Matador Network's Blog, page 383
November 7, 2022
A Full Guide To Wyoming’s National Parks and NPS-Managed Sites
Home to the world’s first national park, Wyoming contains a variety of sites managed by the National Park Service with vastly varying scenery, from bubbling hot springs and erupting geysers to majestic mountains, deep canyons, historic trails, and a stunning monolith that towers over the state’s prairie lands.
There are two Wyoming national parks, two national monuments, one national recreation area, and one national historic site where visitors will find four national historic trails, each sharing a unique glimpse into the past. Though only two are technically national parks, they’re all managed by the National Park Service, which operates 423 sites throughout the US (only 63 of them are technically national parks).
Each site offers a special peek into the history and environment of not just the Cowboy State, but parts of America’s western culture.
Wyoming national park fees
Photo: NPS/Neal Herbert/Public Domain
An America the Beautiful pass will get you free entry into all the Wyoming national parks and NPS-managed sites. Otherwise, travelers will pay when they arrive. The national parks each have a $35 entry fee per vehicle, good for seven days. Bighorn Canyon, Fort Laramie, and Fossil Butte have free entry, and Devil’s Tower has a $25 fee.
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Photo: Traveller70/Shutterstock
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is divided into two districts — a southern district in Wyoming and a northern one in Montana. It takes around three hours to drive between the two, which cover more than 120,000 acres combined.
Visitors can hike 17 miles of trails, ranging from easy and handicapped-accessible ones (like the quarter-mile Visitor Center Pond route) to more challenging options like the 4.6-mile Sykes Mountain Trail. Regardless of which trail they select, hikers should watch for rattlesnakes and poison ivy, check for ticks when finished, and be prepared for the elements by packing appropriately, including extra water and sun protection.
Boating is popular at Bighorn Canyon as well. Visitors can bring their boats or let someone else navigate by signing up for a tour to enjoy the gorgeous views.
When to visit: Winter can be quite cold, and temperatures often plunge below zero with a dangerous windchill. But for the well-prepared visitor, a winter visit can be very enjoyable, especially as it tends to be less crowded.Camping: A variety of camping options are available. Most are first-come, first-served, though a few are reservable.Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Photo: Philip Eckerberg/Shutterstock
Home to four National Historic Trails:
The California TrailThe Mormon Pioneer TrailThe Oregon TrailThe Pony Express RouteFort Laramie was established in 1834 to trade furs, but it became popular with emigrants heading west around 1841. In 1849, the US Army purchased it, and it eventually became a National Park Service site in 1938.
Near the Laramie and North Platte Rivers, the site was popular with travelers of all types headed west, from emigrants to soldiers, trappers, traders, and Native Americans. It was a bustling seasonal hub, providing provisions and a resting place for people making the multi-month journey toward the Pacific.
The primary activities are Fort Laramie are history-based, including a self-guided audio tour of the fort (available to download from the visitors center) and strolling through the 20 restored and preserved buildings of the fort area – though there’s also a 1.6-mile walking trail with informational signage about how travelers made the sometimes-difficult river crossings.
Four National Historic Trails run through this site (see the four trails’ routes here). Roughly 250,000 people traveled on the California National Historic Trail in the 1840s and 1850s, crossing 10 states in the process. More than 1,000 miles of wagon ruts and traces are still visible in certain spots.
The Oregon National Historic Trail led emigrants out to Oregon in search of fertile farmlands, crossing through six states, while the Mormon Pioneer Historic Trail led Mormons from Illinois to the Great Salt Lake Valley in around 1846.
The other trail that crossed through Fort Laramie was the Pony Express National Historic Trail, a vital mail route that carried important messages from Missouri to California in just 10 days — a stunningly quick speed in pre-telegraph times. See a trail brochure and many places to visit along the way.
When to visit: During the summer, Fort Laramie offers frequent living history programs, interpretive programs, and historic weapons demonstrations. The fort is open year-round but has shorter hours and less programming outside of summer.Camping: Camping is not available at Fort Laramie.Devils Tower National Monument
Photo: Sulae/Shutterstock
Rising out of the surrounding prairie land, Devils Tower rises 867 feet into the sky. Visitors can hike on trails near the tower, camp at the monument or in nearby towns, view the starry night sky, or join campfire ranger programs.
The tower is sacred to Native Americans in the area, and the Devils Tower Climbing Management Plan requests a voluntary climbing closure in June, the most culturally significant time for local Cheyenne, Lakota, and Crow peoples, among many others. It may also be close to climbers at other periods in the spring when peregrine falcons are nesting.
When to visit: The monument is open year-round, but most services are unavailable in the colder months, and trails can be snowy and icy.Camping: The national monument’s Belle Fourche River Campground has 46 sites, but it closes from mid-October to mid-May. Camping is also available outside the monument in nearby towns like Hulett, and there’s a KOA very close to the monument entrance.Fossil Butte National Monument
Photo: Sandra Foyt/Shutterstock
Today, the area surrounding Fossil Butte National Monument is sagebrush desert, but in the past, it was Fossil Lake. The now-dry bed holds many well-preserved fossils of everything from fish and insects to mammals and plants.
Visitors will want to start by spending time in the museum, which contains hundreds of fossils from the Green River Formation. The fish wall has fossils of 14 of the 27 species known to live in the lake, the fossil-rubbing station and fossil preparation lab are fun for visitors of any age, and there’s a cool “virtual aquarium” that depicts what Fossil Lake was like 52 million years ago.
In summer, visitors can join a quarry program to search for fossils, sign up for ranger programs, take a scenic drive, find plenty of open space for a picnic, or take a break from fossil viewing and hike the park’s four miles of trails. The 2.5-mile Historic Quarry Trail Loop is moderately strenuous and showcases the monument’s incredible geology with exhibits along the way that share additional information. However, there’s no shade and the trail gets quite hot in the summer, so be sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and other sun protection.
When to visit: Visitor center hours vary according to the time of year, so check dates and times before planning a visit. The scenic drive and nature trail are closed in winter, and the entry gates will close during significant winter storms.Camping: There’s no camping (or much in the way of facilities at all) at the monument, but dispersed camping is possible on nearby BLM and Forest Service land.Grand Teton National Park
Photo: Sunsinger/Shutterstock
Bring your hiking boots – this Wyoming national park is on every hiker’s life list and one of the best for an extended trip.
Distance hikers should plan to see the Teton Crest Trail (a multi-day backpacking dream) or opt for a day hike around Jenny Lake, through Cascade Canyon, or on numerous other trails. Grizzlies and black bears inhabit the park, so be bear aware and practice good bear and wildlife safety while hiking. This is one of the best Wyoming national parks – or any national park, really – for wildlife viewing, and other animals visitors could see include moose, elk, bison, foxes, and more.
There are plenty of water-based activity options. Visitors can go with an outfitter to float the Snake River; canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard on the park’s calmer lakes; or catch-and-release fish in Jackson Lake. Visitors can also drive toward Yellowstone on the Rockefeller Parkway, which connects the two Wyoming national parks.
When to visit: The park’s main road is closed to vehicles from November 1 to April 30. It’s groomed for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking from mid-December to mid-March, depending on snow conditions.Camping: Snag one of the park’s pristine campsites by making a reservation early — many of the popular campgrounds fill up the day reservations open (six months in advance). Backcountry sites are also an option if backpacking is your thing. Bear precautions are required anywhere you camp in the park.Yellowstone National Park
Photo: Edward Fielding/Shutterstock
As the world’s first national park (established in 1872), Yellowstone National Park contains an enormous number of stunning natural sites and phenomena, from bountiful wildlife and the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone” to a fantastic array of hydrothermal features. The latter includes geysers that propel hot water well over a hundred feet high and boiling pots of mud, fumaroles, and more; the park’s volcanic landscape is one of the most geologically active on earth.
With 2.2 million acres (small parts of the park are in Idaho and Montana), there are plenty of ways to explore, from a driving wildlife tour to hiking some of the park’s many trails. Whether on foot or on a tour, it’s possible to see everything from herds of bison and hunting foxes to grizzlies and black bears or wolves feeding on carcasses. As always, follow proper wildlife and bear safety precautions. Violators have (and should) gotten fined for irresponsible behavior.
When to visit : Most of Yellowstone’s roads and services close in the winter, but a winter visit is still possible. With fewer visitors, those willing to brave sometimes-ferocious weather are in for a treat. While most roads are closed to cars, access to some areas of the park is available via snowmobile and snowcoach, but you’ll want to make reservations in advance. Winter is also the best time to see the park’s rare gray wolves.Camping: Several campgrounds offer varying experiences in the park, but be sure to reserve a site ahead of time. For the hardy, well-prepared, and bear-aware, backcountry camping permits are available, though there’s a lottery system and competition can be rough as the park is very popular. Small numbers of walk-up backcountry permits are also available a day or two ahead of time.
Tapas in Spain
“Is this tapas?”
This is one of the most-asked questions by foreigners whenever they eat something in Spain. I don’t blame them — guides to tapas usually include unnecessary details about their origins and how to eat them that only make understanding what tapas are more complicated. This article won’t be an ultimate guide but will try to at least solve some of the most common doubts and dispel a few myths. As with everything in Spain, remember things will be different depending on the region. Play it safe by sticking to the always useful when-in-Rome strategy. Or, as we say in Spain: donde fueres, haz lo que vieres.
What are tapas?Are tapas free in Spain?How to order tapasIs it compulsory to eat them at the bar?What tapas are most popular?When did Spaniards start eating tapas?Do I have to throw the napkins to the floor?What’s ir de tapas, de tapeo, or tapear?Can I tapear any time of the day?Is it a good idea to go to a tapas bar outside of Spain?What is the difference between tapas and appetizers?Why are they called tapas?What are tapas?
