Destinations

Need to escape the big smoke for a day? Here are the best daytrips from Australia’s capital cities.

Not an island to rest on its laurels, ever-evolving Singapore is revamping its increasingly vibrant food and shopping scene, writes Lara Dunston.

Five favorite quick escapes a short ride away from the Victorian capital.

The fertile dirt and artisanal attitude of the Mornington Peninsula have created a cornucopia of exceptional food and wine, making it the ideal food lovers’ weekender, writes Mal Chenu.

If you're after a pampering getaway or a day of bliss, these luxurious spas and health retreats offer a haven where you can unwind and give your health and beauty a boost.

If you like to pack more than board wax, a tank top and a party attitude for your trips to the Gold Coast, there are plenty of top-end experiences to be discovered among the glitz.

The sublime Alhambra is a symbol of Granada’s glorious past and, increasingly, of its future. From tea houses to mosques, Lisa Abend observes the city’s thriving Muslim culture.

Want to experience paradise without the crowds of Queensland's most popular beaches? GT discovers five beaches where you’ll almost always have the sun, sand and surf all to yourself.

Explore the city’s vibrant food culture in three easy steps, advises Chris Ying: worship at the temples of California cuisine, work through the enviable Mexican menu, and head out of town for something wildly different.

Dive into our take on 2014’s most intriguing places and people, trends and ideas.

GT's list of some of the best eats, stays and sights in Byron Bay.

Within medieval city walls, George Epaminondas raises a glass of Dalmatian white in Croatia’s exquisite seaport city of Dubrovnik.

Celebrated for its châteaux and natural beauty, the Loire Valley is also home to a thriving food and wine bar scene, and has become a magnet for lovers of natural wine. Devotees Sue Dyson and Roger McShane give us the lowdown.

Rome has produced some of Italy’s classic dishes – carbonara, pizza al taglio, Amatriciana – oft imitated, rarely perfected. Katie Parla takes us on a tour of the plates of her adopted city.

While Milan matches Rome or Venice for historical romance, it’s also the heart of contemporary Italy’s style and sophistication, writes Brian Johnston.

The Roman glitterati flock to the Argentario coast for summer hedonism in clifftop villas. John Irving returns every year for the area’s wild beauty, its famed bottarga and a taste of la dolce vita.

Modena is full of surprises: a quiet town that has given us Italy’s finest sports cars, its most famous tenor and now, writes Pat Nourse, the nation’s most exciting food.

Hot, sleepy and sensuous, the capital of Mexico’s Yucatán state is rich in culture, unique in flavour and beguiling for travellers. Emma Sloley falls under its spell.

We’re not sure if “cottage” is quite the word, but that’s what Matakauri Lodge have called their new addition.

Hang the expense. Richard Cooke finds Switzerland’s financial headquarters remarkably relaxed, with art and dining that belie its starchy reputation.

Max Veenhuyzen mixes slice-of-life market browsing with gallery-hopping in Guangzhou, a city that exemplifies modern China.

We’ve gathered everything you need for your next trip to the beach or pool – from juicy reads to sweet drinks, smart swimwear to stunning shades.

Whether you want isolated beaches, unspoilt bushland, diving or world-class eating and drinking, there's an Australian island for you. In our January 2014 issue Max Anderson detailed our top picks for islands on the Great Barrier Reef; here's 10 more further afield that are well worth the journey.

The freewheeling character of Canada’s largest city is expressed in its home-grown design, bespoke bars and inner-city villages, as Kendall Hill discovers.

Queensland’s most famous beach playground is as glamorous as ever, but a new sophistication and serious food cred are emerging on the Gold Coast, Fiona Donnelly reports.

Vienna retains the majesty that befits a former imperial capital but has shed its royal reserve. Helen Anderson meets the characters changing the face of the Austrian capital.

We've scoured the hotels and resorts of the world in search of some of the most striking swimming pools on offer. Here they are.

Chef and gourmet traveller Christine Manfield is seduced by Seville’s Moorish legacy, ancient architecture and tantalising tapas while there to launch two new coffees for Nespresso.

