Abu Dhabi might get flak for its supposed superficial sheen of modernity and luxury, but bubbling away below the surface is a thriving centre of arts and culture, buoyed by the triumphant just-opened Louvre Abu Dhabi. The city’s art scene is now getting its chance in the spotlight, and these are the best spots where you can go full culture vulture.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi’s roof, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, is a work of art in itself © Ludovic Marin / AFP / Getty Images

Best for international art: Louvre Abu Dhabi

A decade in the making, the Louvre Abu Dhabi finally opened in November 2017 to critical acclaim. Inside the exhibition space, 12 galleries made up of 55 buildings illustrate highlights and treasures of an era. Each room flows clearly to the next – evidence of the journey through time and the museum itself being meticulously planned.

The collection is built from local pieces as well as loans from leading French institutions such as Musée d’Orsay, Centre Pompidou and of course the Louvre. The Louvre Abu Dhabi has billed itself as ‘the world’s first universal museum’ that tells the story of world history through artefacts from all over the world but are grouped together by time period. Egyptian antiquities sit alongside treasures from the Greek kingdom, transformational ideas of universal religions are explored through Gothic Bibles and blue Qurans, and the effects of the Industrial Revolution reflected by Van Gogh and Gauguin segue into perspectives of 20th-century modernity with Magritte and Mondrian, and then onto the works of contemporary artists.

A ‘rain of light’ streams in through the roof of the Louvre Abu Dhabi © Luc Castel / Getty Images

Unsurprisingly, the Louvre Abu Dhabi building is a work of art in itself. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel’s geometric domed roof is spectacular, and its design allows a ‘rain of light’ to shower through, bringing a sense of magic and serenity to the public street-like area below. You can wander the galleries at your own pace, or join a guided tour focused on architecture or museum masterpieces, or the family-centric ‘my first visit to Louvre Abu Dhabi’. Families will also love the dedicated children’s museum and hands-on family workshops.

Make your own creation with local artists at Manarat Al Saadiyat © PiakPPP / Shutterstock

Best for interactive events and workshops: Manarat Al Saadiyat

A long-standing institution on the Abu Dhabi art scene, Manarat Al Saadiyat relaunched in November 2017, adding new art and photography studios to provide drop-in spaces where the public can work on their own projects alongside a team of artists and photographers. Specialised workshops, performances, film screenings and music are all part of the ongoing programme. Manarat Al Saadiyat also serves as the venue for Abu Dhabi Art, an annual event that attracts creators and galleries from all over the world. The art at the fair is for sale if your pockets are deep enough, but for the rest of us, it’s a prime opportunity to meet artists, to learn about new works or to get stuck into one of the many workshops. Abu Dhabi Art charges a small fee for entry, but other exhibitions and galleries at Manarat Al Saadiyat are usually free.

Warehouse 421 has repurposed a space in the industrial Mina Port area © Lindsey Parry / Lonely Planet

Best for UAE-themed art: Warehouse 421

Launched in 2015, Warehouse 421 has transformed a storehouse in the historic Mina Port area into a cultural and gallery space, where much of the work focuses on the United Arab Emirates or is made by Emirati artists. Themes change quarterly, and past exhibitions have included emerging Emirati talent, Arabic posters from across the region and an insight into local life with Emirati family photographs from the end of the 20th century.

Once you’ve finished in the Etihad Modern Art Gallery, continue a theme with a coffee in the Art House Cafe © Lindsey Parry / Lonely Planet

Best for discovering new artists: Etihad Modern Art Gallery

One of the smaller galleries in the city and a little off the beaten path, the Etihad Modern Art Gallery is an independent spot worth seeking out. Conceived as a space for local and regional artists, exhibitions tend to focus on Middle Eastern talent, but international artists are also regularly hosted. Exhibitions change monthly and are free to enter. After browsing the gallery, go next door for a coffee in the suitably creative surroundings of the Art House Cafe, run by the same owners as the gallery. Sit back and admire the quirky decor – this colourful, charming rest stop with tables and chairs made from recycled oil barrels is something of an anomaly in Abu Dhabi.

Forage for treasure large and small at Etihad Antiques Gallery © Lindsey Parry / Lonely Planet

Best for antiques: Etihad Antiques Gallery

Located next door to the Etihad Modern Art Gallery (there’s no connection even though they have similar names), Etihad Antiques Gallery is a floor-to-ceiling treasure trove of beautiful, curious relics from all over the world. Collectors can shop for rarities, and even the merely inquisitive will enjoy whiling away an afternoon browsing the jumbled collection of trinkets, coins, swords, and Mughal doors.

Best for something unique: Julia Ibbini

Artist Julia Ibbini has spent years using computers to manipulate drawings, photographs and paintings, but it is her delicate art made from cut paper that have made her a name locally. Having learned to harness technology to create a depth of detail not possible by hand, she uses laser machines to bring her complex and meticulous designs of Arabian-inspired ornate doors, grand arches and palatial passageways to life. The resulting works are remarkable for their incredible visual feast of colour, intricate patterns and layering, and no two are the same. Julia’s works make for excellent out-of-the-ordinary souvenirs. Make an appointment to visit her studio.

Pick up a local handmade souvenir at the Women’s Handicraft Centre © Lindsey Parry / Lonely Planet

Best for traditional crafts: Women’s Handicraft Centre

Pass by an ageing exhibition on life in Abu Dhabi pre-oil boom, and you may wonder what you’ve gotten yourself into, but proceed on to the counter to buy a ticket (Dhs5). You’ll then be led to the craft village where you’ll find some of Abu Dhabi’s most authentic souvenirs. The rooms at the Women’s Handicraft Centre each house a traditional speciality, and local women work on palm weaving, Unesco-recognised saddu textile weaving, intricate silver-thread talli work and traditional toy- and dress-tailoring. Remove your shoes before entering any of the rooms and always ask permission to take photos – some of the women are more conservative and shy than others. All handicrafts are available for sale on a small shelf back in the main exhibition hall for reasonable prices.

Best all-rounder: New York University Abu Dhabi Art Gallery and Arts Center

Nestled within an impressive state-of-the art university campus, this art gallery is a large open space with a roving focus. Exhibitions change twice a year and have featured works from local artists, including the renowned Mohammed Kazem, and international works from Yoko Ono, Claes Oldenburg and Martha Edelheit. The university’s Performing Arts Center also has a vibrant events calendar. Highlights range from student productions and live music (including premieres such as the Grammy-award-winning Kronos Quartet) to the outstanding ‘Rooftop Rhythms’ evenings that feature open-mic poetry, rap and spoken-word performances.
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China’s third-biggest city, Guangzhou is the beating heart of the megalopolis that is the Pearl River Delta. This location along the South China Sea has long made Guangzhou one of China’s most important trading ports with a colonial background and culturally diverse society.

But as the region’s population has swelled (around 130 million now call the Pearl River Delta home), so has Guangzhou’s profile.

Ultra-modern Zhujiang New Town © Cathy Adams / Lonely Planet

Today, the capital of Guangdong province, formerly known as Canton, has found firm footing as a booming metropolis full of cutting-edge architecture, tasty Cantonese food and plenty of interesting pockets to explore. Interestingly, Guangzhou is also one of the only cities in China where Mandarin and Cantonese are spoken almost interchangeably.

Here are 10 things you can’t miss in Guangzhou.

