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Family holidays • Beach holidays • Short breaks • City breaks • Adventure travel • Camping • Cycling holidays • Backpacking • Festivals • Gap years • Safaris • Spas Skiing • Winter sun • Cruises

Gelateria Santa Trinita, Florence

Fidge Wonderful ice-cream from this establishment. Three heaped scoops in a tub cost €3.80. The girl behind the counter offered us samples of the wide array of flavours before we settled on our choices

Global Village, Toronto

GiuliaFalsetti A friend from Germany visited Toronto this spring for a month-long work programme, and she stayed at this hostel and had a magnificent time. It's centrally located, inexpensive, safe and very clean

Brother Hubbard, Dublin

fionahilliard Don't be fooled by the utilitarian styling of Brother Hubbard, this cafe is becoming famous for the friendly manner of owners Garrett Fitzgerald and James Boland, and its delicious cakes, coffee and tea

Liqing Hotel, Longshen, China

daisybean26 Amazing hotel in the heart of the Longshen rice terraces. Stunning views from the balconies and wonderful air conditioned, en suite rooms at really good prices. It's family run and they could not be nicer

Ripley Castle, Ripley, UK

Chris2005 Ripley Castle is set in a beautiful landscape with its own lake and waterfall. For the best view take the path signposted for the deer park, walk past Eel tower and pause at the bridge over the waterfall to admire the castle

Boccondivino, Rome

York137 Chef Riccardo Zanni's ambitious and delicious menu is a cause for celebration. We arrived with no reservation, were warmly welcomed, and the service was the best I can remember in a long time

My France – the French reveal their holiday getaways

Which bits of France do the French love to visit for the perfect holiday? Rhiannon Batten asks locals including Philippe Starck and Sébastien Foucan

• Stylish places to stay in France on a budget
• What's new in France's big cities in 2012

Rustic Italy: places to stay for food lovers

Alastair Sawday, of Sawday's guides, picks 15 places to stay where the food is as wonderful as the surroundings

• Alternative tours of Italy
• Readers' travel tips: cultural highlights of Italy
• Sicily: the art project that saved a town

Madrid: the best nights out

Madrid comes alive after dark – no one would think of going out dancing before 2am. Resident Paul Richardson picks the best places to go, from restaurants, bars and clubs to chocolaterías

• Barceloneta bars and restaurants
• The Costa Brava's hidden holiday treasures
• Rural Spanish yurts and cottages

Turkey's hidden tourist gems

Turkey has some fantastic sights away from the crowds, from spectacular mosques to the ancient city of Sagalassos, says Michael Hornsby

• Boutique beach hotels in Bodrum, Turkey
• Adventure holidays in Turkey
• Walking Turkey's unspoilt north-east

Readers' travel tips: foodie Portugal

From markets where old ladies sell produce from their gardens to traditional seafood restaurants, Been there readers know the best places in Portugal for foodies

• Portugal's valley of the kings
• A shopper's guide to Lisbon