’s largest municipality outside of the Reykjavík area. The city is home to several arts and culture venues, including a concert hall, cinema, bars and the Akureyri Art Museum. When we visited, this surprisingly large gallery space was showing exhibitions from Icelandic and international artists, as well as from local art students. I had to wonder what town of this size in the UK could provide such an opportunity for its emerging artists. Photograph: Visit North Iceland The area had seen a large dump of snow in the days before we arriv

London has seen no shortage of Impressionism exhibitions in recent years. Do we need another? Possibly not. But this one does offer the chance to see some magnificent paintings from the collection of arts patron and Impressionism superfan Oskar Reinhart for the first time outside of his native Switzerland.  And the Courtauld Gallery is the perfect host, thanks to the many overlaps the collections of Samuel Courtauld and Reinhart, two men fascinated with Cézanne, van Gogh and Manet. This leads to some very literal parallels: for example, two Honoré Daumier paintings depicting Don Quijote and his groom, Sancho Panza, hang on opposing sides of the same wall, one in the permanent collection and one in the temporary exhibition. The exhibition starts with a punchy trio. Immediately, you’re confronted by Goya’s ‘Still Life With Three Salmon Steaks’. Painted during the Peninsular War, it’s shot through with violence: against a stark black backdrop, the vivid pinks of the meat are almost unbearably fleshy, streaked with blood that pools at the base of the steaks. Goya, who masterfully depicts nightmares in his black paintings, here grounds his horror in the gut-churningly real. The effect is intense and bodily. ‘A Man Suffering From Delusions of Military Rank’, by Théodore Géricault, is a deeply unsettling portrait, part of a group of works thought to depict individuals with mental illnesses. Here, a gaunt man wears an approximation of military dress (a hospital ward tag hanging from

Compared to some of its glitzy Mayfair neighbours, Nipperkin may seem a little subdued – if you ask me, that’s a good thing. The subterranean space underneath fancy fine dining restaurant Niju is styled after the Japanese listening bars of the 1950s. Here the vinyl collection focusses on hip hop, funk, jazz and soul, and the space is decorated in muted tones with high gloss finishes. The cocktail list is organised according to ingredient seasonality and ranges from pleasingly familiar (Macerated Cherries and Coffee, Wild Figs and Honey) to more inventive concoctions (Grilled Leeks and Truffles, Foraged Mushrooms and Ginger), and the well-considered bar snacks (including crudités, Wagyu beef korokke and chicken karaage) are served in unusually generous quantities.  Order this For something long and refreshing, opt for the Pickled Cucumbers & Wasabi. The wasabi and ginger ale bring a pleasing kick.  Time Out tip To make the most of the sound system, visit midweek, as weekend crowds can drown out the vinyl.

What’s the vibe? The latest opening from the Scoop restaurant group (the team behind Glasgow favourites Ox and Finch and Ka Pao), Sebb’s is set to be the Glasgow date spot – think low lighting, comfy booths and great tunes played by a rotating selection of DJs (including some impressive names, like local favourite Hayley Zalassi). If Carrie Bradshaw ever found herself in Glasgow, she’d make a beeline for Sebb’s. What should I order? Cocktails here are a must. There’s a dedicated cocktail kitchen and even if you’re not stopping in for dinner, you can book a table for drinks. There’s a long list of house specials, but make sure to try the white linen (made with rum, yuzushu, elderflower, jasmine, absinthe, and a couple of sliced grapes as a garnish) and the miso and malt old fashioned (featuring miso and brown butter whisky, passionfruit, and a Guinness reduction). For the food, we started with raw oysters with peri peri, but you could also have them grilled with spiced lamb fat. Then, it’s on to the sharing plates – all tasty, and with a focus on food cooked over flames. The tequila verdita cod ceviche was a bright and zingy standout, as was the jerk spiced pork neck, but the vegetarian options (for us, a tandoori celeriac and grilled cauliflower) lacked some of the impact of the other dishes, so I’m not sure this is the place to bring a fully vegetarian love interest. Do order dessert – the delicious barbecued plums, coconut yoghurt and pistachios are neither too sweet nor to