Guangzhou Opera House

The most striking piece of architecture in town is the eye-popping Guangzhou Opera House, designed by Zaha Hadid. The performance space has Hadid’s signature flowing curves, which according to the architect were inspired by two rocks washed away from the Pearl River. The opera house, which opened in 2010, is just as futuristic looking on the inside as it is on the outside; performances span everything from classical scores to Cantonese operas.

Scallops at Huangsha Seafood Market © Cathy Adams / Lonely Planet

Cantonese food

Guangzhou, long the spiritual home of Cantonese food, is also one of China’s tastiest cities – a status that’s about to become official with the launch of a Michelin Guide to the city later this year. As you would expect from a cosmopolitan centre, Guangzhou has its fair share of premium restaurants, but there’s a pulsing local food scene, too. Explore it with Eating Adventures, which runs half-day foodie tours around Liwan, the city’s traditional quarter. The highlight is the Huangsha Seafood Market, one of the biggest fish markets in southern China, where restaurants in the market building will cook the seafood you’ve just bought downstairs.

Xiaobei

A high level of migration from Africa has made Guangzhou one of China’s most diverse cities. The Xiaobei neighbourhood, which coalesces around Baohan Straight Street, is home to a large concentration of African residents, as well as Uyghurs from northwestern China. It’s an interesting neighbourhood to explore – alongside wholesale markets, you can find some of the city’s best Uyghur food (think hand-pulled noodles and charcoal-roasted lamb) in eateries.

An alleyway in Liwan, the traditional heart of Guangzhou © Cathy Adams / Lonely Planet

Liwan

The city’s traditional heart is Liwan, the old quarter, where the houses aren’t more than a few storeys tall and Cantonese is still the dominant language. Visit the Qingping Chinese Medicine Market and wander through the streets to find hawkers sitting on plastic chairs, sometimes flogging handfuls of insects and often playing drawn-out games of mahjong. Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, the first of its kind in Guangzhou, comes with an odd mix of ear-splitting music and traditional shophouses with a faintly European flair.

Xiaogang Park

Daily life in China is lived out in public spaces like parks. Sprawling Xiaogang Park, in southern Guangzhou, is the ideal place for a lazy weekend stroll – particularly around the lake at its centre. There’s an excellent vegetarian restaurant, Bingsheng Zen Tea House, right by the entrance, which is perfect for a long lunch.

The Canton Tower as seen from the Four Seasons Hotel, IFC © Cathy Adams / Lonely Planet

Canton Tower

The city’s tallest structure, the slender Canton Tower, has become the de facto landmark of modern Guangzhou – recognisable for its twisty shape that lights up in a rainbow of colours at night. The viewing platform, at 488m up, offers a breathtaking panorama across Guangzhou and the ultra-modern Zhujiang New Town neighbourhood. Kick the experience up a gear by taking a bubble tram: these clear plexiglass cabins wind slowly around the top of the tower on a track.

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

At the southern end of Yuexiu Park is the imposing Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, which commemorates the first leader of modern China. The eponymous doctor, who was born in northern Guangdong in 1866, is immortalised in bronze outside the commanding octagon-shaped hall, which seats more than 3000 people for performances. Also on the Sun trail, a few stops up on metro line 2, you can visit the Sun Yatsen Memorial Museum at the residence where Sun lived during the 1920s.

The leafy heritage streets of Shamian Island, perfect for a stroll © Baiterek Media / Shutterstock

Shamian Island

This 300-sq-metre island, a former European concession, is one of the prettiest sections of Guangzhou. There are cobbled streets, banyan tree-flanked avenues and wrought-iron signposts – a total contrast to the rest of the city. The Starbucks here, in an old colonial mansion, must rank as one of the most charming branches in the world, while the lobby of the five-star White Swan Hotel is worth a look for its over-the-top pond and mini-waterfall.

Shopping

If you want a snapshot of a very modern Guangzhou, visit Beijing Road – a buzzy, busy and booming pedestrian street packed with hawker stalls and what feels like the entire city population at all points of the day. A more refined shopping experience can be found in Tianhe, a fast-gentrifying business district that’s popular with Hong Kong weekenders (it’s handily near the main Guangzhou East train station). The Taikoo Hui shopping centre is a far calmer retail experience, name-checking over 180 big brands. For browsing antiques of the genuine and not-so-genuine variety, hit up Xiguan Antique Street.

Dim sum: siu mai at Yu Yue Heen Restaurant © Cathy Adams / Lonely Planet

Dim sum

The tradition of yum cha (literally ‘to take tea’) is taken very seriously in Guangzhou, and there are numerous restaurants claiming to have the best selection of traditional dim sum (the small dishes eaten at yum cha). Some claim the best spot in town is Liwan’s Dian Dou De (587 Longjin Zhonglu) – also on the Eating Adventures tour – which serves (arguably) the best egg tarts you’ll find outside of Portugal. For a more formalised affair, there’s the Lai Wan Market, a dim sum restaurant (with tables tucked into traditional sampans) inside the concrete heifer that is the Garden Hotel. Lastly, there’s traditional ‘garden restaurant’ Panxi, a warren of banquet halls set around a gorgeous garden, serving steaming baskets of classic dumplings and bao buns.

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This is a time when St Petersburg is at its most lustrous, when radost zhizni – the peculiarly Russian brand of joie de vivre – is irresistible. White Nights revelling starts in May, when the city finally succumbs to spring and the parks are filled with flowering trees, but mid-June is peak time, as the sun slumps lazily towards the horizon but never fully sets. Here are some White Nights (and summer days) experiences not to miss in St Petersburg.

The Scarlet Sails fireworks over the Neva River and Palace Bridge © Drozdin Vladimir / Shutterstock

Have some fun on New Holland Island

The city’s stunning new green space and creative hub, New Holland Island has quickly become a haven for artists, locals and tourists alike. Outdoor concerts are the big draw in summer, but there’s lots more going on: you can explore creative cuisine in the cool cafes, join the yoga sessions on the grass, hone your drawing skills at a sketching class, check out art installations on the grounds or temporary exhibitions in the Pavilion, catch occasional film screenings and lectures, and even play some ping pong or pétanque.

Stroll the gardens and sunbathe by the Neva

St Petersburg’s Summer Garden has been specifically designed for leisurely strolls during languid summer days. Walking along its shady avenues, decorated with classical white marble statues and soothing fountains, is a quintessential St Petersburg experience. Mikhailovsky Garden, right behind the Russian Museum, is another great option; the huge blossoming lilacs on Mars field provide wonderful shade. Sun-baking by the Neva is also typically ‘Piter’ (as some Russians lovingly call the city). The riverside walls of the Peter & Paul Fortress are a favourite sun-lovers’ hangout.

A striking fountain in St Petersburg’s Summer Garden © Anton Kudelin / Shutterstock

Discover your inner polar bear

Lake Ladoga – source of the Neva – is a short train ride from the city, and its forested banks are a favourite Petersburger summer destination for picnics, canoe paddles and cooling swims. Komarova Beach in the Gulf of Finland is a fine place to visit mid-summer. It’s not the Caribbean, but in less than an hour’s journey from the city you can feel a million miles away. Take icy dips in the Baltic here and breathe deep on the sea breeze. It’s really not that cold.

Stay up all night

You have to do this at least once during the White Nights season. There’s a kind of euphoria when you can stroll the historic streets of the city at midnight and feel like it’s still long before bedtime. Start the evening with a breezy outdoor dinner somewhere like Terrassa (whose namesake terrace is open only in warmer months), then go dancing at one of the understatedly cool nightclubs, such as Dom Beat. Or if you’re up for a night of bar-hopping, just head to Dumskaya street, where four of St Petersburg’s hottest drinking and music spots are located.