Photo: etorrres/Shutterstock
Tapas are a small plate of bite sized snacks, usually served when you order a drink. While their size can vary, they’re usually smaller than what you would have for a main course (there are some exceptions to this rule, however). There are no rules for what tapas can be; they are sometimes meant to be shared and eaten with toothpicks, but they can also be small individual dishes with their own cutlery, and other times its perfectly acceptable to eat tapas with your hands.
They will also take different forms depending on where you are in Spain. Basque Country’s pintxos are one of the most popular variants: they usually come on top of a piece of bread and use a toothpick to keep all the components together.
Are tapas free in Spain?In Spain, there are free tapas and the tapas you order and pay for. You’ll get the first one just by ordering a drink and it can be anything, from a small bowl of olives to a fully-cooked dish of callos, a stew with tripe and chickpeas. In those regions where tapas are free (Andalusia, Galicia, and León) the portions are generous. It is possible, if you choose the bar wisely, to have lunch or dinner paying only for drinks. But you might end up a bit tipsy.
Then we have the tapas you need to pay for; these are ordered the same way you would order your drink or a full size meal from the menu. Tapas bars usually have a list of the available options somewhere visible or directly on the menu. Note that these tapas you order and pay for are usually meant to be shared among several people.
How to order tapasThe bar itself will make its own preferred modality clear. If there’s a list or a menu, you can choose from there; if you see the tapas disposed at the bar, you can just point at the ones you want. Nothing too complicated, as you can see. In Spain’s official tourism website they say there are places where you can directly grab the things you want from the bar, but I’ve never seen that happening and none of my friends from different regions of Spain has seen it either. Play it safe and talk to a waiter before acting as if the bar was some kind of buffet.
When it comes to paying, usually the waiter kept track to what you have eaten and will tell you how much you owe. If you’ve eaten pintxos, however, you might encounter a different method — they count the sticks left on your plate and make the calculation. No, it’s not a good idea to make some of these sticks disappear to try and pay less. Waiters are not stupid.
Is it compulsory to eat them at the bar?
Photo: Takin’ Shotz/Shutterstock
You might encounter some tapas place with this rule, but it’s not the usual. You’ll have the same tapas rights if you sit on a table.
Can I choose which tapa I want?Obviously, if you pay for it, you can. The free tapa is usually chosen by the bar you find yourself in, but there are some regions — Almería, for example — or particular bars where they will offer you several options to choose your free tapa from. If you don’t like what you’ve been served for free and won’t eat it, tell the waiter right away. If you’re lucky, you might get something different in exchange.
What tapas are most popular?
Photo: Angela Aladro Nick/Shutterstock
Tapas can range from something as simple as a bowl of chips to something more complicated like a fully cooked meal of meatballs, ensaladilla, or callosk, but any type of food can be transformed into a tapas. These are some of the most popular options:
1. Tortilla española (also called tortilla de patatas, Spanish omelette)
Photo: bonchan/Shutterstock
Not to be confused with a tortilla from Mexico, tortilla española is made with potatoes, onions, and eggs. It’s all cooked in oil and served either hot or room temperature. “This is one of the most famous tapas,” says Nico Lopez, research and development chef at Mercado Little Spain. “It is an iconic dish in Spanish gastronomy, one that people recognize and seek out.”
2.CroquetasCommonly made with ham (croquetas de jamón), these little fritters are a common accompaniment to a light drink. A Spanish croqueta skips the potatoes and instead uses a thick bechamel sauce and another main ingredient. Other than ham, other options include, but aren’t limited to, cheese and spinach (croquetas de espinacas y queso), cheese (croquetas de queso), and seafood (croquetas de marisco).
3. Patatas bravasA simple small plate that shouldn’t be underrated. Patatas bravas are fried potatoes with a spicey salsa brava sauce. If served with an aioli, it’s patatas aioli.
4. CalamariThin slices of squid fried with a light batter and served with garlic aioli.
5. Gambas al ajillo
Photo: THANAN KONGDOUNG/Shutterstock
Literally translating to garlic shrimp, this typical tapas dish is made with shrimp, garlic, and spices. “In this tapa you will find amazing umami from the combination of the sweetness of the shrimp, spiciness of the guindilla (a chili pepper from Spain), the bittersweet flavor from the caramelized garlic, and the aromas of the brandy and bay leaf,” Lopez says.
6. Pa amb tomàquetBest when fresh tomatoes are available, pa amb tomàquet is simply toasted bread with tomato, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Cured meat and cheese sometimes come on the side or on top. It’s often incorrectly written by people who aren’t Catalan as pan tumaca.
7. Pulpo á feiraPulpo á feira is grilled octopus chopped up into bite-size pieces and seasoned simply with olive oil, paprika, and salt. It’s also sometimes called Pulpo a la gallega.
When did Spaniards start eating tapas?Spaniards haven’t been eating tapas for long. It appears that in Spain — tapas, as we know them now, are a recent inovation, as they started after the Spanish civil war.
But this doesn’t mean that’s the origin of tapas. It seems that tapas come from an old tradition of eating small bites of food to keep hunger at bay. The funniest theory says everything started when the king Alfonso X of Castile was prescribed to drink several glasses of wine during the day but didn’t want to end up drunk already at noon. His solution? Eating a bit of food with every glass. There are other theories and legends: those bites of food served to hide (tapar in Spanish means ‘to cover, to hide’) the effects of alcohol; the tapa was used to cover the glass and prevent flies from jumping into the drink; etc. Just pick your favorite one.
Do I have to throw the napkins to the floor?Small napkins sometimes come with tapas, and local legend sometimes says that the more of these napkins that are on the floor, the more locals have stopped in for a snack — marking the bar as one of the better bars in the neighborhood. In the past, locals would even discard snail shells and olive pits onto the floor, too. However, this tradition is going out of style. You still might come across bars where locals throw everything to the floor (it’s becoming less and less common, but they still exist). If you aren’t familiar with the tradition, it’s probably better to just leave the napkin on the table.
Is this how Spaniards eat all their meals?No. At home, we prefer to eat full-size dishes instead of having to cook five different things. We do sometimes say we will have lunch or dinner “de tapas” at home, but it usually means “let’s see what leftovers we have in the fridge.”
What’s ir de tapas, de tapeo, or tapear?
Photo: Yulia Grigoryeva/Shutterstock
Ir de tapas, de tapeo and tapear are all different ways talking about eating tapas. Tapas come as a gift when you order any beverage at a bar. But if you’re with more people and you intend to have lunch or dinner by eating tapas (rather than ordering a full meal from the bar), you can use any of these terms to talk about tapas. Tapeo will take you from one bar to the other, and from free tapa to free tapa. You can tapear by staying in the same place just by ordering different tapas to share with your friends. You won’t end up as tipsy as with the free tapas strategy, but you can still say you’ve been tapeando or de tapas.
Can I tapear any time of the day?The free tapa doesn’t really depend on the time of day, but if you want to have lunch or dinner nde tapas is probably best to try and do it at lunchtime or dinnertime. In Spain, this means from 1-1:30 PM to 3:30 PM and between 8:30 PM and midnight.
Is it a good idea to go to a tapas bar outside of Spain?It is okay to go to a tapas bar outside of Spain. Tapas have become a popular way to eat lunch or go out for drinks and snack in many parts of the world, including the United States. Many cities have tapas bars where you can have a few snacks while enjoying drinks with friends — the main difference is, you will probably have to pay for all your tapas plates, whereas in Spain tapas are often free.
What is the difference between tapas and appetizers?The difference between tapas and appetizers is subtle but important: Both are small dishes that can be served before a meal, but tapas are usually Spanish in origin and are often served with alcoholic drinks, at a bar. Appetizers aren’t always served alongside a beverage, and often the portions are larger (remember, tapas are often served on toothpicks for easy eating).
Why are they called tapas?The name tapas probably comes from the Spanish tapear, meaning to cover. The single “tapa” means lid in Spanish, leading to legends that tapas might evolved from the practice of placing a piece of bread or ham on top of a bar patron’s beverage to block out dust and flies.
A version of this article was previously published on June 15, 2018 by Ana Bulnes, and was updated on October 16, 2019 by Nickolaus Hines.
RelatedFood + Drink11 Food Experiences You Should Have in Spain Before You Die11 Amsterdam Airbnbs in the City’s Coolest Neighborhoods
With its dreamy canals and world-class art galleries, Amsterdam is a firm favorite destination for a European city break. Amsterdam’s Airbnb scene invites you to take your pick from eclectic lofts, deluxe townhouses, and innovative houseboats. Unwind in the kookiest and most luxurious Airbnbs in Amsterdam after a day of biking around the Dutch capital.
Taking a European trip? Check out Matador’s accommodation guides to the best places to stay:The 11 dreamiest Airbnbs in ItalyThese dreamy Amalfi Coast Airbnbs are the perfect seaside escapeThese Greek Villas Make for a Unique and Cozy Stay in Athens9 dreamy Airbnbs in the Greek islands9 dreamiest Airbnbs in the South of FranceThe most beautiful Airbnbs in ParisThese Airbnbs make you feel like you’re living in Game of ThronesStay like royalty at these Airbnb Ireland castle rentals
We hope you love the Airbnb Amsterdam vacation rentals we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.
Amsterdam Airbnbs in Lastage and GrachtengordelAmsterdam Airbnbs in Jordaan and Oud-WestTop Airbnbs in Amsterdam Oost and MuseumkwartierDe Pijp, Amsterdam, AirbnbsAmsterdam Airbnbs in Lastage and GrachtengordelKeizers House
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Built in 1696, this five-bedroom townhouse has been lovingly restored to reflect the history and changing face of the city. Light streams into the living room which is warmed by a gas fireplace in winter. The master bathroom makes a statement with its oversized shower alongside a free-standing tub. Overlooking the Keizer Canal by the upscale commercial hub of Utrechtsestraat, the location is flawless while the rear patio and garden establish this as one of the coolest Airbnbs in Amsterdam.
Six guests, five bedrooms
Price: $1,393 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
With a name like this, you can’t be blamed for feeling skeptical. Yet, this pet-friendly Airbnb Amsterdam is a houseboat that delivers the goods with its bohemian living quarters below deck and its epic sun terrace complete with a hammock. A full kitchen and modern bathroom tick the boxes for practicality. This 100-year-old ship is moored right by the Montelbaanstoren off the Oosterdok.
Four guests, two bedrooms
Price: $536 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
This swoonsome Centrum Amsterdam Airbnb is accented by centuries-old original wooden beams and Dutch paintings. The primary bedroom is affixed to a picturesque roof terrace and an en suite with a Jacuzzi tub. Meanwhile, the attic bedroom opens out onto its own lounge, ideal for reading or a round of morning sun salutations. Despite the central location, the monument house is tucked away in a tranquil enclave.
Four guests, two bedrooms
Price: $439 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
No need to scrimp on comfort when you drop anchor on this luxury houseboat Airbnb in Amsterdam on the Waalseilandsgracht. Radically modernized, the principal bedroom of this 1904 steel ship features a king-size bed and free-standing bath. A wood burner keeps the boat toasty and you can keep the scurvy at bay with a sunbathing session on the upper deck. Book for summer and you can start your day with a dip in the canal.
Three guests, two bedrooms
Price: $345 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Make this modern, Amsterdam houseboat Airbnb your base and you can look forward to exploring the city on foot or by bicycle. The property is spread over two floors with a floating sun terrace providing additional living space and floor-to-ceiling windows capitalizing on the canal views. Located on the outskirts of Jordaan, you’ll have the convenience of Centrum on your doorstep but appreciate the solitude.
Four guests, three bedrooms
Price: $488 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
This rare find gives you the possibility to rent an entire canal house complete with a patio and basement access. Hosts have acquired artwork, artifacts, books, and antiques to create a place that feels like home. Anne Frank’s House and the Royal Palace are within walking distance of this waterfront Airbnb in Amsterdam’s Jordaan neighborhood. High-quality bikes are provided free of charge to explore the local canals.
Four guests, two bedrooms
Price: $515 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Uniquely decorated, this pet-friendly loft might just snag the title of the coolest Airbnb in Amsterdam. Filling the gable of a heritage canalside monument house, the mezzanine bedroom peers over the Jacuzzi tub and living space. Step onto the roof deck and linger over a glass of wine with one of the best views in town.
Two guests, one bedroom
Price: $287 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Pamper yourselves at this luxurious Airbnb in Amsterdam East with a sauna and sunny balcony. Once used as a school, the building has been meticulously remodeled into spacious apartments. High ceilings and an office on the mezzanine create a unique sense of space while all amenities are of superior quality. After a day of sightseeing, flop into the home movie theater with a bucket of popcorn.
Four guests, two bedrooms
Price: $601 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
This family-friendly Amsterdam Airbnb in Oud-Zuid is suitable for larger groups eager to connect with the galleries of the Museumkwartier. Channeling a typical 18th-century residence, the house is laced with top-end modern conveniences. Besides the cozy lounge, the private garden with a fireplace is a joy after a busy day biking around the city.
Eight guests, five bedrooms
Price: $892 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Merging boat and villa elements, this houseboat Airbnb in Amsterdam on the Amstel River is a one-a-kind experience. Roomy interiors are festooned with quirky works of art while the gourmet kitchen overlooks the water. Settle into one of the countless terraces to soak up the views (it’s particularly special at sunset) and don’t be afraid to jump in for a swim. The host provides standup paddleboards to elevate your stay.
Four guests, two bedrooms
Price: $741 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Beautifully appointed with plush furnishings and a spa-like bathroom, this open-concept apartment will recharge your batteries. Whip up meals in the chef-standard kitchen and retreat to the roof for al fresco suppers above the streets of the Pijp: often compared with the Latin Quarter of Paris.
Four guests, two bedrooms
Price: $695 per night
November 4, 2022
Where To Eat in Every NYC Chinatown Neighborhood
From Manhattan’s Mott Street to the bustling, colorful streets in Flushing, Queens, New York is home to one of the largest populations of Chinese people in the nation. Throughout the mid- and late-1800s, Chinese immigrants began arriving in New York in search of work opportunities and the possibility of a brighter future for their families. They didn’t always find – as a result of legally-exclusive policies like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, violence against Chinese people imperiled their livelihoods. Despite those challenges, these resilient people formed their own thriving communities. Thus, the many New York City Chinatown neighborhoods were born.
Today, there are three main Chinatown neighborhoods in New York City: Manhattan, Flushing, and Sunset Park, as well as six concentrated hubs for Chinese food, including Bensonhurst, East Village, Elmhurst, Forest Hills, Homecrest, and Little Neck. These areas make up the cultural and food fabric of New York, and Chinatown NYC restaurants offer an opportunity to engage with these communities in the most delicious way possible.
This guide has everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the Chinatown, from a little bit of history of each location to the best place to start your exploration. And because the highlight of each Chinatown neighborhood, no matter where you, is the exceptional, unmissable food – from soup dumplings to congee – we also included the restaurants in Chinatown NYC restaurants where every visitor should reserve a table.
Here’s the Matador Network guide to the best Chinatown NYC restaurants from Manhattan to Queens.
Manhattan
Photo: Kayla Hui
Neighboring Little Italy, the Lower East Side, and Tribeca, Manhattan’s Chinatown is New York’s largest Chinatown. Beyond being one of the city’s oldest ethnic enclaves, Manhattan’s Chinatown is home to the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere. During the 1870s, New York’s Chinese population began to grow as a result of the Burlingame Treaty, a deal that granted Chinese people rights to free immigration and travel within the United States and the most favored nation status during the purchase and sale of goods between the U.S. and China.
However, in 1880, the treaty was renegotiated in an effort to limit Chinese immigration, which would later become known as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 — a law that barred all immigrants from China for ten years and prohibited Chinese immigrants from becoming citizens. While Chinese immigration halted, early Chinese immigrants — who worked on the transcontinental railroad in the west — began to travel to New York to escape increased violence toward Chinese people.
In the 1890s, Chinatown only comprised three blocks and consisted of three main streets: Pell, Doyer, and Mott. As more Chinese immigrants trickled into the neighborhood, Manhattan’s Chinatown grew. Today, New York’s Chinatown is one of the city’s most bustling neighborhoods, and it has grown to become a cultural and food hub both for tourists and people who live in New York. In its narrow streets, you can find hand-pulled noodle joints, souvenir shops, and street vendors selling fresh fruit and vegetables. Like Chinatowns across the U.S., Manhattan’s Chinatown was born out of a need for a safe space where Chinese people could live, work, and build community. For decades, Chinese people were legally excluded from entering the U.S., but Manhattan’s Chinatown will always be a welcoming home base — and visitors will find some of the most iconic Chinatown NYC restaurants in this neighborhood.
Restaurants to tryNom Wah Tea Parlor: This vintage tea parlor dates back to the 1920s, where it first opened its doors as a bakery and tea room. Today, visitors can experience legendary dim sum service, an assortment of steamed buns, and of course, steaming pots of tea.
Photo: Kayla Hui
Great NY Noodletown: Nestled in the corner of Bayard and Bowery, Great NY Noodletown offers some of New York’s best Cantonese-style wonton noodle soups, congee, and BBQ roasted pork. Once you take a bite of your meal, you’ll understand why it’s no surprise why it attracts a large crowd, from locals to out-of-towners.
A sponge cake from Kam Hing bakery. Photo: Kayla Hui
Kam Hing Bakery: This laid-back coffee shop offers pastries, coffee, and its hero product: Chinese-style sponge cakes with flavors ranging from coconut to cappuccino to orange-cranberry.
A barbecue pork bun from Mei Lai Wah. Photo: Kayla Hui
Mei Lai Wah: Mei Lai Wah is most famous for its BBQ pork buns. The color storefront, with pictures of all the menu items plastered to the windows, is an iconic New York City landmark. The pineapple buns with roast pork are another favorite among locals.
Flushing, QueensNamed Vlissingen, Flushing was originally a part of New Netherland. The British would eventually incorporate Flushing into Queens County in the early 1680s. Flushing’s identity would then change over its 370-year history by the communities living there. The populations changed from being predominantly Dutch, to English, to Italian and Jewish, and today, Chinese people have made their own mark on the neighborhood.
It wasn’t until 1970 when Flushing’s Chinatown began to form. Unlike Manhattan’s Chinatown, which consisted of predominantly Cantonese-speaking people, Flushing’s Chinatown had predominantly Mandarin-speaking Taiwanese immigrants, who moved to Flushing to escape language barriers and to look for better housing conditions. Flushing is now home to many different ethnic groups, including Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, Filipino, Indian, and Hispanic people.
Restaurants to try
Platters of noodles and duck buns at Shanghai You Garden. Photos: Kayla Hui
Shanghai You Garden: Located right on 40th Road, this Shanghainese establishment serves up handmade soup dumplings filled with crab meat and pork, dim sum, and noodle dishes, both pan fried and in broth. It’s also famous for its roast duck.
698 Cafe: At 698 Cafe, you’ll find traditional Cantonese dishes like salt and pepper calamari and BBQ pork, as well as noodle dishes. We’d recommend the beef noodle soup.
