Breakfast is served all day at this local Emirati cuisine outlet, so you can enjoy any of the savory or sweet flat, deep-fried and pancake-like like traditional breads anytime. We’re particularly fond of pairing ours with date syrup or local halloumi cheese. The full menu includes grilled and stewed fruits of the Arabian Sea, in addition to several tasty spiced...

A wide pedestrian promenade lines nearly all of Abu Dhabi’s 8km-long waterfront road, the Corniche. Strolling along the landscaped path is a favorite past time during evenings or cooler weather. Where the Corniche intersects 30th St, you’ll find a food court of sorts with several different outlets offering everything from sandwiches to ice cream. Bikes, trikes and fun little pedal...

Sitka’s Cross Trail is so named because it runs across the bulk of the city, but you won’t know that you are just a few steps out of civilization. One of the best sprawling muskeg and mountain views of Sitka is at the trail’s Yaw Junction (which also spills nicely into Indian River trail), and there is a particularly beautiful...

There is a running debate among the local outdoorsy folk about which mountain is a better hike, Mount Verstovia or Gavan Hill. The Gavan Hill die-hards don’t mind the wooden-stair hike to the peak. Any unpleasant huffing and puffing endured in the climb is easily made up for with the breathtaking views of Sitka Sound and Baranof Island. Above the...

Park at Herring Cove/Beaver Lake parking lot and continue past the traffic gate, down the gravel road for about an hour until you reach Medvejie Hatchery. This part of the trail is relatively uninteresting and can also be easily biked to cut down on travel time. From the hatchery, turn left by a creek and continue into the forest—the trail...

There is a running debate among the local outdoorsy folk about which mountain is a better hike, Gavan Hill or Mount Verstovia. The taller of the two, Mount Verstovia’s first peak at Picnic Rock offers spectacular views of the city and Silver Bay. If you still have energy, you can continue from there down (and then back up) an unofficial...

The Raptor Center specializes in raptor research and rehabilitation, but heals other local birds, such as swans and ravens, when needed. Visitors can observe and learn more about the amazing birds of prey that live in Sitka, such as owls and eagles, and also meet some birds here to stay from other parts of the US. The friendly and knowledgeable...

Silver Bay is a deep water fjord bordered by a particularly coastal and scenic part of Sawmill Creek Road, a seafood plant, and the mountains of Baranof and smaller islands. The drive to Silver Bay is short but stunning, with mountains peeking around bends and cascades of melting mountain water running down the rocky ledges by the road. The lookout...

Between the end of Lincoln Street and a rocky beach sits Sitka National Historical Park. This patch of forest is centered around an old Russian fort site with Tlingit and Haida totem poles erected along the way. While you walk along the beach path, keep an eye out for distant whale spouts on the water. Watch for running salmon and...

At the end of Halibut Point Road is a short boardwalk trail through grassy Starrigavan Estuary. The amateur bird watcher will appreciate the wildlife thanks to the information provided along the walk. Extend this short but stunning outing to the Starrigavan muskeg trail. Cross the street at the end of the Starrigavan Estuary trail and follow the signs up a...

Whale Park is a small whale-watching station off of Sawmill Creek Road. It’s far enough from town to be a quiet place to look for whales from land, but is closer than Silver Bay. Kids (and adults too) can enjoy climbing on the whale statues at the entrance. Visitors can choose to sit in the gazebo outfitted with binoculars, or...

The ranks of elegant Ottoman-era houses climbing up the hillside to Berat’s citadel offers a photogenic view which is famous in Albania. The neighbourhood of Mangalemi, just below the citadel, is under protection as a site of cultural heritage meaning that its cobbled alleys have been preserved, and there are a number of great boutique hotels to stay in here....

Mount Dajti is the summit overlooking Tirana, a sight for sore eyes when the concrete jungle becomes too much, and a particularly cool vista when the peaks are snow-capped. The Dajti Ekspres cable car will take you up (and back) in comfort, and give you some extraordinary perspectives on Tirana and on the farms and villages around. The one-way journey...

Get to Dhermi and Himara before they are discovered more widely – and spoiled! Every summer new hotels appear on this stretch of coast, and with patchy application of planning laws and insufficient infrastructure in these out-of-the-way spots there is the danger that expansion will wreck what currently makes these beaches such paradise. Nevertheless, you can find secluded coves, clear...

Set in the rural location which gave birth to Albania’s national poet, Gjergj Fishta, the author of The Highland Lute, the Mrizi i Zanave restaurant is a phenomenon. It is leading the way for a rediscovery of traditional dishes, of local food and of playful combinations of these with modern expectations. There is no printed menu but your waiter will...

Saranda is the southernmost town in Albania and the nearest point to the Greek island of Corfu (just 45 minutes away by ferry), often now included as a day trip for those on cruises. The town has (stony) beaches and easy access to other beach destinations such as Ksamil, and the nightlife that would be expected from its location and...

Arriving in Theth, high in the ‘Accursed Mountains’, feels like you have just been let in on a secret. The plateau with its attractive shingled houses, church, school and water mill may seem like an ideal community – though it’s important to notice too the traditional kulla stone house for sheltering families in blood feud. There are many (perhaps too...