Innehållsförteckning för June/July 2022 från Wanderlust

he biggest summer of travel!’, ‘Unprecedented explosion in tourism numbers’ and ‘Prepare for a summer of travel chaos’ are just some of the many excitable headlines that I’ve read over the last few weeks. The message is clear: everyone’s eager to travel again (of course we are!). But the tourism industry isn’t quite ready yet for a visitor comeback of such magnitude. Consequently, I have a couple of thoughts on how to navigate this impending summer of travel hysteria. First of all, remember to supercharge your most valuable of traits before departure: patience. Once again, we ask our travel-savvy Wanderlust readers to display forbearance for an industry that has taken a huge hit during the pandemic. Customer service levels are likely to have dropped significantly – sometimes unacceptably so –…

Recycling the past This is the opposite of being on the road, but… during lockdown, like countless others, I had a clear-out at home. Many years of Wanderlust magazines had stacked up after I had read them. I decided to part with the really old ones, but the photos in them were so colourful that I wanted to try and use them. While overseas trips were curtailed, I spent a happy time reminding myself of previous travels by making collages. The above were inspired by trips to Costa Rica (pictured top left) and the Amazon (top right). Every part of them was cut from old Wanderlust magazines, transformed using scissors, glue and imagination. Ruth Spencer Guiding light I wanted to thank you for your Bradt special offer [issue 219]. I…

The history of climbing in Yosemite National Park long pre-dates Alex Honnold’s rope-free ascent of El Capitan, made famous in the film Free Solo (pictured). To mark the park’s sporting legacy, Yosemite Climbing Museum & Gallery in Mariposa, California, has opened. The new museum contains decades of artefacts, stories and art; there’s also an outdoor area where events and movie nights will be held. yosemiteclimbingmuseum.com The largest museum in the Nordic countries opens in Oslo in June. Comprising almost 90 galleries, the new National Museum of Norway will display over 6,500 works from its art, architecture and design collections – from Munch marvels to the medieval Baldishol tapestry. nasjonalmuseet.no Delve deeper into Bletchley Park at the new Intelligence Factory. For the first time you can enter Block A, now the…

OPPO Find X5 Pro Smartphone, £1,049 Want to travel light and leave the DSLR camera behind yet still take photos you’ll be proud of? OPPO’s latest smartphone was co-developed with Hasselblad and takes remarkably good images and videos, including in low light. It also comes with three specialist digital filters and is rain and dust resistant. oppo.com AMAKU Amaku Mini & Tooth Tablets, £4 Ditching squeezable toothpaste for Amaku’s tablets makes sense. Their packaging is plastic-free, so it’s better for the planet, and it means no more accidents in your washbag. To use: just place a tablet in your mouth, bite down and brush. Their mini eco-travel pots fit a week’s supply, so are ideal for short trips. amaku.co.uk MARLOE Pacific Collection Watch, £975 The Pacific collection has been inspired…

WIN! A Ticket to the Moon hammock Summer is here, and we have found a hammock so compact that it will fit in your hand luggage – it even fits in your pocket! Weighing in at just 228 grams, TTTM’s award-winning Lightest Hammock is also incredibly strong and secure. We have two of their Lightest Hammocks to give away. WIN! A copy of Portugal: The Cookbook Highly acclaimed chef Leandro Carreira spent three years researching this magnificent book: the definitive collection of Portuguese dishes. Its 550 recipes are all suitable for home cooks, and we have two copies to give away to a pair of lucky winners. 15% OFF! Lorton & Horn travel wallets We love the Lorton & Horn range of quality travel wallets,…

1 King’s House at Schachen A sturdy hike (around three hours from the nearest departure point by Schloss Elmau) means that Ludwig’s villa in the mountains gets comparatively few visitors. schachenhaus.de 2 Linderhof Palace A pocket battleship of a rococo palace, lavished with water features. Access is via timed-entry guided tours. schlosslinderhof.de 3 Ettal A village geared around an impressive domed monastery and all the businesses that its monks run. kloster-ettal.de 4 Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau These castle-palaces, just outside Füssen, habitually attract over a million visitors a year. Access to either castle is by timed-entry guided tour. neuschwanstein.de 5 Lake Starnberg This handsome lake has long been a place of elegant recreation. Besides the trail leading to Ludwig’s death site, you can also take a…

