10 places to stay in the UK and Europe where you can travel back in time

EUROPE Robert Browning’s Florence apartment The Casa Guidi in central Florence dates from the 15th century and was divided into graceful, high-ceilinged apartments in the early 1800s. In July 1847, it was rented, initially for three months, by Elizabeth and Robert Browning – but the couple carried on living there until Elizabeth’s death in 1861. The apartment has been restored as closely as possible to the Brownings’ family home, based on a painting Robert commissioned, family letters and an inventory of their son Pen’s belongings. The furnishings include the works of art the couple collected around Europe, the original drawing room mirror and a copy of the brocade curtains described by Elizabeth.Three nights from £870, sleeps five, landmarktrust.org.uk An interwar hotel in Kraków Puro, a small Polish group of hotels, reopened its branch in Kraków’s old town in 2021 after a renovation by a local design office. The revamp was intended to capture the spirit of bygone Kraków, especially the cafes and restaurants that proliferated between the first and second world wars. The aesthetic is also inspired by two legendary midcentury hotels, Cracovia and Forum, and Kino Kijów, a cinema that is still open today. There is lots of pale oak panelling, natural stone, handmade glass and ceramics, and local art. Rooms have retro radios and Bauhaus-inspired furniture. Trams rattling past and chatter from cafes in the nearby square complete the illusion.Doubles from €95 B&B, purohotel.pl A 1970s hotel in Sweden Billengehus opened in 1970 on the top of a hill in Skövde, western Sweden. The entrepreneur Arne Sandberg and his wife Maja wanted to build a hotel that combined relaxation and exercise: as well as a swimming pool and tennis courts, it had football pitches, trails for running, cycling and cross-country skiing, and a ski slope and lift. The hotel was recently refurbished and now has a new spa; it still offers hiking, biking and skiing packages. The 70s style has been preserved (lots of brown velvet!), and some rooms have record players and disco balls for a private boogie – to Abba, of course.Doubles from £110 B&B, billingehus.com A medieval palazzo in Sicily Palazzo Previtera, in Linguaglossa on the slopes of Mount Etna, tells the story of 500 years of Sicilian history. It was built in 1649 and has been restored by descendants of the original owners. There is a 12-room museum, a library of rare books, including limited editions by Thomas Aquinas and John Milton, and a restaurant under the old arches. Four rooms and two cottages cater to overnight guests – three of the rooms are in the oldest part of the palazzo. They combine ornate painted ceilings, original floor tiles and antique furniture with designs inspired by different people and periods: the composer Vincenzo Bellini, 1930s Italian art deco, contemporary cinema. Members of the Previtera family are on hand to give guests guided tours.Doubles from about €130 room-only, palazzoprevitera.com A swinging 60s hotel in Prague The four-star Vintage Design Sax in central Prague is full of retro furniture classics by designers including Verner Panton, Luigi Colani, Eero Saarinen, and Charles and Ray Eames. It has 25 rooms (some have a view of Prague Castle) with original pieces and accessories, psychedelic wallpaper and orange, 60s-style bedding. The hotel’s central atrium is something of an art gallery, showcasing statement pendant lights, chairs and mirrors. It is part of LH Hotels, a small Czech group of seven stylish but affordable hotels.Doubles from €78 B&B, hotelsax.cz UK Georgian cottages in County Durham Step back into Georgian times with a stay at two recently opened cottages at the Beamish Museum, an open-air living history museum 10 miles south of Newcastle. Potter’s Cottage and Drover’s Rest have been created from original farm buildings near the museum’s Georgian-style pub, the Drovers Tavern. The cottages were curated by the museum’s staff and showcase period furniture and artworks from its collection – plus concealed mod cons. They feature stone floors, open fires, wooden beams, four-poster beds and free-standing baths; the gardens have views of a recreated Georgian-era area. Stays include admission to the museum to learn more about the period (usually £33pp).From £357 for two nights (two-night minimum stay), each cottage sleeps two, beamish.org.uk A Tudor house in Conwy Gwydir Castle, a fortified Tudor manor house near Llanrwst, was once owned by the Wynn family, descendants of the kings of Gwynedd. The current owners have been restoring it to its former glory for more than 20 years. Although it remains a private house, not a hotel, there are two rooms for paying guests who want to live like royalty: the King’s Room and the Duke of Beaufort’s Chamber have four-poster beds, antiques, en suites and garden views. New arrivals are greeted by peacocks parading on the lawns and welcomed with tea and shortbread. Breakfast is by a log fire in the panelled parlour and all public areas of the castle and four-hectare gardens are open to guests (entry usually £12pp).Doubles from £140 B&B, gwydircastle.co.uk A cool Britannia home in Dorset Feeling nostalgic for the 1990s? Relive the heady days of Cool Britannia at Little Nan’s holiday home in Weymouth. The four-storey, three-bedroom house is a 90s time capsule and a temple to all things kitsch and maximalist. It’s more Spice Girls than Britpop: expect a riot of bright colours, neon lights and clashing prints, with naff ornaments and cuddly toys galore. From the lifesize cutout of Peter Andre to the toilet roll doll, no detail has been overlooked. The house has sea views and is minutes from the harbour and beach. The owner also runs Little Nan’s Bar in Deptford, south-east London (both named after his late grandmother Jojo).From £521 a night sleeping up to eight or £626 a night sleeping 10, littlenans.co.uk A Victorian apartment inside a medieval Kent gem Guests can time-travel between two periods during a stay at the Mayor’s Parlour in Dover. The three-bedroom suite was designed by William Burges in the gothic revival style of the 19th century, and it is inside the Maison Dieu, Dover’s 800-year-old town hall. The mayor’s private office is now the dining room, with the original round table and padded chairs with lion-headed arms; the magistrates’ retiring room has become the kitchen; and the record-keeping rooms upstairs are the bedrooms and bathrooms. There are decorative tiles featuring parrots and butterflies, elaborate coffered ceilings, hooded chimney breasts – and even an original urinal. The Victorian property has its own access but guests can also explore the rest of the medieval Maison Dieu, which opened to the public after a £10.5m restoration in May.From £547 for two nights, sleeps six, landmarktrust.org.uk A wartime airfield turned B&B in Norfolk The Control Tower opened in 1943 to guide takeoffs and landings of second world war bombers. Today, the modernist building is a peaceful vegetarian B&B. There are three double rooms in the original signals room, boardroom and controller’s restroom, plus a separate suite with a living room and patio doors on to the garden. Each room is individually designed around statement pieces of art deco furniture, with original artworks and photographs. Guests also have use of the shared living room, which was once the meteorological office. There is no TV, but plenty of 40s-style entertainment: books, puzzles, games and strolls around the garden.Doubles from £140 B&B, controltowernorfolk.uk