Photo: Kayla Hui
Tai Pan Bakery: If you have a sweet tooth, make sure to stop by this bakery. Enclosed in the glass display cases are a selection of cakes and sweet and savory breads like coconut cream buns, sesame balls, and BBQ pork buns. The bakery also specializes in cakes, in flavors like mango and taro, decorated with fresh slices of fruit. Fair any of their pastries with a fruit slushie.
Cuppa Tea: Cuppa Tea is the place to be if you’re looking for a Hong Kong-style milk tea. There are many varieties of tea here – from milk foam, iced fruit tea, and fruit slushies. You can also snack on egg waffles and curry balls while you’re there.
Sunset Park, BrooklynIn the mid-1980s, Sunset Park saw an influx of Chinese immigrants from Taisan and Guangzhou to the neighborhood’s Eighth Avenue; it’s believed that early Chinese immigrants moved to Eighth Avenue because eight implies good luck, fortune, and prosperity in Chinese culture. With a rapid influx of Cantonese-speaking people into the neighborhood, businesses began to develop and commenced the formation of New York’s third, and perhaps most underappreciated, at least among tourists, Chinatown neighborhood.
Unlike Manhattan and Flushing, which boasts larger crowds and more tourists, Sunset Park’s Chinatown remains one of the least visited Chinatowns in New York, but it continues to grow. Today, the community sits on Eighth Avenue, extending from 42nd to 62nd street, and is a worthy contender for some of New York’s best Chinese food.
Restaurants to TryLaoJie Hotpot: When temperatures turn brisk, you can always count on hot pot to warm you right up, and LaoJie offers an all-you-can-eat hot pot menu featuring different slabs of meat, vegetables, and a selection of seafood.
Xin Fa Bakery: A trip to Xin Fa will have you leaving with a box (or two) of its sought after Portuguese egg tarts. They’re buttery, filled with subtly sweetened egg custard, and have an irresistible, flaky dough that’ll have you going back for more.
Yun Nan Flavour Garden: This no-frills Chinese eatery serves barbecue meats, roasted duck, jumbo shrimp, and other traditional Cantonese dishes.
What is Coquito and how to make it
There’s something to be said for the fact that I can’t pinpoint a specific moment in which coquito started to appear in my life. The drink was always there, a constant throughout the years. As a kid, I would open my refrigerator around the holiday season and see various containers like mason jars, water bottles, and milk jugs, full of coquito. I was always curious about it, wondering what it tasted like and why it suddenly appeared around a specific time, but I was never allowed to have a cup of my own until I was a teenager.
Not being allowed to drink coquito during my childhood only furthered my curiosity about the beverage. I wanted to know why my family was so head over heels for it, why the first thing they did upon arriving to any household during the holidays was grab a cup of the stuff. One year on Christmas Eve, while the adults were all trading family gossip in the living room, I slipped into the kitchen and found a cup with a little coquito remaining — just enough for a sip or two. I tried a single sip to be safe, a little worried about getting in trouble, and the sweetness that exploded in my mouth was unlike anything I’d ever had before. At first, I thought the taste was great but then my throat suddenly burned, and I scrunched my nose in distaste — the alcohol had hit.
What is coquito?Where is coquito from?Can you freeze coquito?How long does coquito last?Coquito ingredients and recipesWhat is coquito?In case you aren’t familiar, coquito is a rich alcoholic drink similar to eggnog. Traditional ingredients include evaporated milk, condensed milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut cream, and, of course, the proverbial cherry on top — rum.
The flavor of coquito relies on how much of each ingredient is used, which varies not just from country to country but household to household. It has a few consistent characteristics, however: coquito is white in color and typically tastes very sweet. The texture, on the other hand, can vary. It can either be thick and creamy or slightly watery, depending on how much evaporated and condensed milk you use. A generous pour of rum is usually always incorporated, lending coquito a strong boozy flavor. It’s served cold, either taken like a shot or served in a cup like a mixed drink.
My family’s coquito is thick and heavy on the cinnamon. We add plenty of rum, but it’s so well hidden that you don’t notice how much you’ve had until it hits you.
Coquito recipes are sacred, guarded more heavily than England’s crown jewels, and only to be shared among family or trusted friends. As my family told me, and as I saw my friends’ families tell them, it’s never to be written down on a physical paper, something that can be easily accessed by any random person. Instead, it’s passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth or by watching it being made when the next person to learn it is deemed “ready.” Even I only just learned the recipe at 24 years old.
Where is coquito from?
Photo: Mike Herna/Shutterstock
While its exact origins are shrouded in mystery, the origins of coquito — which means “little coconut” — can be traced back to Puerto Rico. It has since spread to other countries, particularly throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, including my family’s home country of Nicaragua.
Can you freeze coquito?You can freeze coquito if, for instance, for make a big batch and you want it to last longer. However, be aware that because coquito contains alcohol (rum in this case) it won’t freeze solid. When it comes time to serve the coquito that you’ve prepared ahead of time, just pour into a blender to achieve its thick and creamy consistency.
How long does coquito last?Coquito lasts about a month — even a little longer. Once you’ve starting drinking it, it should be refrigerated in an airtight container. However, because this drink contains eggs, the ingredients may settle or separate in the refrigerator, so give it a mix before you serve it.
Coquito ingredients and recipes
Photo: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock
Each country has put its own spin on the original recipe. In the Caribbean, coquito gets the majority of its coconut flavor from fresh coconut juice. In Spain, the drink is typically accompanied by turrón, a sweet candy made with honey, egg whites, and nuts that’s served around Christmastime. And in Cuba, coconut ice cream is served alongside coquito.
One major similarity between coquito across cultures is that it typically only appears around the holiday season. Coconuts grow in abundance in Latin America and the Caribbean, and rum is a key staple liquor. From a Western, Euro-centric perspective, coconut and rum are telltale signs of a summery drink. However, in the year-round tropical climate of Latin America and the Caribbean, hot alcoholic beverages with ingredients like apples and whiskey concocted to throw off winter’s chill are not popular during holidays. Christmas in a tropical climate tastes like a day at the beach, with a touch of seasonal spice.
People stock up on ingredients for coquito year-round, but the earliest it usually shows up in fridges around the world is from the middle of November, around Thanksgiving, to early January, just after Christmas. In a Latin household, not having the drink at Thanksgiving time would prompt some shade from loved ones, but to not have it at Christmas festivities would be downright sinful.
Another constant is that making coquito is a labor of love. More than just honoring tradition, it’s a drink you make because you want to share it with the people you love.
I recently made a batch of coquito that I planned to share with friends. I prepared a batch of coquito at home, packed all the bottles into bags, and hopped on the subway, determined to deliver the homemade drink to friends who live around Manhattan. Even though I shouldered multiple bags of heavy bottles around the city, was unable to sit down on the subway, and had people push and shove past me as I stood by the doors, I didn’t feel bothered by stress. The excitement of sharing coquito with others gave me energy.
I served my friends coquito not because I wanted praise over its taste but because I wanted to share a part of myself — a part of my culture — with the people I care about. Coquito is something so utterly simple in concept, but once executed, it bridges the gap between people of different cultures and strengthens their connections.
The notion of coquito being a labor of love also applies to the process of learning how to make it. Many people have fond memories of making it with a relative and how doing so reinforced a special connection.
Christopher Tirado, of Mama Hilda’s Coquito, created his own brand of coquito as an ode to his grandmother, Mama Hilda. Mama in Spanish translates to “mom,” but in Latin cultures, the term of endearment is frequently used for grandmothers. He first learned to make the drink with his grandmother when he was a kid, as he was always in the kitchen cooking with her.
“I remember she would always let me try it, before she added the alcohol to it, until I got older and then she would let me try the alcoholic version. It’s such a fond memory that I hold on to,” he recalls.
Photo: Mama Hilda’s Coquito/Facebook
While fortunately still in their lives, Tirado’s grandmother can no longer spend time in the kitchen, so Tirado himself has taken up the coquito mantle and plans to one day pass it along to his daughter.
“My time with [my grandmother] has definitely inspired my desire to cook and to continue her legacy in our family. Out of five grandchildren, I am the only one with her coquito recipe — which means the world to me,” he says. “I like to play music as I make it, because even to this day, anytime you walk into my grandmother’s house, you immediately hear music playing. It creates that same sentiment for me.”
Every culture is different, especially from one Latin American country to the next, but these sentiments of family, love, and culture, are something we can all relate to. And of course, if there’s one thing people will come together around, it’s a good holiday drink.
I Ran My First Half Marathon, and These Two Shoes Got Me Across the Finish Line
When my friend Karin asked me if I wanted to run a half marathon in Amsterdam with her a few months before the race, I said yes as an excuse to visit one of my favorite European cities — without pausing to consider that I’d never run more than five miles in my entire life. I didn’t even own a proper pair of running shoes. Fortunately, I found two pairs that ended up being perfect for a first-time marathon runner to train in.
We hope you love the shoes our writer tried and recommends! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to buy anything mentioned. But we never let that influence our opinions.
New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v12
Photo: Alex Bresler
Step one was finding a pair of trainers that could compensate for my total lack of training. I tried on shoes from several popular brands such as Altra, On Cloud, Nike, Brooks, Asics, and Hoka — all of which seemed to come in progressively bolder colors and have comically cushy bottoms — before landing on a pair of black New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v12 running shoes with a toe box that suited my wide-ish feet and a midsole that didn’t make me feel like I was running in platforms.
They proved to be a great choice for this San Francisco-based runner. They performed best on road, track, and treadmill, but the grippy blown-rubber outsole also held up on trails, even after rain. Once, during a weekend trip to the Sierra Nevada mountains, I wore them on an unexpectedly icy hike, and there was minimal slippage even then.
Photo: Alex Bresler
As my runs started inching toward double-digit mileage, the New Balance trainers felt just as sturdy and supportive as they did on day one. I seldom focused on improving my speed, but as my cadence and stride length began to increase on short runs, the rocker-shaped midsole yielded quick turnovers that did help me develop a faster, if not exactly fast, pace.
For an aspiring half-marathoner whose only race-day goal was to cross the finish line without walking, the Fresh Foam X 1080v12 confirmed the suspicion I’d had when I elected to buy them instead of more modern or high-tech styles. They prove solid running shoes don’t necessarily need super foam and carbon plates to perform extremely well.
Saucony Endorphin Speed 3
Photo: Alex Bresler
Then, about halfway through my three-month training schedule, I got an offer to demo the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3.
Neon coral-colored and seriously padded, the Endorphin Speed 3 is everything I thought I didn’t need in a running shoe. They’re cushioned with ultra-light PWRRUN PB super foam for springiness, shock absorption, and energy return; and they use what Saucony calls “SPEEDROLL” technology to propel runners forward faster.
On the other hand, they have a nylon plate, which goes into the insole. Nylon plates are more durable so they’re better for constant, ongoing use, while shoes with carbon plates (which are lighter) are better for maximizing speed. They’re high-tech shoes, but at only $170, all those cutting-edge perks only add up to $10 more than what I spent on my New Balance trainers.
Photo: Alex Bresler
Parsing the runner-speak of the spec sheet gave me serious imposter syndrome as a fledgling distance runner. But when it came time to take the shoes for a spin, they made pounding asphalt feel like running through a bouncy house, whereas the soft-yet-denser soles of the Fresh Foam X 1080v12 felt more like landing on packing peanuts.
While both styles proved pleasant on my typical mid-length, medium-paced runs, their differences became evident during runs on the ends of the spectrum: short, fast runs and long, slow ones. At 7.2 ounces, the women’s Endorphin Speed 3 is roughly 15 percent lighter than the 8.3-ounce women’s Fresh Foam X 1080v12, which allowed me to continually set personal bests of up to six miles. But for runs that lasted more than nine miles or included uneven terrain, I favored the New Balances over the Sauconys, primarily for the better ankle stability.
Fancy running shoes have started putting plates, which kind of look like insoles, inside the midsole of the shoe to aid momentum. Nylon is more durable so better for training but carbon fiber is lighter so better for racing. So I think using descriptors like durable v ultra-light will help clarify the difference between the plates, which I could also clarify the basic function of
Race day: Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 vs. New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v12
Photo: Alex Bresler
Deciding which shoe to wear on race day was difficult. After all, the Fresh Foam X 1080v12 had been recommended to me by a running store specialist after a quick diagnostic assessment, and they’d gotten me through my longest pre-race run of 11.5 miles comfortably. But the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 softened the impact on my feet and knees during more intense runs, and part of me was curious if wearing them would help me achieve a faster pace than I previously thought possible.
In the end, I let the weather decide for me. In true Dutch fashion, it was supposed to rain on race day, and that gave the New Balances the edge. Though we ended up getting lucky with a beautiful sunny day that made me wish I’d worn the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 for that extra energetic pep they put in my step, I did appreciate that the grippiness of the New Balance kicks, which were grippy enough to contend with the paper-cup-pulp and discarded sponges that accumulated near the water stations.
Photo: Alex Bresler
Race day aside, one of the most important things I’ve learned as someone who now hesitantly calls herself a “distance runner” is that I like having more than one go-to shoe in my closet to target different goals and make each last longer. And I’ll gladly keep preparing for my next half marathon in both of the trainers that I credit to getting me across the finish line in Amsterdam.
11 Cozy Mountain Cabins in Colorado for an Adventure Getaway
Colorado is known for its breathtaking scenery, endless adventures, and extensive wildlife sightings. Whether you’re there for the summer hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park or to hit the slopes in winter, Colorado is filled with endless activities for you to get your hands on and endless stunning and secluded cabins. Instead of checking yourself into a hotel, check out these Colorado cabins near all the popular attractions.
Traveling to Colorado? Check out Matador’s Colorado accommodation guides to the best places to stay across the state: 11 unique Airbnb Colorado rental homes for your next group getaway10 Airbnb Estes Park rentals near Rocky Mountain National ParkThese Denver airport hotels put you close to the terminal with luxe amenitiesThe best Airbnbs in Denver for beer, 420, and mountain cultureVail Airbnbs that make you feel like you’re in the heart of BavariaAspen Airbnbs to chill like a celebrityStay near Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak at these Colorado Springs Airbnbs
We hope you love the Colorado vacation rentals we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.
The coziest mountain cabins near DenverThe coziest mountain cabins near BreckenridgeThe coziest mountain cabins near Steamboat SpringsThe coziest mountain cabins near DurangoThe coziest mountain cabins near DenverRiverside Modern cabin near the National Forest
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Check out this charming chalet that is near ample National Forest land. This cabin rental near Denver sits aside Fall River and is only a few short miles from hiking spots and mountain lakes. Immerse yourself in the peaceful surroundings and take on an adventure on the five private acres.
Eight guests, three bedrooms
Price: $376 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Stay at one of the many cozy, secluded cabins in Colorado for your stay. This remote cabin is in Twin Lakes, only two hours from Denver. Soak in the stunning views of the mountains, enjoy the 1.5 acres of space and enjoy this cabin. Sit out on the wrap-around deck and relax in the hot tub with views of the mountains, or sit out and enjoy a cup of coffee.
Four guests, three bedrooms
Price: $456 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
This renovated space has a mixture of comfort and style throughout. Sitting 8,700 feet above sea level, this A-Frame cabin features a patio deck area only 15 minutes from Downtown Evergreen and Evergreen Lake. The home is dog friendly, so bring your four-legged friend for a California adventure. Relax and unwind in the snug living room or the hot tub. Whatever you choose, relaxation mode is on.
Two guests, one bedroom
Price: $259 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Feel warm, snug, and cozy in many cabins in Colorado, like this Breckenridge cabin. This cabin is the ideal home base for many mountain adventures and extraordinary sightings of wildlife. The cozy cabin is four miles from downtown Breckenridge and near many converted hiking trails.
Six guests, three bedrooms
Price: $124 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
This 1,344-square-foot mountain getaway features a spacious rustic living room and a fully equipped kitchen. Step outside and enjoy the large front deck with a gas-powered fire pit and grill, or sit out on the private balcony. Enjoy the adventures outside the home, like hiking the Quandary Peak fourteener or hitting the slopes.
Four guests, two bedrooms
Price: $176 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Nestled under a canopy of pine trees is this luxe abode. This cabin is five minutes from Main Street and Downtown Breckenridge and has access to Quandary Peak and Mohawk Lake trailheads. Sit back in the living room or cook a meal in the fully equipped kitchen or if you want to hang outside for a bit, you can enjoy the front porch and sit out by the fire pit.
Nine guests, four bedrooms
Price: $156 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Are you looking for some spacious and cozy cabins in Colorado for a memorable family getaway? Then make your way to this large retreat in Steamboat Springs. This western getaway is in the Yampa Valley and features space for the whole family, a massive jacuzzi, a kid’s play area, and stunning views. Get out and explore as many popular attractions are nearby.
12 guests, five bedrooms
Price: $625 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
On a hillside hidden behind pine trees is this renovated charm. This newly remodeled space features a spacey living room with a wood-burning fireplace and windows looking out to stunning views. And enjoy the deck area with its BBQ grill outdoor seating, or kick back in the hot tub that is not too far away.
Six guests, three bedrooms
Price: $495 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
This Durango cabin has a full kitchen, a spacious living room area, a fully equipped kitchen with a glass front wood-burning stove, and a large deck with a grill. The cabin is near many adventures like rafting, hiking, and biking, or you can explore downtown Durango, only 25 minutes away.
Four guests, two bedrooms
Price: $165 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Welcome to this cozy cabin near the Lemon Reservoir. This spacious lodge is perfect for large groups and has all the necessary amenities and space. Enjoy all the space by relaxing by the fire pit or hanging out on the large deck or backyard area and soaking up the gorgeous views.
Eight guests, three bedrooms
Price: $400 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Here is another cozy mountain retreat for large gatherings. This chalet sits on 37 acres with views of the San Juan National Forest. Enjoy the space, hot tub, deck area, and a reading nook with books and games.
Sixteen guests, five bedrooms
Price: $491 per night
How To Take a Castle and Whiskey Tasting Train Through the Scottish Highlands
Experienced travelers are supposed to be pros at three things: planes, trains, and automobiles. I’ve mastered the art of finagling extra dinners on airplanes and successfully doctored a bent license plate on a rental car to avoid the damage fees I clearly deserved. The sight of train timetables, however, made my palms sweat. Crowded train cars with the inevitable soundtrack of crying babies evoked fantasies of Murder on the Orient Express, but with me as the murderer. Trains, to me, were a novelty to be watched in Harry Potter or taken to work if you didn’t have a car — not a viable way of exploring a country.
Sometimes, we hate something simply because we don’t understand it. Trains intimidated me. That’s why, when I got the opportunity to travel the Scottish Highlands by train, I said to a coworker, “It sounds like an incredible trip. You know, except for the trains.”
In 2015 I went to grad school in Scotland and did a Scottish Highlands tour three times — all via rental car driven by a qualified left-side-of-the-road driver. I thought cars represented ultimate freedom. Trains were for an older generation, the stubborn travelers of yesterday. Trains were Charles Dickens. Cars were Jack Kerouac.
Seven years later I skeptically stepped on a train in Scotland for the first time, and spent the next week crisscrossing on a Scottish Highlands tour through landscapes hidden from the highways. Two castles, countless whisky tastings, and 20,000 Highland cows later, I conceded: maybe Dickens isn’t so bad.