Vital statistics Capitals: Mexico City (Mexico); Belmopan (Belize); Guatemala City (Guatemala); San Salvador (El Salvador); Tegucigalpa (Honduras) Population: At its peak (600–800 AD), the Mayan civilisation topped 10 million people. Languages: Spanish is spoken across Mexico and Central America; there are around 30 Mayan languages, with Yucatec (Mexico/ Belize), K’iche (Guatemala) and Tzeltal (Mexico) among those heard today. Time: Yucatán/Chiapas/Quintana Roo in Mexico: GMT-5 (Nov–Mar GMT-6); Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras: GMT-6 International dialling code: +52 (Mexico); +501 (Belize); +502 (Guatemala); +503 El Salvador; +504 (Honduras) Visas: Not required by UK nationals for stays of up to 180 days (Mexico), 90 days (Guatemala and El Salvador) and 30 days (Belize and Honduras). Money: The Mexican peso is currently around MXN25 to the UK£; Guatemalan quetzal is GTQ9.60; Belizean dollar is…

Vital statistics Capital: Manama Population: 1.75 million Time: GMT+3 International Dialling Code: +973 Visas: Bahrain offers visa-on-arrival services to foreign nationals from 68 countries, including the UK and the US. You can also apply for an e-visa pre-arrival at: https://www.evisa.gov.bh Money: Bahraini dinar (BD), currently around BD0.47 to the UK£. When to go The best time to visit is between October and May, when temperatures drop to the lower 20s (ºC). Note that a lot of attractions will be either closed or have limited opening hours during Eid holidays. Also, try to avoid visiting during the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, as it can make finding accommodation very difficult. Health & safety Bahrain is a developed nation with excellent healthcare facilities. The only danger is from the sun. Keep well…

FRUIT BAT: KASANKA NP, ZAMBIA The straw-coloured fruit bat is big, with a wingspan measuring up to a metre across. Now imagine millions in the sky at once. That’s what happens in Kasanka NP every year (Oct–Dec), as up to 10 million bats arrive from West Africa during the largest mammal migration in the world. They arrive to feed on the ripening fruits that appear with the first rains, emerging from their roosts at dusk and only returning at dawn. ZEBRA: MAKGADIKGADI, BOTSWANA In the late 20th century, long fences were erected in Botswana to kickstart mass cattle breeding. The result was an environmental catastrophe, disrupting ancient migration patterns. But in the mid-2000s it was discovered that 30,000 zebra were now crossing the Kalahari in search of fresh grazing, spending…

Getting there: There are currently no direct flights from the UK, but both Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International (the ‘Louisville Lip’ was one of the city’s most famous sons) and Lexington’s Blue Grass airports are well served by United, American Airlines and Delta for those visiting central Kentucky, with connections in Chicago, Washington Dulles or Charlotte. Further north, Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky Airport also sees plenty of domestic flights. Where to stay: If you appreciate luxury and want to see what Louisville looked like in the Roaring Twenties, the Brown Hotel (brownhotel.com) lives up to its elegant billing; it has even hosted four US presidents. You should also definitely try its ‘hot brown’ – an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and Mornay sauce – in the jazzy second-floor lobby. Elsewhere, the brand…

“Having lived in Herefordshire all my life, I have taken the wonder of our black-and-white architecture for granted. I have wandered on numerous occasions through Weobley, Dilwyn and Eardisley, and nearly every village and town in the county gives a big nod to the wonderful timber-framed Tudor architecture. In these buildings are living, breathing shops, cafés, churches and homes. We are so lucky to live in our own history.”…

