Urban beaches

Editor’s note

Dark clouds rolled in and warm blobs of rain were

Alpine fresh

Slovenia is the Alpine country that often gets forgotten in

Chew chew

The Gare de Lyon is the traditional starting point for

Fife Arms, Braemar

Built as a hunting lodge in the 1850s when Queen

Berlin afloat

Berliners like to make the most of sunny days -

South Downs

A line of chalk hills runs from Hampshire to East

Renaissance replayed

Leonardo da Vinci still inspires and intrigues 500 years after his death - as these four anniversary events in Italy, France and Britain prove

Snappy snaps

The shortlist for 2019’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition

Novel adventures

Instead of simply lounging on a beach immersed in a classic book this summer, why not let the journey inside its covers inspire your next itinerary?

More reasons to get out there

Opera, classical music, jazz and DJ sets will echo around

Fare trade

Lonely Planet magazine editor Peter Grunert takes a glimpse inside a secret treasure on the streets of London: the cabmen’s shelter

Snapshot from Kenya

One of the most beautiful mammals in Africa, the zebra

Viva España with kids

Travelling to Tarragona with Lonely Planet’s senior editor Claire Naylor and family

Photo challenge: Brown

We reveal the winning images from our latest Instagram challenge, this month on the theme of ‘brown’

Gorging on the Margaret River

Famous for its vineyards and perfect waves, Western Australia’s Margaret River is our top Best in Asia Pacific destination for 2019. But can Christa Larwood, a writer with no great love of either wine or surfing, appreciate the joys of this fertile region?

What I’ve learned... working as a five-star concierge

Thomas Munko of the Ritz-Carlton Berlin is president of the German chapter of Les Clefs d’Or, an international fraternity of elite hotel concierges

See the epic power of nature

Wander landscapes where the Earth’s energy has gathered and exploded with beautiful ferocity

Dance like no one’s looking

Music can mainline a dancer into the experience of a country or culture faster than anything else, be it line-dancing, flamenco, Texas two-step, salsa or techno

Take the sleeper train

Overnight trains are a greener alternative to planes - and fun in themselves

Retrace the steps of history

Stretch your legs on a fascinating heritage trail, and you’ll find yourself exploring an interactive museum on the move

Experience culture shock

Being in a strange land can be a disorientating experience. Subtleties are lost and gestures misunderstood. But, as Alexander Howard discovered while teaching English in China, that might just be the point

Swim wild

There’s nothing like a dip outdoors, especially when it’s in an idyllic spot. Here are five of England’s loveliest pools, ponds, rivers and coves to leap into

Do look down

A fear of heights needn’t hold you back on your travels. Choose the right challenge and start small to enjoy thrills and views

Meet the planet’s giants

In the icy northern habitat of the planet’s biggest land carnivore, humans exist in a state of trepidation, with daily life adapted to avoid risky encounters. When finally faced witha polar bear, Sarah Barrell felt pure, soul-lifting awe

Go on a solo adventure

Striking out on your own can reap unexpected rewards - as Oliver Smith discovers when he inadvertently embarks on his first solo walking holiday, discovering giddy heights and hidden depths on the island of Mallorca

Eat and drink local

The truly great drinks and dishes of the UK can compete with any in the world, and deserve to be tried in the places that produce them, where the histories of their origins can be as fascinating as their flavours

Embrace the off-season

Dodge peak times and you’ll see a wholly different side to popular destinations

Go dark

On a planet plagued by light pollution, it takes effort to evade the tangerine glow of urban centres. But if you can, you’ll reap a rich reward: the full majesty of the night sky

Play on the pier

Join the generations who have trodden the salty decks of Britain’s seaside survivors

Avoid the obvious

Hitting the centre of town is usually the default on a city break, but heading to the outer limits can offer a more authentic take on a destination, as Orla Thomas discovers on a trip to Porto

Escape civilisation

Truly getting away from it all may never have seemed harder, yet there are places in the UK that modern life has barely touched

Change your identity

Is who we are limited to where we come from? Do we hold onto the same identity for life? Omo Osagiede’s time in Morocco got him thinking how travel can up-end the very notion of who you are

Find your supper

Foraging is the ultimate in local, waste-free dining. What better way is there to understand a place than through your stomach?

Spend the night in the jungle

In the darkness, among the inner reaches of a forest swarming with life, humans are very much not top of the tree. This is the wildest sleepover ever

Find your tribe in a foreign city

Whether you’re a fan of jazz jams, the tufted titmouse or triple IPAs, your people are out there. Joining them can make a foreign land feel much more familiar

Witness a swarm

Watching a single animal can be amazing enough, but to see thousands - or even millions - together? That’s worth crossing the globe for

Cast adrift

Take to the waters of the UK’s lakes, lochs and canal network, and let these gentle journeys reveal wonders both natural and man-made

Find peace among trees

There’s no solace quite like that offered by the forest, whether you’re walking alone in autumn woodlands, climbing in an ancient oak tree, or watching light rake through newly formed buds on a spring morning

Retrace your roots

American photographer Diana Pappas makes an emotional journey to Kefallonia in Greece, following a journey her grandmother made nearly a century before, and finding how much remains of the island she loved

Travel on horseback

Fascinating in their power and beauty, horses can be intimidating to the uninitiated. Learning to ride in South Africa’s Waterberg mountains, among a 60-strong herd of Boerperd bush horses, will dispel your fear at a gallop

Get your heart thumping

Mountain heights and forest depths, city parks and surf-tossed beaches - Britain’s varied landscapes reveal themselves most abundantly to those who are ready to raise their adrenaline

Step into a film set

Have your costume ready and get a mate to point the camera to recreate legendary made-in-Britain scenes, even when they’re notionally from ‘a galaxy far, far away’

Be a kid again

Tap into a childlike sense of wonder, and find pleasure in the simple things

Be yourself

A long way from home, in the depths of an unfamiliar culture where nobody cared where she came from, Clover Stroud found an elusive opportunity to truly be herself

Eating in Beijing

Beijing is a magnificent place for all sorts of adventures

Summer in Stockholm

Stockholmers call their city ‘beauty on water’. Yet, despite its

Budget Monaco

Squeezed into 220 hectares, the city-state of Monaco is the

Weekend in Ljubljana

The pint-sized capital of Slovenia punches above its weight with

Uncle Gussy’s, New York City, USA: Pork souvlaki

Brothers Wicko and Franky Karagiorgos were born into the business

Amsterdam

Keep your bearings among Amsterdam’s 60-odd miles of canals with

Culture and revival in Beirut

Beirut is one of the world’s oldest cities, the eternal

Jeepneys of Manila

To Manilenos and other city-dwellers in the Philippines, they are

Mind the gaps

We’ve delved into our archives and pulled out this photo,