The opening of a bridge across the Fontanka River at night © Pete Seaward / Lonely Planet

Watch the Neva bridges open

The signature tradition of the White Nights is watching the spectacle of the massive Neva River bridges heaving apart to let through boat traffic at night. Watch from the riverside embankments or take to the water on a boat cruise and slip right through the heart of the midnight city. If you’re on foot, make sure you’re on the right side of the river to get back to your accommodation: the metro stops working at midnight and, with the bridges open until 5am, there’s no other way to cross the river. If you do get stuck on the wrong riverbank, you’ll experience something that happened to nearly every local at least once!

See the Stars of the White Nights

Midsummer was traditionally when Russian performing artists took holidays or went on tour, and St Petersburg’s stages were always quiet during this season. That was until 1993, when the Mariinsky Theatre’s Valery Gergiev founded the spectacularly popular Stars of the White Nights Festival. Between the end of May and mid-July, there are almost daily operas, ballets and classical concerts at the Mariinsky, featuring top-notch Russian and international stars. There are also outdoor concerts all over the city.

The Swan Lake ballet performance at the Mariinsky Theatre © Gary Latham / Lonely Planet

Feel like a royal

In the tradition of European courts, Russian royals loved to have a summer palace to retire to from the bustle of the capital (which St Petersburg had been for over 200 years). That’s why the city is surrounded by gorgeous little towns that grew around the summer palaces. In Pavlovsk, a vast woodland park leads straight to the palace gates; Pushkin is where Catherine the Great kept her famous Amber Room; Oranienbaum features landscaped parks, lakes and historic buildings; and the crown jewel, Peterhof, has spectacular fountains and ornate gardens. All of them are available to explore – just don’t slip on the polished ballroom floors!

Join the city’s biggest celebration

The high point of the White Nights revelry, the Scarlet Sails in late June is the biggest annual public gathering in St Petersburg, with over a million attendees. There’s a mock pirate battle on the Neva River, then a firework extravaganza, culminating in the appearance of a tall ship with blood-red sails. The imagery originates from a popular Russian children’s book, but the Scarlet Sails have become the consummate symbol of White Nights, and perhaps the most special moment of a St Petersburg summer, which anyone can watch from the embankment.

First published in January 2012

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Wetlands are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet. As well as being a refuge for wildlife, they provide food – including rice, a staple for around half the world’s population – fuel, filter water and act as storm buffers.

In the last century, the world lost about half its wetlands due to drainage for agriculture or construction; over-fishing, poaching and pollution from increasing human populations also pose a threat.

But local communities are finding ways to protect these fragile environments through sustainable management – and, by making responsible choices, travellers who want to enjoy their richness can play a part in safeguarding them.

Spotting a jaguar is top of the wish list for most visitors to the Pantanal © Hans Wagemaker / Shutterstock

The Pantanal, Brazil

The world’s largest wetland covers over 70,000 square miles, most of it in Brazil’s Mato Grosso do Sul state, and spilling over into neighbouring Bolivia and Paraguay. This patchwork of lakes, lagoons, rivers and marshes brims with tropical flora and fauna, including rare and elusive jaguars, giant river otters, marsh deer and hyacinth macaws. It’s one of the world’s best-preserved wetlands, even though less than two percent of it is officially protected and the rest is privately owned. Caiman Lodge was the first ecotourism operation in the southern Pantanal and it’s now the base of the groundbreaking Onçafari Jaguar Project.

When to go: The dry season, May to October, is best for mammal spotting. During the wet season, roads can become impassable.

A boat tour is the easiest way to explore the Everglades © Sergei Tungusov / Shutterstock

Everglades, USA

North America’s most extensive flooded grassland, the Everglades National Park covers 2,400 square miles of south Florida. Most of the park is only accessible by boat and you can take tours through the mangroves from Flamingo and the Gulf Coast. Experienced canoeists can spend a week on the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway, and rangers lead shorter canoe, kayaking and biking tours. Want to get your feet wet? Go off-trail hiking, known as slough slogging, to get up close to wading birds, turtles, even alligators. There are drive-in campsites at Long Pine Key and Flamingo, and more primitive ones inside the park.

When to go: The dry season runs from December to May but June to November is quieter.

White horses and pink flamingos are among the distinctive inhabitants of the Camargue © Uhryn Larysa / Shutterstock

The Camargue, France

On the wild southeast coast of France, between Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence where the Rhône River meets the sea, the 360 square miles of the Camargue is made up of saltwater lakes and marshland, and rich in wildlife and folklore. It’s a nesting ground for pink flamingos, and famous for two unique animal breeds: Camargue bulls and semi-wild white horses that have roamed the wetlands for thousands of years. The ornithological park north of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is a good place to find flamingos, egrets and herons. There are also stables where you can ride, and accommodation to suit all budgets.

When to go: Spring and autumn, when the wetlands are visited by hundreds of thousands of migratory birds.

With inhabitants as colourful as this lilac-breasted roller, the Okavango Delta is a paradise for birdwatchers © Jeremy Woodhouse / Getty Images

Okavango Delta, Botswana

One of the world’s largest inland deltas, the Okavango Delta starts in Angola’s western highlands and ends in Botswana, where it fans out into a maze of channels, lagoons and islands, covering 22,000 square miles in wetter years. A third of it lies within the Moremi Game Reserve, while the rest is divided into private concessions. The delta attracts a vast array of animals including elephants and lions. One of the best ways to experience it is from a low-slung mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe, and a mobile camping safari is usually a more wallet-friendly option than a lodge.

When to go: June to October during the height of the flooding.

Walthamstow Wetlands is a green escape on the doorstep of London © Ray Wise / Getty Images

Walthamstow Wetlands, UK

Europe’s largest urban wetland lies just 15 minutes from central London. After a £10.6 million regeneration project, Walthamstow Wetlands opened to the general public for the first time in 150 years in October 2017. Owned by Thames Water, the 10 reservoirs here supply 3.5 million households, but they’re also a haven for water birds like gadwall and shoveler, a stopover for migrating birds such as lapwings and sandpipers, and a breeding ground for kingfishers. The site boasts 13 miles of footpath and cycle track, a visitor centre and cafe with a unique tower that houses nesting swifts and roosting bats, and a viewing platform atop the Grade II-listed Coppermill Tower with views over London.

When to go: Year-round, seven days a week. And it’s free.

Crocodiles lurk in the billabongs of Kakadu National Park, Australia © Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH / Shutterstock

Kakadu, Australia

One of the best-known landmarks of the vast Kakadu National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory is the Yellow Water Billabong. Part of the South Alligator River floodplain, this wetland is one of the best places to see the country’s wildlife in its natural habitat. Take a short Yellow Water Cruise departing daily from Jabiru to spot saltwater crocodiles, sea eagles, whistling ducks and buffalo. You can also visit Kakadu as part of the 456-mile Nature’s Way drive, which starts in Darwin and loops through wetlands, gorges and waterfalls across land rich in Aboriginal culture.

When to go: The dry season between June and August is the best time to visit.

White pelicans at sunset on the Danube Delta, Romania © Calin Stan / Shutterstock

Danube Delta, Romania

Europe’s second largest delta is created by the mighty River Danube, which flows almost 1,800 miles from Germany’s Black Forest to Romania, where it empties into the Black Sea. The delta’s 2,200 square miles play host to around 300 species of endemic and migratory birds, including white pelicans, pygmy cormorants and red-breasted geese. More than 3,400 animal species can also be found here, as well as 1,700 plant species. The best way to experience the delta is by boat, whether on a passenger ferry, an organised excursion or by hiring your own canoe. Stay in the Romanian town Tulcea, camp or stay on a houseboat.

