Lifestyle /

Travel & Leisure

Related Topics:
Responsible travel
Asia travel
Food and Drinks
Travel news and advice
Explore Hong Kong
Until December 31, The Astor at the Eaton HK hotel transforms into a Christmas market, with its buffet taking centre stage. Photo: The Astor
SCMP Highlights

Hong Kong’s festive dining; music cuts dementia risks: 7 Lifestyle highlights

From Hong Kong cinema’s female action stars to must-try festive meals in Hong Kong, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Art

Want to watch Tolkien illustrator John Howe as he works? Now you can

Tourism

Why knitters around the world love visiting Scotland’s Shetland Islands

Year of the Horse 2026

Mongolia’s child jockeys are key to its heritage. But are they in danger?

Light and agile, children have long held the reins in Mongolian horse racing. But the hazards of the sport make it anything but child’s play.

Horse rider Dolgorsuren Batoyun (centre) is pictured as a child. Now grown up, the first woman member of Mongolia’s national polo team looks back fondly on the “cultures and customs” her father (right) taught her. Photo: Dominique Backhouse
Horse rider Dolgorsuren Batoyun (centre) is pictured as a child. Now grown up, the first woman member of Mongolia’s national polo team looks back fondly on the “cultures and customs” her father (right) taught her. Photo: Dominique Backhouse
Mainland China

China-led Asia-Pacific lifts global aviation outlook as profits set to soar

Passenger demand from China and India, eased visa rules and freight resilience drive growth as IATA forecasts record airline profits in 2026.

Tourism

How Saudi Arabia’s mountains offer authentic delights rarely found elsewhere

Far from Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 development projects, the hills of Asir province and its capital Abha offer a place to ‘clear the mind’.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Wellness

She quit her corporate job to walk 5,700km alone across America

Jessica Guo became the first woman to hike a continuous route linking the Continental Divide Trail with the Great Divide Trail.

Jessica Guo quit her job to hike across America. Her trek ended on September 19, at the northern terminus of the Great Divide Trail, at the Kakwa Lake terminus marker for the 54th parallel in Kakwa Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. Photo: Jessica Guo
Jessica Guo quit her job to hike across America. Her trek ended on September 19, at the northern terminus of the Great Divide Trail, at the Kakwa Lake terminus marker for the 54th parallel in Kakwa Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. Photo: Jessica Guo
Food and Drinks

What to eat on Peng Chau, food-filled Hong Kong island great for day trips

Peng Chau is full of spots serving everything from old-school dim sum to pizza. Be sure to visit at weekends when most restaurants are open.

Asia travel

New arts venues in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, including the ‘Airpod building’

The Shenzhen Bay Culture Square and Aranya Art Centre Guangzhou show the Greater Bay Area’s ongoing efforts to become a cultural destination.

Tourism

This Japanese farm homestay lets you get involved in producing organic food

Part of the global Wwoof programme, the Sho Farm near Tokyo lets visitors get their hands dirty and learn all about organic farming.

videocam
Farmers replant rice seedlings for a new trial at Sho Farm near Tokyo, Japan. Sho Farm offers homestays under the Wwoof organic farm stay programme. Photo: SCMP
Tourism

Egypt’s Saint Catherine town is getting an overhaul. Not everyone is happy

A US$300 million project is under way to draw tourists to the biblical mountain town, but experts fear more harm is being done than good.

Saint Catherine’s Monastery, in South Sinai, Egypt, pictured in September 2016. Hotels and other large building projects under construction in the Saint Catherine valley as part of Egypt’s “Great Transfiguration” tourism megaproject are sparking outrage among locals and heritage experts alike. Photo: AFP
Saint Catherine’s Monastery, in South Sinai, Egypt, pictured in September 2016. Hotels and other large building projects under construction in the Saint Catherine valley as part of Egypt’s “Great Transfiguration” tourism megaproject are sparking outrage among locals and heritage experts alike. Photo: AFP
Tourism

11 of the best Unesco World Heritage sites in the US to check out

The US boasts 26 Unesco World Heritage sites, some of which are globally famous, like the Grand Canyon, while others are less well known.

Asia travel

Top 10 travel trends for Hongkongers in 2026, from road trips to ‘romantasy’

Booking.com’s ‘Travel Predictions 2026’ survey also finds Hongkongers are seeking nature, thinking of their skin and open to robot help.

