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Banff and Lake Louise: where to stay and how to plan your visit
Banff town, Lake Louise or Canmore? Where to stay in the Canadian Rockies, plus park passes, seasons, getting there from Calgary, lake shuttles and wildlife safety.
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Where to go, where to stay and how to plan it.
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Barcelona in 3 days: an itinerary for Gaudí, old town and sea
A three-day Barcelona plan grouped by area: the Gothic Quarter and El Born, Gaudí's Eixample and Sagrada Família, then Park Güell and Montjuïc.
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Day trips from Amsterdam: Haarlem, Zaanse Schans, Utrecht and more
The Netherlands is small and its trains are fast. How to reach Haarlem, Zaanse Schans, Utrecht, Keukenhof, Delft, Rotterdam and the old fishing towns, and what to see.
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Day trips from Kyoto: Nara, Osaka, Himeji, Uji and more compared
Kyoto sits at the heart of the Kansai rail network. How to reach Nara, Osaka, Himeji Castle, Uji, Kobe and Lake Biwa for a day, what to see and how long to allow.
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Day trips from Lisbon: Sintra, Cascais, Évora and more compared
The best day trips from Lisbon, compared by travel time and who they suit: Sintra's palaces, the Cascais coast, Roman Évora, walled Óbidos and Arrábida.
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Day trips from London: Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, Windsor and Brighton
How to reach England's best day-trip destinations from London by train, what to see in each, how long to allow, and how to keep rail fares under control.
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Day trips from Paris: Versailles, Giverny, Reims and more compared
The best day trips from Paris compared by travel time and interest: Versailles, Monet's Giverny, Fontainebleau, Champagne in Reims, Chantilly and Chartres.
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The Icefields Parkway: planning the drive from Lake Louise to Jasper
How long the Icefields Parkway takes, the best stops, where to find fuel and food, what each season brings, and how to behave around wildlife on the road.
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Lisbon in 3 days: an itinerary for the hills, river and Belém
A three-day Lisbon plan grouped by neighbourhood: Baixa and Alfama, Belém and the riverside, then Chiado, Príncipe Real and the city's viewpoints.
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London in 4 days: a first-timer's itinerary, grouped by area
A four-day London plan that groups sights by neighbourhood to cut travel time: Westminster, the Tower and South Bank, Kensington's museums and Greenwich.
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New York City in 4 days: an itinerary for a first visit
A four-day New York plan grouped by area: the harbour and Lower Manhattan, Midtown, Central Park and the museums, and the downtown neighbourhoods.
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Paris in 3 days: a first-timer's itinerary, grouped by area
A realistic three-day Paris plan: the islands and Left Bank, the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, then Montmartre and the Marais, plus what to book ahead.
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Rome in 3 days: an itinerary with a well-planned Vatican visit
A three-day Rome plan grouped by area: ancient Rome, the Vatican and St Peter's, then the Pantheon, Navona and Trevi, with what to book and how to time it.
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Tokyo in 4 days: a first-visit itinerary that keeps travel short
A four-day Tokyo plan grouped by area: Asakusa and Ueno, Harajuku to Shinjuku, Ginza and the bay, and a flexible last day in Kamakura or west Tokyo.
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Where to stay in Amsterdam: the neighbourhoods compared
Canal Ring, Jordaan, De Pijp, the Museum Quarter, Centrum, Oost and Noord: how Amsterdam's main areas differ, who each suits, and how to get around.
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Where to stay in Bangkok: riverside, Sukhumvit, Old Town and more
Bangkok's traffic and heat make location matter. Compare the riverside, Sukhumvit, Silom, Siam, the Old Town, Khao San and Chinatown, and learn how to get around.
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Where to stay in Barcelona: the neighbourhoods compared
Gothic Quarter, El Born, Eixample, Gràcia, Barceloneta, Poble-sec and Poblenou: how Barcelona's main areas differ, who each suits, and how to get around.
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Where to stay in Berlin: the neighbourhoods compared
Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, Charlottenburg, Neukölln and Schöneberg: how Berlin's main areas differ and who each one suits best.
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Where to stay in Cancún and the Riviera Maya: areas compared
Cancún's Hotel Zone, downtown, Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, Tulum or Costa Mujeres? How the coast compares, plus sargassum, hurricanes and transport.
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Where to stay in Dublin: Temple Bar, Georgian Dublin and beyond
Dublin's centre is walkable, but noise, value and character vary block by block. Compare Temple Bar, Grafton Street, Georgian Dublin, Smithfield, Docklands and more.