When to go: Spring and autumn are the best time to visit, as summers can be hot and humid.

Bangweulu is one of the last strongholds of the shoebill © LagunaticPhoto / Shutterstock

Bangweulu Wetlands, Zambia

Dominated by grassy floodplains, Bangweulu – meaning ‘where the water meets the sky’ – is a community-owned protected wetland in northeastern Zambia, home to species such as the endangered black lechwe, a water-loving antelope. But its main attraction is the prolific birdlife: more than 430 species including geese, pelicans, spoonbills, storks, herons, ibises and cranes. Star billing goes to the iconic shoebill – a huge, prehistoric-looking bird with a striking similarity to a dodo – and Bangweulu is one of its last remaining breeding sites. Since the NGO African Parks took over the wetlands in 2008, poaching has decreased and wildlife numbers are recovering.

When to go: Birdlife is at its peak from February to April and sightings can be made by boat; from May to July it’s possible to drive.

The meandering waterways of Kerala’s backwaters © Andreas Polz / Shutterstock

Kerala backwaters, India

Alongside southern India’s Malabar Coast, the Kerala backwaters are a web of lakes and lagoons, linked by channels and fed by almost 40 rivers, stretching for more than 900 kilometres. When the fresh water meets the Arabian Sea, it creates an ecosystem that provides a natural habitat for many unique species of aquatic life, including crabs, frogs and birds. Locals have used the picturesque, palm-fringed waterways for centuries, for fishing, agriculture and transporting rice and spices. They also attract visitors, who cruise on kettuvallams – traditional rice boats turned floating hotels – for a taste of rural Keralan life.

When to go: The cooler dry season runs from December to February.

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From the moment the ferry reaches the port, Syros reveals its resplendent pastel-hued villas cascading down the Ermoupoli hill and glistening in the Aegean sun. With a rich history and culture influenced by past rulers and boasting two towns – one Orthodox, the other Catholic – the sophisticated landscape of Syros offers many surprises.

The sun sets over Syros’ port and the pastel-hued villas on Ermoupoli hill © Milan Gonda / Shutterstock

Elegant Ermoupoli

Founded as an extension to the already existing Ano Syros settlement, Ermoupoli (or Hermoupolis) came into existence during the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s with the arrival of a wave of refugees from other Greek islands such as Chios, Psara and Crete. The new dwellers transformed the town into a major trading centre connecting the east to the west, contributing with their skills to the cultural boom that followed. Schools, printing presses and museums rapidly emerged.

Thanks to the rise of the bourgeoisie and flourishing arts, the ‘City of Hermes’ (fittingly named after the Greek god of trade) grew its amphitheatrically set layout with neoclassical buildings, crayon-like mansions and striking churches. The monumental Town Hall on cafe-dotted Plateia Miaouli, the Apollo Theatre and the blue-domed Agios Nikolaos Church stand out as its most iconic sights.

The blue-domed Agios Nikolaos Church in Ermoupoli seen from Asteria Beach © Monica Suma / Lonely Planet

Medieval Ano Syros

Ano Syros is the original settlement of Syros, stretching along the Ermoupoli hill and crowned by the Agios Georgios Cathedral. Built by the Venetians in the 13th century as a fortified citadel with narrow streets, marble steps and a circular order, Ano Syros is a maze of alleys to get delightfully lost in. All around, the friendliest felines will pose for you and steal the show (there’s even a dedicated NGO catering to the roaming cats of Syros).

Reminiscent of the French rule, when the Catholic Greeks were under protection here against invading pirates and Turks, the culture and dialect of this district are part of the discovery amongst the whitewashed houses. Traditional Greek music aficionados should visit the Markos Vamvakaris Museum, celebrating a famous rembetika (Greek blues) musician born here. For the best sunset shots head to the summit, where panoramic views of Syros and the neighbouring islands seduce further.

Panoramic views of Syros island and the azure Aegean Sea from Ano Syros © Monica Suma / Lonely Planet

Beach time

Despite its relatively small size, the island boasts several sandy, unspoiled beaches, which is not always a given in Greece. Galissas Beach is perhaps the best one, its crystal blue waters nestled in a sheltered cove on the western coast of Syros. After taking a dip (the water stays warm until October), refuel with scrumptious homemade Greek food at aVentoura right on the beach.

Kini Beach is another great option – widespread, with an array of beachfront properties and arguably the island’s top restaurant. Finikas Beach is the second-largest stretch of sand on the island, also a serious contender. But for a distinct experience head to Asteria Beach in Ermoupoli, which comes with no sand (rather, an uninspiring concrete deck). Instead, you’re in for the best belvedere in all of Syros, overlooking the Agios Nikolaos Church and wealthy sea captains’ houses perched on rocks in the Vaporia district. Asteria Beach Bar sits along the water’s edge right next to the beach, the perfect spot to bask in the sun and relax.

A stroll through the narrow marble-paved streets of Ermoupoli © Monica Suma / Lonely Planet

The Aegean cuisine

When it comes to food, Syros doesn’t disappoint – the gastronomic temptation goes on from morning till midnight. With a plethora of restaurants and traditional Greek tavernas, prepare to have some of the best meals in the Cyclades. The island entices with a bit of everything: fish comes fresh and plentiful, while delicious gyros and souvlakis are ever-present. For an exquisite meal of mouth-watering seafood and juicy salads while overlooking the sea, swanky Allou Yialou on Kini Beach is the best place to go.

Syros is also a culinary destination thanks to its speciality foods. Similar to the Turkish delight that was brought over in the 19th century, Syros’ loukoumi (prepared from water, starch and sugar only) is famous thanks to the local consistency of the water; it’s still laboriously mixed by hand and boiled in copper cauldrons. There are many wild herbs that grow locally – such as fennel, thyme and sage – so fennel pie is another speciality to try; it’s best had at Archontariki. Don’t leave Syros without a sip of tsipouro, the strong raki-like spirit made from pomace (leftovers from the wine press).

The neoclassical 19th-century Town Hall on Ermoupoli’s Plateia Miaouli © Monica Suma / Lonely Planet

Local Cycladic culture

While the relaxing beaches and quaint villages are most enjoyable during the summer, Syros thrives on culture year-round. A Cycladic pioneer for its artistic contributions and currently undergoing a creative revival, the island has much more to offer than the sun-and-sand formula.

Built in the 19th century as a smaller version of the famed La Scala in Milan, the Apollo Theatre is one of Syros’ most important landmarks and symbol of cultural prosperity, where stunning performances take place. Every year, the theatre hosts a series of events including Animasyros, a festival of animation, as well as the Festival of the Aegean, a superb classical music line-up.

The elegant shipowners’ mansions of Vaporia district in Ermoupoli © Monica Suma / Lonely Planet

Make it happen

Unlike most other Cyclades islands, Syros is operational year-round; it’s also more affordable than big-hitter destinations like Santorini and Mykonos. However, weather-wise, summer is still the best time to visit, even more so September. From October on, it gets windier.

To get to Syros, catch one of the daily ferries from Piraeus, the main port of Athens. It’s a three- to four-hour boat ride, and you can also take a car on the ferry. Syros is also well connected by ferry with many other islands in the Aegean Sea; Mykonos, Tinos and Paros are only an hour away.

