THINK of dream holiday destinations for the next few months and it's likely that far-flung tropical islands for a blast of sunshine or tried-and-trusted ski resorts spring to mind. But there's another sweet spot: places that are as joyful to visit in winter as they are in summer, in spite of the weather.
Cities that are sweltering and over-crowded in high season suddenly become less frenetic, cheaper to reach (apart from at Christmas) and, if you wrap up warm, far more pleasant to explore. Hard-to-snag table bookings at the hottest restaurants are more likely to be available, there are minimal queues for blockbuster attractions and hotel rates drop.
In the countryside, a blanket of snow or sugar-coating of frost makes everywhere appear instantly more magical-whether you're into high-adrenaline winter sports, back-to-Nature hikes or admiring the whiteout views from a cosy fireside armchair in your hotel. Here's our pick of where to travel to this winter for an off-the-beaten-track break.
Venice, Italy
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 01, 2023-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 01, 2023-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
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A trip down memory lane
IN contemplating the imminent approach of a rather large and unwanted birthday, I keep reminding myself of the time when birthdays were exciting: those landmark moments of becoming a teenager or an adult, of being allowed to drive, to vote or to buy a drink in a pub.
The lord of masterly rock
Charles Dance, fresh from donning Michelangelo’s smock for the BBC, discusses the role, the value of mentoring and why the Sistine chapel is like playing King Lear
The good, the bad and the ugly
With a passion for arguing and a sharp tongue to match his extraordinary genius, Michelangelo was both the enfant prodige and the enfant 'terribile’ of the Renaissance, as Michael Hall reveals
Ha-ha, tricked you!
Giving the impression of an endless vista, with 18th-century-style grandeur and the ability to keep pesky livestock off the roses, a ha-ha is a hugely desirable feature in any landscape. Just don't fall off
Seafood, spinach and asparagus puff-pastry cloud
Cut one sheet of pastry into a 25cm–30cm (10in–12in) circle. Place it on a parchment- lined baking tray and prick all over with a fork. Cut the remaining sheets of pastry to the same size, then cut inner circles so you are left with rings of about 5cm (2½in) width and three circles.
Small, but mighty
To avoid the mass-market cruise-ship circuit means downsizing and going remote—which is exactly what these new small ships and off-the-beaten track itineraries have in common.
Sharp practice
Pruning roses in winter has become the norm, but why do we do it–and should we? Charles Quest-Ritson explains the reasoning underpinning this horticultural habit
Flour power
LONDON LIFE contributors and friends of the magazine reveal where to find the capital's best baked goods
Still rollin' along
John Niven cruises in the wake of Mark Twain up the great Mississippi river of the American South
The legacy Charles Cruft and Crufts
ACKNOWLEDGED as the ‘prince of showmen’ by the late-19th-century world of dog fanciers and, later, as ‘the Napoleon of dog shows’, Charles Cruft (1852–1938) had a phenomenal capacity for hard graft and, importantly, a mind for marketing—he understood consumer behaviour and he knew how to weaponise ‘the hype’.