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Where to stay in Edinburgh: Old Town, New Town, Leith and beyond
Edinburgh is compact but hilly, and August changes everything. Compare the Old Town, New Town, Stockbridge, Leith, Southside and more, and see who each one suits.
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Where to stay in Florence: the neighbourhoods compared
Duomo, Santa Croce, Oltrarno, Santo Spirito, San Niccolò, San Lorenzo and Fiesole: how Florence's main areas differ, who each suits and what to check.
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Where to stay in Istanbul: Sultanahmet, Galata, Kadıköy and more
Istanbul spans two continents, and your base shapes every day of the trip. Compare Sultanahmet, Eminönü, Galata, Taksim, Cihangir, Nişantaşı and Kadıköy.
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Where to stay in Kyoto: station, downtown, Gion or Arashiyama?
Kyoto's sights are spread out and its buses get crowded, so location matters. How Kyoto Station, Downtown, Gion, Arashiyama and the north compare, plus ryokan tips.
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Where to stay in Lisbon: the neighbourhoods compared
Lisbon is small but hilly, and where you sleep shapes your trip. A practical guide to Baixa, Chiado, Alfama, Príncipe Real, Belém and more, and who each one suits.
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Where to stay in London: eight areas compared for visitors
London is huge and hotel prices vary widely by area. How the West End, South Bank, Kensington, Bloomsbury, Shoreditch, King's Cross and more compare, plus the Tube.
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Where to stay in Madrid: the neighbourhoods compared
Sol, Huertas, Malasaña, Chueca, Salamanca, La Latina, Retiro and Chamberí: how Madrid's main areas differ, who each suits and how to get around.
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Where to stay in Mexico City: Roma, Condesa, Polanco and more
Mexico City is enormous, and a good base keeps traffic out of your days. How Roma Norte, Condesa, Polanco, Centro, Coyoacán and Juárez compare, plus altitude tips.
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Where to stay in Montreal: the neighbourhoods compared
Old Montreal, Downtown, the Plateau, Mile End, the Village or Griffintown? How Montreal's main areas compare, who each suits, and how winter changes the choice.
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Where to stay in New York City: Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens compared
Where you sleep in New York shapes your budget and your days. How Midtown, Lower Manhattan, SoHo, the Upper West and East Sides, Brooklyn and Queens compare.
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Where to stay in Orlando for theme parks: areas compared
On-site or off-site? Lake Buena Vista, International Drive, Kissimmee, Celebration, the Universal area or downtown: how Orlando's bases compare for a theme-park trip.
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Where to stay in Paris: the arrondissements and areas compared
Le Marais, Saint-Germain, the Latin Quarter, Montmartre and more: how the main areas of Paris differ, who each suits, and how to get around once you're there.
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Where to stay in Prague: the neighbourhoods compared
Old Town, Malá Strana, New Town, Hradčany, Vinohrady, Žižkov and Holešovice: how Prague's main areas differ, who each suits and how to get around.
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Where to stay in Rome: the neighbourhoods compared
Centro Storico, Trastevere, Monti, Prati, Termini and more: how Rome's main areas differ, who each one suits, and how to get around a city best seen on foot.
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Where to stay in Seoul: Myeongdong, Jongno, Hongdae and more
Seoul is vast, so your base decides how much time you spend on the subway. Compare Myeongdong, Jongno, Hongdae, Gangnam, Itaewon, Dongdaemun and Seoul Station.
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Where to stay in Singapore: Marina Bay, Chinatown, Orchard and more
Singapore is compact and easy to get around, but each district has a distinct feel. Compare Marina Bay, Orchard, Chinatown, the riverside, Kampong Glam and Sentosa.
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Where to stay in Tokyo: the main areas compared for a first visit
Tokyo is vast, so your base shapes every day. How Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Asakusa, Roppongi, Ikebukuro and Shinagawa compare, plus trains, IC cards and airports.
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Where to stay in Toronto: the neighbourhoods compared
Financial District, King West, Yorkville, St Lawrence, Queen West, Kensington or near Pearson? How Toronto's main areas compare and how the TTC and UP Express link them.
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Where to stay in Vancouver: the best areas for every kind of trip
Downtown, the West End, Yaletown, Gastown, Kitsilano, North Vancouver or Richmond? How Vancouver's areas compare, their trade-offs, and how SkyTrain and SeaBus link them.
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Where to stay in Venice: the sestieri, islands and Mestre compared
San Marco, Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Giudecca, Lido or Mestre: how Venice's areas differ, who each suits and what to know about getting there.
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Where to stay in Vienna: the districts compared
Innere Stadt, Leopoldstadt, Neubau, Mariahilf, Wieden, Landstraße and the areas near the main stations: how Vienna's districts differ and who each suits.