With an excellent location next to the beach, bougainvillea-brightened Ventoura Studios & Apartaments in Galissas are most appropriate for a comfortable yet secluded stay (Jacuzzi and sauna included).

Monica Suma travelled to Syros with support from Discover Syros. Lonely Planet contributors do not accept freebies in exchange for positive coverage.

The view from the Belgrade–Bar train as it trundles through Montenegro’s mountains © sashk0 / Shutterstock

There are many ways to get to Montenegro’s Adriatic Coast, my taxi driver assured me, raising his voice over a chorus of horns that angrily saluted his laissez-faire attitude toward lane use during morning rush-hour traffic in Belgrade. ‘But it makes no sense to take the train.’ He weaved through less aggressive vehicles like a skier clearing slalom gates. A cold, grey autumn rain began to fall harder, drops beading down my window, as the main railway station came into view. ‘Let me take you to the airport,’ he sounded genuinely concerned. ‘You will be in the sea and in the sun and with a beer in half an hour. This thing you are doing, it will take all day … and into the night.’ He finally relented as we pulled up to the curb: ‘At least buy water, sandwiches, and toilet paper.’

The cabbie left me in front of the crenellated railway station, a faded Habsburg-yellow throwback opened in 1884. He was already speeding off to advise another tourist before I could throw my bag over my shoulder. Inside, I found the ticket office. The woman behind the glass informed me that the trip from Belgrade, Serbia, to Bar, Montenegro – on the Adriatic edge of the Balkan Peninsula – takes 12 hours. It costs 21 euros (there would be an additional three-euro charge for a seat reservation). ‘Yes, there is a bakery nearby,’ she said and pointed. ‘It is behind you. The shop for water and tissues is next to it.’ She slid the window closed, stood, picked up her pack of cigarettes, and disappeared.

Belgrade’s weathered train station, built in 1884, was a regular stop on the Orient Express © Mikhail Markovskiy / Shutterstock

I had heard about this rail line for years. Truth be told though, I had never before considered taking it. The Western Balkans is a region that relies, largely, on bus service for public transport. Trains can be a mixed bag, in every way: quality, cleanliness and timeliness. Before boarding, and committing to the all-day odyssey, I stood on the platform and took in the busy station. It wasn’t a stretch to imagine I was watching 19th-century travellers making the same pre-voyage preparations – water, bread, cheese: check; flask of rakija (local schnapps): check – they would have made when Belgrade was a key stop along the Orient Express.

That sense of old-world drama would serve me well, I would soon learn, along this route. On the outskirts of the Serbian capital – as I settled into my seat in a weathered, six-person cabin – we passed Topčider Station, where the hulking locomotives from Yugoslav leader Marshal Tito’s famous Blue Train are stored. The behemoths sat dishevelled, graffitied, but still regal and almost lifelike, wishing me a safe passage to the outer lands. Within an hour, the tangle of urban metal and concrete unravelled, and the countryside spread out in all directions with the urgency of a jailbreak. The sun came out as wet, emerald-green hummocks began to play leapfrog across the vista, rolling until they dove out of sight over the horizon.

The graffiti-covered carriage at one of the many stops along the Belgrade–Bar railway line © Alex Crevar / Lonely Planet

Though the Belgrade–Bar line doesn’t have a sexy moniker (like the Royal Scotsman or Rocky Mountaineer), the Yugoslav Flyer would be appropriate. When construction began on the 476km railway in 1951, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was in its infancy: a tenuous post-WWII cadre of states on the Balkan Peninsula’s western half. By the time the route opened in 1976 – complete with 254 tunnels and 234 bridges winding down from the Pannonian Plain to the island-studded Adriatic Sea – the country had implanted itself as a geopolitical force and a synapse between the West and the Soviet Union.

Yugoslavia has since splintered into seven nations. The railway, thankfully, endures, connecting Serbia to Montenegro with a brief blip across Bosnia & Hercegovina’s eastern border. But the line’s existence represents more than just a continued, now international, transport option. These tracks are the Balkans – and a lifeline to a swath of land where cultures have intertwined since before history. Here, the train takes adventurers across vistas crisscrossed by Greeks and Illyrians, as well as the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires. Along the way, visitors have a literal window onto a living museum frozen in time.

Belgrade–Bar train entering one of the numerous tunnels that dot the route © Pe3k / Shutterstock

Those natural exhibits were on full display as we rumbled through the foothills of the Dinaric Alps in the southwestern corner of Serbia. When we crossed the border into Montenegro, the museum’s lineup of canvases – pristine panoramas and landscapes – changed again. The Western Balkans’ rotating collection now included towering mountains and canyons that engulfed us whole.

‘I had no idea what to expect,’ said Colin Smith, a fellow passenger and UK native. Outside the window, an old couple leaned against pitchforks next to haystacks. Behind them, vegetable gardens and a small-but-dense orchard of plum trees surrounded a stone farmhouse. ‘But I am so surprised by the beauty: the mountains, steep ravines and endless drops.’

The train skirts the Lesendro Fortress ruins on Lake Skadar on its way to the Adriatic © Kekyalyaynen / Shutterstock

Like any showman, the line saved its biggest superlatives for the finale. As the sun sank on the horizon, the tracks were bathed in a salmon-orange glow that bounced off limestone cliffs and framed the train. About 30 minutes north of Podgorica, the Montenegrin capital, we soared atop the 499m-long, 198m-tall Mala Rijeka Viaduct, one of the planet’s highest railway bridges. On the south side of the city, we glided over the Balkans’ largest lake, Skadar (or Shkodra), which straddles the Montenegro–Albania border. Finally, the train pulled into Bar – home to one of the world’s oldest olive trees, more than 2000 years old – where the Adriatic’s salty air stamped the route’s end…and the beginning of my, now earned, Balkan odyssey.

Before I went to sleep that night, I remembered my taxi driver: ‘But it makes no sense to take the train.’ Lying in bed, I could hear the sea washing onto the shore outside my rented apartment’s window. If I ever saw him again, I would make sure to tell the cabbie he was right: a flight would have been much faster and easier, and more sterile.

Beach bliss in Sutomore, the last stop before the train reaches the port of Bar © Alex Crevar / Lonely Planet

Make it Happen

The Belgrade–Bar railway line runs twice per day, in both directions. From Belgrade, the train departs at 9:10am and at 9:10pm; the trip takes 12 hours. For more information, route stops and timetables (in English), see www.srbvoz.rs/eng.

Book tickets (and separate necessary reservations) at the station a day in advance. There are 1st- and 2nd-class options. Night-train passengers can choose between couchettes or sleepers (with two or three beds). A one-way ticket (from Belgrade) costs 21 euros; a reservation is necessary and costs an additional three euros. Second-class couchettes on night trains cost an additional six euros. A bed in a three-bed sleeper is 15 euros; a bed in a two-bed sleeper is 20 euros.

Update: Sadly, Belgrade’s historic railway station, which operated from 1884, closed permanently on 1 July 2018. The trains to Montenegro now run from the Topčider Station south of the city centre.

First published in November 2017

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Leave it to Quito to quietly slide into its new position as South America’s capital of cool. This Ecuadorian city has long nabbed some impressive titles, including the first city to be named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978, but it wasn’t until recently that it became a destination for contemporary arts and culture.

Quito is worth more than a quick stop © Mike Matthews Photography / Getty Images

Today, Quito is more than just a history-steeped stopover city for travelers en route to the Galápagos Islands or Amazon rainforest – it’s home to one of South America’s most vibrant creative scenes. Here, pizza places double as venues for indie concerts and politically charged poetry readings, while bohemian barrios are home to murals, art studios and food truck festivals. If the critically acclaimed exhibitions at Centro de Arte Contemporáneo (Ecuador’s only contemporary art museum) are any indication, the appetite for new talent is more robust than ever. Once you’ve visited the colonial cathedrals of the centro histórico (Quito’s Old Town) and caught your breath at 9350 feet above sea level, make some room for the city’s eclectic offerings.

You can’t miss Ocho y Medio’s colorful façade, painted by local artist Ana Fernández (Miranda Texidor) © Julia Eskins / Lonely Planet

Dive into the arts

To reach the urban epicenter of Quito’s art scene, head to the La Floresta neighborhood, home to a growing community of filmmakers, artists and writers. Low-cost rent originally attracted the creative set to the barrio in the 1990s, leading to a communal push for better public policies to support independent galleries, film productions and collaborative spaces. Fast-forward over 20 years and you’ll find the area peppered with the fruits of their labor including No Lugar, a contemporary arts venue and workshop space. It’s impossible to miss the floral painted Ocho y Medio, an independent cinema with an equally photogenic cafe. The colorful story continues on the streets, where murals by local legends like La Suerte and Apitatán have become the star attraction of free walking tours through the neighborhood. “It’s probably the barrio with the highest concentration of cultural entrepreneurs in the country,” says Quito Street Tours guide Antonio Portilla (aka Tuno). “The styles of the artists – a lot of them are women – are much different from artists in other countries. There is a tendency to focus on plants, animals, conservation and the social protest against ‘macho’ stereotypes and racism.”

Craft beer has seen a boom in Ecuador, and Quito has plenty of homegrown breweries © JUAN CEVALLOS / Getty Images

Embark on a brewery hop

Streams of cultural empowerment have trickled into Quito’s craft beer scene, which has grown to include over 20 microbreweries in the last decade. Quito is recognized as the first place in South America to brew beer (thanks to a Flemish monk who brought barley and wheat to the city in 1535), but has only recently revived cerveza artesanales traditions. Among its niche breweries is Zambo Creek Microcervecería, an all-female brewery founded by sisters Laura and Paulina Boada. Together, they’re working to change Ecuador’s male-dominated beer industry and support local agriculture; incorporating Amazonian tea leaves, coffee and cacao into the brewing process. Other innovative gastro pubs, like Bandidos Brewing, invite guests to blend history and hops. Their main location is inside a Spanish colonial building with a chapel, making for a refreshing way to cap off a day of sightseeing in the historic center. Join a craft beer tour for the full experience, which includes meeting some of the brew masters, tasting flights and visiting locally loved spots like Altar Cervecería.

Hometown band Da Pawn plays in a Quito venue © Da Pawn

Find local tunes

Stroll down the charming cobblestone street of La Ronda on a Friday night and you’ll likely hear Ecuadorian folk music spilling out of pint-sized bars. Salsa dancing and canelazo (a hot tipple made from citrus fruits, cinnamon and cane sugar liquor) get the fiesta started, but it’s Quito’s love of music that keeps the party going. Beyond traditional sounds, the city is home to an innovative music scene punctuated with genres ranging from ska-jazz to Andean hip-hop. Thanks to the popularity of Quito-based bands Swing Original Monks and Da Pawn, the city’s music has transcended Ecuadorian borders. Da Pawn drummer and manager Pedro Ortiz says, “The music scene in Quito is amazingly vibrant and diverse. Local artists play traditional music in streets and plazas and, at the same time, you can get into a music venue nearby and listen to a heavy metal band. What makes the music scene so interesting is that most of the artists that play live shows also produce them. So, the do-it-yourself culture is deeply rooted.” The city’s musical output can be heard at casual venues on any given night: head to Cafe Democrático for live performances on Thursday, Friday and Sunday nights, Dirty Sanchez for bohemian rock, Casa Pukara for hip-hop and Parque La Carolina for rap battles on weekends.

With year-round festivals, it’s almost impossible to walk through Quito’s plazas and parks without stumbling upon buskers. The highlight of the summer is the Verano de las Artes (Summer of Arts) festival, which takes place in the scenic Parque Itchimbia over three weekends in August. The free event brings together over 175 Ecuadorian and Latin American artists, along with local vendors and food trucks.

Indulge in a tasty coffee and lunch spread at Botánica © Botánica

Taste Quito’s best bites

Street food is an institution in Quito, where vendors hawk everything from steaming hot soups to tortillas de tiesto (corn pancakes). Its no surprise the city’s innovative culinary entrepreneurs have carried on street level traditions. In a land where anytime is mealtime, food trucks have taken over the city – so much so that food truck ‘plazas’ are now popping up everywhere. For a taste of diverse dishes, head to Bunker Food Park on Avenida Gribaldo Miño (open evenings Monday–Friday and afternoons on Saturday and Sunday). In La Floresta, street-food park La Platea can be found on Avenida La Coruna and Francisco Salazar (open noon–10pm Tuesday and Wednesday, noon–11pm Thursday, noon–midnight Friday and Saturday and noon–5pm Sunday).

A trip to Quito isn’t complete without sampling some award-winning chocolate from Kallari or popping in one of the city’s many cafes for a cup of Ecuadorian coffee. The perfect warm reprieve from the Andean chill can be found inside Botánica, a cafe-cum-boutique selling items made from recycled materials. Stay awhile and you’ll likely find yourself with a new appreciation for Quito, a former town of stone that’s now showing its creativity. Inside these innovative spaces, originality roars.

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With its shoreline backed by the Eastern Desert’s raw expanse, this world-class diving destination is a thrill-seeker’s dream. Whether you just want to snaffle some action into a sun-and-sea family holiday or plan an entire trip around delving into the fantasia of reefs that lie below the sea’s surface, Egypt’s Red Sea Coast has options for all.

Boats adrift in Hurghada © ewg3D / Getty

Easy diving day trips

With Hurghada or El Gouna as your Red Sea base, the dive sites of the Giftun Islands and the Straits of Gubal are easy day trip options. Spot outcrops of brain coral, with their cerebral-like grooves, while discovering the horseshoe shaped reef of Sha’ab Al Erg. Keep your fingers crossed and you may be lucky enough to see a bottlenose dolphin – they’re regular visitors here. Gota Abu Ramada’s oval reef is one of the most popular Giftun Islands dive sites with parrotfish, triggerfish and butterflyfish all darting between candyfloss puffs of soft corals. For drift dives, you can’t beat Small Giftun Island where hawkfish flit through forests of spiny branched gorgonian fans on the reef.

Diving the wrecks

One name towers above all when it comes to Red Sea wreck diving. The Thistlegorm is renowned as one of the world’s top five wreck dives. German bombers targeted the ship in 1941, consigning it, and its booty of supplies meant for the Allies’ North Africa campaign, to the deep. Today, exploring the seabed scattered with Bren gun carriers, motorbikes, Bedford trucks and tanks which never made it to the front is like wandering through a WWII time capsule. The Thistlegorm is a liveaboard trip from Hurghada or El Gouna but for a day trip head out to the wrecks of Sha’ab Abu Nuhas. There are four recreational dive wrecks here. Two of the best are the Carnatic, a steamship which run aground on the reef in 1869, and the Giannis D, a freighter which struck the reef in 1983 and now lies in three pieces on the seabed.

