The Monocle team dips its toe into the world of swimming, revealing 100 beautiful and inspiring places to take the plunge.

Swimming is excellent exercise of course, but it’s so much more than that: it can be a transcendental experience, offering us space to reflect and to escape. It’s an antidote to screens and all-encompassing technology. Perhaps it’s the shedding of inhibitions that come with a dip, or could it be that getting somewhere under our own steam is an act that’s health-giving, refreshing and life-affirming? Whatever it means to you, swimming – alone or with others, badly or brilliantly – is about being in the moment.

This new book celebrates bathing in glorious full-colour photography, revealing the editors’ chosen spots from inner-city architectural wonders to lakes, beach clubs and bagni. So whether you’re looking to do laps in Italy, tread water in Australia, sink into the icy depths in Iceland – or perhaps just sit on the side and let others do the hard work – this guide includes a setting for everyone. Dive right in.

About the Author:

Tyler Brûlé is Editorial director and chairman of Monocle. Andrew Tuck is the magazine’s Editor in Chief. Joe Pickard is Head of book publishing.

Discover Monocle’s favourite places to stay, eat, shop and visit across Spain.

Hot on the heels of Portugal: The Monocle Handbook, Monocle’s latest title turns its focus to sunny Spain in the next of its country-specific books. This practical guide will steer you from the streets of Seville to the mountains of Mallorca, introducing Monocle’s favourite places to stay, eat, shop and visit across the country.

Discover the sleekest beachside boltholes in the Costa Brava, the family-run restaurants plating up the tastiest tapas in Andalucía and the buzziest bars in Barcelona before getting your cultural fix in Valencia, Bilbao or Madrid. You’ll meet the Spaniards making waves in the fashion industry, visit the artisans turning out beautiful contemporary designs and hear from the chefs shaking up the country’s food scene. And of course you’ll find out the finest stretches of sand on which to lay down your towel.

For those looking to put down roots in Spain, the book also profiles the cities, towns and neighbourhoods worth investing in, the architects and designers to commission and even some interior design inspiration for your apartment or holiday home. So, whether you are putting together an itinerary for a sun-soaked weekend or planning to stay a little longer, Spain: The Monocle Handbook makes the perfect companion.

About the Authors:

Tyler Brûlé is Editorial director and chairman of Monocle. Andrew Tuck is the magazine’s editor-in-chief. Joe Pickard is Head of book publishing.

From the team at Monocle, the first in a new series of practical travel guides

Following in the footsteps of the hugely successful Monocle Book of Italy and The Monocle Book of the Nordics, Monocle’s latest title turns its focus to Portugal in an exciting new series of country-specific books.

A handbook in feel and tone, this practical guide will transport you to the sun-dappled hills of Lisbon and the winding streets of Porto as well as lesser-known locales from the Alentejo region, with its plentiful vineyards, to the dramatic landscapes of the Azores. Plus, discover Monocle’s favourite places to stay, eat and shop – stop off at an elegant palácio, indulge in a family-run tasca and scour the streets for the creamiest pastéis de nata – and the cross-country trips we’d make (whether by car, boat or horse). You’ll also be introduced to the country’s rich culture, including the history of Portugal’s vibrant visual identity and the folks at the heart of it all. So join in, hit the tiles and explore this fascinating country in Portugal: The Monocle Handbook.

About the Authors:

Tyler Brûlé is Editorial director and chairman of Monocle. Andrew Tuck is the magazine’s editor-in-chief. Joe Pickard is Head of book publishing.

Monocle heads north in this exploration of Nordic design, business, food and fashion

The Nordic region has long fostered a distinct set of values that have helped its nations excel in quiet diplomacy, thoughtful design and reasoned debate and Monocle’s editors have returned time and again for inspiration on how to live better. This book looks beyond the clichés and uncovers the folks, firms and stories that help the region rank highly in everything from art and architecture to eating well. Join us as we meet the retailers reaching higher in Reykjavík and experience Helsinki’s hottest hospitality. We will introduce you to Norway’s most notable designers and the Danish dishes not to be missed. We may even swing past a Swedish crayfish party and strip off at a sauna or two.

The world can learn a lot from our knowing northern neighbours – and The Monocle Book of the Nordics is the ideal place to start.

About the Author:

Tyler Brûlé is the editor-in-chief of Monocle. Andrew Tuck is the magazine’s editor. Joe Pickard is its books editor.

During a time of unprecedented change in the way we work, the editors of Monocle are here to help us envision, create and make a success of new businesses or reboot an existing one.

As we face a world that is undergoing unparalleled change, no area is more dynamic than business. To help us understand, navigate and succeed in this new world, the team at Monocle brings together its unique knowledge of culture, politics, economics, and business.

Featuring stories of people running enterprises on every scale, the inspirational tales in this book provide readers with insights into the challenges and joys of creativity and entrepreneurship. These unmatched case studies reveal, among many success stories, how leaders choose branding, hire teams and design workspaces for today’s needs.

Whether you are planning to make a life change, start a new business, or reinvigorate an existing one, The Monocle Book of Entrepreneurs is a resource for anyone who wants to make a difference in their work and life.

About the Authors:

Tyler Brûlé is the editor-in-chief of Monocle. Andrew Tuck is the magazine’s editor. Joe Pickard is its books editor.

Discover the perfect balance between the inspirational and the practical in this global survey of good homes

Good homes are places where lives can unfold, families grow up, dogs jump on sofas, friends share your hospitality. They should also be places where you can find some solitude – a quiet corner to read a book, have a Saturday afternoon nap. In short, they need to be able to sustain you, inspire you and tell your story thanks to their architecture, use of materials and contents.

These are the attributes that Monocle has always celebrated when covering residences in its design and architecture pages – whether featuring a city bolthole, a modernist seaside residence or a summer outpost in a forest. Now Monocle is bringing this all together in one book that explores individual homes, housing projects old and new, communities of self-builders, even whole neighbourhoods where a simple philosophy of building well has created quality of life for many. Monocle has also recruited key thinkers, writers and designers to share their perspectives in a series of fascinating essays.

The Monocle Book of Homes is packed with great photography that delivers the bigger picture and also offers a focus on the smallest details. This is a book that could change how you live.

About the Author:

Tyler Brûlé is the Editor-in-chief of Monocle. Andrew Tuck is the magazine's Editor, Nolan Giles is its Design Editor and Joe Pickard, its Books Editor.

The Monocle team celebrates the endlessly fascinating and culturally rich country of Italy

Italy feels comfortingly familiar for many. The very name conjures images of ruby red tomatoes, zippy Vespas and classical statues – yet beyond the clichés lies a complexity and variety that’s perpetually surprising. This is a place where laid-back living meets industrious craft, where well-heeled patrons tuck into simple dishes at rustic trattorie and where family, community and passion are the threads that lace it all together. For well over a decade Monocle has roamed the length of the boot – from the craggy peaks of the Dolomites to the azure waters of Sicily – and this is the result of their dedicated reporting. Join them as they throw down their towels at the best bagni, sit front row at dazzling runway shows, call in at vineyards, gelato spots and furniture fairs and maybe even hit a disco or two. Be prepared to see Italy through a whole new lens.

About the Author:

Tyler Brûlé is the Editor-in-chief of Monocle. Andrew Tuck is the magazine's Editor, Chiara Rimella is its Culture Editor and Joe Pickard, its Books Editor.

A handbook for the new decade: a book that helps you think about how to slow down, reconnect and live a gentler life.

Monocle has always been a champion of taking it slow. It has encouraged readers to dive into a lake and go for a run. To sleep well. To eat food whose makers are proud of its provenance. In a shouty, jabbing-finger moment in history, it has done its bit to argue for a new modern etiquette to be generous with our time, hospitality and forgiveness. Now its editors and correspondents have brought all of this together in The Monocle Manifesto for a Gentler Life, a book that urges us all to slow down, reconnect, make good things and see nice places. And it also knows when to wear a cheeky smile. Chapters include:

• An illustrated guide to being nice, respecting your neighbour and controlling your social media rants.

