The island life of Tove Jansson, Finland
Fans of Finnish author Tove Jansson will enjoy the idyllic Pellinki Archipelago, where she spent her summers on a small island, Klovharun, described in several of her novels. About 80 kilometers east of Helsinki, Pellinki is part of a group of islands, connected by bridges and a beautiful ferry, which you can explore by boat, car, bicycle, bus or on foot. Walk through the forest to reach one of the quiet beaches, rent a boat for fishing or just honk around the beautiful bays and stay in a traditional, wooden cottage with a matching sauna among the trees, where all you hear are bird sounds and the soft putter of a passing boat. The Finns know a lot about the importance of connecting with nature and this is a place where you will quickly think about what really matters in life.
Christine
Sounds and sights of Lake Ohrid, Albania
Our summer trip of 2023 took us on a tour of Albania. We loved Tirana and its lively drivers, Berat enchanted us, historic Gjirokaster thrilled us and we relaxed by the beach in Himarë. But it was little Lin in the Korçë region, eastern Albania, perhaps the oldest inhabited settlement in Europe, dating back to 6000 BC, that completely captured our hearts. Our accommodation on the shores of Lake Ohrid offered fantastic views over North Macedonia. Delicious home-cooked meals, including tasty local Ohrid brown trout caught by the owner, were served on the terrace overlooking the lake, where we were serenaded by a noisy choir of frogs.
Lisa J
Tips from Guardian Travel readers
Every week we ask our readers for recommendations from their travels. A selection of the tips are displayed online and may also appear in print. To enter the latest competition, visit the Reader Tips homepage
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Young and inclusive, Wrocław
Wrocław is an underrated city, a place where you can immerse yourself in river boat trips, £1.30 pints, chimney cakes and cobbled streets. The cathedrals are breathtaking, the people are warm and friendly and it’s just about within day trip reach of the beautifully preserved German city of Görlitz. As an academic center in Poland, it has many inclusive, youth-friendly bars and shops, and for much less money than in France, Belgium or Germany you can enjoy a truly authentic European long weekend.
Aaron
In Georgia we ate bread filled with dripping cheese every day
Khachapuri, bread stuffed with oozing, melted cheese, was so irresistible, cheap and ubiquitous that I ate it every day for two weeks in Georgia, with each regional variation bringing back travel memories. The breakfast in Tbilisi was hot imeruli khachapuri, filled with sour, salty Imeretic cheese; while a version full of cheese and nettles warmed the soul on a gloomy night in the Kazbegi Mountains. In the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region in western Georgia we had that megruli khachapuri, with sulguni cheese in the center and on top, which was like pizza on speed. But we’ve saved the best for the Black Sea resort of Batumi: adjaruli, an iconic canoe-shaped bread, full of cheese swimming in butter. Sweet!
Helen Jackson
Sea, surf, rock arches and beer, Galicia, Spain
Head to As Catedrais Beach (Cathedral Beach) in Galicia, northwestern Spain, for incredible rock formations and turquoise waters. It takes its name from the enormous arches that resemble the flying buttresses of a cathedral. During high tide the formations are hidden, but as the tide recedes beautiful arches and caves are revealed. Exploring these and splashing through the beautifully clear water is pure enjoyment. When you’ve finished exploring, there’s a clifftop cafe serving cold beers with views of the sea and surf below.
Laura
Have a drink in the taverna, Volos, Greece
Volos is a city in eastern Greece that many travel through on their way to the Sporadic Islands, but we stayed a little longer and discovered the culture of tsipouradika. Order a bottle of tsipouro (a wine-based spirit) and it will come with a meze or two. If there are two of you, you get double; four and they quadruple it – it’s a social thing. The first meze are simple: eggplant salad, salted fish. The more you drink, the tastier they become: grilled sea bream, scallops. There are no menus, but being a fishing town, seafood dominates. With hundreds of tsipouradika tavernas spread across Volos it is an integral part of local life and I am glad I discovered it.
Alice
Incredible atmosphere, Essex on the Thames
Thames View in East Tilbury is an environmentally conscious, simple site and a perfect weekend getaway, with a fire pit and table on each generous pitch. It is located right on the Thames Estuary path. There is a World War II battery next door, and Coalhouse Fort is at the end of the road. For a real sense of the edge of things, walk up the path to Tilbury Fort just after high tide; it is lonely, desolate and incredibly atmospheric. Here Elizabeth I gathered her army nearby to face the threat of the Armada in 1588. It’s a half mile walk to the ferry jetty to Gravesend here. On the other side of East Tilbury lies the old Bata estate, a modernist masterpiece best explored by bike.
Tim Smith
Canny meanders, Essaouira, Morocco
Essaouira’s Sunday souq on Avenue Moulay Hicham is an un-Googleable paradise of organic produce. Our landlady showed us the way, winding slyly, pausing to ask a price, splitting open a pod, exchanging gossip. Best known for its surf and seafood, Essaouira is also ridiculously fertile. November and December are best, when all the key Moroccan ingredients are at their peak. A truckload of corn in their husks? Thick forests of sagebrush? Artichokes with their stems intact for making soup? One step back from the coast the land of Essaouira was brought to us, and it was glorious.
Rachel Hobley
Peaceful swimming spot, Lake District
In July we found the quiet and secluded Wasdale Emerald Pool. We were the only people there. The twin waterfalls are framed by the 899-metre peak of Great Gable and overlook the Wasdale Valley below. After a refreshing dip we headed back to our wooden hut at Irton, near Ravenglass, and watched a thunderstorm from the half-moon window.
Rachel Donnison
Winning tip: cycle and refuel on the Hebridean Way
In August we cycled the 200 mile Hebridean Way from Vatersay to the Butt of Lewis. Our best discovery? The food! We enjoyed fudgy brownies from Ardmhor Coffee while waiting at the Barra ferry terminal. A day later we arrived soaking wet at the Hebridean Jewelery Cafe on South Uist and had the best brie and cauliflower soup ever. We ate, overlooking the beach, in the Wee Cottage Kitchen trailer on North Uist; my partner loved his scallop and black pudding roll. And on Lewis we crouched down next to a blue shipping container, sheltered from the wind, with delicious Neapolitan pizza from Crust.
Christine