Uncommon holidays

Quiz: Discover your ideal destination
Is your ideal break centred around switching off and connecting with nature? Or are you a culture-seeker, always on the hunt for fresh finds to feed your curiosity? Perhaps thrills and adventure are more your style? This quiz will take your holiday craving and match it to the perfect destination.

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Times

2 hours ago

• Times

The pretty Portuguese city perfect for an affordable family holiday

With the end of term in sight, summer holiday fear may have set in if you haven't yet booked a getaway. Look beyond the Med's best-known resorts and it's still not too late to book, especially if you prefer to break away from the beach for history, culture and shopping. Often overlooked in favour of crowded Lisbon, Portugal's second city Porto makes the ideal summer week away, with its brightly coloured old town, peaceful parks, vibrant street art and child-friendly museums. Temperatures in the mid-20s and a cooling Atlantic breeze mean you'll also be able to enjoy boat cruises on the Douro River or spend lazy days on beaches just outside the city. For a little more space and much lower prices, swerve the historic centre for Vila Nova de Gaia, just south of Porto on the opposite bank of the Douro. Seven nights' room-only at Gaia Residence, including flights from London Gatwick, costs £371pp with easyJet, based on a family of four, departing on August 2; you can add breakfast for £59pp for the week. An underseat cabin bag is included and a 15kg suitcase costs an extra £80pp return. A taxi from the airport takes less than half an hour and costs about £28 one way ( The modern apartment building is a 30-minute walk to the 19th-century iron Luis I Bridge, which crosses directly into Porto's Unesco-listed old town, Ribeira. Alternatively, Joao de Deus metro station is a ten-minute walk away, where you can jump on the yellow Line D to Trindade station, five minutes' stroll from Ribeira, for about £2. You'll stay in a roomy one-bedroom apartment with wooden floors, plenty of storage space and a kitchenette for whipping up picnics. A separate living area has a sofa bed for children. There are bikes for rent, a small spa and an indoor pool, but this does cost an extra £17pp per day. A stylish but informal restaurant serves brunch, classic Portuguese dishes like prego no prato (beef with fried egg) and child-approved favourites like burgers and pizza. You're already on the right side of the river for the Gaia Cable Car, which has the best view of higgledy-piggledy Ribeira (adults £6, under-12s £3; or see it from the water while cruising on a rabelos, a traditional wooden boat (£17; From the river, most sights are within walking distance including the Sao Bento train station with its decorative blue and white tiled interior, the 249ft bell tower of Clerigos Tower (£9 adults, under-10s free; and the magical Livraria Lello bookshop, said to have inspired the one-time Porto resident JK Rowling to write the Harry Potter books (£9 entry redeemable against book purchase; • Read our full guide to Porto Snoop round the cobbled back alleys looking for street art, then call by interactive museum World of Discoveries (adults £15, under-12s £10; or the 3D Fun Art Museum (adults £11, under-12s £8; If the sea is calling, the sandy Lavadores and Madalena beaches are about three miles from the hotel and are lined with seafood restaurants to watch the sun go down over the Atlantic with a glass of local port. This article contains affiliate links, which can earn us revenue • Return Gatwick-Porto flights, departing on August 2 • Underseat cabin bag allowance• Seven nights' room-only at Gaia Residence ( Feeling flush? If you're inspired but you've got more cash to splash, you could try: Over the river in Porto itself and 20 minutes' walk from the heart of Ribeira, the newly refurbished four-star Room Select Porto is in Praca da Republica, close to the city's cathedral. Forty-three rooms have a Scandi-chic feel with chestnut oak floors, wooden room dividers and minimalist furniture including a desk. Many have views over the rooftops towards the river. Downstairs, there's a small 24-hour fitness centre and a bar with a terrace, which serves a good buffet breakfast for an extra cost. City tours can be arranged at the front desk and a paid-for shuttle to the city centre is Seven nights' room-only from £781pp, including flights ( • 16 of the best hotels in Porto for 2025 One of Porto's most luxurious hotels, the five-star Pestana Palacio do Freixo is in a baroque 18th-century palace in the riverfront suburb of Freixo and is classified as a national monument. Rooms are in the adjacent former flour mill and contemporary shades of chestnut and gold, complete with mosaic-tiled bathrooms and abstract art. In summer, there's an outdoor infinity pool with a bar and river views, while the spa has an indoor heated pool and Turkish bath. The fine-dining frescoed restaurant Palatium serves upmarket Portuguese dishes made with local ingredients but also has a menu of children's favourites for peaceful Seven nights' B&B from £1,229pp, including flights (

The Sun

5 hours ago

• The Sun

Adrenalin hits, spa bliss & stunning mountain views above make Switzerland a great escape

AS I'm gripping on to the handrail of a walkway suspended 45 metres above the Swiss town of Grindelwald, I ask our guide: 'Is now a good time to tell you I'm scared of heights?' We're just south of Thun, one of this year's UEFA Women's Euros host cities and a dizzying 2,000 metres above sea level. 5 5 On a misty day like today, we're even higher than the clouds as I look down over the edge on the First Cliff Walk. And this is actually the tamest activity I've signed up for. . . FLYING START I stop for a hearty potato rosti topped with bacon, cheese and a fried egg, £21, at Berggasthaus First, before plucking up the courage for the First Flyer, an 800-metre-long zipwire that reaches speeds of 50mph ( Once down, I realise it would have been a better idea to eat lunch after, not before. But I'm soon back up the mountain to try First Glider, where I'm harnessed face down, then pulled back and launched through the air like an eagle (though I don't feel quite so graceful). Mountain carting – a cross between a go-kart and a sledge – proves my fave, as I speed down a twisty, 3km-long track back towards town. Tickets for two activities cost £91 per adult ( The Fire & Ice Spa at my chic hotel, Bergwelt Grindelwald, just minutes from the gondola, is a welcome change of pace. I warm up in the outdoor sauna with views of the imposing, ragged face of Eiger mountain, before soaking in the heated outdoor pool – the sound of cowbells nearby is the only playlist. TOP OF THE ROCKS A 30-minute train ride away is the town of Interlaken, home to the Harder Kulm mountain, where it's a short trip by the 100-year-old funicular to the summit ( At the top, I find Panorama Restaurant, serving 'the coldest beer in Interlaken', £6, in an ice-bottomed glass, as well as daily Alphorn concerts to soundtrack dinner. 5 5 I arrive early and take the hour-long circular hike around the mountain top to work up an appetite, then order the Monch Spezial, £21 – a charcuterie board of Swiss air-dried beef, home-made sausage, smoked ham and alpine cheese – followed by Alpine-style macaroni, £23, with potatoes, onions, cheese and apple sauce ( Higher still is Jungfraujoch – Europe's highest railway station and the only place in the region where you're guaranteed year-round snow. From the Grindelwald terminal, I take a gondola up to the Eiger railway station, before hopping on a train through the mountain to the top of the glacier. All in all, it takes about 45 minutes, and is well worth it. I send a letter from the highest post office in Europe and take in the panoramic mountain views from the Sphinx Observatory. Sadly, I can't sledge at the Snow Fun Park, due to blizzard-like conditions, so seek shelter in the Ice Palace, a maze carved into the glacier, with incredible frozen sculptures lining the walls. At Crystal Restaurant, views rival the observatory and I tuck into a starter of creamy home-made lobster soup, £12.75, and moreish cheese fondue, £26. As I make my descent, rather than checking tickets, the train conductor hands out chocolates. It definitely beats my usual commute. 5

Daily Record

8 hours ago

• Daily Record

Bob MacIntyre is Mr Salvage at the Travelers as he shows the world US Open heroics are only the start

Scottish star fights back to finish level on the day ahead of final round in Connecticut Battling Bob MacIntyre fought back to salvage Saturday and stay in the red at the Travelers Championship The Scottish star endured a see-saw Saturday at TPC River Highlands where a mid-round slip offered a big setback in his tournament. ‌ MacIntyre could not have started better with a birdie at the first, but any notion it was going to be smooth sailing were dispelled. ‌ The Oban ace, who finished a brilliant runner-up at last week's US Open, exchanged shots with the course until the 12th hole when an out-of-character double-bogey saw him slip to two-over par for the day and back to level for the tournament. It was at that stage where MacIntyre pulled out some customary quality and grit to recover that lost ground and, with two birdies before getting the clubhouse, he was able to sign for a level-par 70 and ensure there was no damage inflicted on the day. After the 27th round of a punishing seven-week spell which has seen him take in the Truist Championship, PGA Championship, Charles Schwab Challenge, Memorial, RBC Canadian Open and US Open before this Travelers, MacIntyre will now complete this American sequence on Sunday before returning home for a short break before the defence of his Genesis Scottish Open title and The Open Championship at Royal Portrush the following week. He also has the opportunity over the final 18 holes of the Travelers event to make some more small gains in The Ryder Cup rankings with the individuals either side of him in the European points list trailing behind him going into the last round. While MacIntyre is currently fourth in the standings after his stunning Oakmont effort, third-placed Shane Lowry found some weekend form with a four-under par round of 66 to move some places on the leaderboard. ‌ The Irishman had been struggling over the opening two rounds at TPC River Highlands, but was back in his best light with five birdies en route to a 66. Fifth-placed Sepp Straka is also in the Scot's wake at the moment and he sits at two-over par going into Sunday, but the Austrian star, who has two wins on the PGA Tour under his belt already this term, also carded his best effort of the week on Saturday with a 67. Swedish star Ludvig Aberg is also in red figures after a second-successive round of one-under moved him to a shot under the course par, but there was a huge move made by Matt Fitzpatrick. ‌ The English star has struggled to recapture his best form through the past year and has admitted that he is on the fringes of Luke Donald's side looking ahead of Bethpage as he told Sky: 'Being experienced now and knowing how it works, I'm not trying to force the issue. I'm not texting Luke saying: I really want to be there, it's really important for me. If I play well, I'll be there. If I don't play well, I won't be there. I'm happy to accept that.' Fitzpatrick knows his clubs need to do the talking and he produced a sizzling Saturday effort of 63 to rocket up the standings and onto four-under par. The Sheffield star didn't card a single dropped shot as he blitzed his way around the Connecticut circuit to surge to edges of the Top 20. Norwegian Viktor Hovland was not going to be outdone and he matched the number posted by Fitzpatrick with his own 63 to sweep into the Top 10 and give himself an outside chance of a run at the trophy. Hovland came within inches of going one lower and matching the scores of Australian Adam Scott and Canadian Taylor Pendrith, but his birdie effort at the last stayed on the edge of the cup and he remained on the six-under par mark.