Population: 540,000 International dialling code: +1 Currency: The Canadian dollar (CAD$), currently around CAD$1.58 to the UK£. ATMs and bureaux de change (currency exchanges) are dotted around Québec City. Getting there: Air Transat (airtransat.com) operates direct seasonal flights between London Gatwick and Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport from around £350 return. Air Canada (aircanada.com) and Westjet (westjet.com) run year-round services with one stop. Via Rail (viarail.ca) trains link other Canadian cities. Getting around: Old Québec is compact, so easily explored on foot, but its historic funicular (funiculaire.ca) makes an easy alternative to the steep hill and staircases linking the Lower Town and Upper Town. For impressive cityscapes, ride the ferry (traversiers.com) across the Saint Lawrence to Lévis. Festivals: The Festival d’été de Québec (feq.ca/en), held on the Plains of…

ROSALIND CUMMINGS-YEATES Juneteenth Award-winning journalist and author Rosalind specialises in travel and enjoys guiding readers through African American culture, such as the annual Juneteenth celebrations (p30). What wildlife would you most like to encounter in Africa? “I’ve been lucky enough to see the ‘Big Five’ in South Africa. I’d now love to see a more unusual animal, such as the striped-legged okapi in the forests of the DRC.” ANDREW EAMES Bavaria, Germany The grandson of a crofter from the Isle of Skye, Andrew lived in South East Asia before returning to the UK to work at The Times. He went freelance some 30 years ago and continues to roam all over the world, including his wife’s homeland of Germany (p66). What wildlife would you most like to encounter in Africa?…

“Japan is easily the best country for solo travel. So easy to get around and you don’t feel weird being on your own like you do in some places” @kat_in_cairns “[I never travel without] a random paperback from a charity shop. I leave them in hostels or book exchanges once read. Last trip, I left an Agatha Christie in a converted British phone box in Avignon” Cheung Rtw “[My most memorable train ride was on] the Golden Pass in Switzerland when heading to Grindelwald. Snowy and stunning. For me, it beats the Glacier Express.” @reevo.73 “Our family rode the Durango & Silverton [railroad in Colorado] years ago and enjoyed the ride and stunning views. It ended in a town high in the mountains, where you could still see snow in…

Surprising ancient sites “Try walking in the footsteps of dinosaurs at Pegadas de Dinossáurios da Serra de Aire Natural Monument near Fatima, Portugal. You can practically feel them breathing down your neck.” Kathleen Goodship “The temples of Maluti, a village on India’s Bengal-Jharkhand border, witnessed the end of a once thriving capital and a royal dynasty. There were 108 temples in distinct Bengal terracotta style; now just 72 remain as a testimony to its art, culture, and heritage, standing precariously on the brink of a black hole where history is lost to indifference.” Nandini Chakraborty “Nothing could have prepared me for the sight of the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. The walk along the Siq, leading into the city, was a sight to be reckoned with; however, the magnificent…

Carpets Watch artisans weaving carpets on a free English tour of Azer-Ilme (azerilme.az/en) in Baku. Note that permits, available from the Carpet Museum’s shop, are required when buying pieces larger than 2 sqm. In the capital you can also learn how carpets are weaved at Azerkhalcha (azerxalca.az). Copperware Kebleyi Aliyev is the seventh generation in his family to produce copperware at their workshop, which opened in Lahij in 1725. Make copper with him at 41 Nizami Huseynov, or visit artisans Nazar Aliyev (at No 27) and Vahid Suleymanov (No 51) and buy directly from them. Silk headscarves You’ll find kelaghayi in markets across Azerbaijan, particularly in Basgal and at Seki Ipek, a silk factory showroom in Sheki. Watch them being made or attend a workshop at Basgal’s Silk Centre. Wool…

Getting there The Omberg area is situated in Östergötland County, between Stockholm and Gothenburg, approximately two hours from each. The nearest railway station is Mjolby. The highly recommended Woods & Water (woodsandwater.se) offers guided day and multi-day trips in the region. Where to stay & eat Ombergs Turisthotell (ombergsturisthotell.com). Step back in time at this charming hotel known for its excellent cuisine. Urnatur (urnatur.se). Stay in the quirky treehouses or cabins and kayak, hike or simply relax. Breakfast is included, other meals are self-catering with vegetables provided; lamb from the farm or fresh fish can be ordered at an extra cost. Minimum two-night stay. Särtshöga Vingård (sartshogavingard.se ). Comfortable B&B accommodation tucked within a working vineyard. Its restaurant offers delicious wood-fired pizzas. Stocklycke Vandrarhem (stocklyckevandrarhem.se). Sweden’s oldest hostel with a…

