There’s a certain romance to train travel in southern Germany – a gentle unfolding of landscapes where vineyard-clad hills, medieval spires and storybook towns…
Velvet Escape travel blog
Beautiful places to visit in North Holland
North Holland is one of The Netherlands’ most varied provinces. Many foreign visitors make a beeline for Amsterdam, but venture into the province and…
A day trip to Puerto de Mogán
Puerto de Mogán (map) is a charming fishing village and resort town in the southwest corner of Gran Canaria. One of Spain’s Canary Islands…
The art of slow travel
Whenever I look back on my travels, it’s the small, fleeting moments that surface first. The scent of freshly baked bread drifting through the…
A day trip to central Bosnia
Central Bosnia is a region of dramatic mountainous landscapes, medieval towns and a rich Ottoman legacy. I visited this stunning region as a day…
Exploring Toulouse, the ‘Pink City’ of France
Toulouse is a city in the Occitanie region of southern France. Known as ‘La Ville Rose’ or the ‘Pink City’ due to its terracotta-brick…
The wonders of Aachen
Aachen is a historic city in western Germany near the border with The Netherlands and Belgium. Though a relatively small city, it has a…
A stroll around Osnabrück
A university city in Lower Saxony, Osnabrück was a wonderful surprise during my recent rail tour of western Germany. I wasn’t quite sure what…
Historic cities and Christmas markets in western Germany
Germany is awash with small cities that are packed with history and charm. Together with my partner, Historic Highlights of Germany, I’ve made it…
