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Explore Hong Kong

German hotelier Dirk Dalichau, general manager of Mondrian Hong Kong, has also worked at The Mira Hong Kong, Ovolo Hotels and Eaton HK since landing in Hong Kong two decades ago. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Profile | ‘Real experiences’: Mondrian Hong Kong general manager on why community matters

Dirk Dalichau explains how a hotel’s message should be welcoming not just for guests but also for a city’s wider community.

16 Sep 2026 - 2:14PM

9 film locations to visit in Prague, from Blade Runner 2099 to Amadeus

14 Sep 2026 - 6:15PM

The Louvre looks East to help fund €1 billion makeover

14 Sep 2026 - 12:15PM

On a tower trip: a bike tour around China’s Unesco-listed Kaiping watchtowers

Many of the ‘diaolou’ can be reached only by farm tracks and quiet paths, making cycling the ideal way to explore them.

8 Sep 2026 - 12:15PM

Kaiping’s diaolou watchtowers are scattered across the flat countryside of China’s Guangdong province, and with many only accessible along farm tracks and quiet paths, a bicycle tour is the ideal way to see them. Photo: Bruce Foreman

‘Ultimate luxury’: why fashion houses are building branded residences

From Thailand to Turkey, labels like Etro and Karl Lagerfeld are wooing wealthy buyers looking to do more than just wear their brands.

7 Sep 2026 - 5:52PM

Busan Biennale 2026: a ‘Dissident Chorus’ of sound, art and politics

This year, South Korea’s oldest biennale explores politics through sound, performance and art, but does it truly challenge the status quo?

7 Sep 2026 - 12:45PM

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Safe travels: how tourists are reacting to war, fuel prices, geopolitical strife

Regional conflicts and high fuel prices are affecting travel patterns as people prioritise flexibility and bypass trouble spots.

1 Sep 2026 - 7:15AM

Passengers check a departure board at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 8, 2026. Geopolitical tensions and conflicts are altering how people plan their trips. Photo: TNS

5 days in Seoul: what to do in South Korea’s capital, from palaces to DMZ

South Korea’s capital is a sprawling mix of old and new. Here’s a 5-day itinerary to help first-time visitors see why the city is so special.

1 Sep 2026 - 11:22AM

Butter believe it – first Paris boutique devoted to France’s favourite fat opens

With flavours including garlic, shallot, fines herbes and raspberry, Le Butter Shop in Paris is a temple to all things butter.

30 Aug 2026 - 4:15PM

Spud-tacular hotel celebrates potatoes in food, facials and farming

Germany’s Potato Hotel offers potato treatments, yoga sessions and work opportunities for young travellers who are looking for a free stay.

29 Aug 2026 - 7:15PM

Sylvia Methfessel, the right-hand woman of Potato Hotel owner Olaf Stehr, says young people from all over the world visit the German hotel. Photo: Philipp Schulze/dpa

TV shows and streaming video

Disney Worldbuilders captures ‘magic’ of turning films into theme park lands

New Disney+ film interviews masterminds behind Frozen and more to show how on-screen tales are adapted at Disneylands from Hong Kong to Paris.

25 Aug 2026 - 7:15PM

Guests walk past Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World in Florida on April 2, 2025. Photo: TNS

6 great places to visit during shoulder season, from Japan to Austria and France

Travelling in the autumn brings all kinds of benefits. Here are six places worth a visit in 2026, from magical Japan to welcoming Malta.

31 Aug 2026 - 2:25PM

Art, saints, Galileo: Italy’s Padua offers a quiet alternative to Venice

Escape Venice’s crowds for Padua, less than a 30-minute train ride away and one of the country’s most dynamic cities.

24 Aug 2026 - 4:21PM

The Buddhist text in Taiwan said to bring lifetimes of luck with one glimpse

The Tibetan Dragon Canon, a huge 17th century scripture on show at Taiwan’s National Palace Museum, has set social media ablaze.