1 Don’t try to cram too much into your trip There are literally hundreds of Mayan archaeological sites, far more than can be seen in one go. Be selective and remember that the smaller ones are often the most evocative. And if you can only visit one, make it Palenque. 2 Lodge as close as possible to the sites This goes double if they’re especially popular. An early-morning start will beat the crowds and give the best chance of seeing wildlife. Note: the big-hitter sites of the Yucatán Peninsula, in particular, are usually overrun with tour buses by mid-morning. 3 Always get permission If you want to use filming equipment or a tripod, you may require special permission. Photography charges apply at some sites; other places, such…

1 The Fitzgeralds’ Montgomery Zelda Fitzgerald was born in Alabama’s capital and F Scott lived with her here in the 1930s. The Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum (thefitzgeraldmuseum.org), on the ground floor of their former home, is the best place to get to grips with their legacy. 2 Harper Lee’s Monroeville As the inspiration for To Kill a Mockingbird’s fictional Maycomb, pocket-sized Monroeville is a pilgrimage site for Lee fans. Time your visit for spring, when locals dramatise the novel in a play that uses the town’s Old Courthouse. 3 William Faulkner’s Oxford Faulkner’s long-time home, Rowan Oak (rowanoak.com), has been preserved in its 1960s state. Follow in the author’s footsteps on the peaceful Bailey Woods Trail. 4 Eudora Welty’s Jackson Jackson-born Eudora Welty, a prolific…

Hit the hiking trails of Red River Gorge Part of Daniel Boone National Forest, Red River Gorge lies an hour’s drive east of Lexington. The landscape is defined by sandstone crags and arches and makes for some awe-inspiring walks. There are ample wildlife-spotting opportunities, too, with the region being home to elk, black bears, eagles and peregrine falcons. And if you’re in search of a mid-hike carbo-load, Miguel’s Pizza (miguelspizza.com), near the small town of Slade, is so good that it seems to be known by anyone who has ever visited the region, and makes for a great lunch spot in between trails. Visit a bourbon distillery Kentucky produces about 95% of the world’s bourbon whiskey, so touring a distillery is a must. Even if you don’t partake in the…

Location: The Sacred Grove is surrounded by Osogbo city, which sits 210km north-east of Nigeria’s coastal metropolis and former capital, Lagos. Getting there: British Airways (ba.com) runs daily non-stop flights from London Heathrow to Lagos, which take around 6.5 hours and cost from £729 return. Getting around: From Lagos, Osogbobound buses depart from the Oshodi Bus Terminal. The journey takes about four hours depending on traffic. That said, getting around Nigeria on public transport is not for the faint of heart, so a good tour agency can be a boon. Native Eye (nativeeyetravel.com) and Lupine Travel (lupinetravel.co.uk) run scheduled trips, while Absolute Africa Tours (absoluteafricatours.com) arranges custom itineraries. When to go: The dry season (Nov–Mar) has daytime highs of 30 to 35°C and cooler nights (20°C), but there’s no better…

VISIT A GARDEN The lush Westonbury Mill Water Gardens (westonburymillwatergardens.com), near Pembridge, is worth a detour. Gigantic gunnera tower over lakes and streams, and eccentric follies, including an enormous water-powered cuckoo clock, await discovery. There is also a fine café. SUP CIDER There are around 100 artisan cider producers in Hereford, many of which offer orchard tours and cider tastings, including The Orgasmic Cider Company (orgasmiccidercompany.co.uk) near Eardisley. Dunkerton’s sell its range of craft ciders at The Cider Barn (the-cider-barn.co.uk), near Pembridge, which is also has an excellent restaurant. SAY CHEESE A cheesemaking revival is gathering apace as increasing numbers of shops and markets here stock the delectable Herefordshire Hop. Monkland Cheese (monklandcheesedairy.co.uk), handily located for the trail, produces several award-winning cheeses and holds regular guided tours RAMBLE There are…

