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6 top urban heritage tours in Asia, from samurai training in Kyoto to Singapore’s Chinatown and a Shanghai ‘Venice’
Explore Asia’s rich heritage with city tours that offer a glimpse into the history and culture of these vibrant urban centres
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Heritage is defined as “valued objects and qualities such as historic buildings and cultural traditions that have been passed down from previous generations”. As such, it’s no surprise that some of the most popular city tours and workshops aimed at inquisitive foreign visitors, in Asia as elsewhere, are those that focus on history and local traditions.
1. Manila, the Philippines
A tour on a Bambike constructed by a Bambuilder and led by a “bambassador”; the Philippine bicycle maker and operator of Bambike Ecotours may overdo the puns, but there’s little doubt that a turn around Manila’s most historic quarter is more fun on a machine made of bamboo.
Intramuros (Spanish for “inside the walls”) is the Philippine capital’s oldest neighbourhood, having been built around Fort Santiago, established by the Spanish in the late 1500s. As well as cobbled streets, leafy plazas, hidden courtyards and houses dating back to the colonial period, highlights of a 2.5-hour Bambike tour of Fort Santiago and the wider Intramuros area are the Unesco-listed San Agustin Church, the 18th century Revellín de la Puerta Real de Bagumbayan fortifications, the 16th century Puerta del Parian and the opposing statues of Spanish king Charles IV and independence hero Dr José Rizal.
Tours in a group of between five and 10 people cost US$35 each. bambike.com/ecotours
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