5 Crowd-free alternatives to popular destinations

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by Mikael Jack

Traveling is all about discovery, cultural immersion, and enjoying new experiences. But visiting the world’s most popular destinations often means dealing with large crowds and high prices, which can take away from the joy of exploring.

This roundup features eight alternative destinations where you can experience just as much charm, cuisine, and adventure—without the long lines or steep costs. Whether you’re drawn to European cityscapes or serene Caribbean islands and beaches, these relaxed getaways offer everything you love about travel with a little more breathing room. Book your next trip to one of these hidden gems and uncover what you’ve been missing.

1. Instead of Paris, fall in love with Lyon

An amazing historic center, brilliant art museums, and the best food in France.

Fall in love with Lyon’s food, history, and romantic old streets.

Fall in love with Lyon’s food, history, and romantic old streets.

As France’s third-largest city, Lyon usually gets overlooked in favor of the famous capital. The City of Love is wonderful, but Lyon has just as much romance without the hustle. Weather-wise, Lyon has slightly hotter summers and colder winters but less rain than Paris. And getting there is easy, with quick links between Lyon and its airport, and a station with high-speed train connections bang in the middle of the city.

What to see and do in Lyon?

If fantastic food is high on your agenda, Lyon is France’s gastronomic capital with more than 20 Michelin stars spread across a relatively tiny area, a market so good it’s named after one of the greatest chefs in history, Paul Bocuse, and a bunch of charming bouchons where typical French food is cheap yet perfectly prepared.

A tenth of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, including its beautiful historic center. You won’t find the “Mona Lisa” in Lyon, but its art museums are no less impressive; the Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Contemporary Arts, and the Musée des Confluences are all worth the entry fees, which are generally around half of what you’ll pay in Paris.

Lyon: discover the best spots on a guided bike tour
Lyon: Secret Food Tour
Lyon: Food Walking Tour with a Local Guide

Lyon: discover the best spots on a guided bike tour

Lyon: Secret Food Tour

Lyon: Food Walking Tour with a Local Guide

2. Skip Barcelona to visit Valencia

Extraordinary architecture, spacious beaches, rich history, and paella.

Discover paella, modern marvels, and relaxed beaches in Valencia.

Discover paella, modern marvels, and relaxed beaches in Valencia.

While Barcelona is known for its incredible Gaudí architecture and bustling La Rambla, Valencia offers a more relaxed vibe with equally stunning attractions. This vibrant city blends the best of modern design, historical charm, and Mediterranean leisure — all with fewer crowds and more elbow room on the beach.

What to see and do in Valencia

Start with the City of Arts and Sciences, a futuristic complex designed by Santiago Calatrava that includes a planetarium, aquarium, and interactive science museum. Art lovers shouldn’t miss the Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia, Spain’s second-largest art gallery.

Valencia is also the birthplace of paella — savor the authentic dish in its hometown. The historic center showcases Roman, Moorish, and Spanish architectural styles, with Plaza Redonda standing out as a unique circular market square.

For outdoor lovers, the Turia Gardens — a lush park built in a former riverbed — offer scenic walks and cycling paths. And unlike Barcelona’s packed coastlines, Valencia’s beaches are wide, sunny, and blissfully uncrowded.

Oceanogràfic, Hemisfèric & Science Museum Combo
Valencia Bike Tour
Valencia: Traditional Paella Cooking Class and Dinner

Oceanogràfic, Hemisfèric & Science Museum Combo

Valencia Bike Tour

Valencia: Traditional Paella Cooking Class and Dinner

3. Ditch Dubrovnik and explore Kotor

A breathtaking bay, medieval charm, and a quieter Adriatic experience.

Explore Kotor’s bay views, fortress walls, and medieval old town.

Explore Kotor’s bay views, fortress walls, and medieval old town.

Dubrovnik’s popularity, partly thanks to its association with “Game of Thrones” and its status as a wellness destination, has made it a tourist hotspot. But cross the border, from Croatia into Montenegro, and Kotor has just as much old-world charm and waterfront beauty with a fraction of the vacationers. The UNESCO World Heritage site nestled in Europe’s southernmost fjord, the Bay of Kotor, with its historic Old Town and stunning beaches, offers a more intimate experience than buzzing Dubrovnik.

What to see and do in Kotor

Explore the cobblestone maze of Kotor’s Old Town dotted with medieval churches, charming piazzas, and cozy cafés. Cat lovers will enjoy spotting the city’s famous feline residents and can even visit the quirky Cat Museum.

For panoramic views, climb the fortress walls that stretch up the mountain behind town — the hike is steep but the scenery is unforgettable.