• Profiles of the happiest nations – and the least lonely too.

• How to build a house that’s good for you and your family.

• Essays from leading thinkers and great writers on what we can gain if we shift gear.

• The businesses charting a better course – from management to pride in production.

• Food – a celebration of the locally made, the chefs that bring people together and a recipe or two.

• The objects to own that will give pleasure for years.

• The people who changed direction, slowed down and made it work.

• The compact cities where you can run a company, be inspired, have a good social life – and be hiking in a forest at 5pm.

About the Authors:

Tyler Brûlé is the Editor-in-chief of Monocle. Andrew Tuck is the magazine's Editor, Josh Fehnert is its Executive Editor, and Joe Pickard, its Books Editor.

The Monocle team celebrates the endlessly fascinating and culturally rich country of Japan.

Ever since it launched in 2007, Monocle has had a rich and deep connection with Japan. From day one the magazine has had a Tokyo bureau – which today also encompasses a Monocle shop and radio studios – run under the watchful eye of Asia bureau chief Fiona Wilson.

Over the past decade, the magazine has built up a unique understanding and passion for the nation. It has covered everything from a live journey on the Emperor’s jet and the tastiest places to eat in Kagoshima to the fashion designers crafting new levels of excellence and the businesses with remarkable stories untold outside Japan. This new book reveals the best of the nation in the run up to the 2020 Olympics. Complete with stunning photography and intriguing essays, it is a unique showcase of a country that for many remains a mystery.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction (illustrated) • 2. Essays • 3. The Nation (main photo section) • 4. Business & Brands • 5. Culture & Sport • 6. Portraits of the People (profiles) • 7. Architecture, Design & Fashion • 8. Retail • 9. Mobility/Transport • 10. Hospitality, Food & Drink •11. Know your cities (expos on main cities)

About the Author:

Monocle is a global affairs and lifestyle magazine, 24-hour radio station, website, retailer and media brand, all produced by Winkontent Ltd. It was founded by Tyler Brûlé, a Financial Times columnist, and founder of Wallpaper* magazine. Described by CBC News reporter Harry Forestell as a ‘meeting between Foreign Policy and Vanity Fair’, the magazine aims to provide a global perspective on international affairs, business, culture, design and fashion. The magazine is edited by Andrew Tuck.

Whichever city you choose – though we recommend all three, of course – you’ll be charmed like a snake on Jemaa El Fna in no time. And to help you sift through the noise, here’s our rundown of the best that Morocco has to offer. Marhaba!

Morocco may be a short hop, skip and a jump across the Med from Europe but it feels like another world. Salesmen flaunting their wares in the souks, robed figures rushing to prayer and ancient palaces decked with dazzling tiles – it’s easy to fall under its spell.

Marrakech, on the cusp of both desert and mountain, offers old-world glamour and an enthralling sense of adventure. Casablanca, lapped by the Atlantic, is a thoroughly modern metropolis with a special affinity for art deco. And at the northernmost tip of the country is the eccentric cliffside city of Tangier, where many a writer and artist have pitched up and sought inspiration over the years.

Authors: 

The magazine Monocle covers the world with its network of bureaus in New York, Toronto, Zurich, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Tokyo, and Singapore. It also employs more than 30 dedicated correspondents — in cities from Bangkok to Bogotá, São Paolo to Stockholm — as well as a team of on-the-road reporters based out of its headquarters in London. This team’s deep understanding of cities and all they have to offer has now been compiled in The Monocle Travel Guide Series.

A sumptuous serving of Madrid’s outposts of good food, design, retail, and more, this definitive travel guide will make you feel like a local no matter where you are from.

