A three-hour rail trip across Sicily gives Linda Herrick a glimpse of its ghost towns.

Forget about planning and booking holidays - Anna Leask hands the job over to someone else and climbs on board for a ride of pleasant surprises and new friends.

As Sarah Lang found out the hard way, here's what to do - and what not to do - on holiday in Europe.

Belfast has not forgotten its troubled history but the city's future is looking brighter, finds David Mercer.

Facing an unstaunchable flood of migrants and refugees, Germany yesterday said it was reaching breaking point and would enact emergency controls.

Xenia Taliotis spends a day at one of the unhappiest places on Earth.

While eastern Europe's new European Union member states are being asked to absorb the fewest, they are putting up the fiercest resistance to plans to spread the refugees more evenly across the 28-nation bloc.

You will be pleased to learn that beer can be paired with almost any dish, writes Charlotte McDonald-Gibson.

Battery frenemies Telsa, Panasonic poised for Solar power fight in Europe.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told fellow leaders that Europe has a duty to shelter refugees, rebuffing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Brian Fallow speaks to a New Zealand-based analyst who sees the EU sliding into paralysis and inevitable decay.

Venice's water cabbies steer Kevin Pilley to some of their favourite watering holes.

The most scenic stretch of the Danube River is a haven for epicureans, writes Paul Rush.

A carefree wine-tasting jaunt in France is as leisurely as life gets, says Catherine Masters.

Angela Merkel has promised there will be "no tolerance" for violent anti-migrant protests that have gripped Germany in recent weeks.

Edinburgh's epic Festival Fringe brings out the best in this beautiful ancient city, discovers Stephen Jewell.

At this Midsomer pub it's a case of murder most appetising, says Kevin Pilley.

Why hire a car in Italy when you can travel like the locals? asks Venetia Sherson.

They're rich in ancient history, but poor in modern money. Pam Neville writes that the home of democracy needs our help.

Devon in wintertime is cold and cosy, which is Jane Luscombe's kind of Noel - but only for a few days.

Now's the time to think about a romantic snowy Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere. Ewan McDonald takes a Yuletide cruise on the Danube.

The mayor of Palermo has urged European Union leaders to respond to "a genocide caused by European selfishness".

Anne Gibson checks into the stylish Hotel ibis Styles in Edinburgh, where the carpet teaches her to speak Scots.

Upmarket, downmarket, London's got it all. Dana Johannsen finds what she's always wanted at its famed street markets.

Hike on a lava flow in the morning, ascend a glacier in the afternoon, and after a night of club-hopping enjoy a Northern Lights spectacle.

A 17th-century homestead is a sumptuous base for an exploration of the area's villages.

River cruises are growing in popularity, particularly across Europe. Pamela Wade explains why.

Stick to the good stuff - and water - is a Berlin barman's advice, says Grant Bradley.