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Editor’s letter

As you approach Santorini on the ferry from Piraeus

The Masterclasses

AN EXPERT – LED DAY OF TRAVEL WRITER OR PHOTOGRAPHY

DO YOU WANT TO WRITE FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER?

If you think you’ve got what it takes to write for us, enter our annual Travel Writing Competition. Your work could appear in National Geographic Traveller (UK) and you could win a place on a two-week hiking, biking and kayaking trip to Thailand with G Adventures

Big Sleep Awards 2018

Nominate your favourite hotel or place to stay in our three Readers’ Categories and you could win an iPad Mini as part of our annual Big Sleep Awards. The winners, picked by our panel of experts, will be revealed in the Jul/Aug issue

Photography Competition 2018

WITH SUBMISSIONS COVERING THE GLOBE, WE PRESENT THE BEST IMAGES AND VIDEOS FROM THIS YEAR’S NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER (UK) PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION 2018

THE FAIRIES OF NORTHERN ITALY

Mountains meet the Mediterranean in this far-flung corner of Italy, full of dense pine forests, emerald lakes and sun-drenched olive groves. Trentino is a land of enchanting beauty, where locals have a deep-rooted relationship with their natural world

SMART TRAVELLER

What’s new // Do it now // Food // On the trail //

Editors’ Picks

We’ve been here and we’ve been there, and our team have found a few things we thought we’d share

Nude reunion

Three of Picasso’s most famous paintings are reunited at London’s Tate Modern this month — the first time they’ve been shown together since (they were created in) 1932

BLOOMING MARVELLOUS

Cherry blossoms have long been synonymous with Japan, but there are other places that celebrate sakura season

THE NINJA NEW WAVE

Long veiled in intrigue, one of Japan’s most renowned cultural icons is undergoing a renaissance

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

Epic sporting challenges aren’t all about how fast you cross the finish line, but getting out of your comfort zone with your team in tow

A TASTE OF Peru

Chef Virgilio Martinez has helped put Peru on the food map with Lima restaurant Central. He reveals his favourite places to dine, from the capital to Cusco and beyond

THE WOOL TOWNS WALK Suffolk

This nine-mile walk follows the Stour Valley Path as it journeys between Long Melford and Clare, two of Suffolk’s medieval wool towns. Words: Sarah Barrell

WHERE TO STAY Montevideo

Buenos Aires look out: just across the river, Montevideo’s drawing a younger crowd of hip hippy travellers to Uruguay with its affordable hotels and laidback vibe

GOING ON A BEAR HUNT

Marmalade and tea prove a winning combination on a

FIVE TO TRY My Homer

Take a fisherman’s advice, and try locally sourced grub — from the daily catch to gorgonzola and pear pizza — in this small Alaskan city by the sea

Rutland Water

Go big in England’s smallest county with a gourmet getaway and watersports, walks and antiques, too

The word NOT JUST DESERTS

A new book charts British photographer David Hurn’s 20-year love affair with the US state of Arizona, from its desert to its residents

THREE NIGHTS IN SAALBACH, AUSTRIA

National Geographic Traveller (UK) has partnered with Salzburgerland, TUI and Saalbach to offer three nights in the Alps

MALAYSIA

The limestone hills that surround the city of Ipoh aren’t on the tourist map but their strange formations made them worth casting as a ‘character’ in a novel

FREE SPIRIT

The ghost of the Voodoo Queen still looms large in New Orleans, where the priestess used her dark arts as a force for social justice and freedom

AURORA BOREALIS A FLIGHT TO THE LIGHTS

What if you could see the Northern Lights without ever having to get off the plane?

Most tread

From the best weekends in the UK and Ireland to chats with Levison Wood — here are our most popular online posts

Weekender TUNIS

You’ll find glimpses of elegant Paris in Tunisia’s capital, but it’s the souks, minarets and ancient crumbling satellite cities that speak to a time when this corner of Africa ruled the Mediterranean. WORDS: Chris Leadbeater

Eat LISBON

As the heart of a nation known to be a culinary magpie, Lisbon is riding high on a gastronomic revolution which has celebrated its traditional and contemporary cuisines to great effect. Words: Audrey Gillan

Neighbourhood ISTANBUL

A boutique hotel in a neoclassical bank, Ottoman houses that double as cool canteens, and flea markets full of curios — this city on the banks of the Bosphorus marries East and West to startling effect. Words: James Draven

Sleep MIAMI

Art deco indulgence is guaranteed in Florida’s hub for retro-cool beach hotels, but don’t dismiss Downtown’s crop of shiny new skyscraper retreats Words: Sam Lewis

THE GREEK RENAISSANCE

Dazzling seas, whitewashed villages, blushing bougainvillaea…

THE FOODIE ISLAND SIFNOS

Sifnos is just 15 miles long, but its Rich traditions and contemporary edge combine to create the Cyclades’ hottest food scene

THE STUNNER SANTORINI

Santorini is every bit as spectacular as it seems on Instagram. But you need to get your boots on to escape the crowds

THE NATURAL NAXOS

Naxos is the Cyclades’ natural play ground, with a diverse landscape capable of disarming even the most avid island – hopper

THE PLAY BOY MYKONOS

Hedonism and star power dominate its flash summer months, but off - season reveals an island with some times surprising heart

THE ROCK STAR MILOS

Milos is the rock star of the Cyclades, a geological wonderland whose birth scars are literally etched into the earth

THERE’ S SOMETHING ABOUT màori

TO GET BENEATH THE SKIN OF MĀORI CULTURE YOU HAVE TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES. BEYOND THE BOMBASTIC NOISE OF TRADITIONAL HAKA DISPLAYS, INDIGENOUS NEWZEALAND LIFE HAPPENS IN THE ‘SMALL PLACES’, IN THE HUSH OF ITS FORESTS AND ON THE QUIET OF ITS LAKES AND SHORES

SONG OF THE VOLGA BOATMEN

TAKE TO THE WATERS OF RUSSIA, EXPLORE ST PETERSBURG’S CANALS AND HEAD OUT ONTO THE VOLGA RIVER — DRINKING PLENTY OF VODK A AS YOU GO — IN SEARCH OF THE EVER-ELUSIVE RUSSIAN SMILE

SOUTH KOREA

BRANDED ‘KOREA’S HAWAII’, JEJU SEES MILLIONS OF MAINLANDERS FLOCK TO IT EACH YEAR FOR ITS STUNNING NATURAL BEAUTY AS MUCH AS ITS MAN-MADE ATTRACTIONS. BUT JEJU’S ISLANDERS, ESPECIALLY ITS WOMEN HAENYEO (FREE-DIVERS), SEE THE HARD-EDGED BEAUTY WITH DIFFERENT EYES

City life MUMBAI

While its Victorian architecture nods heavily at its past, Mumbai is in the full flush of 21st-century optimism and thriving in its modern incarnation

City life BORDEAUX

Bordeaux had long been France’s Sleeping Beauty, snoozing in its southwestern corner. But after years of sprucing up, the wine capital of the world is wide-awake and ready for a close-up.

TRAVEL GEEKS

NEED ADVICE FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP? ARE YOU AFTER RECOMMENDATIONS, TIPS AND GUIDANCE? THE TRAVEL GEEKS HAVE THE ANSWERS…

THE INFO CORAL REEF IVF

CORAL REEFS ARE THE JEWELS OF THE NATURAL WORLD, BUT THEY’RE DISAPPEARING AT AN ALARMING RATE. NOW, SCIENTISTS ARE PIONEERING A NEW TECHNIQUE TO SAVE THESE UNDERWATER MARVELS

HOT TOPIC IS TOURISM THREATENING

THE WHITE CONTINENT IS SET TO SEE A BOOST IN VISITORS, BUT WHAT DOES TOURISM MEAN FOR THE WORLD’S LAST GREAT WILDERNESS? WORDS: JAMES DRAVEN

7 ways to TRAVEL SAFER AS A FEMALE

FEMALE SOLO TRAVEL IS MORE POPULAR THAN EVER. OUR TEAM REVEAL THEIR TRIED.AND.TESTED TIPS AND TRICKS FOR A SAFER EXPERIENCE

Tech traveller

TECHNOLOGY REPORTER FOR ¡BBCCLICK AND AUTHOR OF WORKING THE CLOUD, KATE RUSSELL PICKS THE LATEST INNOVATIONS

HOW I GOT THE SHOT KOREAN HAENYEO

MARK PARREN TAYLOR, THE PHOTOGRAPHER FOR OUR IN PICTURES FEATURE ON P.120, EXPLAINS HOW HE CAPTURED THIS PORTRAIT OF A HAENYEO

IN THE NEXT ISSUE

From washing lines hanging in the streets of Naples to Tuscany’s verdant hues, Italy has long been a seductive mainstay of travellers. But this time, we leave the stalwarts behind and uncover the alternative highlights of this vibrant and varied favourite

COMEDY CENTRAL

FOR AN INSIGHT INTO MONTREAL’S LEGENDARY PARTY SPIRIT, VISIT DURING ONE OF ITS FESTIVALS. OR BETTER STILL, BECOME A PERFORMER AT ONE OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST COMEDY FESTIVALS, JUST FOR LAUGHS WORDS: JO FLETCHER-CROSS

Your pictures

We give you a theme, you give us the photos, with the best published in the next issue. This month is ‘wild weekends’ — the theme of our March 2018 cover story