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Telegraph
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Telegraph
The best bars and nightlife in Milan
The Milanese know how to do one thing particularly well: the art of aperitivo. In the late afternoons, office workers flock to stylish spots to loosen up and unwind with a drink and a selection of small bites as a precursor to an evening meal. Although the city is replete with places to enjoy an aperitivo, with competing bars laying out counters groaning with goodies, the true connoisseur won't be gorging. This part of the evening is about sipping expertly crafted cocktails while enjoying freshly prepared finger food that expresses the very best of Italian culinary traditions. You'll also find cosy cafés, laid-back wine bars and speakeasy-style cocktail bars perfect to catch up over a quiet drink. And if you're after DJs and late-night dancing, there's no shortage of venues where you can party your socks off until well after sunrise. All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best bars and nightlife in Milan. Find out more below, or for more inspiration, see our guides to the city's best hotels, things to do, restaurants and shopping. Find bars and nightlife by type: Best wine bars Bicerìn Milano This wonderfully cosy wine bar and bistro is styled as a vintage living room, with comfy sofas, candle-lit tables and books dotted about; laidback jazzy tunes add to the ambience. The wine list is extensive, with 800 types personally selected from small independent producers in Italy and beyond, while nibbles (foie gras; cheese platters) and light dishes such as Lago Mediterraneo (buffalo stracciatella and mint toast with lemon pesto and smoked trout) are available. Alongside a comprehensive selection of oxidative wines, there are macerated wines, pét-nats and bubblies from all over Europe. Regular events include wine tastings, food pairings and presentations by independent producers.
Telegraph
13-07-2025
- Telegraph
The 15 best things to do in Brittany
Brittany is not a place to stay still. Set off on foot, and there's always something around the next corner, down the next lane, beyond the next headland. There's so much on a small-enough scale that the joy lies in exploring an entire historic town, like the medieval gem Dinan, or circling the shoreline path around a tiny island like Bréhat. Marvel at the prehistoric megaliths of Carnac and the Gulf of Morbihan, and the unspoiled woodlands of the Paimpont forest; and make for the water, whether on a river or sea cruise, or simply a surfboard. All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best things to do in Brittany. Find out more below or for more inspiration, see our guides to the best hotels, restaurants, bars and beaches. Find things to do by type: Best for families Île de Bréhat Explore the 'Island of Flowers' Brittany's gentlest, prettiest island, the Île de Bréhat, is a pink-granite wonderland. Benefitting from an oh-so-mild Breton 'micro-climate', and nicknamed the 'Island of Flowers', this verdant country garden of a place actually consists of two tiny islets. Day-trippers cross a diminutive bridge from the southernmost of the two – home to great beaches and the only village – to picnic in wildflower meadows, or hike to a lighthouse perched amid the red rocks. Insider tip: Regular ferries sail to Bréhat from the Pointe de l'Arcouest at the northeast tip of the Côte de Granit Rose, and, in summer, from other resorts along the coast. Some cruise right around the island before docking.
Telegraph
02-07-2025
- Telegraph
The 10 best day trips from Bath
Close to Bristol and the southern Cotswolds, with the many attractions of Somerset and western Wiltshire on its doorstep, Bath is brilliantly placed for a wide variety of day trips. Within easy reach are unimprovably photogenic villages, enjoyable countryside walks, historic cities with spectacular cathedrals, two of the country's top prehistoric sites and memorable National Trust properties. Some of the suggestions below, such as Lacock and Castle Combe, Wells and Glastonbury, and Salisbury and Stonehenge, are not far from each other so combine neatly for a busy full day's outing. Having a car helps being able to explore, but several destinations are easily reachable from Bath by train. All our day trip recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert. Find out more below or for more Bath inspiration, see our guides to the city's best hotels, restaurants, bars and nightlife, pubs, things to do and places for afternoon tea. Find a day trip by type: Best for history Stonehenge Britain's most iconic prehistoric monument is infinitely more rewarding if you understand where the stones came from, the alignment with the solstices and how the monument sits in a landscape littered with prehistoric sites. Information at the stones is very limited, so download the audio guide. To avoid the crowds go early or late in the day. Better still, book a 'Stone Circle Experience' visit outside regular opening hours, very early in the morning or in the evening: you go inside the stone circle in a small group with a guide.
Telegraph
23-06-2025
- Telegraph
The 21 best restaurants in Istanbul
It's hardly surprising that Istanbul boasts one of the world's richest cuisines – it's superbly located at the confluence of the Mediterranean and Black Sea worlds, with easy access to the fertile farmlands of Thrace and Anatolia and the agricultural riches of Turkey 's hinterland. Whether it is freshly caught bluefish, tender lamb kebab, melt-in-your-mouth stuffed aubergine, the vast array of meze (starters) or rich, butter-soaked, pistachio-stuffed baklava, there's something for every taste. Dine in the atmospheric old city, or for a more local feel head across the Golden Horn to the entertainment quarter centred on Beyoğlu, Galata and Karaköy. You can even take a ferry to Asia for a bite to eat in historic Üsküdar or hip Kadıköy. All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best restaurants in Istanbul. Find out more below, or for more Istanbul inspiration, see our guides to the city's best hotels, bars and things to do. Find restaurants by type: Best all-rounders Balıkçı Sabahattın This place is so highly-regarded that affluent Istanbulites from across the metropolis sweep stylishly into the lovely period wooden building it occupies in droves. In summer the vine-shaded cobbled street is the place to sit; in winter head into the airy wood-panelled dining room. Start with a couple of meze; mussels in fragrant saffron rice and tangy aubergine salad recommended, before enjoying a moist grilled fish main (bluefish is most prized). Locals will watch with detached amusement if you drink anything other than the aniseed spirit rakı with your spread, but there's a great wine list too.
