Home to the world’s largest Japanese diaspora, as well as sizeable Korean and Chinese communities, the Brazilian megacity of São Paulo is one of the best places outside Asia to enjoy Asian food, said Austin Bush in Travel + Leisure.
In the thriving Japanese district of Liberdade, where street lamps resemble torii gates, beloved old izakaya (Japanese pubs) rub shoulders with stalls selling Japanese-Brazilian street food such as hot rolls – breaded, deep-fried sushi.
The nearby district of Bom Retiro has a similar concentration of Korean bars and restaurants. And, in recent years, a new culinary wave has emerged, as chefs create bold fusion dishes or, more subtly, adapt Japanese recipes to uniquely Brazilian produce, from Amazon river fish to jambu, a tongue-tingling herb. Among the finest exponents of these trends are the “highly acclaimed” Kotori, Aizomê, Kanoe and Goya Zushi – restaurants as exciting and distinctive as any in the city.
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A Croatian island without the crowds
Croatia’s best-known islands (Hvar, Korčula and so on) lie in its far south, but there are plenty of others, many of which are beautiful but much less touristy. Among them is Dugi Otok, said Mark Palmer in The Times – a verdant, 26-mile-long sliver of limestone that lies an easy ferry ride from the fascinating harbour town of Zadar.
Take a boat tour of the nearby Kornati National Park, an “otherworldly” wilderness of stark, arid islands criss-crossed with ancient stone walls. And be sure to spend some time in Zadar itself (I can recommend the Hotel Bastion), an elegant place with some lovely museums and architectural “treasures”, including impressive Roman remains.
A week-long walk in the eastern Alps
An “epic” 466-mile hiking path, the Alpe-Adria-Trail runs from Austria, via Slovenia, to Italy’s Adriatic coast. For anyone wanting to see the magnificent Alpine landscapes through which it passes, however, there’s an easier option, said Paul Bloomfield in The Telegraph: the Alpe-Adria Circular. This 83-mile circuit passes through all three countries, offering an intriguing sample of their overlapping cultures, and is usually done in a week (Walks Worldwide has a self-guided eight-day package, with luggage transfers, from £895).
Most walkers start in the Austrian town of Villach, from which the path winds through wildflower meadows and beechwoods to “chocolate-box” Alpine pastures, “teal-emerald” lakes and photogenic hamlets such as Borgo Lussari in Italy. The highest point is the 6,043ft summit of the Schwarzkogel, with spectacular views of the Julian Alps – including Triglav, the triple-peaked mountain that adorns the Slovenian flag.