In March 2023, the world (or at least, my corner of the internet) was gooped and gagged as we watched the trial brought by retired optometrist Dr Terry Sanderson against actor and wellness tycoon Gwyneth Paltrow following a ski accident in Utah’s Deer Valley. Sanderson alleged that the collision was caused by the Goop founder’s ‘out of control’ skiing, leaving him with a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries. In the two weeks it took for Paltrow to prove her Gwyn-occence, we were treated to quite the spectacle, from the actor’s quiet luxury courtroom looks (many of which were shoppable on Goop.com, naturally) to the bizarrely fawning questions posed to Paltrow by Sanderson’s lawyer (a role played by a puppet in this eccentric dramatisation, to great comic effect). Unsurprisingly, Paltrow got the last word: as she breezed out of the courtroom, she paused just long enough to whisper a now iconic line to the defeated Sanderson: ‘I wish you well.’ Well, the purveyor of jade yoni eggs could hardly tell him to do one, could she? Gwyneth Goes Skiing, from Awkward Productions, is written and directed by Linus Karp and Joseph Martin who previously had a fringe hit with Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story. The show tells the story of both the crash and the trial, with Karp playing Paltrow and Martin playing Sanderson. Karp is excellent as Gwyneth, capturing her otherworldly poise even while firing a barrage of jokes and pop culture references at the audience, in a p

As one of the world’s major art capitals, Paris always attracts a cultured crowd. Its many outstanding museums are home to some of the world’s most revered pieces of art, and you could spend trip after trip exploring the permanent collections alone – but that would mean missing out on the blockbuster temporary exhibitions that roll through Paris every year. 2025 is no exception. On the agenda for this year? The Louvre’s first-ever exhibition on fashion, a dazzling disco retrospective at the Philharmonie, and an exploration of the work of Black artists in Paris in the latter half of the twentieth century at the Centre Pompidou, to name just a few. Below, our Paris editors have rounded up the most highly-anticipated exhibitions to hit the city this year. David Hockney According to Beaux-Arts Magazine, the retrospective is expected to focus on the past 25 years of the English artist’s creations, with both paintings and digital works on display. Fans of Hockney’s iconic works will be pleased to know that the paintings A Bigger Splash (1967) and Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972), will both be on display. When? April 9-September 1Where? Fondation Louis Vuitton, 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, Paris 16th arrondissement Paris Noir Of all the exhibitions scheduled before the Centre Pompidou closes its doors for renovations (it’s expected to be shut from the end of summer 2025 until 2030), Paris Noir is the one that’s really caught our eye. Celebrating the works of 150 B

Heading to Paris with your amour? Lucky you. From wandering the cobbled streets of Montmarte to cosying up in a dimly lit café, there are few places in the world as romantic as the French capital. Paris’s restaurant scene is second to none, but when it comes to a romantic dinner, not all restos are created equal. At least, not according to Time Out Paris, who named Le Clarence as the city’s most romantic restaurant.What put Le Clarence on top? The setting, for a start: it’s located in a stunning mansion in Paris’s Golden Triangle, offering ‘a deep dive into the refined world of French luxury’. The food more than lives up to the setting, with Antoine Besse, Time Out Paris’s food and drink editor, describing a unique sensory experience that unfolds over the course of 20 dishes, totalling around three hours. Maybe not a spot for a first date, then. Elsewhere on the list, you’ll find London-style gastropub Septime, cosy wine cellar Augustin Marchand d’Vins, refined Italian Amalia and charming bistro La Baignoire, recognised by Time Out for its creative approach and quality ingredients. Looking for more romantic recs in Paris? Time Out has rounded up the most romantic things to do in the City of Love. When night falls, cosy up in one of the city’s jazz bars or speakeasies – and if you want to show your date you’re really sweet on them, pick up some goodies from one of the city’s best chocolate shops. Did you see that this Parisian bistro is home to the world’s best sandwich, accor

