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Culture holidays

Austria’s lakeside village of Hallstatt is popular with tourists so choose the time and manner of your own visit carefully.

The world’s 10 most charming villages (plus five in Australia)

Small as they are, villages can be easier to bypass than towns. But it pays to slow down and discover these diminutive delights from around the world and here at home.

  • Brian Johnston
Thanks to the city’s enterprising citizens, Ozu Castle was the first in Japan to offer overnight accommodation to paying guests.

Japan’s ‘Little Kyoto’ is one of the most relaxing places I’ve visited

As the older generation dies out and young residents leave for big cities, the residents of Ozu have found a way to survive: turning empty, historic houses into accommodation.

  • Anthony Dennis
Iguazu Falls, on the border of Argentina and Brazil.

From North to South, the 25 highlights of the Americas (plus five to avoid)

Taken together, the three Americas – North, Central and South – form one of the world’s most compelling destinations. But with so much to choose from, where do you start? Here are our picks.

  • Ute Junker
Inside one of the new passenger suites aboard Journey Beyond’s fleet of long-distance trains.

Australia’s famous cross-country trains enter a new era of luxury

Inside the new suites on Australia’s long-distance trains, passengers will experience luxury not seen since the days of special carriages reserved for royalty.

  • Anthony Dennis
Dam Square is home to a number of Amsterdam’s landmarks.

This compact European capital is a cultural juggernaut

Amsterdam offers everything from world-class art and museums to traditional bars and UNESCO-listed canals.

  • Jenny Hewett
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The town of Nafplio is distinguished by its tiled rooftops, castle and fortress.

Beyond the islands, this peninsula is an underrated gem of Greece

Before this journey, I knew little about the Peloponnese – its immense beauty, diverse landscape and how much it feels like so many more popular destinations, but without the crowds.

  • Lee Tulloch
Comacchio has the canals of Venice, without the crowds.

Italy’s ‘Little Venice’ is so overlooked even many Italians don’t know it

This small lagoon town, close to the Adriatic coast, is another of those tiny jewels in Italy’s vast treasure chest of cultural riches.

  • Justine Costigan
Evening light at Alhambra.

World’s first influencer: How an American writer put Spanish castle on the map

I’m standing in the hallway of one of Spain’s most visited attractions, curious as to why there’s a plaque dedicated to an American.

  • Shaney Hudson
A rare stage curtain has placed Boulder Town Hall on the art map.

‘Rare as the Mona Lisa’: The little-known masterpiece in an outback hall

A rare, century-old painting depicting an Italian landmark is on permanent display in the unlikeliest of places.

  • Julia D'Orazio
Schonbrunn Palace, the former main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, is one of the prime attractions in Vienna, Austria.

If you only see one thing in Vienna, make it this

The must-see while in Vienna is a screening of a classic film that was shot on location in the Austrian capital.

  • Anthony Dennis