We want to spend Christmas in Europe. Where is a good place?

I’m contemplating a family Christmas in the UK, Spain or France. We are five adults and wish to spend around two weeks in one base. We are not looking for the market scene or skiing but would love a village atmosphere and access to nature or the coast for a quiet, authentic experience. Are there any secluded hamlets you can suggest?
M. Hamilton, Brunswick, Vic

Gordes in Provence, France.Credit: iStock

My shortlist for France would include Sancerre in the Loire Valley, Gordes in the Vaucluse region of Provence, Beaumont-du-Perigord in the Dordogne and Montreuil-sur-Mer in the Pas de Calais. In England, Castle Combe on the southernmost edge of the Cotswolds, St Mawes in Cornwall, Mells in Somerset, Broadway in Worcestershire and Wootton in Oxfordshire. In Spain, Albarracin in Aragon, Cudillero in the north-coast region of Asturias, Frigiliana in Malaga province and Setenil de las Bodegas in the province of Cadiz.

That’s a long list but each of these three countries offers different climates, different reasons to visit and very different Christmases. You might start by considering your priorities. If a temperate climate is a must, that rules out anywhere but southern France and Spain. However, there is no Christmas like an English Christmas and that might trump the weather, and there’s also the chance of a white Christmas.

My friend and I are keen to attend Wimbledon in 2026. What is the best way to get tickets for the pair of us, in advance, so we can then book flights to the UK?
A. Watts, Haywards Bay, NSW

Expect to pay more than $600 if you want a seat at the men or women’s Wimbledon final.Credit: AP

If luck is on your side, you might be able to obtain tickets for the Wimbledon 2026 tennis comp in the Wimbledon Public Ballot for 2026. Go to the Wimbledon ticketing website and register, it’s easy and free. If you’re successful, you’ll pay a fee depending on where you’re seated and the event. At the 2025 event, the best seats on Centre Court would cost you £105 ($220) on day one, dropping to £55 ($105) on No. 2 and No. 3 courts. The cost rises progressively over the two-week event, topping out at £315 ($660) for a prime seat at the men’s and women’s finals.

You can also queue for tickets on the day. You need to arrive at the gate at 6am at the latest which should allow you to buy either a limited Show Court ticket, or a Grounds ticket. There are 500 Show Court tickets for Centre Court, except for the last four days of the comp. Grounds tickets are the all-time bargain, allowing you to sit at any unreserved seats on all courts, except for Centre Court, No. 1 Court and No. 2 Court, at a cost of £30 ($63). If you want to purchase guaranteed, first-class seats in advance, the only legal option is Debenture seats, which are sold on the open market, but the cost is enormous. In 2025, a Debenture seat for Centre Court on the first day of week two, allowing you to see at least three matches on the day, would have cost £2795 ($5830).

After visiting Pays Basque and San Sebastian in October, I’d like to go to the northern Italian wine country to visit Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. I’ll be travelling solo and I’m thinking of staying in Verona and doing day trips. Can you recommend a good way of visiting this part of Italy without a car? Do you know of a guide or wine-tour day trips? Any suggestions for accommodation?
J. Connors, Camperdown, NSW

Verona is too far from the Friuli-Venezia and Trentino-Alto Adige wine regions to make this a practical base. For Friuli-Venezia, you’d be better off staying in Udine. Here there are several tour operators that offer wine-tasting tours at local wineries and there’s no need to book in advance; you can do this at the local tourist office located in Piazza 1 Maggio, 7 (look for the building with a round arch at the southwestern corner of the piazza). Vintage usually happens in early October however this date has been brought forward in many of Italy’s winegrowing regions due to increasing summer temperatures. There are plenty more reasons to visit Udine apart from wine. Piazza della Liberta is one of the most beautiful Venetian squares outside Venice, Udine Castle offers sweeping views and the cathedral and the Palazzo Patriarcale have works by the 18th-century Venetian painter Tiepolo, who spent several years here.

The Oriana Homel Udine is a premium choice at a reasonable price, Mercatovecchio Luxury Suites is another prime option. For visiting the Alto Adige region, the best base is Bolzano, from where there are many options for day tours of local wineries and cellars. The tourist office is located on 60 Via Alto Adige (also known as Sudtiroler Strasse). Bolazno is one of my favourite cities in Italy, a lively fusion of northern Italian and Austrian culture, architecture and cuisine, set among Sound of Music alpine scenery pleated with luscious green valleys and wildflower-sprigged pastures, with tonking cow bells for sound effects. Goldenstern Townhouse would be my choice of accommodation. Vintage in these regions usually happens in early October however as mentioned above, this date has been brought forward.

My wife and I are planning a trip to the south of Italy and Sicily next year in Q3. Could you please suggest an itinerary? We love to walk and explore places ourselves and are happy to drive or use trains for travel.
D. Potter, Newtown, Vic

Start in Palermo – the Sicilian capital has good air connections with the wider world. Stay four nights, and include the city’s Capo and Vucciria markets, the classical wonders of Piazza Vigliena and the astonishing Church of St Mary of the Admiral in Piazza Bellini. Directly opposite, the Church of San Cataldo shows how the influence of Islamic culture lingered in Sicily after the Arabs were replaced by the Normans in the 12th century. Other highlights include the amazing Norman cathedral at nearby Monreale, Teatro dei Pupi – a puppet show unlike any other – and a stroll along pedestrian-friendly Via Maqueda.

At the end of your tour, pick up a car and head for Agrigento to take in the Valley of the Temples, a vast archaeological site with well-preserved Greek temples. Continue to Piazza Armerina to see the amazing mosaics in Villa Romana del Casale, possibly the richest, most extensive and varied of any remaining collection of its kind. You could fit Agrigento and the villa into the same day if you spend a night in Piazza Armerina.

Continue to Ortigia, the island connected to Syracuse, packed with baroque churches and tiny laneways with cafes and seafood restaurants. Make this your base for visits to Noto, Ragusa and Modica, all in the south-east, and to Catania, with a ride aboard the Circumetnea Railway that makes a circuit of the villages at the base of Mount Etna. Another day trip will take you to Taormina, the setting for season two of The White Lotus. From Catania you can fly to various ports in Europe.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances