Cultural attractions
Practical advice from Wikivoyage on safety, health, money, transport, food and more.
Places with unusual names
Whether they're unusually short, unusually long, sound like a naughty English word, or are just plain silly, places with unusual names can be fun destinations.
Agritourism
Agritourism means travel organized around farming, small-scale food production or animal husbandry. Visiting a working farm or ranch for the purpose of enjoyment and education are key parts of this often rural experience.
Amish and Mennonites
The Amish and Mennonites are Evangelical ethno-religious communities with roots in Germanic Europe. In the United States they are prevalent in rural Lancaster County in Pennsylvania and the Wooster area of Ohio.
Australia's big things
It seems that no matter where you go in Australia, big things are bound to be found eventually. However, there is a certain type of big thing that seems to be unique to small tourist towns no matter where you travel.
Board games
For those who love board games, combining travel with the joy of gaming can enhance the experience. This guide is designed for tourists who are interested in exploring the world of board games while traveling.
Carnival
Carnival is originally a Catholic festival for Shrove Tuesday, the last day before Lent. In traditionally Catholic communities, it is usually celebrated with parades, street parties and live performances.
Chinatown
There are Chinatowns in cities around the world. See Wikipedia for an extensive list; here we list only the ones Wikivoyage has an article for.
Chinese performing arts
As one of the world's largest countries with a long history stretching back millennia, China is home to a wide variety of performing arts. This article aims to give a sampling of some of them.
Christmas and New Year travel
Christmas is one of the most important holidays of Christianity, and is celebrated as the birthday of Jesus. Many of the traditions surrounding the holiday have also been adopted by non-believers in Christian countries and non-Christians around the world.
Chuseok
Chuseok (추석), also known as Hangawi (한가위), is one of the most important traditional holidays in South Korea. It usually takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, around late September or early October.
Cryptozoology
Cryptobiology is the study of cryptids, creatures around which myths exist but whose current existence has never been verified. Some famous cryptids include bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and the chupacabra.
Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a colorful and raucous celebration of mortality that has spread from Mexico to the United States and beyond. Day of the Dead is recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Design
Design is a broad topic. Some of its subgenres are: Interior design; decorates interior of buildings. Periodization of interior design is mostly the same as European art and Architecture.
Festivals and events in the Philippines
The Philippines has 82 provinces, many municipalities, towns and cities, and thousands of barangays. Each one has its own festival, in honor of either a saint, a religious occasion, seasonal change, harvest, or the place itself.
Fiction tourism
Fiction tourism aims at locations famous from literature, motion pictures, television series, video games, comic books and other media. Among featured destinations are film sets (hence the term setjetting), other shooting locations, TV or motion picture studios, theme parks, and museums.
Fringe phenomena
Fringe phenomena are something that many travellers seek out to document or experience for themselves, be they proven curiosities, local folklore, or even the reputed (if unproven) manifestation of the paranormal. By extension, fringe travel is travel for the purpose of exploring, potentially experiencing, and possibly documenting all manner of unusual phenomena and their associated folklore.
Government and politics tourism
Government and politics is a theme of tourism which includes many of the world's most spectacular and important destinations, including castles, grand houses, government buildings, as well as military and police ceremonies, and buildings and places in the history of justice.
Hacker tourism
Despite the prevalence of the internet in modern life, there are many resources that are not easily conveyed over a screen. Physical travel can be a great way to gain exposure to unfamiliar technologies, meet online collaborators in the flesh, and pick up some new skills.
Halloween
Halloween is a secular festival which occurs annually on October 31st. It is neither a religious occurrence nor a government-recognized holiday when shops and offices are closed.
Historical travel
Historical travel includes various kinds of destinations, from Stone Age cave paintings to Cold War installations of the late 20th century. History is a central focus for some travellers and some destinations, and almost every traveller in most places will at least have a look at some old buildings or the local museums.
Industrial tourism
In some cases, one particular commodity may be closely identified to the identity of the community itself; mention Hershey, Pennsylvania and one thinks of candy, mention Churchill Falls and a close association to hydroelectric power immediately comes to light. What would Detroit and its suburbs be without their long historic association with the automobile?
Japan's Top 3
After the Three Views were composed in the 17th century, many authors have come up with their own lists of Japanese sites and attractions.
Kanak culture in New Caledonia
The Kanaks were the original inhabitants of New Caledonia, and the proud indigenous people of New Caledonia making about 44% of all New Caledonians. While some live in major cities like Nouméa, many tribal villages are also maintained.
Lunar New Year
Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, is the largest holiday in the Chinese community, celebrated in January or February. Korea and Vietnam celebrate their respective new years on the same day, while the Chinese New Year is also widely celebrated among overseas Chinese communities.
Maori culture
Many people who travel to New Zealand and the Cook Islands are interested in experiencing and learning about Maori culture, the customs and traditions of their indigenous people.
Micronations
Micronations are self-proclaimed independent states that are not recognized by other countries. Often whimsical or artistic, they are usually small and eccentric enough to fly under the radar of the "real" countries they're located in, and many are tourist destinations.
Military and police ceremonies
The militaries and police forces of many countries around the world have numerous ceremonial functions. Many of these involve elaborate processions, grand ceremonial uniforms and precision drills, making them popular spectacles for tourists.
Miniatures, dioramas and scale models
Miniatures, dioramas and scale models are scaled (or not so scaled) representations of other objects, which attract traveller interest. Created by skilled model-makers, the objects modelled, the scales used, and the level of detail can be incredible.
