https://www.scmp.com/rss/321721/feed Trending destinations, local’s guides and new travel experiences for your radar en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com David Frazier David Frazier Doi Chiang Dao is one of Thailand’s most stunning mountains, a 2,175-metre limestone peak that rises like a behemoth from flat farmland. Every February, it becomes the backdrop to a 10-day festival called Shambhala in Your Heart. Organised by a group of silver-haired, 1960s purist Japanese hippies, the event is set in an Edenic campsite in northern Thailand, where shade trees flank a cool running stream and open-air hot springs are just a 10-minute walk away. In recent years, Shambhala has... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3349356/chinese-youths-find-freedom-thailands-shambhala-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3349356/chinese-youths-find-freedom-thailands-shambhala-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:15:40 +0000 Peter Neville-Hadley Peter Neville-Hadley It seems odd that one of the earliest depictions of a kiss in the history of Western painting should be found in a church. But after a half-hour train ride inland from Venice, and a gentle stroll through historic Padua’s winding streets, there it is, inside the heavily painted interior of the early 14th century Scrovegni Chapel. In a fresco called Meeting at the Golden Gate (circa 1305), by Giotto di Bondone, two ageing figures greet each other with a public display of affection that seems to... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3348137/padua-italys-painted-city-best-shows-are-frescoes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3348137/padua-italys-painted-city-best-shows-are-frescoes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 22:00:08 +0000 Mavis Teo Mavis Teo Despite the high crime rates that dogged Johor Bahru from the 1980s to the 2000s, the closest Malaysian city kept luring Singaporeans with its cheap seafood and groceries – and even petrol. The crowds still descend, but these days the capital of Johor state draws visitors for a variety of other reasons. Even in-the-know foreign tourists to Singapore slip across the 1km-long causeway for a change of scene – undeterred by the traffic jams. The five-minute ride on the KTM Shuttle Tebrau train,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3347037/insiders-guide-johor-bahru-malaysia-hipster-fashion-desserts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3347037/insiders-guide-johor-bahru-malaysia-hipster-fashion-desserts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:00:37 +0000 Cameron Dueck Cameron Dueck We approach from the east, leaving the main islands of Japan behind. The late afternoon sun bounces off the sea in a blinding glare as our anchor chain rattles out of its locker and slides into a small bay off Tairajima Island. All is still as our sailing boat, the Teng Hoi, gracefully pirouettes in the currents, searching for her point of balance, where she’ll rest for the night. Below the sinking sun stretch the Goto Islands, or Goto Retto, literally “five-island chain”, an archipelago of 140... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3345546/remote-villages-surprise-cocktail-bars-and-hilltop-churches-nagasakis-goto-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3345546/remote-villages-surprise-cocktail-bars-and-hilltop-churches-nagasakis-goto-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 03:00:07 +0000 Christopher St. Cavish Christopher St. Cavish The records are clear and complete: about 300 years ago, a Huang clan from just across the Tan River got the idea to start their own village here, tucked into one of the river’s curves with Baizu mountain at its back. Hiring a feng shui master from Jiangxi province to lay it out, they built grey brick houses in a tight grid, with dragon-back or phoenix-crest ridges, surrounded by dense bamboo groves. Acres of fruit orchards were planted outside the village and a fish pond dug in front. A few... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3342496/how-taishan-learned-absorb-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3342496/how-taishan-learned-absorb-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Charukesi Ramadurai Charukesi Ramadurai It’s been more than an hour since we drove away from Sumba’s tiny Tambolaka airport and so far, it’s been mostly empty stretches of narrow road, with only the occasional group of cheeky schoolchildren waving and hooting to break the monotony. All of a sudden, a procession of bare-chested, barefoot men approaches on the other side of the road, their red turbans gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. Our driver pulls over, pats his pockets and takes out … a packet of cigarettes, which he proffers to... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3342466/not-bali-indonesian-island-learning-welcome-strangers-while-sharing-benefits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3342466/not-bali-indonesian-island-learning-welcome-strangers-while-sharing-benefits?