Country Life's best travel stories of 2019: Skiing in Gstaad, a steam train in Dartmouth and 72 hours in New York
We take a look back on our travel highlights of the last year, from alpine retreats to city escapes.

'The last paradise in a crazy world'
It's not a palm-fringed beach but instead the ski resort of Gstaad which earned this praise.
Where to go to see bioluminescence
We think of it as a tropical phenomenon, but this incredible sight can also be enjoyed closer to home.
Tel Aviv, Israel: A city of surprises, from electric bicycles to 13th-century fortress walls
North and South: Which part of Cornwall is right for you?
As if choosing between Devon and Cornwall weren't tricky enough, Rosie Paterson complicated the issue still more.
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A day aboard the Dartmouth Express
‘You half expect Hercule Poirot to hurry along the corridor with Captain Hastings in tow,' we wrote after this wonderful day out.
Seattle: A foodie (and drinkie) tour of the city
Ally Fraser visited the hilly streets and bustling markets of one of America's most photogenic cities.
Island hopping in Sweden
Sophia Constant found a world of pine forests, cobalt rivers and toy-town villages of scarlet wooden cottages.
Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast
Toby Keel paid a visit ahead of golf's Open Championship visiting this corner of the kingdom.
A long weekend at Bressingham Hall
In the heart of Norfolk the beautiful Georgian pile that is Bressingham Hall makes a wonderful spot for a break, as Martin Fone found out.
New York: 24 hours in the city that never sleeps
Lucy Ford spent the ultimate luxury weekend in the Big Apple.
Credit: Turquoise Holidays
Country Life’s best travel stories of 2018: Honeymoons fit for royalty, domestic paradises and top tips for ski trips
2018 saw us travel to Mauritius and back, to the finest hotels in the Alps and to some of our
Gstaad: The year-round gem of the Swiss Alps that's 'Hollywood with snow'
One of the great year-round destinations in the Alps, Gstaad has long been a hotspot for A-listers. Kathryn Bradley-Hole spent
Credit: Getty Images/AWL Images RM
Gstaad, Switzerland: ‘The last paradise in a crazy world’, a fairytale still untouched with pistes aplenty
Rosie Paterson travels to Gstaad–once described by Julie Andrews as ‘the last paradise in a crazy world’– to find out
Credit: Lucy Ford
72 hours in New York: Can you do the city that never sleeps justice in one weekend?
From Times Square to the Met, New York boasts some of the world's biggest and most popular tourist attractions, as
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
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Embrace off-grid living on this Scottish island for sale, but you'll have to share it with the local seal population
A dot on the map of the west coast of Scotland has come up for sale.
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Are you a 'frag head'? Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 30, 2025
Well, ARE you? And how well do you know Leonardo DiCaprio's 2002 work? It's time to find out.
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'Meat, ale and guns — what else do you need, bar glorious scenery?': William Sitwell on the Brendon Hills, West Somerset
William Sitwell chooses the Brendon Hills as his piece of heaven in Britain.
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'Fences have blocked wildlife corridors, causing the wildebeest migration to collapse from 140,000 individuals to fewer than 15,000': Is the opening of the Ritz-Carlton in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve a cause for celebration or concern?
In Kenya's iconic Masai Mara region tourism is an important and necessary part of the economy, but the arrival os several large hotel groups — including Ritz-Carlton — have some on edge.
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The pristine and unspoilt English county that 'has all the ingredients of perfection'
Many people simply pass straight through Northumberland heading for Scotland. Big mistake, says Matt Ridley.
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The extraordinary Exe Estuary, by the Earl whose family have lived here for 700 years
Charles Courtenay, the 19th Earl of Devon, shares his own personal piece of heaven: the Exe Estuary in Devon.
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‘So old-fashioned, it’s new-fashioned’: Riding the rails on the Belmond Royal Scotsman
What goes around, comes around, says Steven King of a trip through Scotland to celebrate 40 years of the Royal Scotsman, A Belmond Train.
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Quentin Letts: Heaven in Herefordshire
Quentin Letts is best known as a merciless sketch writer and critic — but when he's back home at Herefordshire he embraces a very different life.
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The Manner review: This New York hotel is bringing the 1970s back to SoHo, one colour at a time
The Manner, on one of SoHo's quieter, tree-lined streets, is proof that great hotel design can make or break a holiday.
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My piece of heaven: The Vale of Belvoir by Lady Violet Manners
Lady Violet Manners, who grew up in Belvoir Castle, shares her love of the area around her ancestral home.