Chowing down in London, Paris and Barcelona, in one day

(RAYMOND ROIG/AFP/Getty Images / RAYMOND ROIG/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Chowing down in London, Paris and Barcelona, in one day

    Chowing down in London, Paris and Barcelona, in one day

    He took the high-speed train to meet the challenge of breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, dinner in Barcelona.

    http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_296w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2014/04/07/Travel/Images/4567357711396906023.jpg 296 197
  • Heading to Sturgis, S.D., for the love of the ride

    Heading to Sturgis, S.D., for the love of the ride

    The annual motorcycle Rally Week in a South Dakota town draws bikers from all over.

    http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_296w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2014/04/08/Travel/Images/Sturgis0021396973702.jpg 296 198
  • Reading, Pa., rediscovering its pride

    Reading, Pa., rediscovering its pride

    Long down at the heels, Reading, Pa., is reinventing itself and refurbishing its image.

    http://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_296w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2014/04/06/Travel/Images/ReadingPA0081396754402.jpg 296 233

Travel Features

Tips for riding the rails in Europe

Don’t be intimidated. With advance prep, you’ll be traveling like a local in no time.

A New Mexico sanctuary that will cure your ills

El Santuario de Chimayo is the repository of “holy dirt” that reportedly possesses a special curative power

Getting in a few licks at the Earl Scruggs Center

At a museum in honor of the famed bluegrass musician, you can try your hand at the banjo or Dobro or more.

‘Downton Abbey’ comes to Delaware

Winterthur hosts an exhibition with almost 40 costumes from the hit British TV series.

Haunted houses

At two Edgar Allan Poe museums, visitors get different glimpses of the horror mastermind

The hero’s march

In Georgia, the trail of a notorious Russian writer includes great heights and no shortage of drinking

One man’s beat

E.B. White’s essays captured a simple, peaceful Maine. Does it still exist outside of his books?

Tossa de Mar, a medieval-and-modern Spanish gem

Guidebooks may dismiss the town, but the author found a unique experience in its blend of cultures.

The Swiss make wine? Who knew?

In Switzerland, the wineries are pint-size and family-owned, and most of the wine is consumed locally.

Vermouth, back in Barcelona

No longer the drink of grannies, vermouth is making a comeback in Spain’s Catalonia region.

Philadelphia’s star-studded dining scene

New restaurant openings highlight Philly’s evolution toward a less formal fine dining scene.

The ice of Antarctica, crackling with energy

The penguins of Antarctica are fascinating, but they’re no competition for the mesmerizing ice.

The word ‘hostel’ doesn’t mean what it used to anymore

Forget the image of grungy youth hostels full of backpackers. Today’s hostels are a whole different animal.

Now showing: Upgraded in-room entertainment

Forget pay-per-view. Hotels are making it easier to stream your content onto some really nice TVs.

Tasting Scotch in the middle of Nowhere, Wyoming

An inn in an old Wyoming mining town offers twice-monthly Scotch tastings for those in the know, or not.

Travel Deals

This week’s best travel deals

Discounts on Kimpton hotels, fees to national parks, Qatar Airways flights and an 11-day package to Colombia

What a Trip

Discovering East Africa, and her uncle’s legacy

HANDOUT. Giraffes on the Serengeti Plains of Tanzania, July, 2013.

The author travels to East Africa to learn about the life of her uncle, a Catholic missionary in Uganda.

Enter What a Trip

Bed Check

ROCKVILLE, MD - MARCH 30: The lobby at the Red Roof PLUS in Rockville, MD on March 30, 2014. (Photo by Andrea Sachs / The Washington Post)

Renovated economy hotel goes upscale

Red Roof adds new furnishings and amenities, plus a new category of room

CHESTER HEIGHTS, PA - MARCH 9: The exterior of the Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast is an English-style country inn located in Chester Heights, PA, seen here on March 9, 2014. (Photo by Becky Krystal / The Washington Post)

Bed Check: Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast

The British-themed inn offers warm hospitality in an impeccably decorated historic house.

HANDOUT IMAGE: The exterior of the Servants Quarters at the Stevenson Ridge Bed and Breakfast in Spotsylvania, VA. (Rachel May Photography) **HANDOUT IMAGE, MANDATORY CREDIT, ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUCTION WITH STEVENSON RIDGE**

Where historic buildings come back to life

Bed Check: Stevenson Ridge in Virginia is more than just an inn; it’s a compound of resurrected structures.

KILMARNOCK, VA -- The Taylor and Tyler rooms at the Kilmarnock Inn are two pet-friendly rooms in one of several cottages situated around the courtyard.

In Virginia’s Northern Neck, the Kilmarnock Inn’s presidential aspirations

BED CHECK | The Virginia bed-and-breakfast mixes history and recreation in a charming setting.

HANDOUT IMAGE: An exterior of the Nolitan Hotel in New York, NY in this undated handout image. (Courtesy of The Nolitan Hotel) **HANDOUT IMAGE, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO TRADE, NO SALE**

Embracing the boutique in Manhattan’s Nolitan Hotel

This boutique hotel in a hipster neighborhood offers nine floors of contemporary comfort.

The Navigator

In Bermuda, is it safe to go in the water?

A U.S. consulate warning on sewage dumping off the Bermuda coast raises concerns among visitors.

Travel galleries

‘Downton Abbey’ comes to Delaware

Costumes from the show take up residence at Winterthur.

A tour of Paris, food first

Patricia Wells is updating her classic guidebook and has released a phone app for travelers.

Experiencing ‘saudade’ in Portugal

“Saudade” could be described as a profound state of longing. It has become a Portuguese way of life.

Kerala, India: ‘God’s Own Country’

The state in the nation’s southwest is an oasis of natural beauty and religious coexistence.

The ice of Antarctica, crackling with energy

The ice in the Antarctic is alive with action, creating some of nature’s most fascinating and kinetic sculptures.