My Christmas pilgrimage to Mark Rothko’s Latvia

I took the scenic route to Daugavpils, birthplace of the abstract artist – a world of breathtaking colour, kindness and cold

‘Majestic brightness’: Warsaw’s Museum of Modern Art finds a new permanent home

After decades of nomadic existence, the Polish capital’s art temple is open for permanent business in an inspirational, light-filled new building

Really going Dutch: why I chose The Hague and Delft over Amsterdam

Canals, architecture, art, an enviable cycling culture … There are lots of reasons to take a city break in the Netherlands, without needing to set foot in the overtouristed ‘other’ capital

Northumberland is back on track: a new railway line is opening up one of England’s wildest counties

The Northumberland line will soon return passenger services linking Newcastle to attractive coastal towns such as Blyth, giving a much-needed boost to the region

Vincent van Gogh’s Arles: visiting the pretty Provençal city that inspired his greatest masterpieces

The scenes of some of the paintings currently on show in London’s National Gallery can still be found in the southern French city

Dream ’scapes: Europe’s 10 best surrealist trips for art lovers

Celebrate the centenary of surrealism in Europe with a trip to the art movement’s key spaces and places

Austrian town gets its lederhosen in a twist over modern art

Bad Ischl is the first alpine town to be awarded European capital of culture status, bringing nudity and surreal sculptures to a rural area more in tune with classical music and mountain pursuits

In search of Monet’s wild landscapes: a glorious art adventure in central France

Rouen, Paris and London are better-known Monet destinations, but rural La Creuse’s rugged gorges, spectacular lake and medieval castle really captivated the artist

10 of Europe’s best sculpture parks and open-air galleries

From Rodin and Moore in the Netherlands to an underwater sculpture forest in Cyprus and a gallery on the Berlin Wall

Walking in the air: Snowman creator Raymond Briggs’s favourite Sussex paths

An exhibition of the great British illustrator’s life opens this month in Ditchling village, in the South Downs countryside that inspired him

Not just cheap beer and old buildings: an arty weekend in Prague

A new sleeper train from Brussels is bringing the Czech capital’s contemporary art scene within easy reach of rail travellers

Monet happy returns: Normandy celebrates 150 years of impressionism

The dramatic coastline of northern France inspired some of the country’s most famous artists. Now their work will appear in shows across the region

Baroque’s off: my mission to seek out Vienna’s modernist masterpieces

Vienna’s art nouveau movement inspired buildings – from villas to underground stations – that should receive as many plaudits as its imperial palaces

Picasso’s Barcelona: in the footsteps of the artist as a young man

Fifty years after his death, the city where Picasso spent his teenage years now offers vital insights into his life and work

‘Time caught up with his visions’: Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s New Zealand legacy

A series of unfortunate events led to muted coverage of the architect’s eye-opening gallery in regional New Zealand. But 24 years after his death, Hundertwasser’s work is more prescient than ever