Destinations

The roads of Puerto Rico serve as a stage. The performers are the rolling hills dotted with little country houses, the wild horses roaming freely through the forests, the fishing villages and beaches with tiny bars by the water. Travelers find these enchanting sights when they dare to venture outside of San Juan and into the island’s core.

With thousands of years of history and a lively contemporary culture, Istanbul has plenty to keep visitors occupied. But a day trip to nearby beaches, forests, and sleepier towns at the edges of the city and around the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea serves as a welcome break from the concrete jungle. Two history-filled former Ottoman

Sydney is blessed with dozens of beautiful beaches to swim, surf or simply sunbathe on the sand. Stay anywhere near Sydney city center and you have a choice of beaches to get to: from pocket-sized harbor bays, where you can slip into calm seas while watching sailing boats bobbing, to iconic surf spots with pounding waves and

Distinguished by three topographical regions – mountains, jungle, and arid coast  – Peru is an ideal destination for outdoor enthusiasts as all roads seem to lead to a superb hiking trail.  Ascending the Andes at a steady pace brings you to exhilarating, high-elevation lakes of an azure hue while venturing to the Amazon region offers

Guatemala has been my second home for nearly two decades, and the country still captivates me: the landscape with its volcanoes and coffee trees, the lakes and rivers and tropical beaches, Mayan ruins peeking out above the treetops.  Mayan traditions are still alive and well, and the weather’s almost always fine in the Land of

Discover the places writer Stephanie Yeboah and her social media followers have selected for giving the best experience. A few years ago, while considering options for the perfect destination for my annual birthday holiday, I decided to do a call out on my social media channels for the best spots to travel solo as a

Like many cities, Melbourne is more a collection of villages than a single unified city. Developed throughout the city’s varied history, each suburb has its own distinct character; from architecture to streetscapes. The city center and Southbank have the highest concentration of major sights, while other crowd-pleasers are scattered around the city’s fringes. Rest assured that

Every year, Santa is the main attraction in Finnish Lapland. But there’s so much more to discover in this winter wonderland. 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. A question about Lapland? Who better to answer

You know that old saying that it’s not about the destination but rather the journey? Well, there are few places on earth where the journeys are quite so epic as in Bolivia, which packs a continent’s worth of topography – soaring mountains, upland plateaus, and lowland jungles – into a relatively small package.  To get

Consistently ranked amongst the world’s most liveable cities, Melbourne isn’t a half-bad place to visit either. Victoria’s capital has a wealth of attractions to keep you entertained, from sprawling markets and insightful museums to beautiful botanic gardens and vintage amusement parks. Even better news: you can enjoy lots of these experiences without spending a single cent. Here’s our guide to

Botswana makes for a memorable trip with kids. From quad biking across Makgadikgadi Salt Pans to encounters with elephants, lions, and giraffes, few countries can match it for variety. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a multigenerational safari, a self-drive adventure, or simply camping beneath the stars, its vast, unspoiled landscapes serve as a playground

It’s difficult to tear yourself away from lively Nantes but thanks to its centrally located railway station, you can reach riverside villages, medieval towns, prehistoric art, and enchanting islands in under two hours – and without ever getting behind a steering wheel. If you do have a car, or better still a bicycle, the vineyards

In ever-expanding Cancún, the hotel zone is the yin to downtown’s yang. Spanning across a 22km (14mi) L-shaped island lined with seductive Caribbean beaches, pulsating nightclubs and high-rise resorts, the Zona Hotelera (hotel zone) is Mexico‘s most famous tourist playground. Conversely, on the mainland, the oft-overlooked Centro (downtown) provides the local flavor with its old-school

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Botswana is famed for its enormous expanses of pristine wilderness that have been given over to fence-free national parks and private game reserves, allowing its abundant wildlife to roam free. But what’s the best way to explore the country? Public transport will only get you so far. To get to lodges or campsites in national parks,

Sydneysiders, like most Australians, are genuinely friendly people – they just want visitors to have a good time and take fond memories with them when they go home. That said, there are some things to know about visiting one of Australia’s most intriguing cities. Before it became Australia, this continent was home to around 500

Flying in for a few nights at a splendid luxury lodge is a marvelous way to see the remote corners of beautiful Botswana, but to truly enjoy this country’s monumentally wild spirit, it’s all about taking to the open road. Whether you’re road-tripping by 4WD or in a smaller sedan, a self-driving expedition through national

If anywhere deserves the title of a true year-round destination, it’s Sri Lanka. Like neighboring Maldives, its proximity to the equator ensures pleasantly warm, stable temperatures whatever the season. Sri Lanka’s annual dual monsoons mean that while one side of the country is taking a soaking, the other is primed for afternoons on the beach.  On

With its unique Hindu culture, dramatic tropical landscapes and long tradition of delightful hospitality, Bali is one of the most exciting places for activities on the planet. Whether you like to surf, practice yoga, trek on volcanoes, dive pristine reefs or go white-water rafting, Bali offers all sorts of dynamic and fascinating experiences. On the

Thailand has a deserved reputation as one of the easiest places to travel in Asia. There’s an amazing amount to see, hassles are limited, English-language signs and menus are commonplace, and you can get around easily at almost any time of day or night.  However, there are a few things every traveler should know. Here