Minority cultures
Almost all the countries in the world host multiple minority cultures or ethnic groups thanks to centuries of migration and annexation. On one hand, a single country may host multiple cultures without a sovereign country to call their own.
Monopoly
For the Southern Italian town, see Monopoli. Monopoly is an economic simulation board game with its origins in the early 20th century and nowadays played the world over.
Museums
Museums are institutions that showcase a collection of artifacts or other objects, to educate visitors about some topic. Museums exist for practically every subject you can imagine, from typical areas like history, art, or science to strange niche topics like eccentric collections, espionage, and even fringe phenomena.
Music
Virtually every community in the world has some tradition of music. Some musical traditions are on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, but many that do not make that list are also important or interesting, at least to some people.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre, or just musicals, is an art form at the intersection of theatre and music. It is a relatively new genre, and widely regarded as distinct from opera, though the distinction between the two genres can often be rather poorly defined.
Nerd activities in London
London has many sites that are well known and appeal to most tourists. There are also many less famous sites which may only appeal to those with a scientific or technical background.
Nerd activities in Seoul
Seoul is the city with the biggest contrast between traditional culture and modern technology. While all the traditional attractions have signposts (and sometimes robots) pointing to them.
New Mexico Pueblos
One of the primary attractions of New Mexico is its large and diverse collection of American Indian (or, Native American—both terms are used in the state) pueblos, reservations, artwork, and of course, people. The 19 pueblos are spread across north central, central, and northwest New Mexico.
New Orleans Mardi Gras
This article describes the festival in New Orleans. See Carnival for a general description of the holiday.
Nordic folk culture
Midsummer redirects here. For white nights see Midnight sun.
Off the beaten track in Japan
Off the beaten track in Japan is your guide to interesting places in Japan that don't get many visitors (or at least many foreign visitors).
Reenactment and LARP
Reenactment is an activity where people recreate or commemorate historical epochs and events through dramatization, costumes, props, staging, and/or authentic environments. Live-action roleplaying, shortened LARP (not to be confused with its other meaning), can have contemporary or fictional settings, but is often based on historical periods, commonly Medieval Europe.
Religion and spirituality
Religion and spirituality have played a significant role in humanity's history. Many cultural sights from buildings to festivals and traditions are of a religious nature.
Resorts
A resort is an establishment with activities for visitors, together with dining and accommodation for a prolonged stay. Resort activities can be winter sport, horse riding, agritourism, gambling, spas, golf, beaches, a zoo or an amusement park.
RFDS tourism
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (almost always abbreviated as RFDS) is an aeromedical non-profit organisation based in Australia that provides emergency and primary health care services for people living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia who cannot access a hospital or general practice due to the vast distances of the Outback. It is one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world.
Salsa dancing in Latin America
This page is intended for salsa dance lovers who are travelling around Latin America. Surprisingly, it is quite difficult to find good salsa clubs while travelling in Latin America.
Science tourism
Science tourism is a travel topic grouping scientific attractions. It covers interests in visiting and exploring scientific landmarks, including museums, laboratories, observatories and universities.
Spring break
Spring Break is an important event in the academic calendars of universities, colleges, and public school systems in many countries of the world. It is typically a week-long vacation that occurs between Carnival and Easter.
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a minimalistic performing art, which originated in the United States and has spread around the world. It is performed on many levels, from free open-mic shows at dive bars, to stadium performances with world celebrities.
Stećci Medieval Tombstones Graveyards
The Stećci Medieval Tombstones Graveyards are a world heritage site, comprising of 28 sites mainly located in the southeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, though some are in Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia.
Swedish canon
The Swedish canon is a 2025 collection of 100 works important for the culture of Sweden up to 1975; fifty years before the compilation. It contains institutions such as the Right to access, Vasaloppet and IKEA in Älmhult, as well as buildings, and works of art, literature, theatre, film and music.
The Most Beautiful Villages of France
The Most Beautiful Villages of France (Les Plus Beaux Villages de France) is a French association created to promote the tourist value of small rural villages rich of a notable heritage. In September 2021, it had 164 members (whole communes or villages dependent on one).
The Persian Caravanserai
The Persian Caravanserai is a UNESCO World Heritage Site made up of 54 components around Iran.
Theatre
Theatre is one of the oldest forms of performance art and most major civilizations had a tradition of storytelling through role playing. A story being told dramatically is referred to as a play.
Touring prestigious and notable universities in the U.S.
Many foreign visitors to the United States, especially those with pre-college-age children thinking about studying abroad, are interested in touring its famous universities and colleges. This article is a short overview of university tourism in the U.S., focused on the nation's most prestigious research and educational institutions as well as the most notable and historic campuses.
Twin towns
Twin towns may refer to one of: Town twinning, two geographically-disparate municipalities which have been paired as twin towns, partner cities or sister cities as part of a cultural, economic or paradiplomatic exchange. Twin cities, two adjacent but distinct municipalities - often on opposite banks of the same river or opposite sides of a border.
Visiting company headquarters
Some company headquarters are open to public visits and even offer tours. Some people go to company offices just to get a photo taken next to the company logo.
Visual arts
See urban sketching for the making of art on journeys. Visual arts — including paintings, sculptures, photography, architecture and different handicrafts — make up a major part of the local cultural heritage of virtually any place around the world.
World's Fair
A World's Fair (commonly called World Exposition, or simply Expo) is large international festival of arts and sciences. Participating countries present artistic and educational displays in national pavilions to showcase world issues or their country's culture and history.