Start your Scottish Highlands tour in EdinburghAnyone thinking about exploring Scotland — by train or otherwise — should start in Edinburgh. Defined by its cobbled, hilly streets that could easily replace your StairMaster, a 12th-century castle, and labyrinthine alleyways (or “closes”), Edinburgh feels like a mix of London and a small Scottish village. Though I had lived in Edinburgh for a year, I got lost multiple times wandering closes I never knew existed before, and which seemed to open up around the city like portals to miniature Diagon Alleys.
Photo: Richie Chan/Shutterstock
The city is also the best place to experience all the Scottish cliches you dreamed about on your flight over. You can take a photo with a bagpiper, try haggis and blood pudding at a hole-in-the-wall pub, shop at a kilt store, visit the Writer’s Museum dedicated to Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns, and end the night with a deep-fried Mars Bar (arguably the most Scottish thing on this list). And of course, what visit to Scotland’s capital would be complete without hitting a whisky distillery?
The Johnnie Walker Distillery on Princes Street was a refreshing new sight for me. Opened in 2021, the distillery has several tasting rooms, a gift shop where you can craft your own whisky, a rooftop bar, and one of the most immersive tours I’ve ever taken. I’m a big whisky fan, but distillery tours almost never interest me. Not because I’m a snob. Quite the opposite. Because I don’t want to sniff or swish my drinks, learn about the density of wood in the casks, or pretend to taste complex notes when I don’t. My palate isn’t refined enough for all that. But the Johnnie Walker tour is different.
It didn’t feel like a middle school field trip to a science museum, but a combination of Disneyland and Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. There was a live-action theatrical performance of Johnnie Walker’s history, a “scent room” where the guide shot bubbles from a gun, which burst into an aromatic mist, and a tasting room that looked like a private nightclub, with a buffet of ingredients for guests to experiment with. It sets the bar pretty high, but it’s the perfect way to kick off your Scotland whisky experience.
The Johnnie Walker distillery isn’t the only welcome new addition to the city. Virgin Hotels on Victoria Street opened this past summer, bringing unconventional luxury to Edinburgh’s Old Town. With Virgin’s patented blend of edgy, adult-oriented decor and quirky opulence, the hotel at first feels more like a museum. A glittering, nightclub-esque entryway leads to a lobby filled with bookshelves, artwork, a fireplace, plush couches, and an old record player. In the spacious guest rooms, you’ll find a welcome note scrawled on your mirror in red lipstick, and the best-stocked minibar I’ve ever seen. One of my colleagues was lucky enough to have an attic-like bonus room, equipped with a massive divan that looked like something from Eyes Wide Shut.
Photo: Virgin Hotels
Virgin Hotels are designed to make you never want to leave the hotel. That’d be fine if this were a remote wellness resort in the mountains. But this is Scotland, and you’ve got places to be.
To Fort William on the West Highland LineI understand highways. I can look at a GPS and figure out where I’m supposed to go. Train routes, however, are like long division. It’s supposed to be easy, but carry the six when you’re supposed to carry the four, and you wind up in no-man’s-land. Turns out, there’s a reason they teach long division in elementary school: It’s really not that hard.
Photo: Eben Dikson
We took a quick train from Edinburgh to Glasgow, then the famously scenic West Highland Line from Glasgow up to Fort William. It didn’t take long before we had cleared the city limits, and the Outlander-esque landscapes started scrolling past the window. Spanning the wild west coast of Scotland, the West Highland Line brings you through the glens and lakes of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, the boggy Rannoch Moor, and the mountains of Glencoe, on your way to Fort William. We passed some of the tiniest rail stations I’ve ever seen, many of which looked more like tollbooths, seemingly miles from the nearest paved road.
Photo: Joe Dunckley/Shutterstock
At one such station, two men in their mid-20s boarded and sat across from me. They looked like classic backpackers, with dusty oversized backpacks and beards that clearly hadn’t been trimmed in weeks.
“Going to Fort William?” I asked. Fort William was the only town on the line with over 1,000 people. Pretty much every passenger was going there.
“Eventually, maybe,” said one, shrugging at the other. “Not for a couple days though.”
“So you’re just winging it?”
“Basically. Been here about two weeks now, just going around on the train. These little villages are pretty cool.”
“The one you just came from — what’d you do there?”
“Hiked a bit,” the other backpacker said. “Drank a bit. Just bummed around. There’s not much to do, I guess.”
“…but the not-doing is more fun than the doing, sometimes,” his friend chimed in. “Especially in a place like this.”
“And getting around on the train’s been easy? Why not just drive?”
The guy laughed and nudged his friend. “I don’t trust him to drive on the left side. Or myself, either. Besides, now we don’t have to worry about gas, or getting lost, or staying awake. We just get on and off wherever looks good.”
It made perfect sense, I just didn’t expect to meet two Kerouacs on a train.
Photo: travellight/Shutterstock
They got off a few stops later, at another station that looked like a tollbooth, while we continued to Fort William. The home base for a Scottish Highlands tour, Fort William is close to the geographically dramatic Glencoe, hill walking and bike paths, and Ben Nevis — the tallest mountain in the UK. It’s also home to the Crannog Seafood Restaurant, where I had the best oysters I’ve ever eaten in my life (coming from a New England guy, that’s saying something). From our hotel, the stately Ballachulish just outside town, it was just a few minutes’ cab to the Ben Nevis Distillery, our first whisky-tasting experience in the Highlands.
Photo: Eben Diskin
Unlike Johnnie Walker, Ben Nevis wows not with technological flair, but by sheer natural beauty. In the shadow of Ben Nevis mountain, and surrounded by towering peaks and rolling hills, the distillery feels like it grew out of the land itself. Indeed, the tree bark in the surrounding forest has been imbued with whisky due to the evaporation process in the nearby casks.
Photo: Eben Diskin
Still buzzing from the distillery, we boarded the West Highland Line yet again to Mallaig, the line’s terminus. While the fishing village itself is picturesque, sitting on the edge of the sea, and there was a sense of achievement in reaching the remote end of the line, this leg of the trip had one real purpose: seeing the “Harry Potter bridge.”
An hour from Fort William, the conductor’s voice came on the speaker system for a special announcement: “We’ll be over the Glenfinnan Viaduct in just a minute now. You might recognize it as the stone bridge from Harry Potter. Best view’ll be on your right.”
Like the seatbelt sign on a plane being switched off upon landing, everyone immediately shot up from their seats. Toddlers, octogenarians, and everyone in between glued their faces to the window for a look at the famous bridge, where the Hogwarts Express scenes of the movies had been filmed. I’d always wondered why a bunch of wizards took a train to school instead of, you know, using magic to conjure a faster mode of transportation. Now I know: the views.
Take the Kyle Line from InvernessTo see another side of the Highlands, take the Kyle Line from Inverness, the capital and largest city of the Highlands. Like Fort William on the western side of the Highlands, Inverness is the perfect east coast base, with proximity to Culloden battlefield (Outlander, anyone?) and the storied Loch Ness, where you can cruise across the lake while learning about the monster that may or may not dwell there. The cruise also brings you right alongside Urquhart Castle, a fortress dating back to the 13th century that overlooks the loch.
Photo: pql89/Shutterstock
The Kyle Line runs across the Highlands from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, a village on the northwest coast known as the home of Eilean Donan Castle — one of Scotland’s most dramatic medieval landmarks.
“Is this the train to the castle?” asked a woman who had just boarded in Inverness. She was American and dressed stylishly as if she had just come from a shopping spree on Fifth Avenue.
“Yeah,” I answered. She sat in front of me.
“Sorry, I should not have asked. I told myself I’d be more independent since the divorce. That I didn’t need a man’s help for anything. No offense.”
“Uhh, no problem.”
“That’s why I’m on this trip, I guess. To prove I can do it. Not to him…to myself.”
I could tell I was officially in the conversation, whether or not I wanted to be.
“So you’re going around Scotland by train?”
“A little bit of everything. He refused to travel with me, you know. He thought I was high maintenance or something. Well, look at me now, on a train to God-knows-where with hardly any luggage.”
She had two massive suitcases — each two-thirds her size — stowed in the luggage car. I wondered how she carried it all.
“Where are you going after the castle?” I asked, now interested in the woman as a character study.
“I think I’ll spend a few days on the Isle of Skye. It’s not far from the castle.”
“The train doesn’t go to Skye. How’re you getting there?”
“I’ll figure it out,” she shrugged. “I always figure it out. I don’t need anyone’s help.”
She faced forward in her seat, signaling that the conversation was over. When we disembarked, I imagined her in a little rowboat with those two giant suitcases, determinedly paddling her way to the Isle of Skye.
Photo: Phill Beale/Shutterstock
I completely forgot about the woman during our tour of Eilean Donan Castle, the conversation being quickly overshadowed by the location’s otherworldly beauty. On a little island in Loch Duich, Loch Long, and Loch Alsh, and connected to the mainland only by footbridge, the 13th-century castle is one of the most striking landmarks in the Highlands. The former stronghold of Clan Mackenzie, the castle was destroyed during the Jacobite rebellions of the 1700s before being reconstructed and turned into a museum.
Back in Inverness, I quickly learned that this “Capital of the Highlands” wasn’t merely a city to rest up during your Scottish Highlands tour. We settled in for dinner at The Mustard Seed, a local favorite right on the banks of the River Ness. While Scotland is undeniably known for its seafood, I had a delicious braised duck, and one of my colleagues called the seared ribeye the “best steak they ever had.”