Madrid is a changed city. The recent metamorphosis has been fuelled by the economic crisis and led by a new generation of determined Madrileños who have transformed the Spanish capital for the better. Tradition and modernity thrive side by side: marvel at the centuries-old masterpieces inside the Prado one moment and enjoy sumptuous morsels cooked up by a new wave of intrepid chefs the next. 

After sating your appetite, be sure to save enough energy for nocturnal frolics in the endless mix of bars, theatres, and clubs. In fact, the native penchant for a good time is such an irrefutable character trait that Monocle challenges you not to be affected by the contagiously cheerful spirit you’ll encounter. The city has thrown off the shackles of immovable tradition; what was once a buttoned-down bastion of conservatism has become Spain’s unabashed center of the avant-garde. Enjoy a melting pot of talent, taste, and tenacity — all courtesy of fun-loving and welcoming residents.

Authors: 

Monocle reports from around the globe in print, on radio, and online. As its editors and correspondents dart from city to city, they get to know the best places to rest their heads, stretch their limbs, and kick back with a contact in a hard-to-find cocktail bar. 

That information is now available in Monocle’s Travel Guide Series: a line-up of titles that speaks to you in an informed but informal way about everything from architecture to art, late-night bars to early-morning markets. These are books that go beyond the traditional tourist beats to make sure you get the best out of a city — no matter how short your stay. Designed to be compact and collectable, they are also discerning; Monocle’s team won’t list a hundred places to eat but they will tell you where’s best for everything from some tasty fast food to something truly celebratory. Cities are fun. Let’s explore.

Get to know the most atmospheric open-air cinemas and drawn up walks around Athen's neighborhoods – one a leafy suburb, another by the sea.

Think of Athens and the first things that spring to mind are ancient ruins and camera-toting crowds (before they hotfoot it to the island-bound ferries at the port of Piraeus, that is). It’s true, the Acropolis is ever-present and during summer the city thrums with schools of holidaymakers. But there’s much more to the Greek capital than temples and tourists.

We’ve looked beyond the admittedly awe-inspiring Parthenon and explored the city’s modernist marvels, from circular school to colonnaded embassy. We’ve combed the cobbled streets for independent boutiques offering straw hats, hand-thrown ceramics and golden jewellery – all proudly “Made in Greece”. When you’re feeling peckish, choose between traditional family-run tavernas and contemporary restaurants spicing up classic Greek dishes.

Attica is a region of riches and, of course, some of the nearby islands are simply too good to miss – so we’ve included a short and sharp list of our top stopovers. For now, though, strap up your sandals and allow us to introduce you to this chaotic but ever-so-charismatic city.

Authors: 

Monocle reports from around the globe in print, on radio, and online. As its editors and correspondents dart from city to city, they get to know the best places to rest their heads, stretch their limbs, and kick back with a contact in a hard-to-find cocktail bar. 

That information is now available in Monocle’s Travel Guide Series: a line-up of titles that speaks to you in an informed but informal way about everything from architecture to art, late-night bars to early-morning markets. These are books that go beyond the traditional tourist beats to make sure you get the best out of a city — no matter how short your stay. Designed to be compact and collectable, they are also discerning; Monocle’s team won’t list a hundred places to eat but they will tell you where’s best for everything from some tasty fast food to something truly celebratory. Cities are fun. Let’s explore.

Vienna has long been a city that bridges Eastern and Western Europe with panache. Pack your suitcase and delve into the melting pot of Europe.

There's much more to Austria’s capital than Baroque palaces, horse-drawn carriages and the landmark venues where Mozart and Klimt first showcased their masterpieces. This guide will steer you away from the crowded Prater and its ferris wheel (although naturally we'll make a quick detour past the Vienna State Opera and Schönbrunn Palace) and out to explore the city's 23 diverse districts. 

