The Cotswolds are a favourite among travellers seeking gorgeous surroundings and a relaxed atmosphere. They’re popular with holidaymakers and celebrities alike, with rolling hills and unspoilt landscapes that make them a prime destination year-round. But one Lincolnshire town has emerged as a rival to the famous region, even though it lies more than 80 miles away.

Stamford has “long been lauded as a lovely stone town”, according to the Visit Lincolnshire website. Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott called the town “the finest sight on the road between Edinburgh and London”, while historian WG Hoskins said if there were “a more beautiful town in the whole of England, I have yet to see it”. It is a favourite of television and film producers for its stony facades, which were featured in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film, The Da Vinci Code and The Crown. 

During its weekly Friday market, shoppers crowd the streets, keen to sample the local vegetables, meats, pies, bread and fresh fish on offer.

Lined with alleyways and courtyards, there are a mix of small businesses, fine jewellers and designer premises, while a quieter retreat is available along the banks of the River Welland, which meanders through Stamford.

With a history stretching back hundreds of years, Stamford was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as “Stanford”, meaning “stony ford”, and developed along the Roman road from London to York.

Featuring over 600 listed buildings, Stamford also has a collection of medieval churches as well as stone and slate quarries which provide the stone slate found on the roofs of many of its buildings.

On the edge of the town lies Burghley House, an Elizabethan mansion built by William Cecil, who served as First Minister under Queen Elizabeth I.

Cecil controlled Crown finances and was a key agent of the Queen before his death, after while he was buried in St Martin’s Church in the town where his residence was located.

This Stamford mansion still features its original Tudor kitchen, 18 state rooms and many major works of art.

Tolethorpe Hall, another grand site in Stamford, plays host to the Rutland Open Air Theatre, where the resident Stamford Shakespeare Company perform an annual season of plays across June, July and August.

The performances attract more than 34,000 from the UK and around the world every year to Tolethorpe’s grounds, which were landscaped to their present form in 1867.

If you’ve exhausted the offerings in the Cotswolds, Stamford is certainly a strong alternative.

If you haven’t got any holidays booked by now then don’t worry – there is still time left and one incredible destination is worth considering. Georgia, which lies between Eastern Europe and West Asia is a stunning country, famed as the “birthplace of wine”. Its winemaking history stretches back 8,000 years with unique methods that have become deep-rooted in the tradition.

The country certainly lives up to its name, one of its ancient winemaking traditions even has UNESCO regonition. And best of all is that the wine – which has world wide recognition – can be enjoyed for as little as £2 a glass in most local restaurants, according to The Independent. Geoergian cuisine is also diverse thanks to the blend of cultures within the country.

Although spectacular wine and food sounds about enough to convince most people to take a trip, the country has a lot more to offer. Georgia’s vibrant culture extends across the whole country, with local markets, festivals, museums and galleries highlighting how much of a gem the destination is.

Georgia’s beauty is evident along the streets and in its perserved architecture including monastries, synagogues and castles. The country has multiple monuments inscribed onto the UNSECO World Heritage Sites List, including the historical churches of Mtskheta. Jvari Church is rated 4.7 stars on TripAdvisor.

One visitor said: “Jvari is the favorite of everybody visiting Georgia. Beautiful nice church on the top of the hill. Has a perfect view to the rivers and Mtskheta. The place is full of ppl selling souvenirs. Women must cover heads. Must visit in Georgia.”

Another said: “5/5, 1. Best panoramic view. 2. One of the best tourists spots in Georgia. 3. Very historical. 4. Very safe. 5. Free entrance.”

As well as stunning buildings, Georgia is home to a range of breathtaking landscapes such as towering moutains and lush forests. Despite being a fairly small country, Georgia has 26,060 rivers, 860 lakes, 55 waterfalls and 44 reservoirs.

Skyscanner currently shows direct one-way flights from London Luton Airport to Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, for £96 in June, with return flights even cheaper at £76

Travelling by train is one of the most relaxing, slow-paced ways to see the world, especially if a little extra luxury is added. That’s why rail holidays are having a well-deserved renaissance, with demand surging and bookings well ahead of previous years.

Railbookers, a tailor-made rail holiday provider, recently reported a record-breaking year, with a 30% revenue boost and a significant rise in 2025 reservations — strong evidence that high-end train travel is firmly back on track. To narrow down the many bucket list options travel lovers have, analysts at Japan Rail Pass shared the top journeys that are captivating the world with their luxurious amenities. The experts compiled data on global search trends, social media mentions and traveller reviews in order to determine the most sought-after train experiences in 2025.

Leading the global rankings for most luxurious train rides is the Rocky Mountaineer, a premier rail journey based out of Vancouver, Canada, that operates across four unique routes that stretch through the Canadian Rockies, British Columbia, and into the American Southwest.

The train is famous for its glass-domed carriages that allow passengers a full, unrestricted view of lakes, glaciers and forests, as well as its locally inspired fine dining and impeccable, award-winning service.

Jetset Magazine referred to the journey through Canada’s Rocky Mountains as the “most beautiful train ride in the world” in a TikTok video that highlighted the GoldLeaf service,which includes gourmet meals prepared by Executive Chefs and panoramic windows of a bi-level glass-dome coach, as well as a larger exclusive outdoor viewing area.

Covering a distance of 2,800 miles over the course of ten days, it combines breathtaking scenery to grandiose mountains with some serious mileage — a rare mix that earned it an impressive score of 8.88 out of 10 in the study.

The train winds through snow-capped peaks, alpine lakes, river canyons and lush temperate rainforests, with key sights on some itineraries including the Fraser and Thompson River canyons, the Spiral Tunnels, and Mount Robson, the tallest peak in the Canadian Rockies.

Passenger reviews make the train’s popularity undeniable, with more than 60,000 Instagram hashtags mentioning it, an average TripAdvisor score of 4.4 and 48,000 global monthly searches.

Top 10 best luxury train rides across the world

1. Rocky Mountaineer

Vancouver, Canada to Utah, United States

2. Napa Valley Wine Train

California, United States

3. GoldenPass Express

Montreux, Switzerland

4. Rovos Rail

Pretoria, South Africa

5. The Ghan

Adelaide, Australia

6. Venice Simplon Orient-Express

Venice, Italy to Paris, France

7. British Pullman

London, England

8. The Canadian

Vancouver, Canada

9. Twilight Express Mizukage

Osaka, Japan

10. Belmond Andean Explorer

Cusco, Peru