https://www.scmp.com/rss/521356/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung In the soft glow of the hotel room, the tissue box doesn’t immediately draw attention. Yet veteran journalist Kumiko Yoshioka urges me to look closer. She points out that it was crafted by Japanese artisans using traditional joinery techniques, entirely without metal hardware. Made from hinoki wood, it naturally resists mould and mildew, embodying both beauty and function. This design by artisanal housewares brand Azmaya is just one of several home-grown items, alongside a glass speaker from... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3315934/defining-jaxury-epitome-japanese-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3315934/defining-jaxury-epitome-japanese-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jul 2025 00:00:11 +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 Leyla Rose Leyla Rose Southeast Asia’s largest city is unlike any other, its skyscrapers competing for space with colonial Dutch buildings such as the Jakarta History Museum (formerly the Batavia City Hall), the Bank Indonesia Museum (formerly the Dutch East Indies Bank) and the Jakarta Kota Railway Station. However, many travellers dismiss Jakarta as little more than a transit hub for travel across Indonesia. Spend a little time here, though, and you’ll find cultural attractions aplenty, delicious food and drink,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3316052/insiders-guide-jakarta-cultural-festivals-traditional-markets-and-hip-coffee-shops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3316052/insiders-guide-jakarta-cultural-festivals-traditional-markets-and-hip-coffee-shops?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 00:00:12 +0000 Mavis Teo Mavis Teo Taipei offers more than night markets and Hokkien soap operas; the Taiwanese capital is a city that reveals itself in layers to those who return. “Taipei reminds me of New York; not in scale, but in how each neighbourhood has its own pulse,” says Aaron Chan, founder of Riant Capital, a private equity firm involved in Taiwan’s hospitality scene (as owner of the Park Hyatt Taipei and Capella Kenting, among others). What draws him in, he says, is how the city unfolds. “The best coffee, the edgiest... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3315427/insiders-say-taipei-city-reveals-itself-layers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3315427/insiders-say-taipei-city-reveals-itself-layers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 03:00:08 +0000 Daniel Allen Daniel Allen It’s just before sunrise in Yellowstone National Park and the ground is encrusted with frost – a reminder that autumn will soon succumb to the frigid embrace of a Wyoming winter. Here in the American West, it can snow as early as September. The distinctive, far-off yipping of a coyote reverberates off the hillsides, the undulating outlines of which are still shrouded in semi-darkness. Despite the early hour, a small but growing group of people gathers on a bank overlooking the silvery ribbon of... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3314134/yellowstone-americas-first-national-park-heeds-call-wild?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3314134/yellowstone-americas-first-national-park-heeds-call-wild?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:11 +0000 Peter Neville-Hadley Peter Neville-Hadley Turn from bustling Marktgraben into pedestrianised Herzog-Friedrich-Straße, lined with medieval mansions in pastel colours and hung with elaborate signs advertising ancient businesses, and your eye will be caught by a patch of brilliance in the distance, which brightens further as you approach the heart of Innsbruck’s Altstadt, or Old Town. This is the Goldenes Dachl, or Golden Roof, a magnet for photographers in this city in the Austrian Tyrol, with 2,657 gilded copper tiles forming a steeply... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3314116/why-innsbruck-more-just-snow-what-see-year-round?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3314116/why-innsbruck-more-just-snow-what-see-year-round?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jun 2025 10:00:12 +0000