Photo: Sergii Figurnyi/Shutterstock
The evening ended with a nightcap at The Malt Room, a small, stylish whisky bar tucked away in an alley. Serendipitously, we ran into one of the bar’s owners while ordering our drinks — a friendly guy in his early-30s, whose passion for Highlands whisky was immediately obvious. I had been longing for Jameson, my drink of choice back home, but realized drinking an Irish whiskey in a Highlands whisky bar would be like wearing a Red Sox hat in Yankee Stadium, and went with a Craigellachie 12 instead.
“Have you been in Inverness long?” he asked, once we all had our drinks.
“A few days,” another journalist answered. “We’ve been going all around the Highlands, seeing distilleries, castles, little towns.”
“Oh, wonderful. And how’re you getting around? Car?”
“Train,” I said, with more pride than I would have thought possible five days ago.
“Well that’s a special trip, isn’t it? You see all kinds of things, meet all kinds of people — you know, colorful people — on a train that you never would otherwise.”
Only then did I remember the American woman. Even if she was a little unhinged, I admired her sense of independence, and her ability to just go and figure out the details later. To her, to those two backpackers, and now to me, the train meant freedom.
In defense of trainsCars are like novels. Trains are poems. They’re tough to appreciate at first, but once you understand the weight of the words, once you get it, the beauty is obvious.
Before Scotland, you could look up “rental cars” in an encyclopedia and see my smiling face leaning against one. Didn’t matter where I was going, or for how long — I’d always drive myself. Unbridled freedom, however, means reading road signs in other languages, hoping your GPS has a signal, worrying about parking on narrow European streets, and (in Scotland) driving on the opposite side of the road. On the train, I found myself actually able to switch off my brain. Relieved of the pressure of “figuring it out” every step of the way, I could actually relax and recharge.
It’s embarrassing to admit, but it never occurred to me that train views would be any different from car views. Scotland’s railroads cut through parts of the country untouched by paved roads. We’d go hours with no glimpse of a car or highway. Indeed, as we plunged deeper into the green wilds of the countryside, it felt more like plunging into the past, into a time when castles were actually inhabited by clan leaders, and whispers of a Loch Ness Monster were just circulating. Whatever the view might be, on a train, you’re actually free to enjoy it; to press your face against the window and look at a stone bridge without crashing the car; to watch the green hills, scroll by and imagine you’re on the Hogwarts Express; or, if you so wish, to sleep.
And perhaps the biggest benefit? The ability to get away from your friends. When you spend days traveling with people in close quarters — no matter how much you like them — you get sick of them. I genuinely enjoyed the company of the other journalists on my trip, but by day three, I couldn’t wait to put a few rows between us on the train (and I’m sure they felt the same about me). Many of us still keep in touch. Had we all been crammed into a rental car, that might not be the case.
Taking a Scottish Highlands tour doesn’t mean completely going it alone, either. For all the convenience of a guided tour without the annoying, microphone-toting tour guide herding tourists onto a bus, Vacations By Rail offers train trips with a variety of pre-made and customized itineraries. They’ll set you up with rail tickets, accommodations, meals, excursions, a professional tour escort (if you wish), and send you on your way. Their West Highlands itinerary, for example, stops at Duart Castle, Neptune’s Staircase, Loch Ness, and Eilean Donan Castle, while their Orkney and Shetland Islands journey will bring you to the Neolithic sites on the Orkney Isles, Dunrobin Castle, and the Norse settlement of Jarlshof. They offer everything from luxury vacations on top-of-the-line trains like the Royal Scotsman and Orient Express, to self-guided packages aboard historic trains that give you the freedom to explore at your own leisure. You might not be backpacking from village to village, but you also won’t accidentally end up in a small rowboat paddling toward the Isle of Skye.
How To Take a Castle and Whiskey Tasting Train Tour of the Scottish Highlands
Experienced travelers are supposed to be pros at three things: planes, trains, and automobiles. I’ve mastered the art of finagling extra dinners on airplanes and successfully doctored a bent license plate on a rental car to avoid the damage fees I clearly deserved. The sight of train timetables, however, made my palms sweat. Crowded train cars with the inevitable soundtrack of crying babies evoked fantasies of Murder on the Orient Express, but with me as the murderer. Trains, to me, were a novelty to be watched in Harry Potter or taken to work if you didn’t have a car — not a viable way of exploring a country.
Sometimes, we hate something simply because we don’t understand it. Trains intimidated me. That’s why, when I got the opportunity to travel the Scottish Highlands by train, I said to a coworker, “It sounds like an incredible trip. You know, except for the trains.”
In 2015 I went to grad school in Scotland and did a Scottish Highlands tour three times — all via rental car driven by a qualified left-side-of-the-road driver. I thought cars represented ultimate freedom. Trains were for an older generation, the stubborn travelers of yesterday. Trains were Charles Dickens. Cars were Jack Kerouac.
Seven years later I skeptically stepped on a train in Scotland for the first time, and spent the next week crisscrossing on a Scottish Highlands tour through landscapes hidden from the highways. Two castles, countless whisky tastings, and 20,000 Highland cows later, I conceded: maybe Dickens isn’t so bad.
Start your Scottish Highlands tour in EdinburghAnyone thinking about exploring Scotland — by train or otherwise — should start in Edinburgh. Defined by its cobbled, hilly streets that could easily replace your StairMaster, a 12th-century castle, and labyrinthine alleyways (or “closes”), Edinburgh feels like a mix of London and a small Scottish village. Though I had lived in Edinburgh for a year, I got lost multiple times wandering closes I never knew existed before, and which seemed to open up around the city like portals to miniature Diagon Alleys.
Photo: Richie Chan/Shutterstock
The city is also the best place to experience all the Scottish cliches you dreamed about on your flight over. You can take a photo with a bagpiper, try haggis and blood pudding at a hole-in-the-wall pub, shop at a kilt store, visit the Writer’s Museum dedicated to Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns, and end the night with a deep-fried Mars Bar (arguably the most Scottish thing on this list). And of course, what visit to Scotland’s capital would be complete without hitting a whisky distillery?
The Johnnie Walker Distillery on Princes Street was a refreshing new sight for me. Opened in 2021, the distillery has several tasting rooms, a gift shop where you can craft your own whisky, a rooftop bar, and one of the most immersive tours I’ve ever taken. I’m a big whisky fan, but distillery tours almost never interest me. Not because I’m a snob. Quite the opposite. Because I don’t want to sniff or swish my drinks, learn about the density of wood in the casks, or pretend to taste complex notes when I don’t. My palate isn’t refined enough for all that. But the Johnnie Walker tour is different.
It didn’t feel like a middle school field trip to a science museum, but a combination of Disneyland and Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. There was a live-action theatrical performance of Johnnie Walker’s history, a “scent room” where the guide shot bubbles from a gun, which burst into an aromatic mist, and a tasting room that looked like a private nightclub, with a buffet of ingredients for guests to experiment with. It sets the bar pretty high, but it’s the perfect way to kick off your Scotland whisky experience.
The Johnnie Walker distillery isn’t the only welcome new addition to the city. Virgin Hotels on Victoria Street opened this past summer, bringing unconventional luxury to Edinburgh’s Old Town. With Virgin’s patented blend of edgy, adult-oriented decor and quirky opulence, the hotel at first feels more like a museum. A glittering, nightclub-esque entryway leads to a lobby filled with bookshelves, artwork, a fireplace, plush couches, and an old record player. In the spacious guest rooms, you’ll find a welcome note scrawled on your mirror in red lipstick, and the best-stocked minibar I’ve ever seen. One of my colleagues was lucky enough to have an attic-like bonus room, equipped with a massive divan that looked like something from Eyes Wide Shut.
Photo: Virgin Hotels
Virgin Hotels are designed to make you never want to leave the hotel. That’d be fine if this were a remote wellness resort in the mountains. But this is Scotland, and you’ve got places to be.
To Fort William on the West Highland LineI understand highways. I can look at a GPS and figure out where I’m supposed to go. Train routes, however, are like long division. It’s supposed to be easy, but carry the six when you’re supposed to carry the four, and you wind up in no-man’s-land. Turns out, there’s a reason they teach long division in elementary school: It’s really not that hard.
Photo: Eben Dikson
We took a quick train from Edinburgh to Glasgow, then the famously scenic West Highland Line from Glasgow up to Fort William. It didn’t take long before we had cleared the city limits, and the Outlander-esque landscapes started scrolling past the window. Spanning the wild west coast of Scotland, the West Highland Line brings you through the glens and lakes of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, the boggy Rannoch Moor, and the mountains of Glencoe, on your way to Fort William. We passed some of the tiniest rail stations I’ve ever seen, many of which looked more like tollbooths, seemingly miles from the nearest paved road.
Photo: Joe Dunckley/Shutterstock
At one such station, two men in their mid-20s boarded and sat across from me. They looked like classic backpackers, with dusty oversized backpacks and beards that clearly hadn’t been trimmed in weeks.
“Going to Fort William?” I asked. Fort William was the only town on the line with over 1,000 people. Pretty much every passenger was going there.
“Eventually, maybe,” said one, shrugging at the other. “Not for a couple days though.”
“So you’re just winging it?”
“Basically. Been here about two weeks now, just going around on the train. These little villages are pretty cool.”
“The one you just came from — what’d you do there?”
“Hiked a bit,” the other backpacker said. “Drank a bit. Just bummed around. There’s not much to do, I guess.”
“…but the not-doing is more fun than the doing, sometimes,” his friend chimed in. “Especially in a place like this.”
“And getting around on the train’s been easy? Why not just drive?”
The guy laughed and nudged his friend. “I don’t trust him to drive on the left side. Or myself, either. Besides, now we don’t have to worry about gas, or getting lost, or staying awake. We just get on and off wherever looks good.”
