Ed Cunningham

Europe is incredible for festivals, make no mistake about it. And what could be better? Travelling to festivals abroad means getting to explore somewhere new and see a bunch of cracking artists, as well as maybe – just maybe – enjoy better weather and cheaper beer. Europe is certainly not in short supply of some really brilliant places to party, from tiny, lesser-known spots in the Azores to headliner-packed fests in France and the Netherlands. There’s just one festival you’ll see sadly missing from our list – everyone’s favourite festival Glastonbury is taking a fallow year in 2026.  What is the largest festival in Europe? Glastonbury is normally thought of as the biggest festival in Europe (if not the world). But though it’s certainly the most well known, in terms of numbers, it’s not even the the biggest in the UK! The biggest in Europe is actually Donauinselfest in Vienna, Austria, which sees upwards of two million visitors a year. After that, it’s probably joint between Glasto and Tomorrowland in Belgium. The more you know! RECOMMENDED: 🎪 The best UK music festivals🎤 The best music festivals in the world🌃 The most underrated destinations in Europe🌤️ The best European city breaks At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide may include affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate gu

‘Overtourism’. It’s more than a buzzword – in the world’s most popular destinations, it’s a problem that affects almost every aspect of local life, from the environment to the cost of renting, transport and eating out. And when a place is overwhelmed by people, it’s not only locals’ quality of life that suffers; the quality of your trip does, too. But it’s not all bad. Destinations are coming up with ways to redistribute tourism from densely crowded hotspots to lesser-visited regions. Travellers are seeking cooler climes and embracing slow travel, allowing space to discover somewhere new. And they’re still riding the ‘destination dupes’ trend, where overrun holiday destinations are swapped out for less crowded, less expensive, but just-as-good alternatives. On our newly updated list of the world’s most underrated travel destinations, you won’t find your Bangkoks or your Balis, your Amalfis or your Amsterdams. What you will find is the hidden side of Yosemite, the French Riviera’s overlooked twin, a place where penguins outnumber people, and plenty more travel inspo where that came from.Why trust us? Because we’ve been to them all. Every spot on this list was picked by one of our expert editors and globetrotting travel writers, recommended because they offer great (or quiet) alternatives to the classics – and in many cases, because they’re places that actually want tourism. In other words, travelling to any of these 33 criminally overlooked destinations is a win-win situation.

Every week, a frankly silly amount of brilliant new restaurants, cafés and street food joints arrive in London. Which makes whittling down a shortlist of the best newbies a serious challenge. But here it is. The 20 very best new restaurants in the capital, ranked in order of greatness and deliciousness. All of them have opened in the past year and been visited by our hungry critics. So go forth and take inspo from this list, which is updated regularly. Check in often to find out what we really rate on the London restaurant scene. And look here for all the info about the best new openings in September.  September 2025: New additions include perfect pizza at Ace in Victoria Park, new school Vietnamese at Lai Rai in Peckham, modern surf and turf at Island in King's Cross, yet more pizza at Elephant in Clapton, ultra elite Asian cuisine at Shanghai Me in Mayfair, riverside dining at Canal in Westbourne Park, and a new home for Thai legend Singburi in Shoreditch. Hungry yet? Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED: The 50 best restaurants in London. The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now to tuck in.

London is full of perfect pizza. The finest of fast foods, this delicious staple has been elevated far beyond its humble roots by great Italian restaurants in London, pop-ups, street food vendors and pub residencies, and we know just where to find these world-class wonders, because we’ve been eating our way across London in order to discover the best. Whether it’s delivered in a cardboard box or served in a swish restaurant, excellent pizza is hard to beat. Browse our list of the best pizza places in town and try not to drool on your screen. Recent additions to the Top 20 include some nifty kitchen residencies; Dough Hands at the Spurstowe Arms and Old Nun’s Head, Bing Bong Pizza at You Call The Shots in Hackney, Little Earthquakes at the Railway Tavern in Dalston, Lenny’s Apizza at The Bedford Tavern in Finsbury Park and Short Road Pizza at the William The Fourth in Leyton and Three Colts in Bethnal Green. You can find Ace Pizza at the Pembury Tavern in Hackney Downs, but they have also opened their first standalone parlour in Victoria Park. Try also; Spring Street Pizza in Borough for pizza with a Michelin-starred chefs touch or Carmela’s on Upper Street for a cosy slice. RECOMMENDED: The finest fish and chips in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Need a fun restaurant for your birthday dinner, or a classy dining spot for a celebration? In London, you've loads of great options to dine in style, no matter if you're a party of two or 20. Here's our pick of the best restaurants in London where you can dine in a group. It's all here: spaces big, small, cheap and fancy. Now let the planning commence.  RECOMMENDED: The most romantic restaurants in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.  