Prefer to stay by the water? Relax on the beach or take a boat tour to the Blue Cave or the island church of Our Lady of the Rocks, both stunning natural and cultural highlights of the bay.

Kotor: Blue Cave and Our Lady of the Rocks Group Boat Tour
Kotor: Old Town Private Walking Tour
From Dubrovnik: Montenegro Day Trip

Kotor: Blue Cave and Our Lady of the Rocks Group Boat Tour

Kotor: Old Town Private Walking Tour

From Dubrovnik: Montenegro Day Trip

4. Instead of Amsterdam, head to Hamburg

A bustling port, incredible concert hall, vibrant nightlife, and even more canals.

Cruise canals, tour warehouses, and visit a world-class concert hall.

Cruise canals, tour warehouses, and visit a world-class concert hall.

Amsterdam is famous for its canals, but Hamburg has more than the Dutch capital and Venice combined, so it’s already 1-0 to Hamburg. The German city’s unique maritime history, with its huge harbor and waterways, has been recognized by UNESCO. The 100-year-old Speicherstadt, literally “City of Warehouses,” is the largest warehouse district in the world and served the city’s port, once Europe’s main trade hub. Although it’s a protected landmark, it’s slowly being lovingly repurposed by modern businesses.

What to see and do in Hamburg

The most prominent sight in Hamburg’s harbor is the Elbphilharmonie, a concert hall and remarkable feat of engineering that’s worth visiting, even if only for the views. There are plenty more must-sees that rival Amsterdam, too: the Baroque-style St. Michael’s Church; the Hamburg Fish Market; Planten un Blomen, the city’s massive park with a lake, dancing fountains, and playgrounds; Rickmer Rickmers, a floating maritime museum; and the Hamburger Kunsthalle, one of Europe’s most significant art museums with a collection spanning seven centuries, everything from Rembrandt to Bacon.

For revelers, the Reeperbahn and the St. Pauli neighborhood are Hamburg’s most lively nightlife district, packed with bars, clubs, and late-night cafes. It has echoes of Amsterdam’s Red Light District but with a more local feel, fantastic drag shows, and live music.

Elbphilharmonie Plaza Guided Tour
Hamburg: 1.5-Hour Harbor and Speicherstadt Day Cruise
Hamburg: Insider Tour of the Reeperbahn & St. Pauli

Elbphilharmonie Plaza Guided Tour

Hamburg: 1.5-Hour Harbor and Speicherstadt Day Cruise

Hamburg: Insider Tour of the Reeperbahn & St. Pauli

5. Get Venice vibes in Bruges

Fairy-tale canals, medieval architecture, and romance without the masses.

Glide past canals and medieval towers without Venice’s crowds.

Glide past canals and medieval towers without Venice’s crowds.

Bruges, sometimes nicknamed the Venice of the North, offers a similar charm to its Italian counterpart without the overwhelming crowds and price tags.

What to see and do in Bruges

The medieval city center, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a maze of picturesque waterways and unfathomably old streets. Head to Markt Square, surrounded by historic buildings, and feel the pulse at the heart of the city, then climb the winding 366-step staircase inside the Belfry of Bruges for panoramic views. A boat ride along the canals just before dusk is the best way to see Bruges at its most romantic and get a unique perspective of the city’s architecture, bridges, and charming corners.

The Groeninge Museum, with a collection of Flemish and Belgian paintings spanning six centuries, should be on the radar for art lovers, while the Historium dives into the city’s medieval past.

And Belgium has some famous foods that it would be criminal to miss. Indulge in the finest chocolates, pile your fries high — real fry aficionados should visit Bruges’ Frietmuseum — and have waffles for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Belgian beer is also great, with unique flavor profiles and often floral or herbal notes that set it apart from the brews of other countries.

Bruges: Small Group Boat Cruise and Guided Walking Tour
Bruges: Guided Retro Bike Tour of Highlights and Hidden Gems
Bruges: Belgian Waffle-Making Workshop with Beer Tasting

Bruges: Small Group Boat Cruise and Guided Walking Tour

Bruges: Guided Retro Bike Tour of Highlights and Hidden Gems

Bruges: Belgian Waffle-Making Workshop with Beer Tasting

Essential digital safety tips for your summer holiday

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By Virgin Media Edit

When we’re on holiday, we’re often relaxing in unfamiliar surroundings. This makes a lovely change of pace from the daily grind, but it’s also the perfect environment for losing devices – whether you accidentally drop your phone in a pool or are unlucky enough to be targeted by pickpockets in a piazza.

Hopefully, neither of those things will happen. But implementing some extra security measures before you go will help limit the damage if the worst happens. Here are some steps to consider: 

Back up your devices. Even if your phone or tablet does go walkabout, backing up means you can restore your treasured photos, messages or music collection on another device. Back-up methods vary depending on device, but are rarely tricky – a quick online search for your model of device and “how to back up” will give clear instructions.

Lock all devices, including e-books, with a password, passcode or passphrase. If your device allows it, a passphrase is harder to crack than a simple word or collection of numbers. Think of a simple run-on sentence (eg “I love Ibiza”), then throw in some special characters and different cases (eg “i L0v3Ib1£a”).

Approve all pending software updates. Yes, even those you’ve been snoozing for a month. They often include fixes to security issues, so you’ll be getting the best possible protection.

Turn off functionalities you don’t need. Wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and NFC should be switched off when you’re not using them, especially in public places. Leaving them on may make your device more vulnerable to hackers.

Remember, less is more. If possible, don’t pack all your devices: the fewer valuable items you have to protect and remember while you’re on holiday, the better. It also means that if something goes wrong, you’ll know you have a device at home where you can easily access all your accounts and data.

Be sensible on the socials. This is particularly important if you’re leaving lots of precious items at home (which you probably are). Holiday periods often see spikes in burglaries, because criminals know homes are sitting empty while people are away.

We’re not saying you should go off-grid, but it’s worth thinking twice before posting that you’re about to head off to the beach/mountains/coast. Consider only sharing holiday details and photos once you’re home – and avoid adding your location to posts while you’re away.

Beware public devices. Steer clear of using public computers and tablets in hotels, airports, and libraries if you can – you just don’t know who used them previously or what viruses or malicious software might be lurking on them. This is particularly important to bear in mind if you want to log into important accounts such as online banking, email or social media.

If you have to use a public device to check personal accounts, remember to log out of everything and clear the online browser history before you leave. When you next have access to a secure device, consider changing the passwords for the accounts you used in risky places. A password manager will make this process much easier.

Take care where you connect. If you sync your phone in a rental car to use features such as music or hands-free calling, be aware that the rental company (plus any subsequent drivers) may then be able to see your contacts and other synced information. That’s just one example of why it’s important to think carefully before connecting or charging your devices on holiday.

When connecting, pay attention to the warnings on your mobiles and tablets asking if you want to allow syncing of your contacts and photos. Feel free to say no!

Use the internet less. It’s safer not to connect to public Wi-Fi if you can avoid it. If you’re holidaying in Europe, it’s preferable to use mobile data, which is more secure than public Wi-Fi networks. Most mobile carriers still allow customers to use UK minutes, texts and data in the EU at no extra charge. Just check your contract before you travel.

Have fun. Remember, digital security shouldn’t make your life harder or your holiday less enjoyable. You don’t need to be paranoid and hyper-vigilant about the risks to your devices; in fact, it could spoil your trip.

But by taking these simple steps ahead of time – and paying attention to the digital devices and services you use while you’re away – you’ll be able to properly relax, safe in the knowledge that you’re as protected as possible. Have a good trip.

What went wrong with Booking.com?

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How scammers successfully targeted guests of the world’s favourite place to book a hotel.

by Trevor Baker of Which

It took less than 15 minutes to list a holiday home on Booking.com. 

We didn’t need to provide proof of who we were. And, unlike if you put your house on Expedia’s Vrbo – or on Airbnb the last time we tried – there was no request to see a driving licence or passport. This speed and convenience for owners might be part of the reason that Booking.com is now a global behemoth, not just for hotel bookings but for small holiday lets, too, with more than a billion reservations each year. 

Unfortunately, it might also be one of the reasons why so many people have been defrauded on the site. 

In the summer of 2024 we searched Booking.com reviews for the word ‘scam’ and found hundreds of people from the past few months complaining that they’d paid for accommodation that didn’t exist. As part of that investigation, we sent 52 of these ‘scam’ listings to Booking.com. It removed most of them, but told us that most weren’t real scams – just owners who had neglected to switch off availability when accommodation had closed down or was temporarily shut. 

When we checked again, in November, we found exactly the same problem – 36 properties with hundreds of negative reviews pointing out that the accommodation was a scam. Angry guests we spoke to were incredulous at the idea that these weren’t really scams. They’d paid for accommodation, didn’t get to stay, and didn’t get their money back until we intervened. The idea that they hadn’t been ‘scammed’ seemed bizarre. 

If you contact Booking.com to complain you’ve been scammed, it will chase your money but it won’t necessarily refund you itself.

We warned in 2024 that Booking.com scams were among the most dangerously convincing we’d seen

Scam listings – live for months on Booking.com

To stop scammers, Booking.com told us that it restricts new hosts before they can accept payment bookings. It’s true that we weren’t able to accept prepayment for the listing we set up; we’d need to have some bookings and reviews first. But that’s not insurmountable for a scammer. 

Hiding bad reviews 

One obvious lesson is to always read the reviews, but Booking.com even made this much harder than it needs to be. Click on a holiday let in the centre of Podgorica, Montenegro, and you’d be reassured by the 6.4 rating, which Booking.com summarises as ‘pleasant’. The first two reviews you’re shown describe it as ‘superb’ (9/10) and ‘good’ (7/10). However, you’d need sharp eyes to notice that Booking.com is showing you reviews it has inexplicably decided are the ‘most relevant’. 

Switch your settings to look at ‘newest’ and you’ll see that 10 of the last 12 reviewers are furious. They describe it as a ‘con’, a ‘scam’ and ‘a nightmare’. (The other two, suspiciously, give it 10/10.) We highlighted the problem with ‘most relevant’ reviews in August, but Booking.com figuratively shrugged and said that people can always switch to ‘most recent’ if they want to. 

However, in December, following our pressure, it emailed its users to say that it was going to change its system to give recent reviews more prominence.

Dangerously convincing scams

Booking.com has tools that make life easier for anybody who wants to set up as a host. Unfortunately, they’ve also made life easier for scammers. If you’re a fraudster who wants to set up a listing on Booking.com, you don’t even need to speak English. Its algorithm will write a listing for you in terms, it says, that are ‘proven to attract guests’. It will then accurately translate it into 25 different languages. The fact that listings – both genuine and nefarious – could be written using the same Booking.com algorithms, rather than by owners personally, makes it hard to tell the difference between a genuine listing and a scam. It’s not the only way scammers have learnt to use Booking.com’s own tools against it.

When we investigated Airbnb frauds in 2017, we felt confident telling people they’d be safe as long as they only communicated inside Airbnb’s messaging systems. That isn’t the case with Booking.com. If its hotels and hosts have been hacked, it can be very difficult to know if the message you receive is genuinely from the hotel or a scammer. 

Another problem is that some users we spoke to were sent external links through Booking.com messages. This is despite Booking.com confirming that it can block links entirely if it wants to. It only does this if it’s already seen signs of suspicious activity, but it would be better if it simply banned all external links unless it’s clear that they’re harmless.

Booking.com’s failure to block malicious links, remove ‘scam’ listings and – until recently – mandate two-factor authentication for hosts suggests a carelessness towards users’ security. And its decision to show the supposedly ‘most relevant’ reviews instead of ‘most recent’ was bizarre. Booking.com told us that if it’s alerted to issues with listings, it investigates immediately, removing them if necessary. It said it’s using new technology to identify suspicious behaviour and block malicious links. There’s also a cybersecurity hub, with advice for hosts and guests. We accept that it’s safer than it was last year. But in our view it’s been too slow to spot how easily its tools have been adapted by scammers to steal money. When things do go wrong, it’s been far too slow to refund customers. It still needs to make it much harder for its platform to be abused.

The Canary Island resorts pulling out all the stops

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Looking for a luxurious getaway to the Canary Islands? Aside from year-round sunshine, the Spanish archipelago off the coast of Africa promises otherworldly landscapes and sparkling seaside activities. You’ve got plenty of stunning options! Here are 2 top picks:

At the Alua Suites Fuerteventura, find yourself just moments from the fine golden sands of the Corralejo dunes and surrounded by luxe facilities. Dine in one of four lovely restaurants and delight in a choice of six chic bars – serving your favourite summer cocktails. Alongside an impressive total of eight sparkling pools, you’ll find a wellness centre, gym and dedicated kids’ club at your disposal. Lose yourself in this Mediterranean haven, perfect for sun-seekers and families alike.

Located in the sunny La Oliva region, Corralejo is a charming former fishing village, home to cobbled streets, a quaint harbour and traditional seafood restaurants. Explore the mesmerising landscapes and towering dunes of Dunas de Corralejo Nature Reserve, just three and a half miles from the resort. Stroll the Corralejo Pier or visit the traditional markets at El Campanario, which are a ten-minute walk away. The soft sands of Vistas Lobos beach sit a mere 250 metres away, too. Fuerteventura Airport is 26 miles from the resort.

