The Summer Travel Edition: Europe this summer is offering up art pilgrimages, sun-soaked coastlines, and a few discoveries not found in any guidebooks. Here is exactly where to go, what to see, and where to linger.
Lose yourself in the 61st Venice Biennale
Few events in the international art calendar carry the weight, or the romance, of the Venice Biennale. Running from May 9 to November 22, 2026, the 61st edition unfolds across the Giardini, the Arsenale, and the city’s labyrinthine streets, transforming Venice into the world’s most extraordinary open-air gallery. National pavilions from across the globe present new commissions, while collateral exhibitions spill into palazzos and hidden courtyards. It is best experienced over several days, with long lunches in between.
Walk into the world’s most prestigious art fair at Art Basel
For six decades, Art Basel has set the standard by which all other art fairs are measured. The flagship edition in Basel, Switzerland, running June 18 to 21, 2026, brings together the world’s leading galleries presenting works that span modern masters to the most urgent voices in contemporary art. Beyond the fair halls, the city itself becomes an extension of the programme, with public installations, museum openings, and a social calendar that draws collectors, curators, and creative minds from every corner of the globe.
Meet the dawn at Tomorrowland
Belgium’s Boom becomes the undisputed centre of the universe across two weekends, July 18 to 20 and July 25 to 27, 2026 when Tomorrowland transforms a stretch of parkland into the most elaborately produced electronic music festival on earth. With its signature fairytale stage design, world-class DJ lineup, and an atmosphere that feels genuinely other-worldly, Tomorrowland has long transcended the festival format to become a compelling destination for electronic music fans.
Check in to the new Rosewood Vienna
Housed in a meticulously restored 19th-century building that once served as the headquarters of the Erste Bank, Rosewood Vienna brings the brand’s signature sensibility to one of Europe’s most culturally layered cities. Spacious rooms blend modern elegance with quietly retro touches, while the location, steps from St. Stephen’s Cathedral and deep in the historic Innere Stadt means the best of Vienna is essentially at the doorstep. The rooftop restaurant, Neue Hoheit, pairs exceptional cuisine with panoramic views across the city’s skyline, the kind of table worth lingering over well into the evening. For a summer spent moving between art fairs and festivals, Vienna deserves more than a stopover.
Spend a sunlit afternoon at Le Sirenuse Mare
The beach club of the legendary Le Sirenuse hotel, long considered one of the finest addresses on the Amalfi Coast, Le Sirenuse Mare delivers the full southern Italian dream: cobalt water, sun-warmed stone, and impeccable service. Arrive mid-morning, order something cold and something delicious, and resist the urge to look at your phone. The Mediterranean at its most spectacular, requires your full attention.
Discover Crete’s epicurean delights, Europe’s new gastronomy capital
Named a 2026 European Region of Gastronomy, Crete arrives at a moment of well-deserved global recognition. The fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean, it is a place where tradition unfolds across 4,000 years of history and nowhere is that history more alive than at the table. The Cretan diet forms the very heart of the Mediterranean diet, long celebrated as a model for health and longevity, and this summer, a new wave of chefs and producers is making that heritage feel both ancient and entirely current. For the full experience, head to Kaiki, the seafood restaurant that distils everything Crete does best into a single meal. Order the sfakianopita, a honey-drizzled pie filled with mizithra, the island’s beloved goat or sheep cheese, and finish with freshly made bougatsa, the traditional pastry that locals enjoy and visitors remember forever.
Browse the shelves of the world’s oldest bookshop in Lisbon
Founded in 1732 and holder of a Guinness World Record, Livraria Bertrand in Lisbon’s Chiado neighbourhood has outlasted empires, earthquakes, and every change in how the world reads. This is a bookshop in genuine cultural renaissance, drawing a new generation of readers to its beautifully preserved rooms alongside the literary pilgrims who have always made the journey. The shelves are carefully curated, the atmosphere is unhurried, and the Chiado neighbourhood surrounding it rewards a long afternoon of wandering. Some places earn their reputation across centuries, and Bertrand is one of them.
Drink exceptional coffee at The Coffee Collective, Copenhagen
Copenhagen does many things well, but few things better than coffee. The Coffee Collective, one of the founding names of Scandinavian specialty coffee culture, has spent years building a reputation on exceptional sourcing, precise roasting, and a genuine commitment to the farmers behind every cup. The coffee rewards attention and is complex, clean, and entirely without pretension despite its pedigree. The various Copenhagen locations each have their own character, but the ethos is consistent: this is one of the world’s best destinations for those who care about what’s in their cup.
