This week brings a raft of destinations that probably don’t appear on your “to go to” list:  The cities of  Leipzig and Riga, Mongolia, Idaho, Boipeba island in Brazil and Campeche in Mexico…It’s definitely the time to seek out less obvious locations.  Also this week, if you want to enjoy Autumn is all it’s colourful glory, we’ve got the best of fall in the US and the UK.  And for the foodies, Theo Randall reports from Italy and we reveal Berlin’s secret restaurants.  This week’s categories are City, Escape, Outdoor/Adventure, Food and Autumn.

CITY

• “We’ve seen it happen in the Meatpacking district of Manhattan, and Smithfield’s in London; now those groovy butchers have done it again,” says the Guardian’s Michael Booth reporting on Copenhagen’s meat-processing quarter, Kødbyen – which literally means “Meat City”. This is Copenhagen’s new cool neighbourhood, “the hottest nightlife destination in town right now.”
• Adrian Bridge continues his journey from the Baltic to the Black Sea for the Telegraph, stopping this week in the city of Liepzig, a city of great historical significance: a key player in the Reformation, home to three of the world’s greatest composers, and driving force behind the East German Revolution. Welcome to Leipzig: Coming up for air in the City of Heroes.
• Edward Hollis finds Venice, Luxor, New York and Paris – all in one place. “This is Las Vegas,” says Hollis in the Independent, “and – perhaps controversially – I think it’s an architectural jewel.” Las Vegas: Even better than the real thing?
• “Like so much of Latvia, Riga was dusty and overcrowded under communism,” says Adrian Mourby in the Independent. But You can’t keep a great city down, so Mourby gives us an insight to the city’s rebirth.
• “Parents: have you ever considered that, one day, you might just have to bite the bullet and take your offspring to Disneyland?” asks Erica Wagner in The Times. “Well, fear no more. Go to Vienna instead, where you can have the best amusement park in the world – and your fill of Holbeins, too.” This is Vienna, Austria’s cultural playground.
• “Once considered a quieter-than-the-grave tax haven for ostentatiously wealthy expatriates, there’s a flipside to Monaco,” says Lanie Goodman in the Guardian. In Monte Carlo: Don’t break the bank, she reveals its thriving arts scene and reasonably priced restaurants and bars all of which mean that Monte Carlo “is slowly morphing into a hip, and even affordable destination, attractive to a younger crowd.”

ESCAPE

• The Brazilian island hideaway of Boipeba has no cars, no roads and not much to do. But, as Andrew Purvis of the Guardian explains, with beautiful beaches, seafood and a hammock, Boipeba is the perfect relaxation destination.
• “Campeche city itself is one of the most beguiling places in Latin America,” says Sophie Cook of Campeche, the spirit of Mexico in the Guardian. Cook reveals the rich cultural inheritance of this area.
• “It might not be as conventionally pretty as its neighbours, but the south coast has its own rugged beauty and plenty to recommend it that still seem to be something of an inside secret,” says Lisa Allardice in the Guardian. This is Sicily’s secret south.
• David Orkin gives us the Traveller’s Guide To: Western Australia – a region of vineyards and a stunning coastline, and Perth – the most isolated big city in the world.

OUTDOOR / ADVENTURE

• “I have been to all sorts of remote places over the years but nowhere has prompted as much reaction as my most recent destination,” writes Anna Murphy in the Telegraph on her recent trip to Mongolia. Alongside “stunningly beautiful and fascinating wilderness,” Murphy discovers “a surprising sense of belonging.” Mongolia: Where nothingness really matters
• Peter Hutchison gets On The Road: Driving through glorious mud in the Osa Peninsula for the Independent, in “one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth.”
• In the FT, George Pendle heads to the often overlooked Hudson Valley. “Four hundred years ago, the English navigator Henry Hudson sailed past the island of Manna-hata and up the broad, fast-flowing river to its west. Even now, a trip in Henry Hudson’s wake remains one of the great American voyages.” This is The Hudson Valley’s revival.
• Brian Viner of the Independent takes his family to Arosa, where “The Brit count is small, by contrast with nearby Klosters and St Moritz.” In Swish Swiss charm: Even buttoned-up British families should enjoy the skiing in Arosa Viner concludes that “Arosa is a perfect skiing destination for anyone who prefers the braying of donkeys to the braying of merchant bankers from Fulham.”
• Stanley Stewart of the Times gets into A husky adventure in north Norway after an anxious start. A three-day dogsledding expedition in the Arctic introduces Stewart to this landscape of “fathomless and unblemished white.”
• Jan Morris strays from Idaho’s most luxurious resort and into The wilderness of Sun Valley. “Idaho, one of the least densely populated of all the American states, is rich in paradox and surprise,” says Morris, who goes in search of mystical places such as Sawtooth Wilderness and Hell Roaring Lake.

FOOD

• “The world is awash with ad-hoc supper clubs, ephemeral pop-ups and “underground” restaurants,” says Robert Ryan in the Times, and Berlin has more than most cities due to its history of clubs that went underground after being banned by the Nazis. Ryan opens the door to Berlin’s new secret restaurant scene.
• Theo Randall takes the Times travel writer Tony Turnbull to Italy for Culinary inspiration in Tuscany. Forget olive groves and olive presses, this is a journey to the remote northern Tuscany to discover mushroom foragers, pecorino cheese-makers, chestnut growers and butchers – artisan producers that follow methods unchanged for generations.
• In the Guardian, ITV News’ Europe correspondent Robert Moore reports on Brussels, “where there is no such thing as a bad meal and thousands – literally – of types of beer to try.” From our correspondent: Brussels highlights the best of Belgium’s capital.
• Stephanie Hills describes Normandy’s Cider Route for the Guardian, “where creperies serve cider in teacups; hotels half-hidden in high oak copses beside waving cornfields; and everywhere apple orchards, perfect for picnics and sampling a drop or two of distilled nectar.”

AUTUMN

• “Every fall, visitors on the foliage trail swarm strongholds like the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Appalachians of North Carolina to witness the multicolored splendor of a seasonal ritual older than history,” says Austin Considine in the New York Times. But, with Considine’s guide to “hidden stashes of stunning fall colors,” you will be Finding Autumn Gold in Unexpected Places.
• For the New York Times “Fall in Europe” section, Charly Wilder tours the European Destinations of Excellence (or EDEN). “So far, 52 places have been named, from forgotten fishing villages to lush hidden wine trails to medieval hilltop towns.” In Europe, Nurturing a New Kind of Eden – Wilder gives us a glimpse into some of these forgotten treasures.
• The Times reveals The UK’s 30 best places for autumn colour – so if you’re searching for the perfect place to enjoy the vibrancy of the changing season, this is a good start.

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