Travel & Leisure

Related Topics:

Responsible travel

Food and Drinks

Travel news and advice

Explore Hong Kong

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

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.

6 Dec 2025 - 12:15PM

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

2 Dec 2025 - 12:45PM

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

1 Dec 2025 - 12:44PM

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.

27 Nov 2025 - 7:15AM

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

‘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.

26 Nov 2025 - 3:15PM

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.

24 Nov 2025 - 4:52PM

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

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.

22 Nov 2025 - 5:15PM

Nora Creech, director of Othonia North America, points to a replica of the Shroud of Turin at a new interactive museum in California dedicated to the shroud. Photo: AP

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.

20 Nov 2025 - 12:15PM

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.

19 Nov 2025 - 3:15PM

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.

18 Nov 2025 - 1:11PM

The Piedmont commune of Serralunga d’Alba, from which the two-Michelin-star La Rei Natura is about 3km away. Photo: dpa

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.

17 Nov 2025 - 5:33PM

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.

17 Nov 2025 - 6:28PMvideocam

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.

17 Nov 2025 - 12:47PM

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.

11 Nov 2025 - 5:15PM

A newlywed couple pose with their marriage certificates after they register at the Huguo Guanyin Temple, in Beijing, China, on October 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters

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.

11 Nov 2025 - 12:15PM

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

‘Interest surged’: Canada travel searches spike in China as group tours resume

Chinese travel platforms recorded a major uptick in Canada-related searches after Beijing ended a ban on group tours to the country.

7 Nov 2025 - 10:00PMvideocam

Follow the route of a Pan Am Clipper on a Caribbean cruise to Colombia

A nostalgic 28-day cruise on the MS Zuiderdam will call at ports across the Caribbean on its way to Colombia, before returning to Miami.

6 Nov 2025 - 7:15PM

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Is there as much bliss to be found in a city walk as in one in nature?

Researchers are finding a lot of benefits to walking in urban areas – history and good architecture can provoke ‘a kind of soft fascination’.

6 Nov 2025 - 5:15PM

Commuters on the Millennium Bridge in London in March 2025. Researchers are finding that city strolls can be just as good for your mental health as walks in nature. Photo: AFP

A luxurious stay at London’s Chancery Rosewood hotel, where details count

The Chancery Rosewood, a hotel housed in the former US embassy building in London, sets a new benchmark for luxury and attention to detail.

5 Nov 2025 - 7:15AM

Beyond dogs in Akita, Japan’s northern city full of history and culture

Akita is known for its canine breed, but the walkable city also offers great museums, delicious food and a nature spot perfect for Instagram.

4 Nov 2025 - 12:15PM

After delays, mammoth Grand Egyptian Museum by the Pyramids is finally opening

The US$1 billion ‘GEM’, poised to be the world’s largest museum dedicated to one civilisation, houses King Tut’s treasures and 50,000 artefacts.

3 Nov 2025 - 11:18AM

Tourists pose at the main staircase at the Grand Egyptian Museum. Photo: AP

Will tourism expansion upset the peace at ancient monastery in Egypt?

Egypt’s plans to expand tourism around the 6th-century St Catherine’s Monastery near Mount Sinai could compromise its peace and solitude.

31 Oct 2025 - 7:15AM

Egypt has big plans for tourism around St Catherine’s Monastery, built in the 6th century at the foot of Mount Sinai. Photo: dpa

Scents of history, from war to Coca-Cola, at German fragrance exhibition

The Secret Power of Scents exhibition in Duesseldorf evokes different eras using a mixture of art and fragrances.

30 Oct 2025 - 7:15PM

How paragliding in the French Alps takes a ski holiday to a higher level

Jumping off a mountain strapped to a parachute on a late-season ski trip to France’s Les 3 Vallées region affords unparalleled views.

29 Oct 2025 - 7:15AM

Why hikers and climbers love the Merry Go Round restaurant in California

With friendly owners and servers, the quirky Merry Go Round Chinese restaurant near Mount Whitney in California is a welcome pit stop.

28 Oct 2025 - 4:15PM

Kuei Chu, 75, cooks shrimp in the quirky Merry Go Round restaurant in Lone Pine, California. Photo: TNS

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.