Telegraph
17-06-2025
- Telegraph
The 10 best beaches in Santorini
Santorini is famous for its strikingly photogenic volcanic caldera lined with glitzy hotels, snow white villages and picturesque blue domed churches. But the Greek island also has a handful of spectacularly lovely beaches, perfect for cooling off after a long day's sightseeing. From black sand strands framed by towering cliffs, to brick red beaches lapped by translucent turquoise waters, gently curving bays lined with laid back bars or crowd-free secret coves that can only be reached by boat, this sun dazzled Cycladic island has something for every taste. All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best beaches in Santorini. Find out more below, or for more Santorini inspiration, see our guides to the island's best hotels, restaurants, bars and things to do. Perissa Framed by Mesa Vouno, the island's highest mountain, Perissa's black sand, Blue Flag-awarded beach is a magnet for families, and wheelchair-users will find ramps for easy sea access. Back from the beach a seafront promenade is lined with tavernas, bars and souvenir shops. Getting there: A 20-minute drive or 35-minutes bus-ride from Fira. Insider tip: Feeling energetic? Hike from here to the ruins of Ancient Thera, up on Mesa Vouno hill. Vlychada On the island's southern tip, Vlychada's low-key beach is surprisingly little-known, perhaps because, apart from a diminutive fishing port and a few tavernas and departure point where catamarans leave for sunset tours, there are few facilities here. Its pretty grey and pebble beach is backed by a line of rugged cliffs, making it a well-kept local secret. Getting there: It's a 20-minute drive from capital Fira. Insider tip: Escape the heat in Vlychada's quirky Tomato Industrial Museum and find out more about one of the island's staple crops. Kamari Packed with feet-in-the-water tavernas, souvenir shops and bars that morph to lively clubs as soon as the sun goes down, this easy-to-reach beach with its sweep of black volcanic sand is one of the island's most cosmopolitan seaside haunts. With several watersports centres there's plenty of fun for activity lovers, too. Getting there: It's a 15-minute drive from Fira; in summer there are buses every half hour. White Beach Less visited than many other beaches because of its difficult access, this blissfully secluded beach derives its name from the creamy white cliffs that sweep down to a succession of coves. Dotted with chalk-coloured pebbles, they provide a startling contrast to the turquoise waters below. Getting there: By boat from Ammoudi Bay or hike from Red Beach. Mesa Pigadia After a thrilling swim from White Beach – through a small sea cave – you will find the clear sheltered waters of this lesser-visited black pebble strand. Backed by brightly painted huts that fishermen once used to store their boats, the area is perfect for snorkellers. Getting there: It's a 25 minute drive from Fira (partly via a dirt track). Boats also leave from Akrotiri. Insider tip: Wear watershoes (there are sea urchins). Red Beach Backed by ochre cliffs descending to a small bay with rust-coloured sands, this is the island's most striking strand. Dramatic rock formations make perfect platforms for leaping into the blue waters beneath. Getting there: It's a perilous cliff hike from Akrotiri's Minoan archaeological site; there are also boats from Ammoudi Bay. Insider tip: Although the beach is currently safe, there have been landslides in the past – check with your hotel before going. Thermes This hidden gem beach is a peaceful haven where you can laze on red and black volcanic sands, swim in mirror clear water or explore the beach's ancient rock-carved chapel with only gulls for company. It's remote, reached via an hour-long hike from the pottery stores and family-owned tavernas of Megalochori. Getting there: A way-marked trail leaves from the Boutari Winery in Megalochori. Insider tip: There are no tavernas or beach bars, so bring food, water and sunscreen. Agios Nikolaos Tucked in a cove beneath Oia's cobbled alleys and blue-domed churches, this hard-to-find beach on the far side of Ammoudi's taverna-lined bay is popular with locals, who come here to escape the summer crowds. Getting there: Follow the scenic 300-stepped path from Oia. Insider tip: Join fellow swimmers to sip thick and syrupy elleniko coffee in one of Ammoudi's waterside tavernas afterwards. Monolithos Named for its single, sentry-like white rock (mono lithos), this narrow windswept beach standing in the airport's shadow is another popular spot with Santorinians, come here to kick back on the sands or feast on freshly made local treats in a handful of family-run tavernas. Getting there: A 10-minute drive from Fira. Riva Easily reached from Ammoudi's fishing port, the tiny island of Thirasia was part of Santorini before the volcanic eruption in 1600BC. Just opposite the volcanic atoll Riva's black-pebble beach has striking views of Oia. Getting there: In summer there's a ferry that makes the ten-minute crossing from Ammoudi Bay. Insider tip: Riva's only taverna is one of the island's best – order their Greek salad made with local chloro cheese. How we choose Every beach in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We consider a range of needs and styles, from lively bar-lined beachfronts to quiet coves – to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest developments and provide up to date recommendations. About our expert Based in Greece for more than a decade, Heidi Fuller-Love is Telegraph Travel's Santorini expert. Endlessly wowed by those captivating caldera views, she loves visiting in winter when she has the famed volcanic island all to herself.