Budget HI Québec-Auberge Internationale de Québec Set within four interconnected 18th-century buildings in the heart of the Upper Town, this hostel offers private rooms in addition to beds in well-maintained dorms. It has a yard, a bar and a café, plus a communal living room. Doubles from £49pn; hiquebec.ca Mid-range Auberge Place d’Armes In a renovated 17th-century building on a lane next to the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral, this hotel has a boutique feel. Its 20 rooms have handcrafted furniture, breakfast is delivered each morning, and restaurant, Chez Jules, serves French brasserie-style cuisine. Doubles from £124pn; aubergeplacedarmes. hotelsduvieuxquebec.com Best address in town Fairmont Le Château Frontenac The Van Horne Suite, named after the railway executive behind the creation of the hotel, and the Elizabeth II Suite, marking the monarch’s 1959…

“The perfect pesto is a symphony of seven ingredients. The delicate sweet leaves of DOP Genoese basil from Pra’ are pounded in a marble mortar with pine nuts, sea salt and garlic from the hinterland behind Imperia. That is the origin of the name pesto; it comes from the word pestare, meaning “to grind”. It absolutely has to be handmade! Then add the parmesan and pecorino cheese, and finally Ligurian olive oil. No two pesto sauces are ever alike, and it is an art to balance the equilibrium of the ingredients.”…

International dialling code: +39 Currency: Euro (€), currently around €1.20 to the UK£. Getting there: Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies regularly from London Stanstead and Manchester airports to Genoa (2 hours); return flights from £16. If you’re visiting the western end of Liguria, it is worth flying to Nice, which has direct flights from several UK cities. Getting Around: Fly/drive is a good option, especially to explore the mountainous hinterland, but parking can be an issue on the coast in high season. Car hire is available at Genoa airport. Weather: Summers are hot on the Riviera Ponente, so spring and autumn are best for hiking, but this is a year-round destination. Further Information: lamialiguria.it…

Taste history in Genoa, which is famous for its candied fruit, a delicacy that originally arrived in the city during the Crusades and is the key ingredient in the Genoese cake pandolce. Try this fruit in the atmospheric Pietro Romanengo (romanengo.com), which was founded in 1780. The composer Verdi was once a customer. Learn more about the region’s long history of seafaring traditions in the city’s maritime museum, the Galata Museo del Mare (galatamuseodelmare.it). Afterwards, take a boat trip around the port and visit La Lanterna, which was rebuilt in 1543 and remains one of the oldest working lighthouses in the world. Buy some Taggiasca olives, a key part of local cuisine in Ponente. Afterwards, you can enjoy some slow tourism by taking a drive through the groves behind Imperia…

Zero Altitude: How I Learned to Fly Less and Travel More By Helen Coffey Flint; £17 It’s no secret that travel has a flying issue, but can we really avoid it and the environmental harm it does? Yes, reckons Helen Coffey, whose book explores flight-free science and thinking with her on-the-road attempts to put it into practice. The opportunities that open up for adventure are encouraging. Along the Amber Route By CJ Schüler Sandstone; £10 Now out in paperback, CJ Schüler’s acclaimed – and timely – account of following the millennia-old trade route of those supplying amber to high-end customers takes him from St Petersburg down to Venice, tracing a history of Central European progress and suffering along the way. Wild Places By Sarah Baxter White Lion Publishing; £15 The…

Try helping out Citizen science projects are a great way to support conservation efforts while travelling. Reef Check (reefcheck.org) trains volunteers to conduct data collection in reefs, while iNaturalist (inaturalist.org) invites travellers to upload nature observations via an app. Biosphere Expeditions (biosphere-expeditions.org) even designs global citizen science trips, including tracking the elusive snow leopard in Kyrgyzstan’s Tien Shan mountains. Read up beforehand The Nature Positive toolkit (naturepositive.org) has some handy tips and advice for travellers as well as several case studies showing how tourism can protect nature, such as Cottar’s Safaris (cottars.com) in Kenya, which has established a locally owned 30 sq km conservancy in the Masai Mara area. Support projects The introduction of Whale Heritage Sites, such as those found in Australia’s Hervey Bay, Algoa Bay in South Africa…

