Where Oscar Wilde hallucinated and Bowie partied, a hotel is born

London’s Café Royal, born in 1865 and reborn through the decades as a party place where Oscar Wilde hallucinated on absinthe...

Italy: Hotel and rail travel to three cities for $469 each

What can you see in Italy in a week? Plenty, and you...

In Ireland, optimism is in the air

DUBLIN, Ireland — There are no people on Earth as romantic as the French. No one is punctual like the Swiss. The Germans have...

An enchanting cruise of the outer Greek isles

PSERIMOS, Greece — "Our boats are for people who don't like crowds," Muhammet Okumus, our captain, tells me. "Even though there can be...

Only 3 days in Barcelona? Yes, it can be done

BARCELONA, Spain — In retrospect, traveling 6,000 miles to see a band does seem a bit ... crazy. And maybe buying concert tickets...

London tips from a Londoner: Have a Games plan

LONDON — I'm a Londoner and I love London. And 2012 is London's year. But it's not an easy city — not to navigate, not to find...

London Olympics: Tips on how to navigate the city during Games

LONDON — If you're at all familiar with London — the city of congestion, crowded byways, skinny streets — you may be...

London Olympics: 10 day trips outside London

Ticket holders at this summer's Olympic Games will have something in common with non-sporting London visitors: At some point, they will want...

The Peloponnese in Greece is steeped in history

Costa Navarino, Greece — "The Peloponnese," my friend Peter Poulos tells me, "is the real Greece. Really. This place is less populated...

Life returning to normal on Giglio Island after Costa Concordia

GIGLIO ISLAND, Italy — My ferry was full of school groups, delivery trucks and tourists when we left the Tuscan port of Santo...

Finding inspiration in a Renaissance painter's Italian hometown

SANSEPOLCRO, Italy — Sansepolcro, in the far northeast corner of Tuscany, can't match Florence and Siena for culture. It isn't even on...

London's luscious, low-key side

LONDON — As a Californian, I had forgotten that you don't cancel your life just because it rains. If you did, you'd never see anything...

Bratislava, Slovakia: A velvety visit to old city with new touches

If your destination is Bratislava, be prepared for a few questions: Is that in Eastern Europe? (No, it's in Central Europe.)

The Hotel Sacher in Vienna, Austria, has old-school charms

VIENNA — The Hotel Sacher will never be mistaken for a hip hotel. The elaborate gilt trim in public rooms, the old-school celebrity...

A taste of Hungary's history in Budapest's sumptuous coffeehouses

BUDAPEST, Hungary —American coffeehouses are prized for their quick service and fast Internet — ideal for people on the go....

Making strides along Cotswold Way in England

On the high street of the lovely Cotswold village of Chipping Campden, just next to the 12th century stone marketplace, sits an...

Walking the Fife Coastal Path in Scotland

One bright, rainy September, my mother and I walked from Edinburgh to Dundee. Every day we trekked about six to 11 miles, along a skull-gray...

Getting the timing right for Capri, Italy

"Don't go there," a well-traveled friend said when I mentioned my plans to visit Capri, a sunny island off southern Italy. Why? "You're...