Travel

A stunning photo series captures the magic of Europe's landscape, weaving together unique, once-upon-a-time moments of diving into alpine lakes and meeting curious deer in Bavarian forests. From Swiss lakes to fabled German castles, Bavarian photographer André Alexander has gathered an enchanting vision of central Europe.

For most people, working nine to five in an office means monotonous views of the computer screens and their colleagues. But some unlikely occupations around the world can offer surprisingly spectacular views of the surroundings - and you don't even have to venture outside. You've probably never considered working as a cashier at the Empire State Building in New York or as a coastguard on the Bering Sea. But if you do, the scenery outside your window promises to be more stunning than most.

These astonishing pictures show the aftermath of a dramatic plane crash that saw a flight from Yakutsk, Russia, miss a runway and come to rest on the icy banks of a river. The Polar Airlines aircraft was travelling to Belaya Gora on October 11 when the landing went awry at the last minute as result of what's believed to have been a sudden change in weather conditions.

Several ultra-luxurious hotels and lodges have recently cropped up to cater for visitors with a taste for the finer things in American National Parks, including (top left) Under Canvas in Arizona's Grand Canyon; (top right) Rush Lodge Creek in California's Yosemite; (bottom left) Smith Fork Ranch camp in Colorado's Rocky Mountains and (bottom right) Hotel Jackson, close to the Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park.

MailOnline Travel has compiled a catalogue of locations that look other-worldly, from the Wadi Rum desert in Jordon (top left) and a gas crater in Turkmenistan (top right) to molten lava (bottom left) and sulphurous hot springs (bottom right) in Ethiopia. Inset, the geothermic Fly Geyser in Nevada.

At least if you find yourself waiting around at one of these architectural anomalies you'll have a spectacular view to admire. Pictured (top left) China's Shezhen Bao-an airport, built to mimic a manta ray, (top right) Russia's Pulkovo International Airport in St Petersburg, which boasts an 'envelope roof' to withstand heavy snow, (bottom right) Georgia's Queen Tamar Airport in Mestia, designed to look like a spaceship, (bottom left) the interior of Shezhen Bao and (inset) Spain's colourful Barajas Airport in Madrid, which is the largest in Europe.

MailOnline Travel has unearthed tips and flight essentials from 12 stars who spend half their lives in the air, including (clockwise from top left) Miranda Kerr's rosehip oil, Kim Kardashian's black silk 'make-up pillow', Gwyneth Paltrow's germ-busting colloidal silver spray, Lily Aldridge's under-eye patches, Cara Delevingne's comfy Ostrich Pillow, and Chrissy Teigen's face sheet masks.

Johanna Nordblad, from Helsinki, Finland, once nearly lost her leg in a horrific accident but painful ice therapy saved it - now she's a world record-breaking freediver who swims under frozen lakes. In this fascinating footage, she is seen diving through a small hole in the ice (bottom left and right) and exploring a beautiful but bitter-cold world under the surface (main).

Estonian company Kodasema has invented a new one-bedroom house with factory-made parts that can be broken down easily. The 260 sq ft house has a living room (top right), kitchen, bathroom and bedroom (bottom right). For anyone needing more space, extra units can easily be bought and added to the structure. To set up home, all a person would need is connection points for water, electricity and sewerage.

Superyacht designers reveal to MailOnline Travel how they create extravagant vessels to satisfy the world's wealthiest one per cent. From the late Steve Jobs' sleek vessel Venus, to the triple deck Galactica Star where Beyonce (centre) celebrated her 32nd birthday, there is an art to designing the perfect yacht for the oligarchs, billionaires and the top echelon of celeb land. Heesen's latest 'Haute Couture' yacht, Galactica Super Nova (top left) features a glass-bottomed infinity pool with its own waterfall (bottom left). The Ariana (top right) boasts an infinity hot tub with glass waterfall steps and concept yacht Kilkea (bottom right) comes complete with a helipad.

Designer Pierre Delavie used a canvas almost 13,000 square foot in size to create an optical illusion on Paris' Conciergerie building, located on the Ile de la Cite overlooking the Seine. Describing it as an 'urban lie' intended to confuse viewers, Mr Delavie created it for the annual Nuit Blanche festival  - an all-night celebration of art and culture which took place earlier this month - using a giant image on the canvas to give the illusion of the facade being upside down.

New York-based photographer Christopher Payne spent six years travelling America to explore abandoned asylums. Pictured (top left) what remains of the Norwich State Hospital in Preston Connecticut, (top right) Kankakee State Hospital in Illinois, (bottom left) an autopsy theatre at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C., (bottom right) a marble staircase at the Yankton State Hospital in South Dakota and (inset) a straightjacket at the Logansport State Hospital in Indiana.

Today, a journey across Russia's Trans-Siberian railway takes about a week. But exactly 100 years ago, upon its official completion, the trip took almost a month because the train trundled along at 20 miles an hour. Now the longest train line in the world, stretching more than 5,700 miles from Moscow to Vladivostok, the Trans-Siberian railway crosses two continents, 80 towns and cities, 16 large rivers and eight time zones. Here, MailOnline Travel takes a look back over a century of the Trans-Siberian's history with a series of fascinating pictures.

A former hostel in Yorkshire (top left), a village pub in Devon (top right), an eco-friendly coaching inn (bottom left), an Elizabethan manor in Sussex (bottom right) and a thatched retreat in Wiltshire (centre) are among the winners of the 2017 Good Hotel Guide’s Cesar Awards. The winners will be announced on Monday - but the Daily Mail has an exclusive preview from Adam Raphael, editor of The Good Hotel Guide.

The Dead Rabbit (top left), nestled in the heart of the Financial District, scooped first place on The World’s 50 Best Bars list for the first time, with London's American Bar at the Savoy (top right) coming second. Two more London bars came in third and fourth - Dandelyan (bottom left) and The Connaught (bottom right) respectively.

Horseback yoga is a growing trend. As well as in resorts in the US, the sport is also available at a new luxury resort in Spain and a stable just outside Bristol in the UK. Earlier this year, MailOnline reported how Angela Nunez, a yoga teach from Middleburg, Virginia, gained over 10,000 followers on Instagram by sharing images of her horseback yoga poses (main).

Navigating your way at night can be tricky - especially when you're on two wheels. But now cyclists in Poland have been given a helping hand, thanks to glowing pathway. The high-tech track gleams at night, as the phosphor crystals it's made from emit light after being charged by the sun. Photographs show the path illuminated at night, glowing a vivid shade of blue. The luminous cycling strip is located in a park near the town of Lidzbark Warminski, in the north of Poland. It was created by the technology firm TPA Instytut Badań Technicznych Sp. z o.o. and is currently still in the testing faze.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa took 199 years to build. And it appears by the time builders reached the rafters they had run out of steam. Photos showing the tower's interiors reveal it as a hollow shell. It comes as a surprise to many, given the landmark's grand exterior, adorned with marble arches and intricate stone carvings. After climbing 300 stairs and paying a €15 entrance fee, visitors are greeted with bare bricks when they reach the bell tower.

At some restaurants it's not just delicious food and highly quaffable wine that's on the menu. Some have views that are just as eye-catching as their dishes and drinks list. From The Rainbow Room in New York boasting a sublime panorama of the Empire State Building, to the Aroma in Rome looking over the floodlit Colosseum, there are dozens of settings to choose from. For city slickers, there are sky-high eateries looking down on the world below, and for those looking for something a bit more rural there are dinner tables looking out over the ocean or the African plains. In a bid to help you make the winning choice, MailOnline Travel has put together a directory of some of the best restaurant views in the world.