Author name: Cheryl Lucas

The drive south through County Cork grew prettier with every turn. From Gougane Barra, where a tiny chapel sits at the lake’s edge, the road winds through old rebel country, into deep forests where foxgloves bloom along the mountainside. Bantry House – a magnificent estate overlooking a lovely bay – marked our path toward Ballydehob, […]

Last year, Benidorm welcomed close to 3 million visitors. Despite its reputation as a British holiday mecca – nearly 900,000 UK travellers visited the city in 2024 – it was actually Spanish nationals who made up the largest share, with more than one million domestic visitors flocking to the Costa Blanca resort, according to Benidorm

How best to bond with a teenage boy? When my son, Hugo, finished his A-levels, I knew I wanted to “take a journey” with him, to have some sort of final trip before he left home. Ideally a journey that would leave both of us with a few happy memories. The Guardian’s journalism is independent.

Turkey’s beautiful coast, ancient sites and diverse landscapes attract millions of visitors each year. But beyond the much-loved tourist haunts like Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia mosque and picture perfect Ölüdeniz beach, there’s so much more to explore. We want to hear about your favourite under-the-radar discoveries, from coastal villages or special restaurants to mountain hideaways or

It’s after 10pm and the sky has only just lost the high blue of the day. Sitting by the Baltic Sea, toes in the water, I gaze at distant, tree-covered islands as gentle waves lap over the long, flat rocks. I follow a rough, winding path back to my cabin, through woods so quiet you

Riga, Latvia Quite why the Latvian capital remains so under the radar is a mystery; the cobbled streets of the Vecrīga (old town) and the elegant art nouveau architecture make it one of the most beautiful cities in eastern Europe. Long summer evenings, with temperatures rarely topping 30C, form the backdrop for rooftop bars thrumming with live DJs,

Towards dusk a bonfire was lit and, one after another, the friends we were eating and drinking with hurdled the leaping flames, a pagan ritual thought to provide benefits including improved physical and mental strength, prosperity and fertility. Further heat came from a sauna we made using five sacks of logs – too many, we agreed afterwards. When it got too hot, we escaped into the

A midsummer pole dance in southern Sweden I enjoyed midsummer at a rented beachside cottage in the Skåne village of Bjärred, north of Malmö, with Swedish friends. We ventured to the local church to enjoy the dancing round a midsummer pole decorated with vibrant blue and red flowers, with many local residents adorned in intricately

Many renowned dining destinations have hosted the annual “food Oscars” – the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. This year is the first time the honour goes to Italy, with Turin, capital of Piedmont, holding the ceremony on 19 June. Although Emilia-Romagna is usually regarded as the country’s food capital, Piedmont has a proud gastronomic tradition,

There are certain museums around the world that go beyond their role of housing artefacts and somehow seem to act as portals to the past. The Frick Collection in New York and Marcel Proust’s cork-lined bedroom at the Musée Carnavalet in Paris both hum with a timeless energy that transcends the exhibits on display. The