May: Tall ships on the Solent; oysters in Sweden

Where to go, what to do in 2011

The destination

Chefs from across Scandinavia compete for the Nordic Oyster Opening Championship, in Grebbestad, west Sweden (1 May).

If you fancy a go at speed-shucking you're in luck – west Sweden is linked by new flights: easyJet from London Gatwick and Manchester to Gothenburg; British Airways from Heathrow; and Ryanair from Edinburgh to Gothenburg City Airport. westsweden.com

The route

A new luxury train journey, operated by the Danube Express (danube-express.com), opens this month, running from the Bosphorus to the Baltic. The nine-day tour takes in Istanbul, Bulgaria, Transylvania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. Fares from £5,390.

The accommodation

The 100-villa Six Senses Laamu (sixsenses.com/SixSensesLaamu) launches on the private Laamu Atoll in the Maldives. Rooms from $590 (£383). In Greece, the 79-room New Hotel (yeshotels.gr) opens in May bringing contemporary design to Athens' Syntagma Square. Rooms from £180.

The cultural attraction

On 17 May, MAS (mas.be) opens at last. Not just a hot new city museum, MAS is part of Antwerp's attempt to remind the world it was once Europe's biggest port.

The family holiday

Families Worldwide (familiesworldwide.co.uk) is offering a new Active Slovakia trip on selected dates starting this month and taking in the lesser-known areas of the country. From £599 per adult, £539 per child.

The adventure

For this month only, there's an opportunity to join Tall Ships Adventures (tallships.org) and crew on board a 62ft catamaran for a weekend of sailing in The Solent. Prices for a double berth for two nights start at £399 per person.

The winter sports

2010 Winter Olympic hosts Whistler (whistlerblackcomb.com) in Canada get a little more down to earth with the Crud 2 Mud Ski/Bike Race. Competitors ski or snowboard from the top of Whistler Mountain to the bottom of the snow line, where bikes lie waiting for stage two, the cycle race down to resort.

All prices are per person, based on two sharing, unless otherwise stated. Hotel room prices are per room per night, unless otherwise stated