Culture holidays | Holiday Travel Guides & Tips | Traveller

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Culture holidays

The desert house designed by Richard Neutra for Edgar J. Kaufmann.

Palm Springs’ celebrity homes are a feast of desert drama

A record 105,000 visitors attended the annual Palm Springs Modernism Week in 2023, glimpsing the mid-century estates of Sintra, Elvis and DiCaprio and more.

  • by Louise Goldsbury
At the Jurlique flower farm in the Adelaide Hills, pink roses are harvested by hand and then dried.

Your favourite costly perfumes will make sense after a visit to this farm

After a tour of Jurlique’s gorgeous sustainable farm in the Adelaide Hills, it isn’t difficult to appreciate why natural fragrances are so expensive.

  • by Lee Tulloch
An evening view of Marseille from the Intercontinental Marseille – Hotel Dieu.

This grand, 800-year-old hotel overlooks one of the most beautiful cities in France

With so many centuries of history seeped into its walls, it’s practically a portal to the Middle Ages.

  • by Kristie Kellahan
This is one of Tokyo’s most popular tourist attractions.

‘I was almost brought to tears’: Navigating Tokyo’s hugely popular tourist attraction

Part museum, part art installation and part amusement park – as one of Tokyo’s most popular attractions, it pays to know before you go to teamLab Planets.

  • by Barry Divola
Shikoku’s Awa Odori festival has a carnival-like atmosphere.

The summer dance festival in Japan revellers won’t want to miss

In Shikoku, Awa Odori attracts around 1.3 million people, creating a carnival-like atmosphere at what is now one of the largest summer festivals in Japan.

  • by Julietta Jameson
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Almost every culture practices some form of fortune telling.
Opinion
Opinion

It might be a crock, but this is one of the most fun things I do on holiday

Fortune-telling is a worldwide pastime, and it has also been used by scammers over thousands of years to separate people from their wallets.

  • by Lee Tulloch
Shopping for a tailor in Hoi An can be an overwhelming experience.

Can an unknown Hoi An tailor create a fashion fantasy in seven hours?

Every generation in human history has had its own paragon of female beauty and Pamela Van has less than seven hours to realise mine.

  • by Anabel Dean
Punakha dzong

The land of happiness that few tourists ever visit

Want to lose the crowds on your next holiday? Tourists are still something of a novelty in Bhutan, the country that invented Gross National Happiness.

  • by Trudi Jenkins
Some volunteer programs may include a holiday element or local tours during time off.

Why should you have to pay to volunteer overseas? Here’s why

Donating your time and labour can be a great experience, but it isn’t an excuse for a free holiday, and will cost more than you might think.

  • by Brian Johnston
Vist Fushimi Inari early to avoid the thick of the crowds.

The only (ballsy) temples you need to see in Japan’s culture capital

It’s easy to get templed out in Kyoto but you can find illumination at the lesser-known dragon and scrotum temples.

  • by Keith Austin