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Top TRIPS by Culture Trip to See the World's Coolest Cities and Towns

Uncover the best bars, restaurants and cultural happenings on these insider-led small-group trips through your favourite cities.
Nick Dauk
15 Sep 2022
What makes a city cool? Is it the food scene and reliable watering holes? The hip vibes or the steady stream of new openings that keeps even the locals on their toes? We think it’s all of the above, and then some. From the jazzy bars of New Orleans to the trend-setting restaurants of Tokyo, these top TRIPS by Culture Trip will show you the world’s coolest cities and towns, with local insiders as your guide.
1 . La Vida Local in Mexico City

Want to live la vida local in Mexico City? Then we’ve got a local insider ready to hook you up. This five-day trip takes you into hip neighbourhoods including Roma and Condesa to uncover the city’s colourful style. Street-food stops and mezcal shots are always a good idea, especially when getting hyped up to watch some lucha libre. See a local side of CDMX and leave with as many fond memories as the cerveza allows.

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2 . Beyond Petra: Discovering Jordan’s Rugged Side

Get to know Jordan’s past and present with this nine-day trip. Amman has its share of ancient sites, but wandering the streets for food stalls, hole-in-the-wall bars and buzzing markets will give you a taste of what today’s locals love. The pink Nabataean city of Petra is a lovely contrast. It may be 2,000 years old and have a dearth of residents, but crowds still flock to its carved monastery in droves. Luckily for you, you’ll be trekking through the Wadi Ghurab mountains up to Petra’s hush-hush back door.

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3 . Japan Rising: From Neon Lights to Rural Delights

Japan’s contrasts are writ large between its densely populated, neon-lit cities and the peaceful beauty of the country’s rural areas, where you can spot wildlife, visit bamboo forests and tick off ancient temples. Want to experience both sides? Culture Trip’s 12-day Japan Rising small-group journey starts in the large port city of Osaka and finishes in Tokyo. Along the way, you’ll stay in traditional ryokan inns with on-site onsen (hot springs), marvel at Mount Fuji from Lake Ashi and visit the Fushimi Inari shrine.

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4 . Vietnam Adventure: a Journey of Urban and Rural Discovery

Vietnam is a country bookended by two megawatt cities: Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. But it’s worth making time to explore the more rural areas, too, where you’ll discover unspoilt highlands, mountains interspersed with rice paddies and welcoming communities. See the best of both sides with this 12-day Vietnam adventure, which takes you from the bustling night markets of Hanoi, through the rural valley of Mai Cau to the seascapes of Lan Ha Bay, and down to the dreamy, lantern-lit streets of Hoi An.

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Mandi Keighran contributed additional reporting to this article.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel – and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Epic Trips, Mini Trips and Sailing Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travellers and friends who want to explore the world together.

Epic Trips are deeply immersive 8 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and enough down time to really relax and soak it all in. Our Mini Trips are small and mighty - they squeeze all the excitement and authenticity of our longer Epic Trips into a manageable 3-5 day window. Our Sailing Trips invite you to spend a week experiencing the best of the sea and land in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm – and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.