The island is fabulously hedonistic, but Europe’s favourite party playground is also surprisingly traditional. Christopher English is charmed by Ibiza’s no-menu cafés, barefoot beach bars and laid-back locals.

A brave new wave of bold and ambitious chefs and restaurateurs is taking Singapore’s fine dining into new territory. Prepare for adventure, writes Pat Nourse, and pack an appetite.

A mysterious cultural island where peppers and pelota rule, the French Basque Country has a personality all its own. Amy Egan celebrates a land like no other.

While Madrid has majesty and Barcelona has Gaudí, Valencia has that famed rice dish and a laid-back Mediterranean attitude.

There’s a safari to suit all species, from style hunters to creatures of comfort. Emma Sloley checks in to the hottest openings in Africa and some old favourites.

The city that never sleeps never stops producing great new places to eat. Peter Meehan takes bold fork in hand to find the hottest tables in New York City.

Escaping the winter with a quick trip to Bali is customary for many Aussies. Kendall Hill joins the smart crowd and heads to Seminyak for some sophistication with his endless summer.

Model and writer Laura Bailey has an ongoing love affair with London. Here she shares her favourite haunts, from old-school Martini bars to the home of the best chocolate-chip cookies in town.

Mathew Macartney of Eleonore’s at Chateau Yering loves to show off the valley’s diversity. He takes us on a personal tour.

They say you can’t please all the people all the time, but tell that to Amsterdam. Kendall Hill explores the Venice of the North and discovers a cultural hotspot for fans of both trend and tradition.

Like many chefs, Stuart Bell of Ten Minutes by Tractor likes to eat out at small, undiscovered places. Here, he spills the beans on the peninsula’s secret gems.

For chef Michael Ryan of Provenance, Beechworth’s abundance of pubs, restaurants and beauty make great grounds for exploring.

Cowboys and honky-tonks have long defined the Tennessee capital, but Music City is in the throes of a hipster revival that now sees its art, food and drink scene get equal billing.

From star-gazing to first-class foraging, Daylesford and its surrounds have a lot to offer. Alla Wolf-Tasker of Lake House shares her local knowledge.

Chef Dan Hunter of Dunkeld’s Royal Mail Hotel gives us his insider’s guide to the Grampians’ finest.

Feeling the need to break the cold months with a jaunt elsewhere? Here’s our pick of the latest and greatest places for a winter weekend away.

Palm Springs, California’s desert resort, has long been the balmy home-away-from-home for the rich and fabulous. Pat Nourse dons his shades and checks out the best of this hedonist’s playground.

Edible insects, wine labels worth framing, boutique hotels-cum-libraries. Welcome to this year’s Gourmet Traveller Hot 100.

The pristine environs and unique bounty of South Australia’s Kangaroo Island make the ideal setting for the KI Food Safari. Frances Hibbard packs her appetite and heads into the wild for a culinary adventure.

Qantas’s reborn “Falcon route” via the Gulf means that travellers looking to break up their journey are turning afresh to Dubai. George Epaminondas shares his picks for where to eat, drink, stay and play in the UAE’s shimmering megalopolis.

The first-ever Margaret River Gourmet Escape drew a gaggle of the world's top chefs, rather a lot of winemakers and a few thousand lovers of good food, good drinks and good times to the wineries and beaches of the mighty Margaret River region of Western Australia. The GT team was there, glass in hand, sand betwixt toes, going drink for drink and snack for snack with some of the nation's most committed eaters.

Many of Hong Kong’s most revered classic dishes are on the verge of extinction. But you’ve just got to know where to look, says Janice Leung, who tracks down the best examples of these vanishing treasures.

In imperial Marrakech, Pat Nourse finds a city truly exotic and unspoilt.

The glamorous metropolis on the Bosphorus first drew James Bond in 1963, and this year the superspy returns to the city in Skyfall. To celebrate, archaeologist and 007 fan Meaghan Wilson-Anastasios unearths the hip heart of modern Istanbul – including the best Martini in town.

Australia's third largest island is equal parts tame and wild – a land of (sheep) milk and honey farmed since the early 19th century, and a significant sanctuary where creatures as diverse as koalas and bees have been saved from extinction in an ark-like exercise in species preservation.

