From Santa Specials for excited children to a luxury Yuletide Evening Express for the grownups, these colourful trips will get you into the festive spirit There’s an affinity between trains and Christmas, but what precisely is the connection? Ghostliness comes into it – the mystique of a train in the wintry night. I think of […]

The canyon, which turns 100 this year, sees 6 million annual visitors. An Arizona travel writer reveals how to get off the beaten track The Grand Canyon is already a pretty famous hole in the ground in Arizona. Now, with Grand Canyon national park celebrating its centennial in 2019, it’s receiving an additional jolt of […]

Easily reached by train, the cities of Olomouc and Brno have culture in spades – and few of the foreign visitors that crowd the capital A chorus of giggles breaks out in the corridor outside the compartment. There’s a stag party on board the train, and the stag has been dared by his mates to […]

Share a tip about your favourite rail route – the best one wins £200 towards a Coolstays break What could be more romantic than the sight of a pillar-box red train gliding through a pristine Alpine landscape of snow-capped mountains, frosted fir trees and frozen waterfalls? The answer, of course, is having a seat inside […]

This demanding adventure amid granite domes and giant trees ends in a climb up Mount Whitney – and it’s worth every lung-busting step As soon as we set foot on California’s High Sierra Trail, the clamour of the world fell away, replaced by the rhythm of our footsteps, the chatter of forest birds and a […]

Kevin Rushby saw a way to fulfil his childhood dream with an adventure company in Sweden – but could he ski into the snowy wilderness on a twisted ankle? One British childhood winter experience remains the same, despite all the changes of the past century. It’s the one where you gaze out of the window, […]

The Finnish-style Hotbox is making waves on Benone Strand but Ireland has its own tradition of therapeutic ‘sweathouses’. Plus six more stylish beach saunas, from Shetland to Sussex It’s a late-October afternoon at Benone Strand on the Causeway Coast in County Derry, and the low sun is collapsing between wedges of dense cloud. There’s empty […]

With direct flights launching from London to one of America’s most charming cities, here are the places to delve into its history and Southern cuisine Walking tour A walking tour is a great way to explore the city at a leisurely pace and discover its impressive architecture, hidden alleys and other secrets. Charleston Strolls’ tours […]

New must-see exhibitions and canalside boutiques and indie stores make the French capital the perfect place for an autumn getaway The opening of a new hotel, a new gallery and two compelling exhibitions in two of my favourite galleries made a pre-Christmas Eurostar dash to Paris irresistible. The draw of the 91-room Bloom House Hotel […]

Tech money is changing a city loved for its location amid the great outdoors but its cool offbeat feel – and famous beer and coffee scenes – remain Brunch on Division St Division Street divides Portland in half, and a portion of the eastern section in the Richmond neighbourhood is buzzing with great affordable eateries […]