Travel in Iran

Iran and Saudi Arabia will start formal talks next week to resume direct‮ ‬scheduled flights between Tehran and Riyadh and other cities, an Iranian official told the state-affiliated news agency ILNA on Sunday.

Pegasus Airlines launches thrice-weekly flights between Dortmund Airport (DTM) and Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW).

What are the world’s most expensive cities to live? Singapore and Zurich, Switzerland have tied to secure the top spot, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living survey.

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which erupted in early October, has halted international tourism to Israel and severely blunted travel to neighboring countries in a ripple effect spreading across the entire Middle East. While the slowdown in international visitors is only one of the war’s economic repercussions in the region, it poses a significant threat to the economies of Egypt, Jordan and other nations heavily dependent on tourism and has swiftly reversed a banner year of travel in the Middle East.

France has announced it is banning smoking on beaches as part of a wider campaign to help people quit. 

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Dubai’s culinary scene has grown at breakneck speed over the past few years, with those living in the city barely able to keep up. Proving its chops on a global scale has taken a little longer, but the emirate is finally starting to have its moment in the spotlight, with the Michelin Guide launching in the city in 2022 and two Dubai venues appearing on 2023’s list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Doha’s bustling century-old souk and the Msheireb Downtown Doha, a new environmentally friendly development just a 10-minute walk away, are an old-meets-new contrast — and a real reprieve from the sprawling malls that have come to define the colossal boom that has transformed the Persian Gulf region since the 1950s.

Saffron, a spice derived from the Crocus sativus flower, is most commonly associated with Asia and the Middle East. But saffron crocus thrive around the Mediterranean, including Italy, where they don’t only exalt local dishes, but also uplift local communities.

Major UK and international artists have donated work to an online and live auction supporting the British charity Freedom from Torture. The 13th edition of the charity’s biennial art auction, Drawing a Line Under Torture is currently online, with a live auction of twelve artworks to take place at an invite-only private view on 6 November at Sotheby’s New Bond Street, London.

On Wednesday and Saturday nights, if you follow the narrow, stone streets in Gaziantep, Turkey's old Armenian district to an unmarked silver door and knock three times, you're in for a treat. 

East London wasn’t always the cool, urban kid it is today.

If you’re not a US citizen, you’ll have to jump through a few hoops before you can vacation in the USA.

What is the oldest country in the world? Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a variety of responses. Some might say it’s a country like China or Greece, where you can visit ancient cities that date all the way back to the second, third, even fifth millennium BCE. But borders and cultures have always shifted—and will continue to to shift—throughout history, and as a result, most of our present-day nations are actually quite young.

When Khalil Karawan buys his chickpeas, he does it not in grams or kilos, but in tonnes. It takes such elephantine quantities to keep up with the fierce demand at Abu Hassan, the renowned hummus empire started by his grandfather in the 1950s. The business has grown so much from its humble food cart origins that 27-year-old Khalil can now sell thousands of plates each day across three locations in the ancient district of Jaffa. And when I visit his Shivtei Israel Street outpost one Friday morning, I arrive at peak hour.

When people refer to “big” airports, they typically think of large hubs with huge numbers of passengers transiting through. But bigger doesn’t always mean busier. The biggest airports in the world are those that occupy the highest total acreage of land. And yes, some of the biggest are also some of the world’s busiest—but not always. Some are hubs that have big hopes for future growth, while others have interesting stories behind how and why they acquired and maintain such a large footprint.

Las Vegas and Macau might be the world's leading casino resort destinations, but a potential third might soon join their ranks in a surprising location.

With its incredible range of spectacular scenery, Pakistan offers some truly epic road trips. With a rented car and driver – or your own wheels – you can drive the world’s most dramatic mountain highway, follow historic invasion and trade routes, drift between Sufi shrines and desert forts, or follow the mighty Indus River from the high mountains to the Arabian Sea. 

Although the mythical “Grand Budapest Hotel” isn’t an option when deciding where to stay in Budapest, there are countless hotels in Hungary’s vibrant capital that earn the Gustave H. stamp of approval. Widely considered one of the coolest cities in Europe, days in Budapest are spent encountering landmarks, meandering along the riverside, and curing all ailments by “taking the waters” at a thermal bathhouse. Evenings start with rooftop sundowners and end in buzzing ruin bars. Fusing golden-age hospitality with bohemian charm, these luxury Budapest hotels give you the grandest experience.

Yodeling has been practiced probably for as long as humans have expressed themselves through song. But the singing style synonymous with Switzerland and its Alpine neighbors hasn’t always been a crowd-pleaser.

What should we know as tourists driving in Dubai? Is it possible to drive in Dubai without a foreign license? Join us as we go through all of the driving advice in Dubai.