Simple and comfy one- or two-bedroom suites embody a warm minimalistic style. Modern furnishings are complemented by an earthy colour palette or soft blues. All accommodation comes complete with luxury in-room amenities and a private fully furnished balcony or terrace. You’ll find all rooms looking out across the resort’s glorious greenery, brimming with native flora. Upgrade to a My Favourite Club suite for luxe add-ons including a smart TV, a stocked welcome minibar, pillow menu and complimentary plush bathrobes and slippers. You’ll also enjoy access to an exclusive restaurant, a special area in the main buffet restaurant, as well as the My Favourite Club lounge and two pools – one with complimentary hydromassage loungers.

Experience the epitome of relaxation at AluaSoul Costa Adeje. This serene adult-only oasis beckons you to unwind at the refreshing outdoor pool, lounge on the golden sandy beaches nearby and sink into a state of bliss at the spa’s sauna and indoor pool. Don’t miss the three restaurants – one of which cooks up Canarian cuisine with a side of sunset views and visit the two on-site bars for top-tier cocktail menus. To upgrade to the ultimate getaway, cocoon yourself in My Favourite Club accommodation, which offers the VIP treatment with an exclusive My Favourite Club lounge and Rooftop Terrace with swoon-worthy ocean views.

Pinned to the south-western coast of Tenerife, AluaSoul Costa Adeje sits in the heart of a buzzing seaside resort and spoils you with Atlantic Ocean views and close proximity to fascinating sights. The postcard-pretty marina, Puerto Colon, and its glimmering cobalt waters with bobbing boats and sprouting palm trees are only half a mile away, while the coveted golden sandy beaches of Playa de Torviscas and Playa de la Pinta are just 300 metres away. If lively vibes are calling, Playa de las Americas is only four miles away and hosts a myriad of bars, tapas restaurants and plenty more sandy-beach galore. Meanwhile, Tenerife South Airport is 11 miles away.

The hotel’s aesthetic is unapologetically chic. As you enter the rooms, you are met with creamy coloured walls, which complement a muted olive-toned feature wall and coffee-coloured curtains, plus modern pine furniture. Pristine white bedding also takes centre stage and stripey hessian-hued pillows decorate the beds in a quirky boho-esque style. Meanwhile, My Favourite Club rooms honour the Insta-worthy Tenerife sunsets with a fiery orange feature wall and a terrace with cobalt blue ocean views. My Favourite Club accommodation also spoils you with exclusive access to the My Favourite Club Lounge, a reserved dining section of Terra and exclusive access to the Rooftop Terrace with Balinese beds and more ocean views.

Guide to small-town America

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Ed Grenby dons his cowboy hat on this tour of railroad towns and cool-cat cities across the great States

Glenwood Springs, Colorado

When you build a town around some lukewarm water, it’s always going to have a charming modesty about it. The hot(-ish) springs here – and their gently steaming open-air pool complex – remain the main attraction, but the scenic Colorado River-hugging railroad brings only a handful of visitors a day. They wander the still fairly Wild West-feel streets (where you can find a gun shop, tattoo parlour, saloon and chapel all on the same block) and the Pioneer Cemetery, where – despite the cigarettes and bourbon they leave by his grave – legendary OK gunfighter Doc Holliday rests in peace.

Fly into Denver, Colorado

Islamorada, Florida

The Florida Keys drip invitingly off the end of continental USA into the Caribbean, but Key Largo at one end and Key West at the other are now bustling mini-cities. In between, the islets retain their sleepily independent character, and Islamorada is a dozy doozy. Here, one in every three people you see are hippie retirees with a quirky line in winsome seashell art that they sell from their shoreside cottages – and the other two are dolphins. (Don’t worry, the few nut-brown hippies who don’t do art do fishing and dolphin-watching trips.)

Fly into Miami, Florida

St Francisville, Louisiana

It’s not quite the same now you can no longer arrive by paddlesteamer down the Mississippi itself, but roll a couple of hours up Route 61 (known here as the Blues Highway) from New Orleans, and you’ll soon find yourself in a world of decorous plantation houses, rocking chairs on porches and cooling mint juleps to mitigate the sultry heat of southern Louisiana. The history is as murky as the bayou – the ghost of slavery looms large – but today Spanish moss-draped Rosedown Plantation and The Myrtles are pure peace.