The Murray is much more than just a dividing line between New South Wales and Victoria.

The Derwent Valley, just north of Hobart, is a step back in time to quiet country roads, bucolic scenery and the relics of early settlement.

The action doesn't stop when the snow melts in the New South Wales Alps.

Move over, Manhattan: the borough of Brooklyn is where it’s at. George Epaminondas rambles from Bed-Stuy and Bushwick to Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens in our essential guide to New York’s new capital of cool.

Germany’s capital has a smorgasbord of after-dark offerings and cultural delights, be they outdoor, underground or alternative. Seth Sherwood gets the lowdown on Berlin’s famed nightlife and art scene.

One night in Bangkok? You’ll need a week to take in even half the newest hotels and hot spots in Thailand’s capital of cool. Kendall Hill checks in to a city on the up.

Richard Cooke travels from the Pacific coast to the high Andes to discover why Peruvian cuisine is the hottest thing since sun-worship.

There's something gloriously unspoilt about Victoria's High Country.

There's something intensely charismatic about the far north east corner of New South Wales.

Mudgee's country-town friendliness mixed with its creative energy, buoyant local wine scene, and enduring historical architecture, makes it a great weekend escape. Pencil in a few days so you can take the long way, and explore a part of New South Wales you'd perhaps not previously considered.

Noosa endures as an evergreen slice of coastal bliss, and the region’s natural attractions are bolstered by a thriving food scene. Sue Dyson and Roger McShane flee winter’s chill to eat, drink and be merry in one of Australia’s best restaurant towns.

When Josephine McKenna moved to Rome five years ago, she was captivated by the Eternal City – not just its famous ruins but also its less well-known sights. Now she’s created an app, Rome’s Ancient Treasures: A Travel Guide, to share her favourite finds. Here’s a taste.

What's Australia's hottest city right now? It's Hobart, without a doubt.

Alain Ducasse’s landmark Monte Carlo restaurant Le Louis XV this year turns 25. We celebrate with an excerpt from the French chef’s guide to his favourite places to eat on the Riviera, J’aime Monaco: Ma Méditerranée en 170 Adresses, translated exclusively for GT.

Katrina Lawrence follows her nose to 10 of the French capital’s most creative and fragrant perfumeries, a heady mix of crystal, gilt, history and glamour.

One city, a thousand ways to enjoy it. We asked London insiders – including some of the city’s top chefs – to name the best ways to enjoy the British capital.

London’s dining scene has reached Olympic proportions. Whether you’re after a great gastropub meal, a good (Aussie) coffee or an extravagant big night out, we bring you the capital’s best and fairest, just in time for the Games.

Where does a fashion editor lay down her credit card when she hits London for the shows? Christine Centenera shares her insider shopping tips.

Lombardy’s capital is in the throes of a revival, buoyed by the opening of a new luxury hotel by Giorgio Armani. The fashion icon gives GT a tour of his beloved home city.

What do ice-cream sandwiches, amphora-fermented wines, hip London hoteliers and cashmere eye-masks have in common? They’re among the new stars in this year’s Gourmet Traveller Hot 100. It's your global hit list, from the latest in travel tips to emerging food and drinks trends. To see some of our top picks in pictures, launch the slideshow. To check out the entire Hot 100 list, click here.

Venice seduces with its intoxicating mix of history, mystery, art and architecture. Melbourne restaurateur and Biennale patron Rinaldo Di Stasio shares his favourite haunts and secret corners of this special city.

Once it was famed for its fast cars, now it’s known for its slow food. Amy Egan heads to Piedmont and its post-industrial capital, Turin, and finds a hub of modern design, converted palaces and artisanal food.

Southern Italy has always fascinated former undercover detective Colin McLaren, despite its criminal networks – or maybe, strangely, because of them. Kendall Hill travels with him through Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily on a tour with a difference.

Choosing from the bounty of New Zealand's holiday destinations is no simple feat, but we've managed to narrow it down to a mixed dozen of great places to eat, drink and relax. Launch the gallery to see our picks.

Max Veenhuyzen finds the best places to stay, eat, drink and play in South Africa’s Mother City.

