We asked 23 Guardian travel writers to share their best experiences of 2023, from elegant spas and an art deco cinema to a new ‘megalith’ and a futuristic hotel There are many places where you expect to see jaw-dropping architecture, but the quiet Brittany countryside isn’t one of them. As we walked toward Hotel l’Essenciel (not a typo, ciel means sky) with its 36 rooms, or “nests” suspended around its central structure, with the flying-saucer shaped restaurant La Table des Pères at its foot, I had to wonder if I’d stepped into a parallel universe or on to another planet ..read more

A project to create Europe’s largest forested national park aims to protect 100,000 hectares of wilderness as well as boost ecotourism in support of local communities Up on the hill we spy them: dark, imposing forms moving through the dense forest. It’s a group of bison wandering wild in Romania’s Făgăraș mountains. I stand silently with my guide Răzvan Dumitrache as the animals graze. This area of Transylvania, at the southern edge of the Carpathian mountains, is among the wildest places in Europe. Brown bears, wolves and lynx roam the forested hillsides – and bison were recently reintroduced ..read more

The fabled railway service returns in 2025. But you don’t need to wait until then, or pay the eyewatering fares, to ride this classic route One of the fruits of getting on a train is that it makes me want to chat. So instead of gazing at Kent as we proceed to Paris from London, I talk to my neighbour. Martha grew up in San Francisco, studied in Oregon, and puts syrup on everything. When we part ways on the concourse of Gare du Nord – she to lunch with a friend from Wisconsin, me to amble around before continuing towards Turkey – she says the best things about the US are Taylor Swift and meatlo ..read more

Hot chocolate in the Hague or Halloween in Transylvania – our tipsters share their best trips. Scroll down to find the winner Forget the nearby costa and stay in Málaga for the best tapas, varied culture and vibrant nightlife. The Alcazaba is a restored Moorish fortress and gives expansive views across the city. Picasso was born in Málaga and a museum dedicated to his work from the early years to his last is situated in a 16th-century palace. If the heat gets too much, rent a bike and head north via a cycle path to the Botanical-Historical Gardens of La Concepción. Amble along an avenue of 80 ..read more

The star-studded French fest starts today, but the coming months bring plenty more celebrations of the big screen – in stunning settings 13-18 June The annual animation festival in France is ideally scheduled for combining sunny visits to the lake and castles of this pretty French mountain town with film screenings. By night, they show new and classic movies in the open air. This year, the opening film is Minions: The Rise of Gru and special screenings include Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear and the Netflix animation title The Sea Beast. Festival pass: from £63. Stay: Ibis Annecy Centre Vieille V ..read more

The reintroduction of bison to the Carpathians is a boon for nature – and local communities – as our writer discovers on a hiking break “From this pile of logs onwards, we need to be completely silent,” says Georg Messerer, our guide through Romania’s southern Carpathians. His head cocks 45 degrees as a bird starts chirping. “Nuthatch,” he whispers, reaching for his binoculars. “And two red deer.” Georg directs our gaze to a row of apple trees, where sure enough, two deer are grazing. Georg is an environmental encyclopedia. Give him a fresh footprint or dropping and he can tell you what the an ..read more

From flaming balls to burning barrels, a drag queen drop to an all-night Junkanoo – we see in 2014 with some of the world's quirkiest celebrations ..read more

Stay in a stunning Renaissance villa in Padua, or venture back into kid-free Cornwall A stunning Renaissance villa which was once a summer retreat for the Bishops of Padua is being offered as an unusual holiday let by the Landmark Trust. Two self-catering apartments have been created on the top floor of the 16th-century Villa dei Vescovi in the Euganean hills near Padua. After the day-trippers have gone home, guests will have exclusive access to the formal gardens and can watch the sun set over the vineyards and orchards from the fresco-adorned loggia. Each apartment sleeps four, with prices f ..read more

Whether it's on the coast or in the countryside, eastern Europe – Romania, Montenegro, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia – offers tempting locations for any type of holiday Romania has plenty of beautiful farm buildings and a strong folk craft history, which means there are some gorgeous places to stay in rural locations. Casa Palaga is a very special wooden self-catering house sleeping four in deep countryside in the Maramures area, with views of the Rodna mountains and over the border into Ukraine. Set in a clearing surrounded by trees and grass, the house is full of lovely old wooden furniture. I ..read more

The Saxon villages of Transylvania are well-known, and well worth a visit. But there is lots more to Romania, one of the most fascinating countries in Europe Add a tip for next week for the chance to win a pair of top-quality walking boots In the part of Romania that used to be called Dacia are the ruins of Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa. Take a bus from the town of Santamaria-Orlea, hop off when the locals tell you, and you will be enthralled by the size of the site: it has every building a Roman settlement should have. If that is not enough, a short walk down country lanes brings you to beauti ..read more