18 Aug 2026 - 4:32PM

A gold-inked manuscript from the Tibetan Dragon Canon, which is on show as part of the “Tibetan Dragon Canon: A Symphony of Imperial Power, Belief and Art in a Golden Age” exhibition at Taiwan’s National Palace Museum until November 8, 2026. The 357-year-old text has recently gone viral for apparently granting those who view it seven lifetimes of good karma. Photo: NPM

Are these Odyssey islands prepared for tourist surge in wake of new film?

A jump in visitors is expected in Ithaca, believed to be Odysseus’ home in the poem, and Favignana, its stand-in in the recent blockbuster.

18 Aug 2026 - 7:15AM

Tourists disembark from a boat after returning from nearby beaches on the island of Ithaca on August 3, 2026. Ithaca is widely believed to be the home of the hero Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey. Photo: AFP

Why the first night in a hotel affects your sleep quality and how to improve it

The first night in a new place often results in worse sleep. Experts cite the evolutionary causes and give tips on sleeping better.

17 Aug 2026 - 7:15AM

Chinese culture

The world’s only hieroglyphic script still in use today is found in China

Over 1,000 years old, Dongba script is associated with the Naxi ethnic minority and is a common sight in Yunnan province’s Lijiang city.

14 Aug 2026 - 12:45PM

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Why Ben Fogle thinks he discovered the ‘real’ China in new TV series

In Ben Fogle’s Chinese Adventure, the TV presenter ‘transcends stereotypes’ as he travels from the Great Wall to Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

11 Aug 2026 - 8:06AM

British presenter Ben Fogle meets a cormorant fisherman in Guilin. Photo: All3Media

3 million mosaic pieces later, why artist Sung Tieu wants Germany to ‘wake up’

The Vietnam-born, Berlin-based artist explains how her transformation of the 2026 German pavilion at Venice reflects immigrant experiences.

10 Aug 2026 - 7:15PM

6 ‘glowcation’ destinations for your next beauty and wellness fix

A trip built around a wellness treatment, beauty ritual or targeted pharmacy haul, ‘glowcations’ are trending throughout the travel world.

10 Aug 2026 - 12:45PM

Why were there no teeny-tiny dinosaurs like we have with mammals and birds?

New research investigates why there were never any dinosaurs the size of, say, a mouse, and it seems like mammals could be to blame.

9 Aug 2026 - 7:15PM

A model of a Microraptor (front) is wheeled out for display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The crow-sized Microraptor was one of the smallest-known dinosaurs, weighing about 430 grams. Photo: Reuters

Chinese culture

How the Shenzhen Natural History Museum was designed to reflect its landscape

The architects behind the new museum talk about the Shenzhen landmark’s unique design that reflects its green and water-edged location.

10 Aug 2026 - 2:21PM

The free-flowing curves of the Shenzhen Natural History Museum mirror the local river systems and surrounding hills. Photo: Adam Mork

Food and Drinks

These 7 lesser-known Korean snacks are trending among visitors

From pork rice soup to K-pop star Jennie’s favourite banana-flavoured snacks, these foods are trending across TikTok, Instagram and Reddit.

7 Aug 2026 - 9:15PM

SCMP Highlights

Hong Kong’s dining battle; TV host’s insomnia struggle: 7 Lifestyle highlights

From Singapore’s dragon dance to French cultural influence in Hong Kong, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.

6 Aug 2026 - 3:15PM

Why Singapore’s record-breaking giant fire dragon goes up in smoke every 3 years

Unlike other dragon dance traditions, one Singaporean temple’s fire dragon exists within a cycle of creation, sacrifice and renewal.

4 Aug 2026 - 7:15AM

Spectators watch the Fire Dragon Dance of Sar Kong Mun San Fook Tuck Chee in March 2026. Every three years, the dragon is offered back to the deities through fire, reducing its physical form to ashes. This act is not an end but a renewal. Photo: Yeo GT

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