Bergamo’s ancient honey-coloured walls, empty piazzas and pealing church bells provide Leila McKinnon with the Italy of her dreams.

The sultanate of Oman combines a vast turquoise coastline and a desert heart with ancient legends and new-age luxury. Jennifer Byrne reports.

Unhurried, untouched and unforgettable: Richard Cooke discovers a tiny nation in the South Pacific where paradise is defined by what it’s not. Welcome to the Cook Islands.

Perhaps it’s the fall-out from the country’s infamously disruptive volcano, or maybe it’s something in the thermal waters, but Iceland has become a hive of bohemian cool. Shane Mitchell explores the world’s northernmost capital and finds great food, good drinking and cool shopping. World, meet Reykjavík.

George Epaminondas heads to Portland, USA, and discovers that the cloud-bound city has upped its hip quotient with vibrant bistros, sleek bars and quirky stores. It’s now the perfect balance of outdoor pursuits and urban pleasures. Get packing.

Kyneton and Castlemaine were born out of the gold-rush era, but now passion has replaced precious metal as the currency in these parts of central Victoria. Kerryn Burgess meets the people transforming the towns into hubs of good living. Read all about the towns in our article and launch the gallery for more images from the area. PHOTOGRAPHY PRUE RUSCOE

Sydney chef Peter Kuruvita explores Sri Lanka’s culinary and cultural bounty and shares his top 10 experiences for first-time visitors to the country of his forebears.

Tasmania’s Maria Island was once a penal colony, but walking here today is not punishing. Leo Schofield pulls on his hiking boots and discovers a peaceful place rich in natural beauty.

Greece heaves with ancient archaeological wonders, but which ones do you really need to see? Classical civilisations expert Eleni Argy picks 10 of the best, from the world-famous landmarks to the hidden treasures.

There’s far more to the Greek capital than ancient history. George Calombaris looks beyond the city’s gritty façade and uncovers its culinary heart and soul, from traditional tavernas and delicatessens to the hottest new dining stars.

Greek-Australian make-up maven Napoleon Perdis shares his family’s top 10 Greek holiday experiences, from swimming in Paxos to sailing on the Aegean.

Christine Manfield’s passion for the subcontinent is an enduring one. In this exclusive extract from her new book, Tasting India, the Sydney chef explores the regal splendour and vibrant flavours of Rajasthan.

Visitors often overlook New Zealand’s capital in favour of Auckland or Queenstown, so when Max Veenhuyzen hit Wellington on the eve of the Rugby World Cup, he was chuffed to discover a port city that lives to eat and drink.

Frank Camorra and Richard Cornish ate and drank their way through the narrow streets and intimate neighbourhoods of Barcelona to produce the definitive guide to the city’s culture of good living. Here’s an exclusive taste of their new book.

Tina Arena calls Paris home these days. Here, the Australian singer (and French national treasure) shares her insights into an authentic, intimate side of the City of Light, from the gritty streets of Montmartre to vintage couture at the Palais Royal.

The ultimate bread and butter, mind-blowing lobster ravioli: Paris-born chef Guillaume Brahimi shares his top 10 eating experiences in the French capital.

Pat Nourse heads to the French Riviera’s premium coastline and discovers a fishing town of plutocrats and blue-chip boutiques that confounds preconceptions. Bikinis are optional; credit cards are not.

Luxury digs, an open fire, a glass of organic pinot noir, lamb rack with artichoke purée… the après-ski action in New Zealand’s Wanaka is just as exciting as the skiing.

Pleasingly lush, thrillingly bleak, Dingle is a jewel on the wind-carved western Irish coast, where the only thing outdoing the authentic pubs and good food is the warmth of the local characters.

From Paloma Picasso and Kate Winslet to Elizabeth Gilbert and Carla Zampatti, friends of Gourmet Traveller share with us what they like to do “when in Rome”.

Once the seaside destination of Italy’s jet set, the Riviera di Ponente today moves at a quieter pace that’s ideal, writes John Irving, for exploring Liguria’s history, culture and, of course, food.

Kyoto, the former imperial capital of Japan, is renowned for its beauty and unique food culture, writes John Ashburne.