 Imagine a properly good walk and you're probably thinking of rolling hills, mountains, forests and a rustic country pub for a celebratory pint at the end. And although you won't find that exact formula in London, you can come pretty damn close. This city is full of surprisingly peaceful, rural-feeling and very pretty corners where you can immerse yourself in nature for a few hours – without ever being more than half an hour away from a decent macchiato or a TfL station. Here are some walks that are perfect for enjoying solo, or with a gang who are equally ready to discover London's hidden wild side. Wear some sensible(ish) shoes, check the weather forecast, and make evening plans where you can show off the virtuous glow that only comes from exercising in the great outdoors. If London’s not cutting it at the moment, why not check out our properly good list of walks near (but not in) the capital? And if trees are your thing, here’s a load of walk suggestions that take in some of the best woodland around the city. RECOMMENDED: 📍 The best things to do in London

There’s nothing quite like a proper London pub. Maybe we’re old romantics, but old school boozers are the beating heart of this city. After many evenings of tipsy research, we’ve done the impossible and ranked the 50 best pubs in London.  The pubs on this list are heavy with the powerful whiff of history – though that just might be the sticky carpets – and throbbing with heart, soul and community charm.  How did we decide what made the final 50? With a scary amount of the UK’s pubs closing by the week, we wanted to highlight some of this city’s less well-known and independent inns. The pubs included here are places where you’ll not only get perfect pints, but pickled eggs, epic karaoke nights and intense darts sessions. There’s no gatekeeping here at Time Out and these spots are where old-school regulars rub shoulders with the new wave of pintspeople, from Clapton to Catford, via Walthamstow, Woolwich, Peckham and more. Want cosy and convivial? You’ve come to the right place.  Of course, in a city with well over 3,000 pubs, not everything can make the cut. If you’re looking for pubs with fancy food, you’ll find them in our list of the best gastropubs in London. Wondering where London’s most legendary drinking dens are? They’re all in this list of London’s most historic pubs. Cheers. RECOMMENDED: These are the best pubs in Soho. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and has spent an impressive amount of time drinking in London's many pubs. She even used to

Europe is not lacking in jaw-dropping beauty. Its home to seven Wonders of the World, for one thing, as well as 34 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – and even that doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the incredible things you can find across the continent. But even if we can’t list every single beautiful place in Europe, we can list our favourites. To put together this list, we asked our editorial staff team and travel writers based all over Europe for the most beautiful things they’d ever seen on their travels. The result? Stories of taking boats out on Germany’s hidden lakes, climbing up to vast sand dunes in France, afternoons spent strolling Art Nouveau streets in Latvia and childhoods spent clambering over jagged stones in Ireland. From solitary islands to well-trodden walking routes, here are the most beautiful places in Europe, picked by us. 📍 RECOMMENDED: Our ultimate guide to destinations in Europe Ella Doyle is Time Out’s guides editor. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

Need a place to stay in London? We’re here to make it easy for you. Every year, a wealth of new hotels open in the capital – a testament to the fact that London remains one of the most desirable places to visit in the world. That can, however, make it rather tricky to decide which hotel to choose. But worry not: we have slept our way across the city and hand-picked our favourites, to bring you this ultimate list of London hotels, from Mayfair to Shoreditch, and from budget to blowout (butler included).  Newcomers to our list include the all-new July in Victoria, apartment-hotels which opened in July 2025, and eco-hotel 1 Hotel Mayfair, as well as a few old classics we’ve re-reviewed just for good measure (hint: The Dorchester is just about as great as we remembered). We’ve got a brand-new number one too, but we won’t give that one away just yet. For everything from genuine good value stays to all-out, Zone 1 luxury, you’ll find something on this list for every kind of trip. Superb bars, great architecture, world-class hospitality and the opportunity to have a home-from-home in the best city in the world await you – here are the best hotels in London.  🏘️ Looking for even more options? Check out our list of the best Airbnbs in London Which area is best to stay in London? It’s not just the range of hotels that’s so impressive – you’re also spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a neighbourhood to stay in London. The city is made up of a sprawling network of dynamic neighb

Brazilian carnivals are among the planet’s greatest cultural celebrations, extravagant feasts of vibrant colour, showing off raucous local music with dazzling performances. But the country’s appetite for vast musical events goes far beyond the city carnivals of Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo. While technically not a carnival, which takes place at a different time of year and bears different characteristics, Parintins Folklore Festival is one of Brazil’s liveliest and most extraordinary events – and it is held in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Taking place on an island in the middle of the Amazon river, Parintins is accessible only by plane or boat. Despite that extreme remoteness, Parintins’ festival has developed a prized reputation within Brazil for its celebration of Amazonian culture, its bold, spectacular performances and its fierce, city-splitting rivalry.  A social divide, and an intense rivalry Parintins Festival is, at its core, a competition between two teams. Over three nights performances retell a folkloric story through song and dance called Bumba Meu Boi, a legend of a resurrected ox, and at the end a winner is declared by judges. While Brazil’s carnivals typically mark the start of Lent in the Christian calendar, Parintins Festival is grounded in the heritage, traditions and folklore of the indigenous communities of the Brazilian Amazon.  With me so far? Great. Now, take whatever you’ve envisioned and up the stakes massively. Parintins Folklore Fes

August 2025 update: There's new songs being added to karaoke machines on a regular basis, so we see it as our duty to keep this list bang up to date. Our latest additions include a modern British classic from Lola Young, as well as the bounciest anthem to emerge over the past 12 months from Blackpink's Rosé and Bruno Mars. Whether you’ve got the voice of an angel or you’re totally tone deaf, karaoke unites us all. But heed our warning: choosing the right song is crucial (aka, don’t opt for that Whitney Houston tune if you haven’t the range. And if you don't have good enough flow, steer clear of rapping. Kapeesh?) So we thought we’d help out a little bit. In our list of the best karaoke songs ever, we’ve got everyone from Adele to Toto, and from Frank Sinatra to Ricky Martin. There's even recent singalongs from Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. Something for everyone. So down that shot, grab that mic and take to the stage. Your audience awaits you. Here are the best karaoke songs ever.  RECOMMENDED:❤️ The best love songs☀️ The best summer songs🎉 The best party songs🕺 The best albums of 2025 so far  

The humble brunch is perhaps one of the greatest inventions of the modern age. Breakfast is too early to really get stuck into, while eating eggs and downing buckets of coffee at lunchtime seems odd. Brunch, then, is the one true morning-ish meal, especially if it incorporates pancakes, bacon and those aforementioned eggs. Or you can enjoy a totally vegan take on proceedings at LD's at The Black Heart. London is particularly well stocked with places to indulge in the famous breakfast/lunch hybrid – one of the latest additions to this list is FKA Black Axe Mangal in Highbury, (don’t forgot to order a pig cheek and prune donut). Let us guide you to the best restaurants for a fabulous brunch, from a traditional full English to innovative twists on the majestic meal, such as a bacon bao brunch or fried eggs on chilli-cheese crumpets.  RECOMMENDED: Like unlimited fizz with your fry-up? Here are the best bottomless brunches in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. July 2025: We've removed some of the staler options to give you only the finest brunches in London for this summer. Make the most of the warmer weather by bagging a table on the terrace at somewhere like The Laundry in Brixton, or enjoy the great outdoors at Pavilion Cafe in Victoria Park. Try Lolo in Bermondsey if you want a Spanish take on brunch. Hate the heat and would rather sulk in the dark like a massive goth? Then it's off to

A country home amid gargantuan piles of slate, Plas Weunydd sits atop a hill overlooking not just an old industrial town but the vast landscape of Snowdonia National Park. Needless to say, the hotel is all about its location: the location on a map, sure (it’s pretty much at the dead-centre of Snowdonia and surrounded by all manner of outdoorsy activities) but also its topographical location, with views galore.  For my visit to Plas Weunydd, the approach by car saw me wind my way past the hills and valleys of the national park, through old mining town Blaenau Ffestiniog and most of the way up a not-unsteep hill. The hotel is perched near the top, at the same turning as much-hyped adventure attraction Zip World and a mountain-biking course.  Why stay at Plas Weunydd? If you’re in Snowdonia for an adventure or outdoorsy holiday (and this is very much a region famous for that), Plas Weunydd is extraordinarily well-located. Hiking, cycling, mountain biking, zip-wiring and more is almost literally on your doorstep – as previously mentioned, Zip World is across the road – while countless mountains, waterfalls, lakes or rivers in Snowdonia National Park are no more than a half-hour drive away.  The building itself was built in 1870 as the home of John Whitehead Greaves, the founder of nearby Llechwed Quarry. It was turned into a hotel in 2021, and it relaunched in April 2025 following further refurbishment. Plas Weunydd prides itself on being an adventure holiday base, but also for b

Prince Durairaj and Glen Leeson are good at this by now. Excellent, in fact. The pair have put together a small chain of top Indian eateries; Islington’s Tamil Prince and Tamil Crown, and the first Tamila in Clapham. Fourth time around with Tamila King’s Cross, the experience is more refined than ever. London’s second Tamila is at the other end of Caledonian Road from the Tamil Prince, and, like the Clapham edition, isn’t a ‘desi pub’ but a curry house for fast, casual dining and with an all-day menu. Without the loveable musk of an ex-pub, the space is much airier and restaurant-y, while the service is sharper and more attentive. Food-over-booze indicators don’t get much more obvious than Tamila’s massive interior window directly into the kitchen.  The dhal flashed all sorts of vegetables across your tongue, while paneer butter masala was creamy and mightily generous Our drinks flew out at an impressive pace. A bold harbinger of the strong, spiced flavours to come, the gunpowder margarita, boasting masala dust for salt and earthy smokiness, was sumptuous. The paloma had grapefruity sweetness but a proper, heaped dash of ginger that lingered powerfully.  Tamila’s dishes verge on the more generous side of ‘small plates’. On platters so spotless and shiny they’re genuinely mirrors, come miraculously un-greasy onion bhajis, each one just more than a mouthful of prickly, salty crackle. Retaining integral crispiness beneath dollops of mint chutney, one gets the impression that th

If you’re a history buff (particularly a pottery history buff), the surroundings of this DoubleTree alone will be enough to have you in awe. The hotel is attached to Etruria Hall, a neo-classical Grade II-listed structure once home to Josiah Wedgwood – renowned industrialist and the founder of Wedgwood, one of the world’s most famous pottery companies.  Etruria Hall is no longer a stately home but an events venue, and since the 1980s it’s been attached to a hotel. In 2020 that hotel opened as a Hilton, specifically of the DoubleTree brand – yet despite being part of an all-conquering global chain, it’s maintained plenty of character. Beyond the obvious (the in-house restaurant is called Josiah), the corridors and rooms come lined with nods to local heritage; bottle oven skylines, Stoke dialect phrases, that sort of stuff.  Stoke-on-Trent’s DoubleTree, therefore, not only occupies a special historical site but makes sure you fully aware just how special it is. But it’s also a comfortable, well-kitted-out place to stay. I stayed in a king guest room that was extraordinarily spacious and flawlessly clean, with a sprawling, comfortable bed, fast wi-fi, effective blackout curtains and a practical bathroom.  The staff couldn’t have been friendlier or more helpful, the common areas were bright and welcoming, and there was a very sleek indoor pool and leisure centre. There’s on-site parking, too.  Given the building’s age, some of Stoke’s DoubleTree is understandably rough around the

When Stoke’s Hilton Garden Inn opened in 2020 it was the city’s first and only Hilton. Admittedly it didn’t hold that title for long (the DoubleTree in Etruria was rebranded a month or so later) but you get the sense that this was a statement opening. A terracotta titan towering over Hanley, this Hilton Garden Inn cost £20 million and is part of the wider redevelopment of Smithfield – a mixed-use quarter named after the area’s old bottle works. Given it’s getting on for half a decade old, Stoke’s Hilton Garden Inn still looks and feels shimmeringly new. Sure, stepping into the lobby feels very much like stepping into any new-ish Hilton, anywhere, but this one is exceptionally well-kempt, making it very much a slick, shiny beacon of modern comfort.  I stayed in a ‘king room’ up on the sixth floor, a tidy and well-proportioned space with plenty of light and a bunch of amenities tidily packed in. The décor was pared back, minimalist(ish) and very much of-this-decade, and the room’s simplicity made it feel bigger. Stoke touches on the walls (images of pottery ovens and so on) reminded you where you were – as did my view, stretching out westwards towards Etruria, Burslem and Shelton. The rest was very much as one might expect of a somewhat new Hilton. The mattress was supple, the pillows and duvet ideally sink-in-able; the shower worked as required, accompanied by fragrant Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries and the flashy touch of an anti-steam mirror. The room was well insulated for so

Down the cavernous halls of Whitehall’s Old War Offices, surrounded by opulent Michelin-starred restaurants and the supremely swish Raffles hotel, lies Kioku Sake Bar – less blindingly flashy, sure, but just as high-calibre. The street-level accompaniment to Kioku’s top-floor, five-star sushi restaurant has the effortless style and homely hideaway calm of a Japanese listening bar, prim décor and lines of hundreds of sake bottles sitting beneath immaculately balanced light. And Kioku’s substance more than matches its style. There are over 140 sakes on offer, each affectionately described, plus a trim list of sake cocktails and a refined menu of innovative, Japanese-infused small plates. The drinks and food are entirely different to those of the upstairs restaurant Kioku By Endo, making the bar very much worth a separate visit.  Order this The Daikon Gibson suspends itself entirely on the front of your tongue, with silky and potent Ginjo sake ‘vermouth’ and tangy pickled daikon combining with clean Roku gin and yuzu tang. Kioku’s cocktails all exude a sense of craft – and this does even more so. Time Out tip Make the most of Kioku’s formidable sake collection and the bar’s in-house sake sommelier to explore the tipple. Discover how the vessel material affects each sake, get a taste of the many, many different styles and regional varieties – and find a new favourite.

Stepping into the atrium of The Conservatorium, it’s immediately obvious that this is a very special hotel indeed. Rich red brickwork meets sharp glass angles, heritage details fit snugly among silky modern luxury; from the fittings and furniture to the architecture, wherever you look something catches your eye. The Conservatorium’s sense of occasion is tied to the building’s history. Many of its cavernous halls date back to 1897, when it was built as a bank. In the 1980s it became a conservatoire, then it was reconfigured into a hotel by starchitect Piero Lissoni in the 2000s. It opened as a founding member of the luxurious Set Collection in 2011. The Conservatorium’s rooms, appropriately for a hotel inhabiting a building of many previous lives, vary massively – yet they share plenty of common ground. Whether one is in the basic ‘deluxe room’ or the three-floor, roof terrace-boasting ‘I Love Amsterdam’ suite, well-proportioned rooms boast plush beds, spacious bathrooms, bountiful storage and thoughtful, refined décor. My room was a ‘royal duplex suite’, with elegant double-height windows looking out onto the humming trams and cafés of Van Baerlestraat. The essentials – bed, space, storage, bathroom, toiletries – were all faultless. Little touches of Dutch-ness (decorative clogs, a Van Gogh coffee table book, Delftware ceramic plates) were unsubtle but still tasteful, restrained. Beyond the room, breakfast (served in the Lounge) was high-calibre and the staff were as helpful

What comes to mind when you think of a treehouse? Woodlice, splinters, cold – yes, probably all those things. But treehouses are also secluded and peaceful, dwellings a few feet up in the air that feel that bit away from the rabble below and closer to nature. And a treehouse, crucially, is all yours.  The treehouses of TreeDwellers in Cornbury, northeast Cotswolds, are treehouses in a spiritual sense. No, they aren’t up trees (nor do they even touch them), but they’re surrounded by them, sitting an impressive height above the forest floor. TreeDwellers takes the idea of a treehouse – as something special, private, embedded in nature – and turns it into a luxurious experience genuinely unlike anything, anywhere else. Pulling up to a TreeDwellers dwelling (a TreeDwelling?) has a supreme sense of occasion. This is the sort of architectural magnificence you thumb through in glossy mags, lustfully dreaming of one day giving it all up for. Handsomely curved tubes are perched atop stilts; inside is all sleek, clean wood and floor-to-ceiling windows, each and every convenience slotted in with impossible neatness. It’s all so stunning that you could easily be satisfied with the design and that alone, left gawping at it for days on end. But these treehouses aren’t just flashy façades: they’re comfortable and practical, too. You check-in with slick door-code entry, the heating is underfloor and toasty on your toes, everything you could possibly need is on a tablet (or on hand from delig

