One of Europe’s most raucous festivals is tucked between rolling Serbian hills, a three-hour drive from Belgrade. For one week each August the quiet village of Guca becomes a mass of maniacal dancing, heavy drinking and enough brass to plate an empire as bands battle to win the coveted Golden Trumpet Award.
The town swells from 2,000 inhabitants to a whopping half-million as Serbs, Eastern Europeans and a smattering of international travellers converge to hear horn at its best. Said to warm the soul of the population, the trumpet heralds every important occasion, and festival goers celebrate their affection for the instrument with gusto.
Official competitors perform on stage from Friday through to Sunday, while gypsy orchestras and travelling bands jam in surrounding streets and restaurants, tooting Balkan tunes in exchange for cash licked and pasted to their sweaty foreheads.
Days begin with sticky shots of rakia (plum brandy) followed by gallons of local beer. Competitors’ tunes are rehearsed to perfection, but a din of vevuzelas sounds over the trumpets mingling with the chants of patriotism in the hot summer air.
Vegetarians beware – hundreds of pigs crisp on spits until they’re ready to be devoured with a mound of cabbage and litres of beer. Temporary stalls share slices of Serbian life, with weavers, tailors and cobblers hawking their wares as brewers pour homemade liquor with a generous hand. First held in 1961 with just a scraping of musicians, the festival survived decades of political turmoil and the trumpeters of Dragacevo continue to bust out brass like you’ve never heard before.
On the Canary Islands coastline, you can trial the remote and romantic life of a lighthouse keeper for yourself. At more than 150 years old, Faro Punta Cumplida is Spain’s oldest lighthouse and, while still guiding ships away from rocky shores, it can also be your private abode on La Palma.
There are three luxurious suites (two of them house two guests; the other is large enough for four), all a little different, but each enjoying the sorts of views you’d expect when perched on a rocky headland. There’s a kitchen onsite, should you want to prepare your own meals, although a basket of local breakfast goodies is supplied to get you off to a good start.
What to do during your stay? Swim laps in the tranquil infinity pool, a stark contrast to the pounding Atlantic Ocean below. Top the view in your room by conquering the 158 steps up to the 34-metre-high terrace rewarding yourself at the top with a tipple from the Sky High Mini Bar. Otherwise, flip through the Lighthouse Secrets guidebook for some other island suggestions.
From every corner of this property you’ll feel the power of the ocean and be lulled by the sound of the seas battering the surrounding cliffs.
Be overwhelmed in the best possible way when you venture into quaint and cosy Ølhallen. The oldest pub in this surprisingly lively Arctic city, Ølhallen offers 67 rotating Norwegian beers on tap – said to be the widest draught selection in all of Europe. What’s more, around 15 of these are prepared right next door in the Mack microbrewery, which, until not long ago, held the mantle of the northernmost beermaker in the world.
Brewed to a rock soundtrack (it’s said to get the yeast ‘moving’), some of the beverages feature rock star names, from the American light lager Lemmy (in honour of the Motorhead frontman) to the Sweet Porter of Mine (dedicated to the Guns N’ Roses classic). Play it safe by ordering the five-beer flight, or be bold and head straight to the bar for a mug of Dead Cat IPA.
With its whitewashed walls set behind a grove of ancient olive trees, this rustic guesthouse is the ideal antidote to twenty-first century hustle. Drawing inspiration from traditional masserie (farmhouses), it features a well and an organic farm, but the lifestyle here is anything but hard yakka. Six suites are furnished with king-size beds placed on stone floors, and vaulted ceilings and thick walls keep the space naturally cool.
It’s hard to resist the Adriatic glimmering on the horizon and the ivory old town of Ostuni cascading down a hill just three kilometres away. But when the sun beating down on Puglia’s countryside gets a bit much, there’s shade from orange trees in the garden and the cool embrace of the pool.
In the age of social media maintaining anonymity can prove tough. Go incognito at Anonymous, a cocktail bar down an alley in Prague’s Old Town. The brothers who opened the bar based it on a trilogy of familiar symbols of anarchy: Guy Fawkes, V for Vendetta and the hacktivist group, Anonymous. These inspirations are encapsulated in every aspect of the decor.