Asia travel

Meet the quokka, the ‘world’s happiest animal’. Just don’t touch them, please

Famed for their perpetual smiles, quokkas are found on Australia’s Rottnest Island. But if you’re going there for a selfie, follow the rules.

A quokka smiles for the camera on Rottnest Island off Australia’s west coast. Learn more about the island’s cutest residents and how to be a responsible tourist. Photo: Carola Frentzen/dpa
Tourism

‘Hawaii of Europe’: how Madeira’s hiking trails offer movie-set-worthy scenery

Hiking is a huge draw to Madeira, where Earth’s largest surviving expanse of laurel forest is inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage site.

Madeira’s Stairway to Heaven hike is one of the island’s most famous and leads to stunning views above the clouds. Photo: TNS
Madeira’s Stairway to Heaven hike is one of the island’s most famous and leads to stunning views above the clouds. Photo: TNS
Asia travel

Chinese cruise ship to Japan diverts to South Korea amid China-Japan spat

Chinese cruise operators are looking to avoid Japanese ports amid rising tensions, which is expected to spur tourism demand for South Korea.

Tourism

Interactive museum dedicated to the Shroud of Turin opens in the US

US$5 million museum features 360-degree projection rooms, Shroud of Turin replicas, interactive kiosks and a life-size sculpture of Christ.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Sandy Lam, Placido Domingo: 5 China Greater Bay Area music shows in December

See opera legend Placido Domingo in Guangzhou, catch Sandy Lam’s New Year’s Eve show in Shenzhen, watch a Russian classical quartet and more.

Sandy Lam performs in Wenzhou in September 2025. The Hong Kong singer’s New Year’s Eve concert in Shenzhen is just one of the exciting musical events to check out in China’s Greater Bay Area this December. Photo: Instagram/sandy_lam_official
Sandy Lam performs in Wenzhou in September 2025. The Hong Kong singer’s New Year’s Eve concert in Shenzhen is just one of the exciting musical events to check out in China’s Greater Bay Area this December. Photo: Instagram/sandy_lam_official
Tourism

Whisky, wool and Andy Murray’s luxury estate on a journey across Scotland

A trip from the Isle of Arran off western Scotland to Stirlingshire on its east coast takes in a land of natural beauty and friendly locals.

Tourism

What are the food and wine wonders of Italy’s Liguria and Piedmont regions?

The neighbouring regions in northwest Italy are between them home to pesto, great wines, white truffles and more. Here’s what to enjoy there.

China travel

491,000 Japan-bound air tickets cancelled as China warns people to avoid travel

Lost ticket revenue could be in the billions of yuan, analyst says, as carriers brace for short-term capacity shifts if diplomatic tensions fail to ease.

78
An aviation analyst said Shanghai-Tokyo and Shanghai-Osaka flights have been most affected in recent days by cancellations stemming from a diplomatic dispute between China and Japan. Photo: Xinhua
Food and Drinks

2025 or 1625? Diners at new Beijing restaurant ‘time travel’ to ancient China

Yan Wai Yan dishes up an eight-act period performance with an eight-course meal and provides hanfu clothing for those wishing to dress up.

videocam
Artists in traditional Chinese clothing perform as customers enjoy their meals at Yan Wai Yan, a new theatrical restaurant in Beijing, China. Photo: AFP
Artists in traditional Chinese clothing perform as customers enjoy their meals at Yan Wai Yan, a new theatrical restaurant in Beijing, China. Photo: AFP
Tourism

Entrepreneur Lin Xiangxiong’s Penang art museum aims to ‘bridge cultures’

The mining boss and artist shares how his soon-to-open Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery will help make George Town a centre for cultural dialogue.

Tourism

In China, you can get married in a temple, in a club, even a subway station

China is letting couples wed anywhere in the country, from a lake with meaningful statistics to a subway station with a romantic name.

Tourism

Why Big Sur is one of the best destinations in California, by a landslide

With Big Sur’s coastal highway closed for repairs after a landslide, lower prices and a lack of crowds make the area perfect for a visit.

Ragged Point in the south of Big Sur, California. With the Big Sur South Coast highway closed for repairs, visitors can enjoy the area’s natural beauty without the crowds and high prices. Photo: Getty Images
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW