Your questions: How should I spend a six-hour layover in Tokyo?

Do you have any suggestions for a six-hour layover at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport?
D. Wetherall, Avalon VIC

If you are arriving in the daytime, there are a couple of possibilities. One is to take the 15-minute ride on the monorail to Hamamatsucho where you can get a view of Tokyo Tower, the city’s red and white “Eiffel Tower” built in 1958, and explore the surrounding area. A short walk from the station, and close to the tower, Zojo-ji Temple is the head temple of the Jodo sect of Japanese Buddhism in the Kanto Region, established 600 years ago.

Get a view of Tokyo’s answer to the Eiffel Tower.Credit: Alamy

Close to the temple, Shiba Park is a large green area, perfect for stretching legs after a long flight. You should plan to catch the monorail back to Haneda two hours before your flight time. However, if you arrive in the evening, or if your incoming flight arrives late, you might prefer to stay in the airport and use a lounge to freshen up. The ANA lounge gets good reviews, and you can pay to enter if you are not otherwise eligible. Book through the ANA website for discount entry.

I’m heading to London in May for a five-day stay and I know I’m going to have to pay upwards of £7 for my daily fix but preferably for a decent brew. Any suggestions for coffee outlets or cafes in the Paddington area?
J. Bartlett, Hawthorn, Vic

Gail’s Bakery in Paddington – top spot for a morning shot.Credit: Alamy

Nothing spoils a holiday quite like a morning coffee fail, but a decent brew is achievable even in London. According to my sources, GAIL’S Bakery is a chain with reliable coffee, and there are outlets throughout London including a couple around the Paddington area. Their pastries are held in high regard. They also tell me £7 ($14.30) is a bit on the high side – you might pay that in Notting Hill or South Kensington; in Paddington £5-£6 ($10.20-$12.30) is more normal.

My wife and I are planning an eight-week holiday across several countries in Europe using a combination of trains and buses. Is there a reliable courier/delivery service that we could use to transport one or more of our larger bags between some of the key locations, leaving us free to travel with lighter items?
G. James, Ashburton, Vic

There are several companies in Europe that specialise in door-to-door baggage transfer. Send My Bag is an international luggage transfer service with online tracking. My Baggage is another door-to-door baggage service popular with holidaymakers. They use major courier services including DHL and FedEx. Naples-based BagExpress ships bulky luggage up to 40 kilograms while Northern Ireland’s Send My Bag is yet another option. All these operations offer online quotes, and most require you to print a baggage label with the forwarding address and tape it to your suitcases – you might find it more convenient to do this before leaving home, since printing labels at your hotel can be difficult and time-consuming.

My husband and I are spending three weeks in Scotland in June/July. We want to base ourselves in one place, preferably on a train line, where we can go for walks, run and simply relax with a book in a cosy room or pub. We are open to hiring a car, but not for the entire period. Can you recommend a good base?
T. Jakimow, Cremorne NSW

Dunkeld might fit. Located to the north of Edinburgh on the Highland Main Line with easy train connections to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness, it’s a charming village with lots of trails for hiking and running through Tay Forest Park and along the River Tay. One feature of Dunkeld is its brightly coloured “little houses” built in the early 1700s and now in the care of the National Trust For Scotland. The town has an important place in Scottish history as the site where the Jacobites fought a significant battle in the grounds of Dunkeld Cathedral which led eventually to their demise.

The Dunkeld Whisky Box is an independent whisky and craft beer shop which does tastings. There are several cosy pubs with accommodation. The Taybank, on the bank of the river, is a standout, and it has regular live music sessions, from bluegrass to Scottish traditional. The Tay is a noted salmon river, and trout fishing in the surrounding lochs is a local specialty. Dunkeld is also known as the home of a celebrated bookshop, The Birnam Reader, which doubles as a cafe. If you have a hire car, Pitlochry, Loch Tay and the Cairngorms, the largest national park in the UK, are all within reach.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances