Sep 30, 2024 • 3 min read
27.09.2024 - 14:31 / lonelyplanet.com / Anthony Bourdain
Sep 26, 2024 • 6 min read
The late, great Anthony Bourdain once said he’d rather eat in Melbourne than Paris. Who can blame him? Australia’s cultural and sporting capital is also one of the world’s most dynamic epicurean destinations, one shaped by superlative local produce, rockstar chefs, and the multicultural traditions of its 5.3 million denizens.
Much of my professional and personal life is spent chowing around Australia and the globe, and I’m forever amazed by the breadth, depth and quality of my hometown’s culinary offerings. And that’s before we even mention the coffee and cocktails. Peckish? Parched? Add these personal favorites to your Melbourne hitlist.
Melburnians take breakfast seriously and the all-day breakfast menus at Melbourne cafes are often next level. A case in point is Top Paddock. Years on, it still draws crowds with its buzz, good looks and creative, sustainably minded dishes (reserve a table on weekends to avoid a long wait). My standard order is the blueberry and ricotta hotcake – soft, fluffy and topped with crunchy seeds, maple syrup and double cream. If the rest of my morning is free, I like to wander across Church Street Bridge and drop by the Prahran Market, a food lovers’ wonderland trading since 1864.
How to get it: The all-day breakfast runs from 7am-4pm, Monday to Friday and from 8am-4pm on weekends.
For something altogether different, start the day at Brunswick West’s Lankan Tucker, an upbeat, light-filled café where breakfast gets the Sri Lankan treatment. Top billing goes to the turmeric-laced Hip Hopper, a crispy, bowl-shaped ‘crêpe’ plonked with a soft-fried egg and paired with your choice of aromatic curry. Like Top Paddock, the locally roasted coffee is excellent, though it’s hard to pass up on the brownie-pimped iced Milo, a glass of malty nostalgia for many Aussies.
How to get it: Walk-ins are welcome, though you might want to book on weekends.
Coffee is a veritable religion in Melbourne and you’ll find no shortage of exemplary micro roasters. In Downtown (known as the Central Business District or CBD), slurp at Bench Coffee Co. While it’s far from the only top-notch coffee joint in the area, it’s the only one with a glass-block counter inspired by a Parisian Modernist building (Maison de Verre). For an effervescent recharge, order their creamy espresso tonic. Around the corner is Block Arcade, an exquisitely mosaicked 19th-century shopping arcade inspired by Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II.
How to get it: It's open from 8am Monday to Friday, and from 9am on weekends.
Eating out in Melbourne isn’t cheap. That said, a smashing feed south of $20 isn’t impossible, especially for lunch. In the CBD, Warkop peddles mouthwatering sandwiches with Indonesian twists,
Sep 30, 2024 • 3 min read
Sep 30, 2024 • 6 min read
October is here and so are these great points and miles deals, and the latest in credit card perks—all of which come in handy for leaf-peeping trips, spooky getaways for Halloween, and last-minute journeys to chase some autumn sun. (Need some ideas? Check out this list of the best places to visit in October to get the travel inspiration going.) And for the aviation geeks: Here’s a rundown of the latest loyalty industry news and perks, so you don’t have to scour the internet to find them. Register for these points and miles deals to boost your account balances, and then start planning where you want to go next. We've got all the best points and miles deals for October, below.
I've slept like a queen all over the world.
There’s never a wrong time of year to visit the Berkshires, the mountainous stretch of western Massachusetts located just 140 miles north of New York City. You can thank the fall’s vibrant display of foliage, summer’s Tanglewood music festival that draws crowds from all over the world, and a steady tide of new hotel openings to take advantage of as cozy winter getaways and for ski season. The region also has strong roots as an artists community, with a robust community of galleries, independent boutiques, and museums. And for city dwellers looking to stretch their legs, the Berkshires is also home to scenic hiking trails and winter slopes for every activity and ability level.
Whether you're booking your first voyage or your tenth, narrowing down the best Alaska cruise in 2025 is a complicated task.
Not all oceanside vacations are created equal, and one trip to Wilmington and our island beaches will show you why we’re the crown jewel of coastal getaways in the Carolinas. With the city’s historic River District and Riverwalk, along with three island beaches just minutes away, there’s plenty to explore. Expect to encounter turquoise waters, exceptional sand, one-of-a-kind nature escapes, and award-winning chefs and breweries — just a few of the many attractions you’ll fall in love with on this slice of the North Carolina coast.
The two largest cities in Portugal, Lisbon and Porto, are both located on the Atlantic coast, 190 miles apart. The drive between the two cities is a scenic one, but it does mean you’ll have to rent a vehicle to make the three-hour trip. If you want to travel between Lisbon and Porto in comfort, for cheap, and without putting in too much effort, take the train instead. The Lisbon to Porto train is very frequent, takes just as long as driving, costs less than what you’d pay for a rental and gas, and the landscape out the window is equally gorgeous.
Fall is the ideal time to visit Montana if you’re looking to get away from the crowds and into nature. The shoulder season welcomes the colorful displays of foliage, crisp, clean air, rivers teeming with fish, and active wildlife. Because Big Sky Country is vast, we’ve put together some top spots to see fall colors in all their glory. From the shimmering golden tapestry of aspen groves and deciduous trees in the southwestern and central regions, to the golden hues of the wheat fields against the backdrop of the setting sun over the northern and easter plains, here are some of the best places to visit in fall and where to stay.
Twelve hours is a long time for anyone to be on a plane.
Sep 23, 2024 • 6 min read
Latin America is a wildlife enthusiast's dream, home to many diverse ecosystems teeming with unique flora and fauna. Here are some of the best places to go wildlife spotting in the region.