Paris is packed full of world-class galleries: you’ve got the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Grand Palais, and the Musée de l'Orangerie, to name just a few. Then there’s the Centre Pompidou. Designed in the high-tech architectural style, the building looks like it’s been put together inside-out, with pipes and a giant escalator running along the exterior. Love it or loathe it (spoiler alert: we love it), there’s no denying it’s iconic. But there’s bad news: this summer, Paris’s Centre Pompidou will close its doors for five years of renovations. Got time to squeeze in one last visit? These are the exhibitions and artworks you need to see before the closure.Suzanne Valadon: January 15 to May 26 While her studio/apartment was opened to the public in 2014 at the Musée de Montmartre, it’s been over fifty years since Suzanne Valadon’s work has been the focus of a major exhibition. This exhibition will correct this oversight, showcasing her career during the first half of the twentieth century, featuring 200 paintings and drawings (including some which have never been shown before) and exploring how Valadon became a key figure in empowering women artists.Paris Noir: 19 March to 30 June  This exhibition will celebrate the works of 150 Black artists in the Paris art scene in the second half of the twentieth century. Through this retrospective, which will explore numerous artistic movements (surrealism, Afro-Atlantic abstraction, free figuration, and more), the institution aims to exam

Since 1985, La Géode has lit up the Parc de la Villette with its 36-metre shimmering sphere and giant hemispherical screen. Now, after six years spent upgrading the cinematic experience, this architectural marvel has just reopened its doors. Adrien Fainsilber’s mirrored globe (which is 36m in diameter, the equivalent of a 12-storey building, and made up of 6,433 polished stainless steel triangles) looks unchanged from the outside. Inside, however, its hemispherical screen (which spans 1,000 m² and was once among the world’s largest) now boasts a brand-new IMAX Laser 4K projector, offering significantly better image quality than its predecessor. The sound quality has also been upgraded to IMAX 6.0. It took the Pathé team (the cinema’s new owner) six years to complete the project. While it might not rival Las Vegas in extravagance, it was worth the wait, as the experience is unique in France. This has earned it a spot in the premium category of Pathé’s theatres, with tickets priced at €25 for feature films and €13 for documentaries at standard rates. Best of all? To mark the reopening, Pathé is running a buy one get one free deal on tickets. What’s on? So, what can you watch in 4K? There are three nature documentaries currently playing (Blue Whales, T.REX, Super Human Body) – which makes sense, considering the geode is part of the City of Science and Industry. Also showing is the highly-anticipated animated film Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to Disney’s iconic animated class

With the Olympics and Paralympics taking over Paris last summer, you might have missed the news of an extension to Paris’s metro network. The expansion of Line 14 was hardly the summer’s most glamorous story, but it did improve north-south connections in the city and helped locals and visitors reach Olympic venues. The extension added approximately 15 kilometres of track as well as one station on the northern end and seven new stations on the southern end, with the line terminating at Orly Airport, making it the longest metro route in the city. However, the new Villejuif-Gustave-Roussy station has remained closed due to additional construction work – until now. The Grand Paris Express authority has announced the huge new station will open to the public on January 18. Here’s everything we know so far. © Dominique Perrault Architecture - ADAGP / Bastien André / Société des grands projets What’s the new station like? Passengers will soon discover a maze-like station that, in addition to Line 14, will also serve as a stop for the future Line 15, which is slated to open in summer 2026. Designed by the Dominique Perrault architecture firm – known for projects like the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in the 13th arrondissement – the station features an accessible design for individuals with reduced mobility and is topped with a large, rounded, striated glass roof. Inside, passengers will find a whopping 32 escalators and 16 lifts which connect the station’s nine levels. The deepe

Paris has croissants, the Eiffel Tower and the Seine, while Barcelona has tapas, the Sagrada Familia and the Mediterranean – two excellent cities, with two very different vibes. How are you supposed to pick which to visit first? Well luckily for us all, we can do both – and on the cheap, too. SNCF Voyageurs, a subsidiary of the French National Railway Company, has released 8,000 tickets for the Barcelona-Paris route, and they’re on sale for just €39. The initiative was launched to celebrate the fact that two million passengers have travelled on the TGV INOUI high-speed line between Barcelona and Paris since it began operation two years ago. Tickets are available now on the company’s website and will be valid for travel between January 13 and March 21 2025. But you’ll need to move fast – the sale ends at midnight tonight, Wednesday December 4. The promotion also aims to encourage more sustainable travel, since the journey from Barcelona to Paris emits 98% less CO₂ than flying and 93% less than driving. Plus, who wants to spend hours in a car, or have the hassle of squeezing all your things into tiny carry-on bags? And it’s not just the Barcelona-Paris route (which also stops in the Catalan cities of Girona and Figueres) that’s going for cheap: you can also travel from Barcelona to other French cities, such as Perpignan, Narbonne, Béziers, Montpellier, and Nîmes for just €29. To purchase tickets for these cities, head to the SNCF Voyageurs website.  If you do miss out on the de

