Local guides
Places we love around our homes — sights, food, beaches and the practical bits, gathered by the people who live there.
Costa da Caparica
Riding tram 28 through Lisbon
The old yellow tram that grinds up and down Lisbon's steepest hills — thoroughly touristy, and still worth doing once.
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Costa da Caparica
Castelo de São Jorge and the view over Lisbon
A Moorish castle on the highest of Lisbon's hills, above Alfama, with the widest view over the city and the river —…
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Costa da Caparica
Bairro Alto and Príncipe Real — Lisbon in the evening
Two hillside neighbourhoods above Chiado that come into their own in the late afternoon and evening — a tight bar grid and…
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Costa da Caparica
Baixa and Chiado — Lisbon’s downtown
A flat grid of streets rebuilt on a clean plan after the 1755 earthquake, running from the riverfront square up to the…
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Costa da Caparica
Almada Velha and the Boca do Vento lift
The small old centre of Almada above Cacilhas, with viewpoints straight across at Lisbon and a glass lift down the cliff to…
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Costa da Caparica
Mata dos Medos and the Arriba Fóssil — pine forest and fossil cliffs
Behind the Caparica beaches, a wall of ochre and red fossil sea-cliffs with a protected umbrella-pine forest along the top — an…
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Dénia
Easy going near Dénia — the Vía Verde and the Torre del Gerro
Two gentle outings close to town: a flat former railway line for walking and cycling, and a short climb to a watchtower…
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Dénia
Cova Tallada — the sea cave near Dénia
A large half-natural, half-quarried cave on the shore of the Montgó park, with pools to wade in and an opening straight onto…
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Dénia
The Montgó — the mountain above Dénia
The blunt grey massif between Dénia and Xàbia is a natural park with walking for every level, from easy viewpoints to a…
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Dénia
Dénia on foot — the old town, the market and the marina
The streets below the castle, the covered market and the harbour front — an afternoon and evening in Dénia without a car.
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Stuttgart
Historic railways and the Weissenhof estate
A rack railway, a wooden funicular and a 1927 experiment in modern housing — three pieces of Stuttgart that reward a short…
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Stuttgart
The two car museums — Mercedes-Benz and Porsche
Both brands were born here and both have built themselves a museum next to the factory. They are very different visits.
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Stuttgart
Schloss Solitude
A duke's rococo pleasure palace on a ridge west of the city, with a dead-straight avenue aimed at Ludwigsburg and forest walks…
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Stuttgart
Stuttgart from above — the viewpoints
The city sits in a bowl, so it is ringed with places to look down on it: a rubble hill, a beer-garden…
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Stuttgart
The Fernsehturm — the world’s first television tower
Stuttgart built the first concrete TV tower in the world in 1956. It still works as a viewpoint, with the Swabian Jura…
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Stuttgart
Stuttgart’s old centre on foot — Schlossplatz to Schillerplatz
A short walk through the historic heart of the city: two grand squares, the old and new palaces, the collegiate church, the…
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Costa da Caparica
Belém — the monastery, the tower and the custard tarts
Lisbon's riverside monument quarter: a Manueline monastery, a fort in the water, and the original pastéis de Belém.
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Dénia
Altea old town — the blue domes above the sea
A whitewashed hill village about 40 minutes south of Dénia: the tiled church domes, car-free lanes, and a square with the best…
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Costa da Caparica
Alfama — Lisbon’s oldest quarter
The tangle of lanes below the castle: viewpoints, tram 28, fado in the evening, and how to walk it.
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Costa da Caparica
Cristo Rei — the view over Lisbon from Almada
The open-armed statue on the south bank, and the widest view there is of Lisbon and the 25 de Abril bridge.
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Dénia
Castillo de Dénia — history, views and visitor tips
One of the Costa Blanca's landmarks, right above the old town. What to see, when to go, and the practical bits.
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