Friluftsliv A popular Nordic (not just Swedish) concept, the word breaks down as ‘free, air, life’. It is a love of being outside and in nature, whether through active adventures or simply by sitting around a campfire and enjoying a fika. It is commonly believed to be a key factor in why the Swedish are one of the happiest nations. Allemansrätten This translates as ‘everyman’s right’ and is essentially the right to roam. In Sweden, people can access, walk and camp on almost any piece of land, except private gardens, the immediate vicinity of a private dwelling and on cultivated land. You can also freely collect flowers and berries as well as swim, or kayak on, any lakes. Fika This is the popular custom of taking a refreshment break, typically…

The Indigenous descendants of the ancient Maya are not one people, but a patchwork of cultures spread across several nation states. Fractured by colonialism and some exceptionally convoluted physical and political geography, the Maya, who number around 7 million, share some 30 distinct languages between them. Guatemala is home to the greatest diversity of Mayan peoples – around half of the population belongs to one of 21 groups, with dialect and traditional dress varying from village to village. The single largest ethnolinguistic group are the Yucatec Maya of the Yucatán Peninsula, who number around 1.5 million. The ancient Maya wrote books, but their libraries were burned by Spanish zealots and much of their sophisticated knowledge has been lost forever. Pre-Columbian Maya customs, where they survive, tend to be vividly fused…

NATIONAL PARKS are state owned, if not always state run (see African Parks). They are open to everyone, though some maintain seasonal hours. This often means that the more popular ones tend to be overrun during peak season, when long queues and crowding at wildlife sightings can be a problem. Of course, all parks are not created equal: Kruger in South Africa sees some 950,000 visitors a year whereas Liuwa Plain in Zambia sees barely a few thousand. So there are some hidden gems to be found. As a general rule of thumb, safaris in national parks tend to be cheaper than in private reserves but more restrictive in terms of what you can do there. GAME RESERVES (also known as game parks or wildlife reserves) are typically privately run…

1 Tuskegee, Alabama A 45-minute drive east of Montgomery, this city is best known for the Tuskegee Airmen – a group of predominantly Black military aviators who trained at the former Tuskegee Army Air Field. However, it’s got an intricate literary heritage too. In 1881, author and orator Booker T Washington founded the Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University (pictured). The historically Black university was attended by both Ralph Waldo Ellison, author of acclaimed 1952 novel The Invisible Man, and Albert Murray, a critic and novelist whose work centred on issues of race. Today, at the university’s Ford Motor Company Library, Murray’s life is chronicled through detailed exhibits and you can pore over his collection of books, including jazz tomes and rare volumes filled with fairytales. Washington is buried at…

When it comes to Kentucky, most of us are familiar with its bourbon and a certain secret blend of herbs and spices that shot Colonel Harland Sanders to fame, yet the Bluegrass State is otherwise a mystery to many; just another rich flavour of ‘the South’. But that does it a huge disservice. Along with fine food and drink, classic Southern hospitality and some rugged hinterlands, there is plenty of nuance to be found here. For a start, the ‘doorstep of the South’ is much more of a cultural crossroads, sharing its borders with seven other states. Nor is it as dry as you might think. Kentucky has more navigable waterways than anywhere in the US except Alaska, and it is this that fuels its two biggest icons: whiskey and…

Palm trees, Bombay Sapphire waters, coral gardens as vibrant as stands of tropical fruit... these are the things that tempt most visitors to the Philippines, the ‘Pearl of the Orient’. But beyond these paradisical images lie many indigenous cultures. The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,641 islands scattered across the Philippine Sea, on Asia’s eastern edge. Human remains have been found dating back at least 50,000 years, long before Austronesians began arriving, followed by Chinese traders. However, it was the Spanish who left an indelible mark. Arriving in 1521, they claimed the islands, named the colony for Prince Phillip and introduced their language and Catholic religion. The British briefly occupied Manila in the 1760s but the archipelago remained Spanish until the US took over in 1899. During the Second World…