On the face of it, Portobello’s neat, proper Holy Carrot and Dalston’s fire-worshipping feast ACME Fire Cult share little common ground. ACME is roaring and showy, as much a swaggering religion as a restaurant; Carrot is prim as a perfume shop, soft clay surroundings fronting a menu that is plant-forward, ‘root to peel’ and sustainable.  But there’s a clear link between the two – namely Daniel Watkins. The ex-ACME founder is now executive chef at the first permanent home of Holy Carrot (previously known for its supper clubs and Knightsbridge residency), and brings his ‘fire and ferment’ ethos across the capital from one neighbourhood of cool to another.  More than just Holy Carrot’s first proper restaurant, it’s also a Watkins-helmed reboot – and it has plenty of his signature punch. From the off, the pre-starter ‘snacks’ offer a studied but unshowy sort of tastiness. Pillowy insides dramatically burst out of crisp ‘honey’ drenched Jerusalem artichokes; one couldn’t help but mop up the warming chilli ragu with ultralight koji bread. Two cold ‘smalls’ followed suit, both intricately flavoured: each mouthful of the smoked beetroot breathing freshness, each spoonful of the stracciatella with persimmon and bitter leaves with deftly measured amount of creamy tang and gentle crunch. This is innovation of a dependable, not reckless, sort Imprinted upon my memory the most, however, was one of Holy Carrot’s ‘larges’: the crispy celeriac with pickle butter. I know what you’re thinking

The Nobu brand, in a word? Dependable. Nobu Matsuhisa’s Japan-via-USA restaurant empire both draws celebrities and is a celebrity itself, but it’s best regarded for its high-quality dining: nearly 30 years after it opened, Nobu’s Park Lane spot remains one of London’s best places for sushi. These days Nobu isn’t just a restaurant chain but a hotel brand too, with two outposts in London. The Shoreditch one, which opened in 2017, was the first of these – not just London’s first Nobu hotel (since followed by Nobu Portman Square in Marylebone) but the first in all of Europe. The greatest compliment one can pay to this place is that the dependability of the Nobu name transfers seamlessly from restaurant to hotel. This is a sleek and comfortable choice, a beacon of minimalist taste in the midst of Shoreditch’s gaudy pick-me bars and tech-bro co-working spaces. Nobu as a chain is Nippon-by-’Murica, and its hotels are too – Japanese style meets American comfort and convenience. From the front Nobu Shoreditch resembles a Pacific battleship, from the side it’s a hillside Kyoto villa. And inside the hotel offers plenty of that same cultural middle ground: polished black wood, sleek furniture and a tea set in every room, but also huge plasma TVs, delightful staff and an in-house spa.  All aided, of course, by housing a Nobu restaurant, the chain’s third in London. You know exactly the deal here: a spoiled-rich clientele, sure, but also generous portions, attentive service (I did exceptio

If you plonked a point on a map denoting Stuttgart’s absolute centre, I’m fairly certain it’d be directly right on top of the EmiLu. Or it may as well be. Dead opposite the city’s Rathaus (town hall) and a few steps from Königstrasse (Stuttgart’s main shopping street), EmiLu is within easy walking distance of most city-centre sights. Just a couple of years old (it opened in 2022), EmiLu occupies an old mid-century city government building and gets its name by combining the names of its co-owner (Petra Luise Bräutigam) and her daughter (Emilia). A self-professed ‘design hotel’, it boasts 90 ‘unique and special’ rooms that range reasonably in price per night from €85 to €200 (£72 to £170). So, the good: EmiLu, with its focus on individual, tasteful design, is a handsome and neat establishment. The chic reception is kitted out with dark wooden furnishings, while the rooms are airy and uncluttered. Cuboid furniture and crisply-shaped décor work well with bare-material walls; an open shower-room (with a curtain) and a mini-bar cut into the corner wall fit the minimal, trendy vibe. In another positive, my room looked out over the atmospheric street below (with floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony) but also boasted exceptional sound insulation – an entire crowd of football fans in the space outside were reduced to noiseless silhouettes. Elsewhere, EmiLu’s staff are delightful, the rooftop space is great for taking in Stuttgart’s skyline and the ‘fitness area’ is remarkably well-eq

Over the years, London has done a fabulous job of finding new uses for its many, many historically fascinating buildings. The Bankside Power Station is now the Tate Modern. Churchill’s Old War Office is a hotel and apartments. County Hall houses restaurants, an aquarium and That Shrek Thing. Another of those retrofits is the Great Scotland Yard Hotel, a Grade II-listed building which dates back to the 1820s and was once the Ministry of Defence’s old library. Sitting at an address best known for also housing the original headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the building has been a hotel for a while – though was spruced up a few years ago with a £75 million revamp.  Admittedly, the words ‘Scotland Yard’ do not exactly scream ‘mega-luxe five-star hotel stay’, but… maybe they could? This 151-room Hyatt is as deeply, thoroughly refined as hotels in this city get.  Each step of a stay at Great Scotland Yard is virtually faultless. The neat rooms are full of light, with floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies looking out over the turrets, towers and courtyards of the Palace of Whitehall. Full of modestly luxurious conveniences (like Chromecast TVs and fancy Japanese Toto loos), the rooms are also of a satisfyingly comfortable size: neither small and cluttered nor massive and awkwardly empty.  Beyond the rooms, Great Scotland Yard is far from a copy-paste Hyatt. Playing into the history of the building and address, the doors are slathered in a deep and polished police blue. The fo

If you’ve ever spent time in Leeds, you’ll know the Queens Hotel. Quite literally on top of (part of) the Yorkshire city’s train station, it’s an art deco concrete titan and inarguably the city’s most famous hotel. Dating back to the 1930s, the Queens was the first British hotel to have air con and ensuite bathrooms in every room, and over the years it’s welcomed the likes of Cary Grant and Nelson Mandela. While the Queens could easily rest on its historical prestige, in recent years it’s attempted to keep with the times and undergone a vast refurb. A whopping £16 million has been pumped into bringing the place back up to snuff, glamming it up with communal areas, a huge new dining venue and more rooms. How does all that sprucing up actually feel? In short, pretty damn good. The moment you step into the Queens’ lobby, with its endearingly gauche décor and genially raucous ambiance, you get a proper sense of occasion that feels appropriate for somewhere so stacked with history. The Queens might have been hauled into the 21st century, but it embraces its historical glamour – and the refurb certainly hasn’t sucked out any of its soul. The Queens is entirely decked out in stuff that harks back to the art deco 1930s – and what isn’t from the Queens’ original period (or directly linked to it, like the hallways’ historic photographs) is tastefully matched. The Queens balances modern polish and historical character in a caring, detailed sort of way, ensuring all additions – everythin

Back in July Scottish singer/songwriter Lewis Capaldi announced a grand return to touring after a two-year break. The ‘Someone You Loved’ and ‘Before You Go’ singer revealed a bunch of UK tour dates, and he’s currently working his way through several of Britain’s biggest indoor arenas. Now Capaldi has announced an extension of that tour with several equally massive (if not bigger) outdoor shows in the UK next summer. And, excitingly, two of them are here in London at BST Hyde Park. Last week Capaldi initially announced one show in London, but today (September 19) another was added due to ‘phenomenal’ demand.  Lewis Capaldi is the second headliner confirmed for BST Hyde Park 2026 (after country superstar Garth Brooks). Don’t want to miss seeing Capaldi in London next summer? Here’s what you need to know about buying tickets. When is Lewis Capaldi playing BST Hyde Park? Lewis will be topping the bill at BST on the following dates: Saturday July 11 2026 Sunday Sunday July 12 2026 When do tickets go on sale? General sale went live this week on Friday September 19 2025 at 9am BST. You’re able to buy tickets on Ticketmaster here and AXS here. Presale information There were two main presales to know about, both of which take place this week: Amex presale – Monday 15 September, from 10am Artist presale – Thursday 18 September, 10am. Ticket prices General admission tier one started at £91.45, and went up to £102.15 in tier two, For an idea of how much tickets will cost, here is th

Take That’s fifth studio The Circus is one of their best. The chart-topping 2008 record contains some of the group’s best-known (and most commercially successful) tunes, including the likes of ‘Greatest Day’ and ‘Said It All’, and its release was originally marked the album’s release with the record-breaking The Circus Live Tour, which toured the UK’s biggest stadiums back in summer 2009. At the time, The Circus Live was the fastest-selling tour in history (selling out in just five hours), and now the boyband are bringing it back. Today (September 19) Take That have confirmed that in 2026, 17 years later, The Circus Live will return to British stadiums. The Circus Live Summer 2026 will feature the same 2009 setlist (plus some surprises), as well as the same massive staging. It’ll even include Irish band The Script on support, who also warmed up the crowd for Take That back in ’09. The big difference is that the band are now a trio of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen, with no Jason Orange. Keen to get a ticket to one of 2026’s biggest tours? Here’s what you need to know about buying Take That tickets for next summer. RECOMMENDED: How to get tickets for Ed Sheeran’s UK tour in December 2025. When are Take That going on tour in the UK? The Circus Live Summer 2026 tour will run in May, June and July 2026. What tour dates have been confirmed so far? Here are the UK dates confirmed by Take That so far next summer. Friday May 29 – Southampton, St Mary’s Stadium Friday June

Fresh from triumphant sets at Glastonbury and London’s All Points East Festival this summer, all-conquering superstar RAYE has announced details of a huge UK tour in 2026. The previous Time Out cover star will play 40 dates across Europe and North America on her This Tour May Contain New Music Tour. Included in that run is five shows here in Britain, at some of the country’s biggest indoor arenas. RAYE says that the tour may also contain ‘dramatic endings, a brass section, love and passion, at least one jazz cover, potential waffling (excessive unnecessary chatting), a big belted note, a nightclub segment, live strings, and a musical hug should you need one’. Sounds like vintage RAYE, alright. Fancy heading to one of RAYE’s tour dates next year? Here’s what you need to know about getting tickets. When is RAYE going on tour in the UK? RAYE’s tour starts in January 2026 and ends in May. The UK tour dates announced so far are all in February 2026. What tour dates have been confirmed so far? Here are RAYE’s tour dates next year in full, across five dates in four cities. February 17, 2026: Manchester, Co-op Live February 20, 2026: Glasgow, OVO Hydro February 23, 2026: Birmingham, bp pulse LIVE February 26, 2026: London, The O2 February 27, 2026: London, The O2 When do tickets go on sale? General sale kicks off on Thursday September 25 2025 at 10am. You’ll be able to buy on Ticketmaster here. Presale details There are several presales to be aware of, some of which vary depending