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:10 +0000 Mark Footer Mark Footer The Year of the Fire Horse is associated with intense energy, bold movement and pioneering spirit, making it, perhaps, a fitting time for a transformative travel experience. And what better way to channel a steed’s spirit of adventure than through some of the world’s most memorable equestrian experiences, from the Sandalwood ponies of Sumba, Indonesia, to the thoroughbreds that “dare to confront fire” in Marrakech, Morocco. Mongolia and the Naadam Festival “A Mongol without a horse is like a... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3342612/world-seen-saddle-6-equestrian-adventures-mark-year-horse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3342612/world-seen-saddle-6-equestrian-adventures-mark-year-horse?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 03:00:10 +0000 Jason Wordie Jason Wordie How does one even begin to describe a permanent yet intermittent love affair between a person and a place that has stretched on for decades? And do places cherished, somehow, in their own way, love one back? I think they do. Macau has been a much-loved constant in my life since my initial visit, aged not quite 22, back in 1988. From the very first day, I was strangely, mesmerisingly hooked by the place. That first night – spent at the gently crumbling Bela Vista Hotel – epitomised that... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3341645/rediscovering-macau-timeless-love-affair-city-hidden-charms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3341645/rediscovering-macau-timeless-love-affair-city-hidden-charms?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 06:01:40 +0000 Ronan O'Connell Ronan O'Connell Beyond the most prominent Unesco World Heritage sites in Asia, such as the Taj Mahal and Angkor Wat, there are many others deserving of attention. There may be fewer foreign visitors at India’s 1,500-year-old cave temple complex, in Japan’s demon-riddled sacred forest and around Macau’s historic centre, yet each has its own charms. Here are five of Asia’s most underappreciated Unesco wonders. Historic Centre of Macao Many of the United Nations agency’s World Heritage “sites” are not a single... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3341012/5-asias-overlooked-unesco-wonders-macau-bali-south-korea-india-and-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3341012/5-asias-overlooked-unesco-wonders-macau-bali-south-korea-india-and-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Zinara Rathnayake Zinara Rathnayake Bengaluru, the capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, is an adopted home that food stylist and photographer Sanskriti Bist never tires of. Bist, whose recent projects have included learning the techniques of hand-pulled noodles in northwestern China and documenting the kitchens of Berlin, Germany, says her favourite aspect of Bengaluru is the city’s embrace. “People are so welcoming,” says Bist, who moved from Raipur, in central India, to Bengaluru – formerly known as Bangalore –... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3339535/insiders-guide-bengaluru-city-welcomes-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3339535/insiders-guide-bengaluru-city-welcomes-you?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 09:00:15 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson If you’re looking for a lengthy debate about the merits of authentic cuisine, ask a Bahamian about their grandmother’s recipe for guava duff. The national dessert of the Bahamas, the duff is a steamed, doughy dumpling furrowed with fresh mashed guava (canned fruit is not acceptable, we are told), served piping hot and swimming in rum-spiked butter sauce. After listening to our waitress wax lyrical, we had to order one at Daddy Joe’s, more a living room than a restaurant in North Eleuthera, on... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3339196/eleuthera-and-harbour-island-bahamas-taylor-swift-slips-away?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3339196/eleuthera-and-harbour-island-bahamas-taylor-swift-slips-away?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Carolyn Beasley Carolyn Beasley Sandwiched between rusty desert and the cobalt Indian Ocean, Perth, in Western Australia, sprawls along 100km of coastline. With its economy linked to natural resources, the city has weathered the booms and busts, but this is not just a frontier mining town. Despite being one of the most remote conurbations in the world, Perth has matured into a vibrant destination, with sunny beaches, diverse suburbs and a sophisticated food and wine scene. “The suburbs are where Perth is,” says Max Veenhuyzen,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3337574/insiders-guide-perth-sun-kissed-beaches-and-local-wines-indigenous-art?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3337574/insiders-guide-perth-sun-kissed-beaches-and-local-wines-indigenous-art?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 02:15:08 +0000 Gillian Rhys Gillian Rhys In a peaceful valley among gentle rolling hills in Hampshire is a field much like any other in this part of southeast England. Seen through the hedgerow from a narrow country lane there’s nothing to signify it was the birthplace of one of the world’s most famous novelists. But 250 years ago, on a frosty December 16, Jane Austen was born in Steventon rectory, which stood on this site, and lived here until she was 25, more than half her 41-year life. The city of Bath is the location most... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3336072/search-jane-austens-england-quiet-rectories-grand-estates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3336072/search-jane-austens-england-quiet-rectories-grand-estates?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 01:00:16 +0000 Mark Footer Mark Footer Singapore Unlike many other places in Asia, Christmas Day is an official public holiday in the city state. Not that the festivities will be limited to December 25. Returning for a 42nd year is Christmas on a Great Street, the “great street” in question being Orchard Road. Highlights of the event, which runs until January 1, include a Christmas Village at the Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza that features a 14-metre-tall tree and nightly snowfall shows. Over at Gardens by the Bay, the second annual... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3336238/guide-christmas-celebrations-singapore-taiwan-and-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3336238/guide-christmas-celebrations-singapore-taiwan-and-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 03:00:29 +0000 Mark Footer Mark Footer Asked what he foresaw as the next significant travel trend, CNN International anchor Richard Quest, guest speaker at the TravMedia Summit in Singapore last month, identified shoulder-season adventures. It’s a trend being taken up especially fervently by Gen Z, who are choosing just-off-peak times to travel to make their money go further and avoid the worst of the tourist crowds. Recent reports including Airbnb’s “2025 Fall Travel Trends” point to the fact that those born between 1997 and 2012... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3334043/travel-gen-z-and-try-these-5-shoulder-season-destinations-seoul-santorini?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3334043/travel-gen-z-and-try-these-5-shoulder-season-destinations-seoul-santorini?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 07:00:09 +0000 Kee Foong Kee Foong I was a kid living in Sydney when I first heard about the Tasmanian wilderness. It was the early 1980s, and a hydroelectricity project that would have destroyed swathes of virgin forest to dam a pristine river system had sparked national outrage. Across Australia, “No Dams” bumper stickers appeared on cars owned by people who had likely never set foot in the state yet passionately demanded preservation of its environmental treasures. News footage showed protesters chaining themselves to trees to... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3333247/tea-dark-waters-and-ancient-stone-quiet-majesty-tasmanias-port-davey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3333247/tea-dark-waters-and-ancient-stone-quiet-majesty-tasmanias-port-davey?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 02:00:15 +0000 Mark Footer Mark Footer The world’s largest indoor skiing facility may be only a snow­ball’s throw away from Hong Kong – Shenzhen’s Qianhai Huafa Snow World having opened in September – but we reckon the elements should play an integral part in any bona fide winter sports holiday. There’s a reason they call it “the great outdoors”, after all. Here are six destinations that embrace their surroundings yet still qualify as “up-and-coming”, and so may be worth considering for your next ski adventure. Cortina d’Ampezzo,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3331061/6-and-coming-ski-resorts-asia-europe-us-and-even-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3331061/6-and-coming-ski-resorts-asia-europe-us-and-even-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 08:00:09 +0000 Mark Footer Mark Footer Collecting is almost an obsession for some. And for a few – or their champions – showing off those collections is also a must. Here are a few of the personal collections now on view for the world to see. UR-MU@Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Short for “Urban Museum”, UR-MU encompasses three properties, each housing the art collection of a prominent Malaysian, but the original, home to the most eclectic set of works, is UR-MU@Bukit Bintang. The paintings, sculptures and installations here... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3330613/8-intriguing-museums-built-obsessions-individual-collectors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3330613/8-intriguing-museums-built-obsessions-individual-collectors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:00:13 +0000 Marco Ferrarese Marco Ferrarese The dinghy glides across the 100 metres that separate the islands of Banda Neira and Banda Api, and moors under the flanks of the cone-shaped Gunung Api, “fire mountain” in Bahasa Indonesia. My boatman, a small, scrawny fellow named Ambon, points at the beginning of the trail to the summit. The path is as clear as the morning sky, glowing after a night of non-stop rain. Back across the channel, on the southwestern corner of Banda Neira, guest house verandas line the shore by the town’s main... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3329789/volcanic-views-and-forgotten-graves-indonesias-banda-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3329789/volcanic-views-and-forgotten-graves-indonesias-banda-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 09:00:08 +0000 Ian Lloyd Neubauer Ian Lloyd Neubauer It’s about the same size as neighbouring Bali, with the same lush green jungles, terraced rice paddies, palm-fringed beaches, volcanoes with lake-filled craters and rich indigenous culture. But unlike Bali, it’s not overburdened by traffic and tourists. Add islets and atolls that wouldn’t look out of place in the Maldives, reefs brimming with turtles, world-class surf breaks and an expanding selection of sophisticated places in which to eat, drink and stay, and you’ll begin to see why Lombok... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3328908/insiders-guide-indonesias-lombok-worthy-new-bali-volcanic-craters-and-horse-drawn-carts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3328908/insiders-guide-indonesias-lombok-worthy-new-bali-volcanic-craters-and-horse-drawn-carts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 04:00:09 +0000 Ron Gluckman Ron Gluckman Once the tour buses have finished the spring trips to colourful tulip fields, dazzling in blazes of red, magenta and purple, much of the Netherlands returns to its favourite pastime, arguing over how to save Amsterdam from drunken stag parties, drugs, a surplus of souvenir shops and all the other detritus of tourism overload. This is, of course, not unique to Amsterdam. European cities from Barcelona to Venice also struggle with mass tourism, enacting tourist taxes and other means to limit... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3328387/utrecht-home-miffy-more-great-alternative-amsterdam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3328387/utrecht-home-miffy-more-great-alternative-amsterdam?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 04:45:08 +0000 Gillian Rhys Gillian Rhys This month, the much-anticipated Tobi Masa restaurant, by celebrated sushi chef Masayoshi (“Masa”) Takayama, will be unveiled at Rosewood’s opulent new hotel in London. Tobi means “to fly” in Japanese and the name is a nod to the gargantuan golden eagle sculpture perched on top of The Chancery Rosewood. As the all-suite hotel’s roof art suggests, it takes up the former United States embassy building on Grosvenor Square and has inherited the previous incumbent’s avian symbol, now presiding over... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3328239/5-hong-kong-owned-hotels-bringing-asian-flavours-world-class-kitchens-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3328239/5-hong-kong-owned-hotels-bringing-asian-flavours-world-class-kitchens-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2025 04:45:08 +0000 Sarah Gillespie Sarah Gillespie My last visit to Dumaguete – a city on Negros Island, in the centre of the Philippines – was in 2018. The Filipino friend I travelled with had learned of my fondness for halo-halo shaved ice desserts and wanted to find the best place for us to eat them. He found Bernie’s Halo-Halo (now closed). I was dubious: the traditional fruit toppings had been replaced by chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, crushed chocolate cookies and lashings of chocolate sauce. I took a bite: it was rich, creamy, one of... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3327964/dumaguete-philippine-city-blends-cultures-and-dessert-ingredients-flair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3327964/dumaguete-philippine-city-blends-cultures-and-dessert-ingredients-flair?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 22:15:08 +0000 Victoria Burrows Victoria Burrows As I look out the aeroplane window on our descent into Yerevan, Armenia’s ancient capital, and see the snowy cone of Mount Ararat rising up out of ripples of cocoa- and rust-coloured earth, the ghosts of the past take shape, the mountain a solid reminder of a genocide Turkey still contests doesn’t qualify for the term: the killing of what many believe to be at least 1 million ethnic Armenians living within the Ottoman Empire in 1915-16. The Biblical resting place of Noah’s Ark after the Great... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3327610/mount-ararats-shadow-armenia-blends-old-rituals-new-ambition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3327610/mount-ararats-shadow-armenia-blends-old-rituals-new-ambition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 10:15:09 +0000 Mark Footer Mark Footer Albergo diffuso, or “scattered hotel”, is a concept that originated in 1980s Italy, offering a different kind of sustainable hospitality experience. Instead of a single building, the hotel’s rooms and services are spread among a variety of buildings within a small, often ancient, village or part of a town. There is a central reception area, often with a restaurant or common spaces, and staff that provide typical hotel services. Guests are encouraged to live as temporary residents within the... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3327009/innovative-albergo-diffuso-concept-entire-village-your-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3327009/innovative-albergo-diffuso-concept-entire-village-your-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Sep 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Mark Andrews Mark Andrews Surprisingly, the weather 200 years ago obliged, with the Durham County Advertiser describing it as “propitious”, which is just as well given that the vast majority of the reported 533 train passengers were seated in open wagons. There was, though, one covered coach on the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), the world’s first public rail service, on September 27, 1825. That coach, named The Experiment and the precursor to today’s train carriages, was reserved for the railway’s... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3326625/5-britains-best-heritage-train-experiences-luxury-sleepers-steam-locomotives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3326625/5-britains-best-heritage-train-experiences-luxury-sleepers-steam-locomotives?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 21:15:07 +0000 Thomas Bird Thomas Bird Accounts of mysterious and ancient ruins overgrown by Southeast Asian jungle first reached Europe by way of 16th century Portuguese missionaries. But it would be a 19th century French bug collector who would earn his place in history for discovering the imperial capital of Angkor, whose central temple complex would come to be known as the largest religious structure in the world. The Angkor Archaeological Park now attracts more than 2 million visitors per year. The diaries of Henri Mouhot,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3326358/angkor-wat-and-chinese-marco-polo-zhou-daguans-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3326358/angkor-wat-and-chinese-marco-polo-zhou-daguans-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 11:15:10 +0000 Ian Lloyd Neubauer Ian Lloyd Neubauer When I discovered Goa, a former Portuguese colony on India’s southwest coast, while backpacking around Asia in the mid-1990s, it was still very much a hippie place: makeshift beachfront shacks, vibrant craft markets, dirt-cheap food and accommodation, and parties where one could dance naked on a beach until the sun came up. I lost myself in the multiverse of Goa trance, a psychedelic electronic dance music, and felt free. I stayed for six months but have never really left, not in my mind. I even... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3326072/naked-dancing-beach-what-remains-goas-legendary-hippie-haven?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3326072/naked-dancing-beach-what-remains-goas-legendary-hippie-haven?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Sep 2025 05:15:08 +0000 Peter Neville-Hadley Peter Neville-Hadley Talk of travel to the Persian Gulf usually revolves around the newly opening Saudi Arabia and neighbouring pinprick emirates, the former because there’s nothing like being long closed to tourism to inspire curiosity, the latter for their theme-park atmosphere and architectural bling. But on a recent visit, Oman proves to be something quite different. Big, yet seemingly a backwater, it occupies 310,000 sq km on the eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, where a relatively verdant date- and... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3325812/laid-back-oman-land-sunlit-forts-pink-cliffs-and-vibrant-coastal-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3325812/laid-back-oman-land-sunlit-forts-pink-cliffs-and-vibrant-coastal-life?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Thomas Bird Thomas Bird To get a sense of the Thai capital’s yin-yang character, Bangkok-based designer Saran Yen Panya recommends beginning an exploration at the Italian-designed railway station Hua Lamphong, which dates back to 1916 and still functions as a terminus for the nation’s Eastern Line. It also houses a museum. Chinatown and Song Wat “Just head from the station towards the Chao Phraya river,” suggests Saran. “Don’t use Google Maps.” This leads to the labyrinthine Chinatown, originally a Teochew trading... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3325561/insiders-guide-bangkok-eat-shop-and-socialise-local?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3325561/insiders-guide-bangkok-eat-shop-and-socialise-local?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Kalpana Sunder Kalpana Sunder With the Arabian Sea on one side and the Western Ghats mountain range on the other, Kerala has long cast its spell on travellers, with meandering back­waters, temple rituals and spice ports. Criss-crossed by 44 rivers, this Indian state offers endless possibilities for exploration, perhaps on a houseboat, but scratch the glossy picture-postcard surface and you’ll find a wilder, deeper side, where tribal traditions, sustainable travel and biodiversity take centre stage. A different kind of... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3324495/insiders-guide-kerala-ancient-rituals-forest-walks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3324495/insiders-guide-kerala-ancient-rituals-forest-walks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 05:15:07 +0000 Mark Footer Mark Footer Culinary tourism is a growing trend – Grand View Research estimated the market at US$11.5 billion in 2023 and projects it to reach a mouth-watering US$40 billion by 2030 – and hotels and resorts across Asia are increasingly seeking to claim a slice of that pie by hosting their own special gastronomic events. This autumn sees a number of events featuring star guest chefs being hosted across the region; here are some of the most interesting. Bangkok, Thailand (September 22-28) The Thai capital is... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3324179/gastronomic-events-visit-autumn-bangkok-da-nang-remote-indonesia-and-maldives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3324179/gastronomic-events-visit-autumn-bangkok-da-nang-remote-indonesia-and-maldives?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Teresa Bergen Teresa Bergen You don’t have to go all the way to Europe for an open-water swimming holiday. Here are a few closer to home: 1. Japan The Japan Open Water Swimming Adventure by Cross Country Swimming is based on Ojika Island. Guests take an overnight ferry from Fukuoka and stay in ryokans. The trip includes visits to cultural sites and cycling. Six days, A$4,000/HK$20,350 per person. crosscountryswimming.com 2. Indonesia A nine-day Indonesian trip with All Blue Swim Tours starts on Lombok and takes guests on... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323926/4-swim-holidays-around-asia-ojika-island-japan-lan-ha-bay-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323926/4-swim-holidays-around-asia-ojika-island-japan-lan-ha-bay-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 11:00:14 +0000 Teresa Bergen Teresa Bergen Breathing to the left, I glimpse the rocky Croatian coastline, heavily forested with squat pine trees. To the right, the teal waters of the Adriatic Sea. Below me, squishy sea cucumbers and spiny urchins dot the seabed. While the water looks tropical, its temperature is only about 20 degrees Celsius, comfortable as long as I keep moving. It is the first week of June and I am on a group trip with SwimTrek, a British-based company that leads swimming holidays around the world. We’ve all made our... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323914/open-water-swimming-through-croatias-islands-beginners-and-aficionados-welcome?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323914/open-water-swimming-through-croatias-islands-beginners-and-aficionados-welcome?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 10:00:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Japanese toilet giant Toto has launched a service allowing those caught short in public to locate the nearest washrooms and see how busy they are in real time with a phone and QR code. Japan, like other countries, struggles with managing long queues outside public toilets, particularly for women, in its teeming train stations and other places. The system launched this month by Toto – famous for its water-spraying, musical toilets – links consumers up with existing internet-connected facility... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323581/toilet-queues-no-more-japan-launches-qr-codes-locate-nearest-vacant-restrooms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323581/toilet-queues-no-more-japan-launches-qr-codes-locate-nearest-vacant-restrooms?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Aug 2025 04:00:09 +0000 Xinhua Xinhua Bed-and-breakfasts are common on China’s tropical resort island of Hainan. But one B&B floating on the sea is anything but ordinary. Just offshore from Xincun town in Lingshui Li Autonomous County, visitors board ferry boats with captain Li Yingyi, who shuttles them to a floating village where wooden houses rest on the waves. Li, who began steering boats at the age of nine, now makes as many as 200 trips a day in peak season, carrying tourists eager to experience life on the water. He is one of... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323584/floating-village-and-museum-hainan-are-keeping-tanka-heritage-alive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323584/floating-village-and-museum-hainan-are-keeping-tanka-heritage-alive?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 06:00:12 +0000 Cameron Dueck Cameron Dueck The colours dazzle under the midday sun, even through squinting eyes. Aqua blue sea, sparkling and dancing with the waves, a bright baby blue where the sea floor turns to sand, a deeper marine hue where the water deepens. The sea tears itself into dashes of foam along the shore, surprising me as the white rears up and falls with a whoosh right next to my wheels. Then the volcanic basalt, jagged and hot as it absorbs the sun’s rays, stretches clean and black as far as the eye can see. Finally,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323297/cycling-around-jeju-volcanic-south-korean-isle-rock-wind-and-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323297/cycling-around-jeju-volcanic-south-korean-isle-rock-wind-and-women?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 08:00:13 +0000 Tim Pile Tim Pile Increasingly, tourist destinations are embracing sustainability in ways that protect nature and benefit local communities. These places are taking concrete steps to reduce waste, preserve ecosystems and transition to clean energy without losing their appeal. The changes bring cleaner streets, warmer welcomes and healthier environments for residents, along with more fulfilling holidays. Copenhagen, Denmark Polished and progressive yet grounded in green values, the Danish capital integrates... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323014/8-holiday-destinations-embrace-clean-living-and-sustainable-tourism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323014/8-holiday-destinations-embrace-clean-living-and-sustainable-tourism?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 10:00:12 +0000 Peter Neville-Hadley Peter Neville-Hadley “You’re going to Chemnitz?” say my German friends in surprise. “Why?” They are even more astonished to hear that this Saxony city is a 2025 European Capital of Culture. If a low profile German town is to be one of the two or three European Union cities chosen each year for this honour, surely it should be somewhere like well-preserved Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in Bavaria. World War II gave that jigsaw-puzzle-pretty city a relatively gentle cuffing, whereas it flattened industrial Chemnitz. But,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3321816/how-two-contrasting-cities-tell-german-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3321816/how-two-contrasting-cities-tell-german-story?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 07:00:12 +0000 Bibek Bhandari Bibek Bhandari Bhutan is known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon due to the frequent thunderstorms that sweep its dramatic valleys. But visitors are often welcomed by stillness after a stomach-churning landing in mountain-ringed Paro, home to the country’s only international airport. There is rarely much traffic during the hour’s drive to the capital, Thimphu, to drown out the sound of gushing rivers and the wind. Since opening up to tourists in the early 1970s, Bhutan, the world’s only carbon-negative... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3321722/insiders-guide-bhutan-land-thunder-dragon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3321722/insiders-guide-bhutan-land-thunder-dragon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 08:57:50 +0000 Mark Eveleigh Mark Eveleigh “The lion crossed this track shortly after dawn,” says Christiaan Swanepoel, our wildlife guide, squatting beside the deep pugmarks of what is clearly a very big male cat. This is probably the same lion whose distant roar reverberated through the canvas walls of my safari tent early this morning. It is no surprise that the big cat would still be hunting, but I wonder how the tracker could be so exact in his estimate of the timing. “He walked over these insect trails,” says Swanepoel, tracing a... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3319542/walking-lions-inside-south-africas-karoo-safari-and-rewilding-success-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3319542/walking-lions-inside-south-africas-karoo-safari-and-rewilding-success-story?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 23:00:09 +0000 Teja Lele Teja Lele “The world is a book,” 4th century theologian St Augustine is believed to have said, “and those who do not travel read only one page.” But what if the journey and an actual book were combined? Rejecting checklist-driven tourism, destination book clubs curate escapes that bring together literature lovers in locations that are themselves characters in their respective tales. And appealing to those craving such connection, companies like Books in Places, the Enchanted Book Club and Avalon... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3320124/book-inspired-holidays-follow-footsteps-authors-agatha-christie-marquez?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3320124/book-inspired-holidays-follow-footsteps-authors-agatha-christie-marquez?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 11:00:15 +0000 GD Today GD Today Sweltering outside? Skip the sun and chill out in a world of cool air and culture. From ancient Chinese medicine to immersive fragrance experiences, these fascinating museums in Guangdong offer the perfect summer escape. 1. Guangdong Chinese Medicine Museum, Guangzhou Nestled within the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine in the Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, this museum provides a deep dive into the rich legacy of Lingnan traditional Chinese medicine. Its most striking feature is... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/article/3319974/5-inspiring-museums-visit-guangdong-history-jewellery-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/article/3319974/5-inspiring-museums-visit-guangdong-history-jewellery-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 11:00:14 +0000 Ian Lloyd Neubauer Ian Lloyd Neubauer “The Bone Healer can fix anything but a broken heart.” I whisper this to myself over and over as I crawl through the narrow, traffic-choked carriageways that fan out from downtown Denpasar. It takes an hour’s drive to clear Bali’s capital and reach an east-coast highway, where I pick up speed before detouring up a winding road to Besakih. Set in the western foothills of the Mount Agung volcano, the village is home to the Besakih Great Temple, the largest religious site on the Indonesian island.... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3318754/trip-bone-healer-and-different-side-bali?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3318754/trip-bone-healer-and-different-side-bali?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 06:00:13 +0000 Zinara Rathnayake Zinara Rathnayake Sri Lanka’s south coast, stretching from design-led Bentota to Yala National Park, home to the elusive leopard, has long been a visitor favourite for its powder-soft beaches. But beyond being a surf and party destination, Southern Province is a diverse blend of rainforests, tea gardens, villages with their traditional crafts and a centuries-old fort. It has also evolved into the island nation’s gastronomy hub, with contemporary bars and chic cafes spotlighting native ingredients. To help... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3318964/insiders-guide-sri-lankas-southern-province?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3318964/insiders-guide-sri-lankas-southern-province?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 14:00:36 +0000 Victoria Burrows Victoria Burrows We hear them before we see them, the hollow clang of bells ringing out over the hills above the village. As the sound draws nearer, a buzz runs through the crowd. Onlookers spread out along the edge of the steep, winding road, the main thoroughfare in the Swiss Alpine village of Seewis im Prättigau, to claim a vantage point. When they turn a sharp corner and emerge from behind a wooden-shuttered house, we catch our first glimpse of the glossy, mushroom-coloured herd, which is being led down the... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3318537/travel-back-time-swiss-festival-marking-summers-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3318537/travel-back-time-swiss-festival-marking-summers-end?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 23:00:09 +0000 Tim Pile Tim Pile Elevated Asian settlements offer dramatic landscapes, mesmerising vistas and farming techniques that have endured for generations. Rice is cultivated on steep terraces, homes are built to withstand severe weather and local traditions endure and even flourish far from the commotion of the city. Whether reached by winding road, forest trail or cable car, each of these six villages invites travellers to slow down, breathe deeply and experience ways of living shaped by altitude, heritage and a... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3317841/head-hills-best-highland-village-destinations-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3317841/head-hills-best-highland-village-destinations-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 22:15:07 +0000 John Brunton John Brunton Bordeaux and bio – the French term for “organic” – are not words that are often seen in the same sentence. The world-renowned wines from the 7,000 or so chateaux that define this part of southwest France have an image of quality that is based on tradition rather than trends. So it is not surprising to learn that even today, official figures from the Bordeaux Wine Council reveal that only about 25 per cent of Bordeaux wines come from vineyards that are certified organic. Nevertheless, as I... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3317813/bordeaux-embracing-organic-different-class-red?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3317813/bordeaux-embracing-organic-different-class-red?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jul 2025 00:15:12 +0000 Marco Ferrarese Marco Ferrarese No matter how hard I turn the throttle, the most macho sound coming from this rental e-moped is a gentle whirring, not the throaty roar I am used to when renting motorbikes elsewhere in Asia. But even if green electric technology has stripped the growl from one of my favourite modes of travel, I have found somewhere in the southern Chinese countryside I can ride without a driving licence. And I have found a spot that seems perfect for motorised travel – offbeat and less visited. In Guizhou’s... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3315919/ride-through-wanfenglin-guizhous-best-kept-secret?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3315919/ride-through-wanfenglin-guizhous-best-kept-secret?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 23:00:07 +0000 Peter Neville-Hadley Peter Neville-Hadley The sleek and slightly sci-fi Tobu Spacia X train, with its streamlined nose and large, hexagonal windows, ambles through the Tokyo suburbs and a tangle of other railway lines before eventually picking up a little speed. Heading into Japan’s neat countryside, it slips between tree-covered hills with grids of small, orderly paddies lapping their bases. This is no bullet train, such as those used by visitors on short-term trips to ricochet between Tokyo and Kyoto. But its comfortable carriages, in... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3316898/luxury-train-ride-nikko-resting-place-tokugawa-shogunate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3316898/luxury-train-ride-nikko-resting-place-tokugawa-shogunate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 04:00:18 +0000