Wild nature
Tapada das Necessidades: Lisbon's walled park with the kings' cacti
Ten hectares of woodland, ponds and one of the world's largest cactus collections, behind a royal palace in Lisbon. Free entry.
Jun 28, 2026Travel where others don't
Little-known destinations, forgotten villages and whole regions to discover before everyone else does. The antidote to overtourism, one guide at a time.
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Archaeological sites
The Roman Theatre of Lisbon: the theatre of Olisipo hidden beneath the Sé
Beneath the Sé hill in Lisbon lies a Roman theatre from the 1st century: genuine remains, a small museum and almost always empty.
Jun 28, 2026
Wild nature
Het Twiske, the peat "jungle" 15 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal
Het Twiske: 650 hectares of lakes, reed beds and Highland cattle north of Amsterdam. A Natura 2000 reserve reachable by ferry and bus 392.
Jun 28, 2026
Churches and cathedrals
De Duif, the church you can only see from the far bank of the canal (Amsterdam)
On the Prinsengracht a façade so sober it disappears among the houses: inside, a monumental hall and a great Smits organ.
Jun 28, 2026
Castles, palaces and monuments
Het Schip: Amsterdam's Ship-Shaped Housing Block
Michel de Klerk's Expressionist masterpiece in Amsterdam's Spaarndammerbuurt: social housing shaped like a ship, now a museum you can actually visit.
Jun 28, 2026
City corners
Sint Andrieshofje: the secret courtyard of the Jordaan in Amsterdam
Behind a small door on the Egelantiersgracht, the second-oldest hofje in Amsterdam: a corridor of blue tiles and a silent garden.
Jun 28, 2026
Castles, palaces and monuments
The Rotunda of St Martin at Vyšehrad: Prague's oldest building with a cannonball in the wall
The Rotunda of St Martin at Vyšehrad, Prague: the city's oldest building, Romanesque, with a Prussian cannonball from 1757 lodged in the wall.
Jun 28, 2026
Churches and cathedrals
The mummified arm of St James: the hidden basilica of Prague's Old Town
In Prague, in an Old Town lane, the Basilica of St James guards a mummified arm, a restless tomb and a great organ.
Jun 28, 2026
City corners
Nový Svět: the pastel lanes behind Prague Castle where Tycho Brahe lived
Nový Svět, the cobbled enclave behind Prague Castle: pastel cottages and silence five minutes from the crowds of the Golden Lane.
Jun 28, 2026