Kitesurfer riding the waves in El Gouna © Bogdan Angheloiu / Getty

Above the surface

Say Red Sea and most people automatically think diving but there are plenty of activities upon rather than under the water as well. Kitesurfing is big year-round in both El Gouna and Safaga thanks to great wind conditions and a gently shelving shoreline. El Gouna’s mammoth Sliders Cable Park, one of the biggest in the world, makes this resort the Red Sea choice for wakeboarders while Safaga is fully set up to cater for windsurfers as well. While both destinations provide for all levels of kitesurfing experience from beginners through to advanced, El Gouna’s full resort caboodle of restaurants, entertainment and other activities make it a better bet if you simply want to add some water sports into your holiday rather than base your trip around it.

Coptic monasteries

With all the sun-and-sea on the doorstep, it’s easy to forget that the Red Sea is home to plenty of history as well. If you can pull yourself off the beach the remote Coptic Monasteries of St Anthony and St Paul are a worthy contrast to the sand. Hidden behind formidable walls, amid craggy cliffs, they mark the birthplace of Christianity’s monastic traditions and are still major places of pilgrimage for Coptic Egyptians. Both complexes, dating back to the 4th Century AD, hold churches, palm-shaded gardens and mudbrick monk cells. For art lovers, the Monastery of St Anthony in particular is a must. The Church of St Anthony here is home to one of the most important collections of Coptic art in Egypt.

The windswept valley of Wadi Gimal Protectorate © NourElRefai / Getty

Eastern Desert

Half-day desert excursions by jeep, ATV, horse or bike to dip your toe into the rugged world above the surface can be easily arranged in El Gouna or Hurghada but to sample the brutal and lonely beauty of the Eastern Desert at its best, you want to make a beeline for the Wadi Gimal Protectorate, south of Marsa Alam. Amid its raw windswept wadis (valleys) and craggy peaks, the Romans mined for emeralds and left a handful of sites upon the desert ridges. The main Roman settlement of Sikait and the mines of Nugrus, where pottery fragments crunch underfoot as you walk on the sand, are fascinating reminders of the era when Egypt’s emeralds helped fund the might of the Roman Empire.

The Brothers Islands

Accessible only by liveaboard (the islands are an eight hour boat trip from Hurghada), the Brothers Islands present some of Egypt’s best far-from-the-crowds diving. Here divers can explore the Numidia, a cargo ship encrusted in soft corals, which hit the reef in 1901 and is now home to barracuda and trevally. Wall dives just off Little Brother Island showcase vibrant rainbows of soft and hard corals and the chance of encounters with silvertip reef sharks as well as occasional hammerheads.

Colourful coral and fish in the Red Sea © Vincent Pommeyrol / Getty

Deep south diving

For dive aficionados, Marsa Alam on the Red Sea Coast is Egypt’s in-the-know destination. Just a 20 minute trip from shore is the famous Elphinstone Reef where technicolour shoals of anthias zip past sheer walls engulfed in gorgonian fans and spinous trees of black corals. Heading out on a liveaboard from Marsa Alam (or from Hurghada) though allows you access to the remote dive sites of the deep south where the best of the Red Sea’s big pelagic action is on show. Dive Daedalus in April or May for your top chance of manta ray and whale shark sightings while the dive sites of the Fury Shoals and St John’s Reefs are eerie wonderlands of vast coral canyons, tunnels and caves where reef sharks patrol the deeper depths.

Make it happen

Hurghada Airport is the Red Sea’s main transport hub with regular daily services to Cairo with EgyptAir as well as direct flights to Europe with several budget airlines. El Gouna is about 30 minutes from the airport by taxi. Marsa Alam also has an airport which is served by four flights weekly with EgyptAir and a couple of European low-cost airlines.

The annual Trumpet Festival (held this year from 9 to 12 August) in Guča, Serbia, combines old European heritage with world-class competition – contagious music with participant endurance. The result is a four-day blur where plates overflow with traditional food, an outdoor party brims with barely controlled energy, and legends are born.

Traditional brass bands parade through Guča during the 2017 Trumpet Festival © Aleksandar Donev / Lonely Planet

I first heard traditional Balkan truba (trumpet) music at a party years ago. Between soul and funk tracks, the DJ snuck in a number from Boban Marković, horn-player extraordinaire from Serbia. The room stopped as the first notes from his mournful trumpet warbled. Tubas and bass drums began to bubble up in support. Then, in one ecstatic note, melody and rhythm met in a riot of hedonism in which sweat-soaked, ruffle-cuffed tuxedo shirts pressed against cocktail dresses. The instruments shrieked and leapt together, ratcheting the room to frenzied levels – an intoxicating jambalaya of Dixieland brass and the driving, all-night urgency of Roma-spawned backbeats. The song, the DJ said, was a live recording from the Guča Trumpet Festival where, he assured me, I would eat more, drink more and listen to more horn music than I thought possible.

That was 15 years ago. I’ve been chasing Guča – and Boban Marković – ever since.

Outdoor riverside cafes packed with festival-goers in the village of Guča © Aleksandar Donev / Lonely Planet

The drive across Serbia’s Dragačevo Region, about three hours south of Belgrade, rolls over an undulating landscape carpeted with beech, oak and fir trees. Then the dense forests give way to perched villages with manicured vegetable-garden aprons and orchards of sweet cherries, plums and apricots. As I turned onto the road leading to Guča, a community of about 3000 full-time citizens, the first indication of the trumpet festival and competition – which began nearly six decades ago and draws hundreds of thousands of music devotees from around the world – appeared. A van, with a mattress roped to the roof and brass instruments pressed against the rear window, coughed and lurched up a rise. Its passengers, shoulder-to-shoulder on bench seats, sang with abandon and passed around a clear, label-less plastic bottle.

When I arrived to the village, the mood was still quiet – like the silence before a storm. Instead of boarding up windows, residents on both sides of the Bjelica River were preparing for a different phenomenon: the impending rush of food, alcohol and people. My first order of business, before the floodgates opened, was to meet with Vukašin Dramlić, a Guča native and the director of the Dragačevo-Guča tourism organisation.

Talented participants in the childrens’ competition at the Guča Trumpet Festival © Aleksandar Donev / Lonely Planet

‘I’ve been to every festival for the last 25 years since my grandfather first brought me,’ said Mr Dramlić from behind his desk. It was 10am. We had already drained two glasses of rakija (local homemade schnapps). He poured a third and explained that during the festival performances were judged and awards presented to categories including best trumpeter, top brass bands and audience-choice. ‘This is a really traditional Serbian festival. But it’s simple: people here love the trumpet. They live for this music. Many people – approximately 150,000 – will show up. When I think about what that means, it gives me goosebumps.’

Before leaving Mr Dramlić’s office, I asked the question that would become my festival refrain: ‘Is it possible to meet Boban Marković?’ I knew the Trumpet Master was headlining Friday night’s show on the big stage, where thousands pack a field the size of a football pitch. (The title Trumpet Master is bestowed on a player who has won at least three awards at Guča over the years. Marković won ‘first trumpet’ five times between 1988 and 2001.) The tourism director sat back in his chair, and with typical Serbian nonchalance finished his rakija and said: ‘Yes, don’t worry… go enjoy the festival. It will happen.’

