From bookings to blogs, The Times Online travel experts pick the essential websites.

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www.ahedonistsguideto.com
Well-researched guides to Lisbon, Tallinn, Prague, Madrid, Marrakesh, Stockholm, Beirut, Miami, Moscow, Berlin, Istanbul and Milan.

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Not so long ago, finding what you wanted on the internet was hard, and buying online was beset with worries. Now search engines are better at finding the site that you need, and reliable, top-quality travel websites have emerged.

But the joy of the web is its sheer size and variety; there are hundreds of independent travel specialists offering something quirky, different and fascinating.

Our choice of the top 130 travel websites is based on quality of information, design, value for money and ease of use. Some of them we've chosen ourselves and some as a result of your recommendations. In the freewheeling spirit of the internet, we have aimed to make our selection new and surprising, so we have excluded many bigger sites.

Instead, our list leans towards “indie” websites run by enthusiasts, bloggers telling of their adventures, round-ups of handy tips, and any free and useful service.

They will inspire you, make it easy to book your trip — and save you lugging too many guidebooks around.

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