Fly into New Orleans

Chatham, Massachusetts

If Cape Cod is as cute as a boutique button factory – and it is – then Chatham is its sweetest slice. Poised perfectly on the ‘elbow’ of the Cape’s arm, it’s got more white-picket fences and windmills than the rest of the place put together – not to mention seals on its lovely sandy beaches, timeless family-run shops and seafood restaurants on its quiet Main Street. Its ‘nightlife scene’ peaks with summer brass band concerts under a gazebo in Kate Gould Park. (Want more? There’s a vintage drive-in cinema up the road in Wellfleet…)

Fly into Boston, Massachusetts

Henderson, Nevada

Technically a city, Henderson feels like a teeny-tiny little hamlet beside its next-door neighbour Las Vegas. In fact, Henderson is where those nice people you’ve been tipping all weekend live – and, crucially, where they go to relax after they clock off. That means it’s got 73 parks, 185 miles of trails, friendly little bars, down-home restaurants – and all the kitsch Art Deco Americana of old-time Vegas, but without the crowds.

Fly into Las Vegas, Nevada

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

If it got any cheesier, the French would start eating it, but there’s a wholesome apple-pie side to this family-holiday haven, too. Mom-and-pop pancake houses and campgrounds mingle with odd little attractions such as the Southern Gospel Hall of Fame & Museum or Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud, but for Americana overload it has to be Dollywood, the Smoky Mountain-themed theme park that Parton part-owns. When it all gets a bit much (and it will), light out for those bluegrass hills themselves: Great Smoky Mountains National Park is minutes down the road.

Fly into Nashville, Tennessee

Hudson, New York

The most New Yorky small town you can imagine, Hudson has a centre that’s filled with urbane art galleries, funky antique shops, LGBTQ-friendly bars and sophisticated hotels (try The Maker, inspired by perfumes). Round the town’s edge are orchards and cider breweries, and beyond are the beautiful wildflower meadows and waterfall walks of the Catskills and Hudson Valley. Then, a mere two hours’ riverside drive away, there’s the Big Apple itself – just in case you want to see what happens when a small town gets dangerously carried away…

Fly into New York

Finnish Lapland, the natural winter wonderland

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With much of its territory in the Arctic Circle, Finnish Lapland is a natural winter wonderland. It’s a remote place, of startling beauty, where pine forests are dusted with powdered snow and the star-studded night sky is illuminated by the ethereal glow of the northern lights.

Come here to enjoy the view from the cosy privacy of a glass igloo, or embrace the chill on sleigh rides. Bring the kids along too, for this is the home of Santa Claus. And then there are the ski runs, the safaris and the snowmobile expeditions. In short, there’s an awful lot to do in this expansive wilderness.

See the northern lights 

The northern lights are visible in Finnish Lapland for around 200 days a year, with the months between September and March offering the best window for viewing. The trick is to head as far away from other light sources as possible – a lake or hilltop is ideal – and then be on the lookout between 9pm and 2am.

Venturing north also helps. The Finnish Meteorological Institute tracks the geomagnetic disturbances that trigger the northern lights in 12 different locations. Three resorts in the north – Kevo, Kilpisjärvi and Ivalo – see almost double the geomagnetic activity compared to those in the south. You don’t need to wait until the dead of winter either. These disturbances are most active in the spring and autumn.

Finnish Lapland’s capital Rovaniemi is home to Santa Claus Village, where daily meet-and-greets are completely free. It’s open all year round, although of course the setting is at its most magical just before Christmas. For a more intimate experience, try Santa Claus’ Secret Forest in nearby Joulukka. Here, you can become a certified Santa’s Helper at his hidden toy factory.

If you want a good chance of spotting the northern lights, too, head for Northern Lights Village in Saariselkä. Its three-hour ‘Searching for Santa’ experience is led by an elf and includes gingerbread making and a short sleigh ride.

Whether it’s big luxury hotels or small eco-cabins, you can find it all in Finnish Lapland – but there are two standout memory-makers.

For northern light seekers, a night in a glass igloo is a bucket list experience. You can spend hours looking up at the mesmerising light show before falling asleep under the starry sky – all without leaving the comfort and warmth of your bed. Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort in Saariselkä has glass igloos that are big enough for four people.

Meanwhile in Sinettä, there’s the Arctic SnowHotel, which is carved from blocks of snow and ice each year. Each suite is a work of art, but you’ll need to wrap up warm for the stay.

Central America under the radar

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Central America is hardly a well-kept secret. Costa Rica is jam-packed with eco resorts, expats and sloth-scouting holidaymakers, while the beaches of Belize are littered with yogis. And then there’s Panama with its famous canal and cruises to match. Anyone who’s done a little research on travelling to Guatemala recently will no doubt have come across the same raft of travel bloggers and influencers as the rest of the world. On the other hand, there are a few countries there that still fly under most people’s travel radars.

El Salvador

El Salvador used to be solidly on the “Do Not Travel” list. However, things have begun to look pretty different in the last few years. Since he took office, President Bukele has been making drastic efforts to cut back on the violence. It’s still not exactly a beginner’s holiday, but more experienced travellers can feel confident checking out the country’s Mayan cities and volcanic hikes before the hordes catch on.

When it comes to those aforementioned ruins, there are a good few sites to choose from but if there’s only room for one ancient city in your itinerary, it should probably be Cihuatán. You’ll find quite a few companies offering combined tours of Cihuatan Archaeological Park and the distillery, usually with a stop off in the charming colonial town of Suchitoto as well. While it’s great for a couple of hours meandering through the cobblestone streets and galleries, stick around a little longer to hit the trails, your gateway to serene lakes, hidden waterfalls, and mysterious caves.

Santa Ana is the country’s highest active volcano, whose summit comes complete with epic views over the radioactive-turquoise of Laguna Ilamatepec, the less bio-hazardous-looking Lake Coatepeque, and the surrounding volcanoes.

The Santa Ana volcano climb is fairly intense, taking anywhere from 1 to 3 hours, however summits like one of San Salvador’s two peaks will take as little as 30 minutes. The trail up the higher of the capital’s twin peaks still only takes around 1.5 hrs, with the leafy canopies of El Boquerón National Park protecting you from the elements.

Honduras

Another not so well travelled country is Honduras. If it’s beach time you’re after, this is likely where you’ll want to focus all your energy. The Bay Islands, located in the Caribbean off Honduras’ northern coast, have some of the clearest waters around and are renowned for phenomenal diving. 

Roatán is the most popular holiday island there. The village of West End is a lot less busy and might make a good home base if you’d like room to breathe. 

Utila is a smaller island southwest of Roatán, with a party reputation and a huge scuba culture. You can take a water taxi to Water Cay, a tiny uninhabited island nearby. On the mainland, there are a few more spots that are well established on the tourist trail. Firstly, there are the Mayan ruins at Copán Ruinas

The rainforests of Pico Bonito National Park and the nearby Cangrejal River Valley, just inland from the coastal city of La Ceiba are ripe for adventure travel, with white water rafting, hiking trails, and wildlife aplenty. Similarly, Lago de Yojoa is a nature-lover’s paradise, this time with a bonus lake. 

Now, while Honduras isn’t super touristy overall, it’s also not the kind of place we’d recommend getting off the beaten path.

Europe’s quietest beaches

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by Gemma Askham

Arriving at the beach and discovering you have it all to yourself is one of life’s greatest joys. But it’s usually an elusive pleasure – unless you know where to look. Even in the age of social media leaving no stone untagged, it is possible to unearth secluded spots that deliver sapphire waters without a carpark tailback. From wild dunes and oil-painting coves to shallow, swimmable seas, these 5 beaches bring the goods – but few of the people.

FRENCH ATLANTIC COAST, BORDEAUX

Bordeaux and beach sound like an unlikely pairing. Which explains why a magnificent 200-mile stretch, only an hour’s drive west, remains largely forgotten even in August. The sand is Caribbean golden, with a long walk out to a slowly deepening sea, and little shelter apart from dunes. Some beaches offer facilities: Hourtin Plage channels a Byron Bay energy, with juice stalls, surf schools and camping. At others, such as Plage de la Jenny, it’s just you and nature.

OROSEI, SARDINIA, ITALY

To define ‘perfect beach’ you need only book a flight to Sardinia, where an eye-catching coastline abounds in every direction. For the quietest picks, it’s an east-west split. The eastern Gulf of Orosei is fantasy-island stuff: seemingly endless strips of amber-hued sand, such as Spiaggia Su Barone and Cala Luna, sit beside vibrant blue waters and deeply perfumed pine trees.

XEROKAMBOS, CRETE

Inside Sitia’s Unesco Geopark, the winding, thyme-scented roads around Xerokambos village lead to a spectacular coastline where untouched nature coexists with shallow, family-friendly waters. North of Xerokambos, Alatsolimni’s fine-sand beach is within walking distance of meze-serving tavernas, yet remains blissfully secluded thanks to its salt marsh.

ILHA DE TAVIRA, ALGARVE

Around 45 minutes from Faro, Ilha de Tavira is a sand spit inside the flamingo-trodden Ria Formosa Natural Park – an estuary landscape featuring spacious swathes of sandy beach and traditional fishing boats, where Portuguese Water Dogs still dive down to retrieve fish from nets

CALA PILAR, MENORCA

TikTok may have rumbled the paradisical beauty of Menorca’s Cala Mitjana and Cala Macarelleta, making towel space on their floury sands an early-bird privilege, but Cala Pilar remains blissfully under the radar. It’s in a marine reserve on the northern coast, so getting here requires some (suitably attired) footwork for the 40-minute forested hike from the carpark. Your reward is the final wow moment when the wooden boardwalk snakes down and the beach suddenly appears.

