It gets totally wild when scantily clad Sitgetans take over the Catalonian city during their Carnival. Even in the chilly weather (it’s Europe in February, after all), a full covering is optional and debauchery rules the streets after dark.
When it first gets going, Sitges is essentially a party that attracts the LGBQTI crowd, but after the initial four days it becomes slightly more like Carnival in other parts of the world, albeit with a rainbow hue.
It all begins on Fat Thursday – they call it Dijou Gras here – and the Gran Rua (King’s Parade). Costumed ‘queens’ shimmy down the street and the King of the Carnival reads his proclamation to start proceedings. From then until the ceremonial burying of the sardine on Ash Wednesday the town becomes a heaving, swaying mass of humanity.
The two biggest events, however, are the Debauchery Parade on Sunday night and the Extermination Parade on Tuesday evening. A procession of floats, pumping out tunes and surrounded by dancers, cruises through the streets. Drag performers and dancers from all over Europe strut beside them, as up to 300,000 people from all corners of the globe shimmy on the sidelines. Then, when the parading is done, the Sitges nightlife keeps the party going until well past dawn.
During the day, if you manage to wake up, things are often a little calmer. You’ll see costumed children and folk dancing, take part in a game that’s a bit like bingo called the Great Carnival Quinto, and hook into the traditional feasts held at different points around the city. Try xató (cold cod salad), but hold on to your plate since the carnival jesters have been known to start food fights.
The historic walled city of Derry in Northern Ireland is a charismatic charmer, and there’s no better way to get there than by travelling the Causeway Coastal Route along the Antrim coast from Belfast.
Whether you do it by bike, car or skateboard, take the time to explore the pubs and pit stops along the way, including Murlough Bay, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, the Giant’s Causeway and the Old Bushmills Distillery.
If you think a walking tour is the best way to explore Iceland’s capital city, think again. Slip into a wetsuit, fasten your leash and get your blood pumping on a stand-up paddleboarding tour around Reykjavík. Dip your paddle into the glassy waters of Reykjavík Harbour and glide beside skyscrapers and snow-capped buildings as you trace the frosty coastline. While you float along the city shores, your guide will point out the best sights and give you tips on the must-see attractions during your visit.
Whether it’s your first time or you’re a seasoned SUPer, this aquatic adventure will put your balance to the test as you gawp at your surroundings on this unique city tour. Once you’re familiar with the city, head out on a trip to another location – the country is full of paddleboarding opportunities.
The village of Monstein above Davos – most famous as the host city of the annual World Economic Forum – is home to the highest brewery in Europe. The tour of BierVision Monstein begins in a vintage bus, where you’ll learn about Davos and its spectacular landscape, before moving on to the historic village and finally the brewery.
From a small homebrew operation started by four mates back in 2001, this is now a fully fledged, full-scale operation. During this leg of the tour you’ll taste the beer at all stages of the process and hear about the challenges facing the brewers way up here in the clouds. The tour ends with a glass of either pale Huusbier or dark Wätterguoge, and a plate of award-winning beer cheese made by co-founder Andreas Aergerter.
Test your Christian faith with the ultimate three-day pilgrimage to the island sanctuary of St Patrick.
Located on a small lake in Ireland’s County Donegal, Lough Derg has been attracting worshippers for more than 1000 years. Immerse yourself in this time-honoured tradition of Celtic spirituality, but be prepared to get tired, hungry and cold. When you arrive on the island bid farewell to your shoes in exchange for a frugal existence and prayer.
For the next three days you will walk barefoot, fast and engage in ritual worship, including silent prayer and kneeling on hallowed beds. Participate in an all-night, 24-hour vigil and fast for the duration of your stay, with the exception of one daily meal of dry toast and black tea or coffee.
Some find the pilgrimage an energising and enlightening experience. Others would concur with its other name – Saint Patrick’s Purgatory.
Want to get a taste of the pub rumoured to sell more beer per square metre than any other in Austria? Then best head to St Anton’s Mooserwirt, just one of the legendary après-ski haunts on the run from Glazig to St Anton. At 3pm, the shutters are closed and the club begins – alternatively you can try and find a place on the packed sun terrace.
Before you hit Mooserwirt, though, you might want to have a sneaky stein and schnitzel further up the mountain at the Krazy Kanguruh. Next door at Taps is a little quieter if you want to ease into the afternoon. The other slightly more sedate (but hardly quiet) option is Griabli, with live rock, soul and blues from about 3.30pm each day.
Join the Red Army for a day at the Pilsen air base and test your nerve in the cockpit of a Czech Aero L-39 Albatros with MiGFlug. This is not a simulated flight for wimpy air-force wannabes and you better have a stomach of steel. You take the controls as an instructor leads you through terrifying dogfight manoeuvres, including rolls, dives, loops and extremely low passes just a few metres from the ground.
If you fancy yourself as some kind of international man/ma’am of mystery, this could be your dream celebration. Venice’s famous Carnival, like Carnival all around the world, involves an orgy of decadence before the self-denial of Lent. At least, that’s what Carnival is meant to celebrate, even if its origins have been long forgotten by many. Of course, Venice’s 12-day extravaganza is renowned for its masks that not only add an extra dash of colour to proceedings, but also encourage behaviour that may not come quite so naturally should the perpetrator be more easily identified.
Naturally, there are parades and drinking and dancing and debauchery, but also look out for other entertaining options: jousting tournaments, walking theatre performers leading tours of the city and its secrets, and games of calcio storico, an ancient sport that resembles football but also involves competitors knocking two shades of shit from one another.
If you fancy yourself as a bit of an artisan, get out the glue gun and BeDazzler, whip up a mask and enter it in the competition at Gran Teatro di Piazza San Marco. The overall winner receives a holiday in Venice and VIP tickets to Carnival events.
The Spanish island of Mallorca derives its name from the Latin word maiorica, meaning the larger one. What better motivation is there for shedding those extra kilos at the Ashram?
The island may be famous as a destination for the rich and beautiful, but there’s more to experience here than lazing by the sea.
Tackle nature’s very own stairmaster climbing 900-metre mountains each day and be rewarded with stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea, not to mention a bootilicious butt.
The week-long programs are aimed at fat-busting and muscle building and include daily 5.30am wake-up calls, kayaking, circuit training, pilates and yoga, topped off with a nutrient-rich vegetarian menu. Become ‘the smaller one’ you’ve always wanted to be.
Hold onto your bathing suits because United Airlines have made it easier than ever before to fly from New York to Nuuk, Greenland if you’re in dire need of a hot spring soak.
They’ve just launched direct flights (the first time a US-based airline has ever done that), and there are thousands of hot springs across Greenland, but none quite like Uunartoq which can be easily accessed from Nuuk. Located in South Greenland, Uunartoq Island is completely uninhabited, making it the perfect spot to reconnect with nature.
Three converging warm streams keep its crystal-clear geothermal pool brimming with steamy water – even when the winter temperature drops below freezing. The stone-dammed pool is a plunge-perfect 37°C year round, thanks to the heat created by friction in layers of the Earth’s crust. Take a boat from the nearby islands of Qaqortoq or Nanortalik and sink into Uunartoq Hot Springs’ warm embrace against a backdrop of dramatic mountains and floating icebergs.
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