Destinations

While many celebrate Halloween with quirky-kitschy revelry at pumpkin festivals and costume parties, others take the season to the next level, connecting with the spirits at the heart of what the holiday is about.  Ghostly encounters have been reported in many locations across the US, and here are eight places around the country that are

In this series, Lonely Planet’s team of writers and editors answers your travel problems and provides tips and hacks to help you plan a hassle-free trip. This week, Lonely Planet senior editor Melissa Yeager shares some tips for visiting Tahiti for non-honeymooners.  Question: I want to visit Tahiti, but it’s not a honeymoon, and I’m

Pulsating reggae and dancehall beats aside, Jamaica’s natural beauty – gorgeous beaches, jungle-covered mountains, tropical waterfalls – and world-renowned culinary scene is what sets it apart from other islands in the Caribbean.  That said, the island’s fame as a musical powerhouse goes hand-in-hand (at times) with its reputation for gang violence. As someone who worked

The capital of Uruguay, Montevideo is a charming metropolitan oasis where the lifestyle of the rural campo (countryside) influences a not-so-fast pace of city living. Once a fortified citadel, the Ciudad Vieja (old city) is today surrounded by traces of the city walls, first erected in 1741. Beyond this historic core, visitors can stroll the

The Appalachian Trail is a five to seven-month, 2000-mile trek spanning Georgia to Maine. “Thru-hikers” carry their belongings and camp along the way, occasionally sleeping in hostels and hotels when the trail runs through a town. Because the terrain is so grueling – with an elevation gain and loss of roughly 500,000 feet – only

Vancouver routinely lands on lists of the most expensive cities in Canada, but that shouldn’t put budget-conscious travelers off. Here are many ways to enjoy Western Canada’s biggest metropolis for no cost at all. Take a spin around Stanley Park The magnificent 404-hectare (998-acre) Stanley Park combines excellent free attractions with the powerful, almost mystical, draw of nature. Don’t miss

Sure, Sydney has enough going on to make even the most hardened traveler consider selling up and sticking down roots here, but step out a little further and you’ll soon discover that this entire region of Australia brims with breathtaking natural beauty, Aboriginal and colonial history, and plenty of domestic critters to spot.  The Blue

With a population just shy of 22 million (and fast rising), one can be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed by the idea of navigating a city the size of Beijing. There’s the sheer magnitude and chaos of it all, but the language barrier too can make it tricky for non-Chinese speakers in finding their way from

Touring New England in search of autumn’s changing colors has become so popular it has sprouted its own subculture of “leaf-peepers.” Immerse yourself in the fall harvest spirit with the ultimate road trip:  New England’s Best Fall Foliage Driving Tour Trip length: 5–7 days; 424 miles (682km)Best time to go: Late September to mid-OctoberEssential photo: Kent Falls set against

London-based writer Séamas O’Reilly explains why he thinks travelers should skip the landmark Buckingham Palace and instead immerse themselves in one of the city’s most eccentric homes.  It’s sometimes hard to be a tourist in your own city, but the best thing you can say about London is that it makes this easy by basically being

Cape Town climbs the slopes of Table Mountain, spreads down the Cape Peninsula, and sprawls across the surrounding flatlands, making it a large city to get around. The city center is reasonably compact and navigable on foot, but many highlights lie outside its limits. The best forms of transport are hire car, Uber, and MyCiTi

Tanzania’s Swahili Coast has been a hub of seafaring trade since medieval times. Its cosmopolitan culinary tradition reflects a network of maritime links that once stretched across the Indian Ocean to Arabia, Asia and, more recently, Europe.  Fresh seafood, curries and biryanis dominate the Zanzibar Archipelago, where scents of coriander, coconut and cloves drift through

With four official languages yet a distinct sense of national identity, Switzerland is a mix of cultures and at the same time innately Swiss – and that goes for its cuisine, too. Different regions draw on culinary influences from neighbouring Italy, Germany, France and Austria, while sharing a love of homegrown products born of the

Home to tropical beaches, pre-Columbian ruins and some of the world’s most celebrated cooking, Mexico has long captivated visitors. Its hiking trails, however, remain little known, which is great news for those eager to experience the nation’s diverse scenery without the crowds. Mexico’s trails can take you through astonishing landscapes, from newly formed lava fields

Taiwan is a breeze to visit. Transportation is convenient, stores and restaurants hit the spot surprisingly often, and the local saying, “Taiwan’s greatest beauty lies in its people,” is not true, because so much here is at least equally lovely. That said, it doesn’t hurt to know a few things before you go. Here are

Emma Donoghue is a Canadian-Irish novelist, playwright and screenwriter best known for her book and film Room, which received four Oscar nominations in 2016. She currently lives with her French partner and their children in Paris but travels widely to research her novels (her fifteenth is out next summer) and promote her books and movies. Her

Bahamian food blends African, European and New World traditions to create an uncomplicated, tongue-tingling island cuisine. Throw in superb local seafood, tropical produce and rum-based treats derived from centuries of Caribbean and North Atlantic sugar production, and you’ve got the ideal sustenance for exploring this emerald-green subtropical archipelago. You’ll find a standard repertoire of dishes

Most people kick off a visit to the Czech Republic in Prague, the cradle of Czech culture and one of Europe’s most intriguing capitals. Famous for its Gothic architecture and the incredible Prague Castle, this is also a vibrant city with beer gardens, modern as well as traditional cafes, and a developing foodie scene. Start

Day trips from Cape Town offer a taste of the Western Cape province’s sublime scenery. Just a short drive from the city, hundreds of wineries lend a pretty finishing touch to an already exquisite landscape backed by jagged purple-grey mountains. Once you cross the eastern mountains, you’re met by undulating forest eventually giving way to a

Sasha Brady, a Lonely Planet writer and editor, shares a snapshot of a recent trip to Inis Mór in the Aran Islands, highlighting the best places to eat, drink and sleep in — and what you shouldn’t miss. I just returned from a weekend trip to Inis Mór, the largest of Ireland’s Aran Islands. The