Once you’ve tracked down the boozy take on V’s hideout, order a cocktail from a mixologist sporting a Guy Fawkes mask and set to work figuring out how to unlock the secret drinks list. Consuming several brews is enough to wipe your memory, though that Instagram pic you posted will provide some proof the evening took place.
Bulgaria is a destination that’s been somewhat overlooked thanks to the reputation of boozy Brits abroad, but Sea Sense seeks to repair some of the damage done. Sitting pretty at the southern end of the country along the fringes of the Black Sea, this boutique hotel features just 12 rooms and oozes all the exclusivity that comes with an island retreat.
Each suite boasts a balcony and sea views, and is adorned with rustic furnishings made from natural materials. By day plunge into the infinity pool overlooking the azure waters and golden sands, and by dusk wander the cobbled streets lined with wooden houses throughout this ancient seaside town, once ruled by the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.
In the depths of Helsinki, you can meet Jackie, a real Finish beauty. She has a moody aesthetic with steely forest-green walls, marble tabletops and 60s-inspired timber furniture, accompanied by a single tan leather sofa that runs the length of one wall. Her gold-trimmed bar will lead you to her finest poisons, but what you’ll love most about Jackie is her ability to transport you back to the eras of 60s Italian lounge and 70s French cosmic disco.
That’s the true inspiration of Jackie’s sublime design and soul. Jackie offers a variety of wines, accompanied by a selection of pizzas created by Antto Melasniemi, a food visionary who blends his interests of design, music and art and weaves them into culinary masterpieces. And if you were wondering why Jackie…it’s named after 60s pop icon Scott Morgan’s 1967 song.
Plump for a two-headed beast of a night with a visit to the Jane in Copenhagen’s oldest neighbourhood, Indre By. As dusk falls, curl up with friends on Chesterfield sofas in a fireplace-filled corner lined with leather-bound tomes and lit by candlelight. The bar’s wood panelling, leather upholstery, moody tones and vintage-style artwork lend a Mad Men feel – and that is exactly the intention. But when the clock strikes midnight and the expertly crafted negronis are coursing through your veins, compelling you to move, there’s another world to infiltrate.
Creep behind the sliding bookshelf to shimmy up beside the DJ on the dance floor, where it’s modern warehouse rave vibes all the way. Whether you want to chink glasses over quiet D&Ms or boogie while a giant mural of a horned Patrick Swayze stares you down, there’s a space for everyone at the Jane.
No need to scale Everest for a dose of Himalayan hospitality – there’s a Nepalese hill station plonked in the heart of Broadway Market. Tooting’s tiniest tavern pays homage to intrepid trekkers, with a range of cocktails guaranteed to elevate your spirits without inducing vertigo. Reach new heights with Hillary’s Hibiscus (rum shaken with hibiscus syrup and fresh lemon juice, topped with prosecco), or sample some Yak’s Milk (Yunnan tea, whiskey, tamarind paste, egg white, lemon juice and, thankfully, no actual yak’s milk).
Worked up an appetite? Dial the chef directly on the retro Bakelite phone for a flat iron steak burger or mountain cheese platter. If your pockets are almost clean, partake in the Abominable Happy Hour (6 to 7pm) for buy one, get one free cocktail.
Take a step back in time at Berlin’s Paris Bar. Beneath its glowing neon sign, artworks by German artist Martin Kippenberger adorn almost every surface of the bar’s interior, which was once the haunt of many A-list artists, actors and rock stars, including Madonna, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro and Yoko Ono.
Paris Bar is also the place of the infamous 1979 Rolling Stone interview with an inebriated David Bowie and Iggy Pop, and where Iggy drunkenly rolled around in the snow outside. It serves classical French cuisine and while a visit here is accompanied by a somewhat hefty price tag, it’s still worth sitting with the locals among the bar’s rich old-world glamour, admiring the art that decorates the walls and, if you’re lucky, rubbing shoulders with a celebrity.
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