Spit-roasted pigs and casserole dishes slow-cooked over hot coals in Guča © Aleksandar Donev / Lonely Planet

By the time I made it to the Trumpet Museum that afternoon, the festival had changed. Vendors manned tables brimming with nourishment necessary to sustain long periods of drinking and dancing. Roasting pigs rotated on spits next to casserole dishes of ‘wedding cabbage’, platters of grilled vegetables and bowls of ajvar (sauce made from roasted peppers). People shuttled between beer kiosks, food stations and the dwindling oases of shade beneath trees. The scene was set to the never-waning soundtrack of small guerrilla horn-and-drum orchestras roaming the streets, restaurant patios and cafes.

‘There were four bands at the competition in 1961,’ Nikola Stojić, one of the founders of the festival, told me outside the museum. According to Stojić, who is 88, the first gathering took place outside the Church of Archangel Gabriel – appropriately. ‘At that event, the judges were crying,’ he continued. ‘We were happy because we had just witnessed the renaissance of Serbian culture. We wanted changes from the cultural life the communists were offering at the time. We wanted to sing and dance to the trumpeters. Who would believe it could grow into something like this?’

The Trumpet Master Boban Marković on stage during the 2017 festival in Guča © Aleksandar Donev / Lonely Planet

I crossed the street, passed the bronze statue of the trubač (trumpeter) in the central square, and ducked into the Central Guča cafe to escape the heat. An orchestra was on the terrace revving the crowd into a frenzy. Every few seconds someone would stand and slap a euro note or a Serbian dinar bill on a musician’s sweaty forehead. For hours, at regular intervals, one band would finish a set and another brass-and-drums ensemble would take their place. Finally, a patron at the next table raised his glass, laughed, held up a receipt and announced: ‘Well, that does it… the ATM is out of money.’

When the sun began to set, the excitement started to build for the upcoming main event: the Boban Marković Orchestra. Guča’s streets emptied as festival-goers began to move en masse to the fairgrounds across the river. I had been given backstage access, but it was up to me to find the trumpet icon’s manager and set up an interview in the three-minute window after the soundcheck and before the show. I was told to stand at side stage and wait.

A playlist featuring popular songs for a concert at the Guča Trumpet Festival © Aleksandar Donev / Lonely Planet

Marković’s silhouette stepped through the smoke being pumped on stage as part of the pre-show rehearsal. Suddenly the 54-year-old musician from Vladičin Han, in southern Serbia, stood before me – signature fedora, wide smile, shaggy brown hair and boyish face. I stood and fumbled with the pages in my notebook, immediately cast back to the dance floor 15 years previous.

‘The saying goes that the trumpet sounds better in Guča,’ he told me, taking off his hat and resting it atop a nearby microphone stand. ‘That’s true because everyone here is trying their best. This is a great jumping-off point for players to move into the rest of Europe and the world. But, if you don’t pass Guča….’ He went silent, smiled, shook my hand, grabbed his hat and disappeared back into the smoke.

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Craft breweries have arrived en masse in Tijuana, and it’s no surprise to those who know the city well. From parts of town, you could literally throw a rock over to San Diego, the oft-dubbed craft beer capital of the USA. As is typical with two nearly twin cities, trends are traded, and the beer horizons in Mexico quickly expanded beyond Corona and Tecate.

Add an incredible surge of excellent street food and fine dining along with the popularity of the nearby wine-producing region of the Valle de Guadeloupe, and suddenly craft beer is as obvious a fit to Tijuana as the salt on the rim of a margarita glass.

Just across the border from San Diego, Tijuana has its own unique brew offerings © Denis Kabanov / Getty Images

Plaza Fiesta, the first stop for suds in Tijuana

The epicenter of Tijuana’s burgeoning craft beer scene is Plaza Fiesta, a tic-tac-toe of rough, slap-up shops and alleyways sandwiched between an old mall and a parking lot. This Petri dish of bars is a beer connoisseur’s haven in a city better known for getting sloppy drunk.

Around a dozen taprooms are scattered between mezcal tasting rooms, sports bars, a couple of pulquerias (taverns that serve pulque) and discotheques. The beer on offer comes from shoestring hopefuls and rising stars who, thanks to the low-budget surroundings, can afford to try brewing techniques that hop maestros across the border could only dream of. Plus, it’s no secret that a cold cerveza is the best accompaniment to Mexican food on a hot day. A few food carts provide tasty and cheap drinking food, and there’s even a Vietnamese option to mix things up. It may seem lowbrow at first, but no one’s ever going to complain about the food or drink at Plaza Fiesta.

Try a flight to get a taste of all the unique flavors of the Tijuana craft breweries © Celeste Brash / Lonely Planet

Set on a prominent corner, Border Psycho is one of the bigger brewpubs in Plaza Fiesta, and their beers can be found around Mexico and at a few outlets in San Diego. Despite their success, it’s still a gritty feeling place to drink — their beer pulls are fashioned from glass dildos and butt plugs and the smoking, black-eyeliner wearing clientele look like they crawled out of bed just in time for happy hour. Out of a flight of five beers, our favorites were their subtly yeasty Scottish Cream Ale and a hoppy-without-overdoing-it Guera Prieta.

The most internationally well-known brewery here is tiny Cerveceria Insurgente. The taproom has rustic white brick walls and a simple, polished, pinewood bar. Chat with the friendly staff (the men with well-coiffed beards and the women with lots of piercings) from one of a handful of seats. The brewery’s fame comes mostly from their Lupuiosa, a beer brewed with five different American hops and plenty of malt that has a deliciously smooth finish. All of their beers, however, are worth a taste, and the venue couldn’t be more welcoming.

Cheers to downtown Tijuana

A giant mammoth fashioned out of wire gazes down on happy drinkers at Mamut (“mammoth” in Spanish), a snazzy brewpub in downtown Tijuana (they also have a taproom at Plaza Fiesta). Shiny vats grace the back end of the upstairs pub, while a terrace overlooks the busy street at the front. Plop yourself down at a wooden picnic table to enjoy a pint or a flight, and nibble on wings, hot dogs and burgers. Their coffee-tinged, dark and syrupy Imperial Stout is a winner as is their smooth yet hoppy Session IPA. If all else fails, or if you’re just broke, you can also grab a Tecate here.

Hard to find, but worth the search, Cerveceria Norte has great views and even better beer © Cerveceria Norte

The savvy drinker’s secret spot

To really feel like a beer adventurer, seek out Cerveceria Norte, which is located on the fifth floor of an unmarked building next to a parking lot. Your GPS will send you in circles and people on the street may look at you like you’re crazy if you ask where it is, but it’s worth the effort. The minimalist taproom has cement floors, a black ceiling and the best view in Tijuana: the US-Mexican border and Monumental Arch. The Foreign Club Robust Porter is a must if you like dark beers – it has a nice touch of coffee yet it’s not too heavy for the warm climate. On the other end of the scale, Escort Blond Belgian Pale Ale is delicious, light amber thirst-quencher.

If you want to compare Tijuana beers without changing bars, BCB Tasting rooms has over 300 brews © BCB Tasting Room

Tijuana beer adventure light

If searching out hard-to-find breweries and perusing pub-lined alleyways isn’t your mug of beer, not to worry: many of Tijuana’s up and comers are poured in restaurants around the city, in other parts of Mexico and even internationally. A good option while in Tijuana is to head over to BCB Tasting Room, which serves around 300 beers, including over 40 on tap. Its big, modern, slightly industrial building is in the more upscale Zona Rio part of the city, a far cry from the noisy clogged streets of downtown.

For those really wanting to check out the Mexican beer scene, time your trip for early June, when over 60 craft breweries exhibit at the Expo Cervecia Artisanal alongside lots of regional cuisines and live music.

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