An independent travel publication
The places, and the moments, worth planning a trip around.
Honest, deeply researched guides to where to stay, when to go, what to eat, and the sunsets worth rearranging your evening for. Written by an editor who plans these trips for himself first.
Published in 21 languages.
Most useful guides
Guides travelers actually plan with
Greece · region
Peloponnese
Land in Athens, cross the canal, and give Nafplio three nights for Mycenae, Epidaurus, Nemea wine and the town itself. Drive south past Sparta to Mystras, sleep under the rock at Monemvasia, then round the Laconian Gulf to the Mani for tower villages, the Diros caves and the walk to the lighthouse at Cape Tenaro. Base at Kardamyli or Limeni for the end, with Ancient Messene and the beaches of the Navarino coast as the last day out, and leave from Kalamata or drive back to Athens. Buy site tickets on the Ministry’s e-ticket portal, watch the half-monthly closing times from September, and do not plan anything around the Kalavryta train.
Peru · multi city
Peru: Cusco & Machu Picchu
Acclimatize in Cusco or the Sacred Valley, give a full day to Machu Picchu with an early entry, and book the train, entrance ticket and any Inca Trail permit well in advance.
Thailand · region
Phuket
Pick a west-coast base for the beaches and sunsets, give a day to Old Phuket Town for the Sino-Portuguese streets and food, add the Big Buddha and a Promthep Cape sunset, and build in at least one boat day to Phang Nga Bay or the Similan Islands.
Czechia · city
Prague
Come in May, June or September, sleep in Vinohrady, Karlin or the quiet end of Mala Strana rather than the party blocks, cross Charles Bridge before 8am, take the first hour after opening at the Old Town Hall for the half-price early-bird ticket, ride the rebuilt Petrin funicular on a 24-hour pass if it has resumed carrying passengers, eat where the tank beer is, and give one full day to Kutna Hora.
France · region
Provence
Fly to Marseille, on El Al direct from Tel Aviv, or take the train from Paris to Avignon in about three hours. Pick up a car. Stay in the Luberon for three or four nights and plan the days around the markets: Gordes on Tuesday mornings, Roussillon and Ménerbes on Thursday, Lourmarin and Bonnieux on Friday, Apt on Saturday, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and the Coustellet farmers’ market on Sunday. See Sénanque in a morning, walk the ochre trail at Roussillon, and give an afternoon to the Popes’ Jews: the synagogue of Carpentras, which the Vaucluse tourism board calls the oldest still in use in France, and the tiny synagogue museum of Cavaillon. Then move to Saint-Rémy or Arles for Les Baux, Glanum, the arena and Van Gogh. In late June and early July drive out to the Valensole plateau for the lavender and a sunset behind Mont Ventoux. Check the forest-fire map every evening in summer before you plan a walk.
New Zealand · region
Queenstown
Base in central Queenstown for the lake, gondola and nightlife, add a day or overnight to Glenorchy and Arrowtown for the gold-rush and mountain scenery, and give a full day to Milford Sound even though it is a long drive.
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The author
Netzah Topaz
V-TIMES is researched and written by Netzah Topaz. Every trip is planned like a real one: the right neighborhood, the hotel that actually fits, the meal worth the detour. Every guide says clearly whether it comes from a visit or from research. We never invent a stay.
How we work
Planned from primary sources, dated, and honest
We plan every trip the way we plan our own: from official sources, with dated prices, a hotel's weaknesses next to its strengths, and a clear label on every guide saying whether we visited or researched it. Credibility is the point.
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We create multilingual, evergreen guides and original photography that keep working long after a social post disappears. If you represent a hotel, resort or tourism board, we would love to talk.