Following the catastrophic flooding in the Valencian Community last week, people across Spain have rallied to support those worse affected. In Barcelona (which was also put on red alert on Monday due to the high risk of flooding) and Madrid, local councils, organisations and charities have set up collection points, with volunteers helping to manage the donations.  How are people in Madrid helping flood victims? The capital has rallied to support those affected by the extreme flooding in the Valencian Community. On Friday, Madrid City Council set up several collection points to gather all kinds of donations. In total, the Council has made 44 municipal spaces available for people to donate non-perishable items, including canned goods, nappies, milk, water, baby formula, and specific products for lactose-intolerant or coeliac individuals, from 9am-9pm. In addition to the 21 points spread across the city, the Palacio de Cibeles and the 22 district police stations of the Municipal Police are also accepting essential goods. Around 700 volunteers are responsible for receiving, sorting, and processing the donations at the central warehouse which has been set up in the Palacio de Cristal at Casa de Campo. Below are the addresses for the collection points across the city, organised by district: Arganzuela: 37 Calle Áncora; 2 Paseo de la Chopera (police station)Barajas: 7 Calle Alhaurín; 16 Calle Trespaderne (police station)Carabanchel: 39 Calle Treseta; 61 Avenida Carabanchel Alto (pol

This week, parts of Spain experienced the worst flooding in decades, causing devastation in dozens of towns across the Valencian Community, with hundreds dead and thousands still missing. While the impact is not expected to be as severe, heavy rains also arrived in Catalonia a few days ago. Today, Barcelona and surrounding areas have been hit with fresh floods, causing the Civil Protection to send an ’extreme danger’ red alert to all residents in the Baix Llobregat and Barcelonès areas warning of torrential rains. Those with a trip booked to Barcelona might be worried about whether it's safe to travel. Here's everything we know so far.   How has Barcelona been affected by flooding? Residents in the parts of Catalonia under red alert were warned this morning by Catalunya Ràdio ‘not to leave home or go to work’ until the warning was lifted. Videos were shared on social media showing streets where cars are partially submerged in the water. Barcelona-El Prat airport experienced flooding, causing flights to be cancelled, delayed and diverted. The storm is currently losing strength, though the risk of flooding alert remains in place in the Llobregat basin and the Aemet's red warning for extreme danger due to torrential rains remains active along the Barcelona coast. Public transport disruptions Renfe Cercanías (the local train service in Barcelona and the surrounding area) announced the suspension of all its lines until further notice, but it is gradually resuming service, starting

What could be more picture-perfect than Paris at Christmas? Strolling gloved hand in gloved hand around the city's Christmas markets, sipping chocolats chauds in a beautiful café, and stopping by the Galeries Lafayette to see the Christmas displays. Are we romanticising this a tad too much? Perhaps, but if you can’t get misty-eyed about Paris at Christmas, when can you, eh? And this year, an old favourite is returning to the Parisian festive calendar. After hosting the Olympic fencing events and the major Art Basel fair in October, the Grand Palais has announced the return of its flagship winter event: the Grand Palais des Glaces (or Grand Ice Palace), also known as the largest indoor ice rink in the world. To claim this title, the organisers are setting up a 3,000-square-metre ice rink under the restored atrium, or nave, which will be open every day until 2am. Tickets are on the expensive side, at €15 to €35 depending on the session. While details about the décor and programme are still to come, we can take a guess at how it might go by looking back at the last edition, which was way back in 2019. The last instalment of the Grand Palais des Glaces saw visitors skating around a giant strobed disco ball while DJs played – and as for food, expect a festive Christmas market vibe with waffles, crêpes, mulled wine and hot chocolate. We’re feeling festive already. The Grand Palais des Glaces will be open from 14 December 2024 to 8 January 2025. Ready to get into the Christmas spiri