Barcelona ending apartment rentals by foreign tourists

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CNN – Barcelona, a top Spanish holiday destination, announced on Friday that it will bar apartment rentals to tourists by 2028, an unexpectedly drastic move as it seeks to rein in soaring housing costs and make the city liveable for residents.

The city’s leftist mayor, Jaume Collboni, said that by November 2028, Barcelona will scrap the licenses of the 10,101 apartments currently approved as short-term rentals.

“We are confronting what we believe is Barcelona’s largest problem,” Collboni told a city government event.

The boom in short-term rentals in Barcelona, Spain’s most visited city by foreign tourists, means some residents cannot afford an apartment after rents rose 68% in the past 10 years and the cost of buying a house rose by 38%, Collboni said. Access to housing has become a driver of inequality, particularly for young people, he added.

National governments relish the economic benefits of tourism – Spain ranks among the top-three most visited countries in the world – but with local residents priced out in some places, gentrification and owner preference for lucrative tourist rentals are increasingly a hot topic across Europe.

Local governments have announced restrictions on short-term rentals in places such as Spain’s Canary Islands, Lisbon and Berlin in the past decade.

Spain’s Socialist housing minister, Isabel Rodriguez, said she supported Barcelona’s decision.

“It’s about making all the necessary efforts to guarantee access to affordable housing,” she posted on X.

Vacation rentals platform Airbnb, which hosts a significant number of Barcelona listings, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Collboni is making a mistake that will lead to (higher) poverty and unemployment,” Barcelona’s tourist apartments association APARTUR said in a statement, adding the ban would trigger a rise in illegal tourist apartments.

Hotels stand to benefit from the move. The opening of new hotels in the city’s most popular areas was banned by a far-left party governing Barcelona between 2015 and 2023, but Collboni has signaled he could relax the restriction.

“Those 10,000 apartments will be used by the city’s residents or will go on the market for rent or sale,” Collboni said of the measure.

Barcelona’s local government said in a statement it would maintain its “strong” inspection regime to detect potential illegal tourist apartments once the ban comes into force.

No new tourist apartments have been allowed in the city in recent years. The local government has ordered the shutting of 9,700 illegal tourist apartments since 2016 and close to 3,500 apartments have been recovered to be used as primary housing for local residents, it said.

The 5 cheapest countries to travel to

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According to MoneyWeek

5. COSTA RICA

Costa Rica tops the charts for the best place to retire in 2024, according to the latest index by International Living. The destination might be among the smaller Central American countries, but it has tonnes to offer. It’s a quiet destination with access to both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, jungles to explore, and volcanos to hike.

Average daily cost: £94

Average accommodation cost per person: £48

Average daily meals cost: £20

4. HUNGARY

Budapest is a beautiful historic city with lots to offer at affordable prices. The countryside is home to picturesque villages and beautiful valleys, rivers, thermal baths and mountains to enjoy. If you’re looking for a city break, there’s plenty to do with the capital broken up into two parts to explore – Buda (the quieter side of the city filled with sights to see) and Pest (an area filled with tourists and more hustle and bustle). 

Average daily cost: £55

Average accommodation cost per person: £27

Average daily meals cost: £14

3. THAILAND

Don’t be put off by expensive flight costs. If you’re looking to travel east, the lower cost of accommodation and meals in Thailand can make up for pricey flights. The country is known for its jungle temples, tropical beaches, delicious food and bustling cities. Again, Thailand offers the best of both worlds – you can find city life and night markets in Bangkok and Phuket, but if you’re looking for somewhere to wind down, its islands are a must including Koh Phi Phi and Koh Samui. 

Average daily cost: £67

Average accommodation cost per person: £29

Average daily meals cost: £14

2. INDONESIA

Bali regularly ranks as one of the best places to visit in the world, but with over 17,000 islands Indonesia has plenty to offer – from orangutan colonies to volcanoes to beautiful beaches, all of which you can enjoy for low prices. For a more city vibe, its capital Jakarta offers culture, museums and lively evenings. 

Average daily cost: £48

Average accommodation cost: £26

Average daily meals cost: £13

1. LAOS

This destination in southeast Asia remains the cheapest country to visit. Despite being landlocked, Laos boasts more than 4,000 islands to visit. Its natural beauty remains largely untouched, and visitors can enjoy tasty local food, jungle treks, and temple visits as well as waterfalls in the mainland.

Average daily cost: £12

Average accommodation cost: £5

Average daily meals cost: £5