We'll show you where to shop for shoes and silverware from the most venerable manufacturers and our pick of the coffeehouses for a frothy melange and slice of apfelstrudel. We'll take you to the most vibrant art galleries and toe-tapping music venues, guide you through the Museumsquartier and to our favourite brutalist buildings and also reveal the best running routes along the Danube.

Authors:

Monocle reports from around the globe from the platforms of print, radio, and online. As their editors and correspondents dart from city to city, they get to know the best places to rest their heads, stretch their limbs, and kick back with a contact in a hard-to-find cocktail bar.

All of that invaluable information is now available in The Monocle Travel Guide Series: a line-up of titles that speaks to readers in an informed but informal way about everything from architecture to art, late-night bars to early-morning café excursions. These are books that go beyond the traditional tourist beats to make sure you get the most out of a city no matter how short your stay. Designed to be compact and collectable, they are also discerning. Between the covers, there shall not be a list of a hundred places to eat, but a thoughtful focus on what's best for any occasion.

Trattorias and tailors. Museums and masterpieces. Aperitivo and lush aesthetics. The Eternal City leaves nothing to be desired.

Energetic and sprawling, brimming with culture and piled high with layers of history: Rome is a beguiling, vivacious ever-changing creature. Good guidance is essential: it’s easy to be waylaid by the big-ticket sites, myriad trattorias and cobblestoned shopping streets. Then again, who doesn’t enjoy being distracted by a scenic spot to perch for aperitivo? 

We’ve pushed past the charm of gingham tablecloths and raffia-covered wine bottles to find the innovative chefs making their mark on the food scene and the best spots for an authentic plate of cacio e pepe. The finest shops are handpicked here too, from centuries-old tailors to up-and-coming designers, and we’ll lead you through the bamboozling array of galleries, museums and architecture – even going underground at times – to reveal lesser-known gems. And then there are the colourful neighbourhoods that lie off the well-beaten path, the best rooftop venues for a late-night boogie and the places to head for an early-morning run to work off all that pasta. 

No matter how well you think you know the Eternal City, this guide will give you a fresh perspective. After all, it has reimagined and reinvented itself for millennia so there’s always something new to discover. 

The magazine Monocle covers the world with its network of bureaus in New York, Toronto, Zurich, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Tokyo, and Singapore. It also employs more than 30 dedicated correspondents — in cities from Bangkok to Bogotá, São Paolo to Stockholm — as well as a team of on-the-road reporters based out of its headquarters in London. This team’s deep understanding of cities and all they have to offer has now been compiled in The Monocle Travel Guide Series.

There’s the food, the culture, the architecture, the art — Notre Dame and Montmartre and the Louvre — and then there’s the side of Paris you’ve never seen, until now.

Paris: the city of love, the city of light — the city everyone thinks they know from movies and books. But there’s more to this vigorous new-old metropolis than Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. Along its winding streets and hidden in picturesque views along the Seine, there’s so much more to do and discover, to taste and see, than what you imagine. 

The Monocle team is your guide as you explore the nouvelle cuisine in the city’s up and coming restaurants that are revitalizing classic dining. Step off the beaten path and into galleries showcasing works that will inspire future art world trends. Escape the crowds and the tourists in laid-back local bars and classy clubs. And then bundle up in designer goods from the best unknown boutiques as you stroll through history and romance. Paris is a wonderland. This is your ticket.

Authors:

Monocle reports from around the globe in print, on radio, and online. As its editors and correspondents dart from city to city, they get to know the best places to rest their heads, stretch their limbs, and kick back with a contact in a hard-to-find cocktail bar. 

That information is now available in Monocle’s Travel Guide Series: a line-up of titles that speaks to you in an informed but informal way about everything from architecture to art, late-night bars to early-morning markets. 
These are books that go beyond the traditional tourist beats to make sure you get the best out of a city — no matter how short your stay. Designed to be compact and collectable, they are also discerning; Monocle’s team won’t list a hundred places to eat but they will tell you where’s best for everything from some tasty fast food to something truly celebratory. Cities are fun. Let’s explore.