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of train travel at Time Out. More relaxing than driving and without the annoying limits on luggage that come with flying, it’s also the greenest option. Across Europe, countries are expanding their high-speed rail networks, helping travellers go further, faster (and, in many cases, cheaper). That’s certainly the case in Spain, where Ouigo, the French train company which specialises in low-cost travel, has just announced a €9 deal for tickets between Madrid and Barcelona, with the journey taking just two and a half hours.As doubleheaders go, it doesn’t get much better than a trip that takes in both Madrid and Barcelona, but the deal also applies to other stops on the line, namely Tarragona (a seaside city with impressive Roman ruins) and Zaragoza (Spain’s fifth biggest city, famed for its baroque basilica overlooking the River Ebro). Whether you fancy making a break for warmer climes this winter or would prefer to wait until next spring, you’re in luck: you can use this deal for tickets until June 2025. The catch? This deal is available for one day only. So, how and when can you get your hands on the €9 tickets? Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 26 at 11am, when tickets go on sale via the Ouigo website.  See more of Spain by train Want to explore more of Spain? The country is well connected by high-speed rail, meaning you could enjoy your morning churros con chocolate in San Gines, a Madrid institution, before hopping on a train to

Madrid is one of the world’s best cities for culture for good reason: it’s absolutely stacked with museums. But from October 1, the iconic Sorolla Museum – the former home and workshop of the Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla – will be closed for renovations. The work is expected to last until 2026, but those in the city over the next week are in luck. Ahead of the closure, the Sorolla will extend its Friday and Saturday opening hours for the final two weekends of September. On September 20, 21, 27 and 28 the museum will stay open until 10.30pm, rather than the normal closing hour of 8pm. Entrance to the museum is always free from 2pm onward on Saturdays and all day on Sundays (10am-3pm), and this will continue until the closure. Work to build new exhibition rooms and other facilities on land adjacent to the museum remains ongoing, and, when completed, will add over 2,000 square metres to the museum. From the start of October, work will begin on the second phase, which will be focused on renovating the house and gardens to ensure they meet accessibility standards and improve the environmental monitoring systems in the exhibition rooms. Where else can I see Sorolla’s works? During the renovation, the museum’s collection of nearly 9,000 items will be moved to new storage facilities, but visitors and locals will be able to enjoy the Valencian artist’s work at different exhibitions in Madrid. One of these exhibitions, to be held at the Galería de Colecciones Reales under the title

In Lisbon, September wouldn’t be September without the annual competition to find the city’s best pastel de nata. The contest is back and, after the initial elimination rounds, we now know which 12 spots will be competing for the title. The winner will be announced on September 30 as part of the Cookery Congress, an annual gathering of Portugal’s gastronomic community. Competitors must apply to participate in the final round, except for those who came first, second and third in last year’s competition – they get automatically included in this year’s final. This time around, that’s Confeitaria Glória (last year’s winner), Padaria da Né in Damaia (second place), and O Pãozinho das Marias in Mafra (third place).  Joining them are nine others: Altis Belém & Spa, Bread & Friends, Casa do Padeiro, Castro – Atelier de Pastéis de Nata (which just opened a branch inside the new Zara in the city’s Rossio Square), Nat’elier, Pão da Ribeira, Pastelaria Aloma (which won the prize in 2012, 2013, and 2015), Pastelaria Batalha, and Pastelaria País dos Doces. The competition’s jury will determine the winner after a blind tasting at the Cookery Congress. The judging panel will be made up of Diogo Lopes and Lara Figueiredo, pastry chefs at the Ritz Four Seasons and Penha Longa Resort, respectively; Joana Barrios, presenter and cookbook author; Virgílio Gomes, gastronome and jury president; João Pedro Gomes, researcher and professor in gastronomy; Catarina Amado from Edições do Gosto, a company