Noughties boybands Busted and McFly have united for a tour that is so huge that, here in the capital, it’ll straddle two venues and six nights, over a period of a month and a half. The two groups are facing off as part of the Busted vs McFly Tour, which was announced last autumn. McFly and Busted’s multi-venue London residency starts this weekend, and it runs all the way until the start of November. They’ll kick things off at Wembley Arena in northwest London for one show before heading southeast to finish off the run at the O2 in Greenwich. Got a ticket for any of the Busted vs McFly tour dates in London? Here’s what you need to know about the shows, from timings to last-minute ticket availability. When is Busted vs McFly in London? The two groups are in the capital for six dates over the coming month-and-a-bit. Here are all those dates lined up: Friday September 19 – Wembley Arena Saturday September 20 – O2 Arena Sunday September 21 – O2 Arena Thursday October 30 – O2 Arena Friday October 31 – O2 Arena Saturday November 1 – O2 Arena What time do doors open? Doors will open at 6.30pm on Friday September 19 and Saturday September 20 (at each respective venue), and 6pm on Sunday September 21 at the O2.  When will Busted and McFly come on stage? Timings haven’t been confirmed, and are subject to change. Main acts at the O2 and Wembley Arena tend to come on between 8pm and 8.30pm, and at Busted and McFly’s previous tour date in Birmingham the main show started at 8pm. In Brum

Lewis Capaldi’s huge return to live touring just keeps getting huger. After his grand comeback at Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in June, he’s currently powering through a tour of the UK’s biggest arenas, and this week the Scottish singer and songwriter announced a massive headline show at BST Hyde Park in London next summer. Way ahead of his headlining day at BST in July, Lewis Capaldi has been in London this week. The ‘Someone You Loved’ and ‘Before You Go’ singer has been playing a residency at the O2 Arena, playing a total of three shows between September 16 and 18. There’s just one show left in the run.  Heading to see Capaldi in Greenwich this week? Here’s what you need to know about the final show, from the timings and setlist to any remaining ticket availability. When is Lewis Capaldi playing the O2? Capaldi is in southeast London on the following dates. Tuesday September 16 Wednesday September 17 Thursday September 18 What time do doors open? On the final date, doors open at 6.30pm. When will Lewis Capaldi come on stage? Lewis is expected to start his set at 8.45pm. Who is supporting Lewis Capaldi at the O2? Support has come from Skye Newman, Bradley Simpson and Aaron Rowe, but a different combination of supports have played on each date. Here’s the lowdown. Tuesday September 16 – Skye Newman and Aaron Rowe Wednesday September 17 – Skye Newman and Aaron Rowe Thursday September 18 – Bradley Simpson and Aaron Rowe The first support takes to the stage at 7pm, and the s

Can you believe it’s been nearly 20 years since System of a Down last released an album? Mezmerize, Toxicity and the Armenian-American alt-metal band’s heyday feels like it was only yesterday – and that’s partly because they’ve been a fairly regular touring presence over the past decade or so. Well, SOAD have been regularly touring elsewhere – they’ve not played the UK since headlining Download in 2017. But that’s all about to change, as Serj Tankian and co have announced a huge London stadium show for next summer. System of a Down’s first British shows in nine years will take place at north London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and they’ll feature huge support slots from Queens of the Stone Age and Acid Bath. After one initial date was announced last week, the band has since announced a second show. Tickets go on sale this week. Keen to snap up some tickets to see Daron Malakian, Serj Tankian, Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan live? Here’s what you need to know about the gig. When are System of a Down playing London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium? System of a Down will be coming to London in July 2026. The tour kicks off in Stockholm at the end of June. What tour date has been confirmed so far? Two dates have been announced for SOAD at the Spurs stadium: Monday July 13 2026 and Wednesday July 15 2026. When do tickets go on sale? General sale goes live at 12pm BST on Friday September 19. You’ll be able to buy tickets on Ticketmaster here. Presale details There are a couple of presa

Keith Haring’s subway drawings – which the legendary artist drew in white chalk on New York’s transport network in the 1980s – remain among his best-loved works. So it’s fitting in many ways that Haring’s art will be taking over a London tube station this week as part of a two-day installation. On Wednesday September 17 and Thursday September 18, Charing Cross tube will be transformed into ‘Haring Cross’ and feature two original pieces by Keith Haring. Expect the whole place to look a whole lot more colourful than usual, with the ticket hall and escalators plastered with the artist’s iconic drawings. Given that this is a tube station takeover, ‘Haring Cross’ will obviously be free for anyone to check out. It’ll also see visitors given free limited-edition prints, while stocks last. So, why exactly is Charing Cross – ahem Haring Cross – getting an arty makeover? Well, the installation is by Absolut, which is marking 40 years since Haring designed an advertising campaign for the spirits brand back in 1986. The two original artworks in question were created for that campaign, featuring red lines and dancing figures on a yellow background. Image: Absolut Deb Dasgupta, Absolut Vodka’s VP Global Marketing, said about the installation: ‘Absolut has always believed that art should be open, joyful and for everyone. Keith Haring’s work radiated that belief – full of energy, colour and hope. ‘With Absolut Haring, we’re inviting a new generation to celebrate that spirit in a public spa

Pret is no stranger to shaking up London’s lunch landscape. After the chain broke onto the scene by simply making better-than-average sandwiches, it launched a wildly popular subscription and then gave it a do-over earlier this year. Now Pret a Manger is looking to change the game once again. The sandwich and coffee chain has revealed plans to launch meal deals and attempt to muscle in on a market currently dominated by supermarkets. Pret will introduce meal deals as just a trial, starting today (September 16). They’ll be tested at 70 branches.  Pret meal deal price The meal deal will be priced between £6 and £7.  For comparison, Tesco’s meal deal is now £3.85 for Clubcard holders (£4.25 without), while you can get Sainsbury’s’ basic options for £3.95 and premium offerings for £5. What is included in the Pret meal deal? The chain says that included is ‘any bread-based sandwich, crisps, and a drink’.  Pret was founded in London in 1986, but it’s since expanded to 19 countries and territories. The UK isn’t the first of those Pret places to get a meal deal: the scheme was apparently first trialled in France, and proved popular.   Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

Even if you don’t know you’ve been to a Stonegate Group pub, the likelihood is you have. The company owns more than 4,000 boozers across the UK, including chains like Craft Union, Slug & Lettuce and Be at One. But soon the UK’s number of Stonegate drinking holes is set to shrink, as the company has put 23 pubs on the market. Estate agent Savills has been brought in to manage the sales, and locations in London, York and Canterbury are among those up for sale. All locations will remain trading until they’re sold. Wondering whether your local Stonegate boozer might be being sold? Here are all the pubs being sold by the company. Stonegate pubs that are up for sale Here’s the full list of Stonegate pubs that are being sold. Dog & Duck, Walthamstow Fagins, Brookthorpe Feathers, Chalfont St Giles Frankland Arms, Washington Garden Bar, Hove Golden Ball, York Harbour Moon, West Looe Letters Inn, Tattenhall Malthouse, Timsbury Milehouse, Cross Heath Moorings, Loughborough Pax Inn, Thorp Arch Romantica, Sutton Coldfield Salthouse Hotel, Clevedon Seven Stars, Canterbury Star, Hampton Hill Wickham Arms, Brockley Windmill, Peterborough Commenting on the sales, a spokesperson for Stonegate said: ‘As the UK’s largest pub company, we regularly review our portfolio for divestment opportunities. This package being marketed by Savills is a business-as-usual transaction.’ Elsewhere on the UK pub scene, Brewdog closed 10 bars this summer and Wetherspoon has plans to open a huge number of new boo

London’s blissfully strike-free period on the tube swiftly came to an end last week, as RMT union members walked out for a total of seven days (five of which caused severe disruption to tube services). The industrial action finished on Friday (September 12), but the dispute between the RMT and TfL has not yet been resolved. RMT staff walked out for a range of reasons, including pay demands, shift patterns and apparent failures by TfL management to honour previous agreements. Other demands include a 32-hour working week (Underground staff currently work 35 hours per week) and staff discounts on the National Rail network. DLR workers also walked out as part of a separate dispute. Worried about strikes hitting the capital once again? Here’s everything you need to know. RECOMMENDED:🛤️ When are the next UK-wide train strikes? What you need to know about nationwide industrial action. When are the next tube strikes? Following strikes from September 5-12, no further tube strikes have been announced for the London Underground.  How to get around London during a strike When tubes (and the DLR, on some days) are down during strikes, there are other ways of getting around. The Overground network, Elizabeth line, and London trams and buses are all still running this week.  See a full guide to navigating the city during strikes here.   How long will the London train strikes last? The tube strikes will last until an agreement is reached between the RMT union and TfL.  Which Underground l

Green belt land in Enfield, north London has been in the spotlight much more than usual in the past few months. Most of that is because of controversial plans for Whitewebbs Park (pictured above), part of which will be built on by Tottenham Hotspur FC to become home to a new football academy. Just down the road, however, are more huge changes potentially coming to Enfield’s green belt. Crews Hill, an area with only a few hundred residents, could soon get 10,000 new homes. As reported in the Enfield Dispatch and OnLondon, Crews Hill is one of two London areas apparently set to become a ‘new town’ over the next few years. The government’s New Towns Taskforce was established in order to build up to 12 new settlements across the UK by the next election, and it reportedly has Crews Hill in its sights. Up to now Crews Hill has been mostly known for its garden centres and golf course. The area has a train station – operated by Great Northern – with trains to Finsbury Park, Old Street and Moorgate. It is the northernmost settlement in Greater London. The local council already has plans for the area, earmarking it for 5,500 new homes, but ‘new town’ status would boost that to a minimum of 10,000. The other part of the capital that could also reportedly get ‘new town’ status is Thamesmead in southeast London, which is set to double in size and get a new DLR stop in the coming years.   It’s worth noting that none of this has officially been confirmed. The New Towns Taskforce is expected

We’re barely out of summer 2025, and next year’s festival season is already starting to take shape. Today (September 12) central London day festival BST Hyde Park has announced its first headliner for 2026, and it’s none other than country music superstar Garth Brooks. BST has had quite the run of huge-name country headliners over the last few years. Zach Bryan, Shania Twain and Morgan Wallen have all headlined the Great Oak Stage in recent editions. Brooks’ concert next June will be his first appearance in the UK in nearly 30 years. That’s right, three decades. That’s a hell of a long time for the best-selling solo artist in US history to have not played the UK. He last performed here in 1998. Keen to catch Garth Brooks live at BST next summer? Here’s what you need to know about tickets, from prices to presale and general sale dates. When is Garth Brooks playing BST Hyde Park? Brooks is at BST on Saturday June 27 2026. When do tickets go on sale? General sale goes live next week on Thursday September 18 2025. Tickets are live from 10am BST. You’ll be able to buy tickets on Ticketmaster here and AXS here. Is there a presale? There are two main presales to know about: Amex presale – begins Friday 12 September, 10am BST (already live here) Artist fanclub presale – Tuesday 16 September, 10am BST How much will tickets cost? Adult ticket prices will start from £84.95, plus a booking fee. Here are all the prices (not including booking fees). General admission – £84.95 Child (2-9