As I bowled along the roads linking Herefordshire’s ‘Black and White Villages’ (named in honour of their two-tone buildings), I believed, for a second, in time travel. Here, in one of England’s least populated counties, little appeared to have changed for decades, centuries even. The landscape of wooded hills, shot through with sparkling rivers, has not been scarred by industry or development. Farming is the thing here, and although mechanisation has changed the means of production, apple orchards still burst into blossom in spring, hops are still cut from their strings in autumn and Hereford cattle still munch the grass. Time was further suspended in the Black and White Villages. Located in the north-west of the county, lying along the tree-lined Arrow and Lugg river valleys, these timbered and half-timbered…

When acknowledging the formidable appearance of Québec City’s British-built fortress, Charles Dickens famously described the city as “the Gibraltar of Amer-19th century, certainly dominate the high ground on Cape Diamond, the wedge of land tapering between the confluence of the Saint-Charles and St Lawrence rivers. From here you’ll find commanding views over those waterways and the eroded peaks of the distant Laurentian Mountains. Up close is no less impressive. The grey stonework of the star-shaped Citadelle de Québec forms part of North America’s only walled city outside Mexico. Guided tours of the stronghold mean opportunities to not only gaze over one of the continent’s oldest cities, but also to view the austere façade of the Canadian governor general’s second residence – the other being Rideau Hall in Ottawa. There’s plenty…

Visit… Parc de la Chute Montmorency (sepaq.com), a 15-minute drive from the city, is where the Montmorency Falls tumbles 83m into the Saint Lawrence River. Grab a spot on the observation platforms. Shop… Snag a gourmet picnic at the Grand Marché (legrandmarchedequebec.com/en). In addition to its fine seafood and charcuterie, there’s a choice of regional maple syrups, fruit from the nearby Île d’Orléans and Quebecois wine and craft beer. Learn… Gain a VR-enhanced overview of the city’s past at Immersion Québec (immersionquebec.com/en). The Musée de la civilisation (mcq.org/en) also has a range of exhibitions, including ‘This is Our Story’, which is about Québec’s 11 Indigenous nations. Eat…You have to try poutine – fries smothered in cheese curds and gravy. La Buche (restolabuche.com) and Le Chic Shack are good options to…

Day 1: Genoa From harbour Porto Antico, walk up to the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo – in its crypt are some amazing religious treasures. See the Palazzo Ducale and the alleged birthplace of Christopher Columbus, then eat lunch in the city’s Mercato Orientale before strolling along Via Garibaldi, a street lined with palazzos and art galleries. Don’t miss the city views from atop Palazzo Rosso. Day 2: Walled cities and waves Discover the ancient city-state of Noli – its walls once inspired the poet Dante. Then take a dip in the sea at the medieval fishing village of Varigotti, which has one of the best beaches on this stretch of coast, before enjoying an aperitivo and dinner in the walled city of Albenga, known for its medieval towers and purple…

Genoa Residenza d’Epoca Le Nuvole An atmospheric boutique hotel in the historic old town with frescoes, friezes and marble floors. hotellenuvole.it Noli Ca’ de Tobia Cosy B&B on the seafront next to the old town. Bike and scooter rental are available. cadetobia.it Borgomaro Relais del Maro Family-run hotel in a country-chic style. Choose from rooms in the main hotel or in the village. relaisdelmaro.it Garlenda La Meridiana Resort A short drive from Albenga, this hotel has an excellent restaurant, pool, large garden and golf course. lameridianaresort.com Sanremo Hotel de Paris A Belle-Époque hotel built in 1897 beside the Orthodox cathedral. Free bike hire. hoteldeparissanremo.it Apricale Munta e Cara Hotel with rooms scattering a beautiful mountain village. Cookery classes and wine tastings are available. muntaecara.it…

Still standing strong, Hvar, Croatia When the Venetians began building the Fortica on Hvar in the 13th century, the island was on its way to becoming the envy of the region. Under their rule, its wine, olives and lavender fields – whose blossoms still scent the air in June – made it rich. In later years, the Arsenal beside the harbour was said to be the most beautiful and useful building here because of the warships it repaired. Yet when the Turks razed the town in the 16th century, it was the fort that saved locals. Yachts now take the place of galleons in the harbour but this view reminds us just how timeless Croatia’s islands are.…