It made perfect sense, I just didn’t expect to meet two Kerouacs on a train.
Photo: travellight/Shutterstock
They got off a few stops later, at another station that looked like a tollbooth, while we continued to Fort William. The home base for a Scottish Highlands tour, Fort William is close to the geographically dramatic Glencoe, hill walking and bike paths, and Ben Nevis — the tallest mountain in the UK. It’s also home to the Crannog Seafood Restaurant, where I had the best oysters I’ve ever eaten in my life (coming from a New England guy, that’s saying something). From our hotel, the stately Ballachulish just outside town, it was just a few minutes’ cab to the Ben Nevis Distillery, our first whisky-tasting experience in the Highlands.
Photo: Eben Diskin
Unlike Johnnie Walker, Ben Nevis wows not with technological flair, but by sheer natural beauty. In the shadow of Ben Nevis mountain, and surrounded by towering peaks and rolling hills, the distillery feels like it grew out of the land itself. Indeed, the tree bark in the surrounding forest has been imbued with whisky due to the evaporation process in the nearby casks.
Photo: Eben Diskin
Still buzzing from the distillery, we boarded the West Highland Line yet again to Mallaig, the line’s terminus. While the fishing village itself is picturesque, sitting on the edge of the sea, and there was a sense of achievement in reaching the remote end of the line, this leg of the trip had one real purpose: seeing the “Harry Potter bridge.”
An hour from Fort William, the conductor’s voice came on the speaker system for a special announcement: “We’ll be over the Glenfinnan Viaduct in just a minute now. You might recognize it as the stone bridge from Harry Potter. Best view’ll be on your right.”
Like the seatbelt sign on a plane being switched off upon landing, everyone immediately shot up from their seats. Toddlers, octogenarians, and everyone in between glued their faces to the window for a look at the famous bridge, where the Hogwarts Express scenes of the movies had been filmed. I’d always wondered why a bunch of wizards took a train to school instead of, you know, using magic to conjure a faster mode of transportation. Now I know: the views.
Take the Kyle Line from InvernessTo see another side of the Highlands, take the Kyle Line from Inverness, the capital and largest city of the Highlands. Like Fort William on the western side of the Highlands, Inverness is the perfect east coast base, with proximity to Culloden battlefield (Outlander, anyone?) and the storied Loch Ness, where you can cruise across the lake while learning about the monster that may or may not dwell there. The cruise also brings you right alongside Urquhart Castle, a fortress dating back to the 13th century that overlooks the loch.
Photo: pql89/Shutterstock
The Kyle Line runs across the Highlands from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, a village on the northwest coast known as the home of Eilean Donan Castle — one of Scotland’s most dramatic medieval landmarks.
“Is this the train to the castle?” asked a woman who had just boarded in Inverness. She was American and dressed stylishly as if she had just come from a shopping spree on Fifth Avenue.
“Yeah,” I answered. She sat in front of me.
“Sorry, I should not have asked. I told myself I’d be more independent since the divorce. That I didn’t need a man’s help for anything. No offense.”
“Uhh, no problem.”
“That’s why I’m on this trip, I guess. To prove I can do it. Not to him…to myself.”
I could tell I was officially in the conversation, whether or not I wanted to be.
“So you’re going around Scotland by train?”
“A little bit of everything. He refused to travel with me, you know. He thought I was high maintenance or something. Well, look at me now, on a train to God-knows-where with hardly any luggage.”
She had two massive suitcases — each two-thirds her size — stowed in the luggage car. I wondered how she carried it all.
“Where are you going after the castle?” I asked, now interested in the woman as a character study.
“I think I’ll spend a few days on the Isle of Skye. It’s not far from the castle.”
“The train doesn’t go to Skye. How’re you getting there?”
“I’ll figure it out,” she shrugged. “I always figure it out. I don’t need anyone’s help.”
She faced forward in her seat, signaling that the conversation was over. When we disembarked, I imagined her in a little rowboat with those two giant suitcases, determinedly paddling her way to the Isle of Skye.
Photo: Phill Beale/Shutterstock
I completely forgot about the woman during our tour of Eilean Donan Castle, the conversation being quickly overshadowed by the location’s otherworldly beauty. On a little island in Loch Duich, Loch Long, and Loch Alsh, and connected to the mainland only by footbridge, the 13th-century castle is one of the most striking landmarks in the Highlands. The former stronghold of Clan Mackenzie, the castle was destroyed during the Jacobite rebellions of the 1700s before being reconstructed and turned into a museum.
Back in Inverness, I quickly learned that this “Capital of the Highlands” wasn’t merely a city to rest up during your Scottish Highlands tour. We settled in for dinner at The Mustard Seed, a local favorite right on the banks of the River Ness. While Scotland is undeniably known for its seafood, I had a delicious braised duck, and one of my colleagues called the seared ribeye the “best steak they ever had.”
Photo: Sergii Figurnyi/Shutterstock
The evening ended with a nightcap at The Malt Room, a small, stylish whisky bar tucked away in an alley. Serendipitously, we ran into one of the bar’s owners while ordering our drinks — a friendly guy in his early-30s, whose passion for Highlands whisky was immediately obvious. I had been longing for Jameson, my drink of choice back home, but realized drinking an Irish whiskey in a Highlands whisky bar would be like wearing a Red Sox hat in Yankee Stadium, and went with a Craigellachie 12 instead.
“Have you been in Inverness long?” he asked, once we all had our drinks.
“A few days,” another journalist answered. “We’ve been going all around the Highlands, seeing distilleries, castles, little towns.”
“Oh, wonderful. And how’re you getting around? Car?”
“Train,” I said, with more pride than I would have thought possible five days ago.
“Well that’s a special trip, isn’t it? You see all kinds of things, meet all kinds of people — you know, colorful people — on a train that you never would otherwise.”
Only then did I remember the American woman. Even if she was a little unhinged, I admired her sense of independence, and her ability to just go and figure out the details later. To her, to those two backpackers, and now to me, the train meant freedom.
In defense of trainsCars are like novels. Trains are poems. They’re tough to appreciate at first, but once you understand the weight of the words, once you get it, the beauty is obvious.
Before Scotland, you could look up “rental cars” in an encyclopedia and see my smiling face leaning against one. Didn’t matter where I was going, or for how long — I’d always drive myself. Unbridled freedom, however, means reading road signs in other languages, hoping your GPS has a signal, worrying about parking on narrow European streets, and (in Scotland) driving on the opposite side of the road. On the train, I found myself actually able to switch off my brain. Relieved of the pressure of “figuring it out” every step of the way, I could actually relax and recharge.
It’s embarrassing to admit, but it never occurred to me that train views would be any different from car views. Scotland’s railroads cut through parts of the country untouched by paved roads. We’d go hours with no glimpse of a car or highway. Indeed, as we plunged deeper into the green wilds of the countryside, it felt more like plunging into the past, into a time when castles were actually inhabited by clan leaders, and whispers of a Loch Ness Monster were just circulating. Whatever the view might be, on a train, you’re actually free to enjoy it; to press your face against the window and look at a stone bridge without crashing the car; to watch the green hills, scroll by and imagine you’re on the Hogwarts Express; or, if you so wish, to sleep.
And perhaps the biggest benefit? The ability to get away from your friends. When you spend days traveling with people in close quarters — no matter how much you like them — you get sick of them. I genuinely enjoyed the company of the other journalists on my trip, but by day three, I couldn’t wait to put a few rows between us on the train (and I’m sure they felt the same about me). Many of us still keep in touch. Had we all been crammed into a rental car, that might not be the case.
Taking a Scottish Highlands tour doesn’t mean completely going it alone, either. For all the convenience of a guided tour without the annoying, microphone-toting tour guide herding tourists onto a bus, Vacations By Rail offers train trips with a variety of pre-made and customized itineraries. They’ll set you up with rail tickets, accommodations, meals, excursions, a professional tour escort (if you wish), and send you on your way. Their West Highlands itinerary, for example, stops at Duart Castle, Neptune’s Staircase, Loch Ness, and Eilean Donan Castle, while their Orkney and Shetland Islands journey will bring you to the Neolithic sites on the Orkney Isles, Dunrobin Castle, and the Norse settlement of Jarlshof. They offer everything from luxury vacations on top-of-the-line trains like the Royal Scotsman and Orient Express, to self-guided packages aboard historic trains that give you the freedom to explore at your own leisure. You might not be backpacking from village to village, but you also won’t accidentally end up in a small rowboat paddling toward the Isle of Skye.
November 3, 2022
11 Airbnbs in Istanbul To Experience the Best of the City
There aren’t many cities that straddle two continents. If that phenomenon alone isn’t enough to lure you to Istanbul, Türkiye’s largest city, how about the promise of a purifying Hamman and a scenic cruise past the iconic Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque? Istanbul’s accommodation scene is just as thrilling as the city itself with luxurious lofts filling centuries-old buildings. Here are the best Airbnbs in Istanbul, Türkiye, with roof decks, secret gardens, and unique decor.
Matador’s guides to the best of Airbnb Categories:10 Remote, Off-The-Grid Airbnbs Where You Can Get Away From It AllThe 11 Most Beautiful Converted Churches You Can Stay in Around the World on AirbnbAirbnb Just Made Windmills a Category, and These 9 Have Us Planning a TripAirbnb Now Has a Towers Category. These 9 Will Climb Your Bucket ListAirbnb Launched a Tiny Homes Category, and We’re Already Planning Trips Around These 1111 Properties in Airbnb’s New OMG! Category You Won’t Believe Are Real
We hope you love the Airbnb Istanbul vacation rentals we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.
Istanbul Airbnbs near Galata TowerIstanbul Airbnbs near Istiklal Avenue and the Blue MosqueAirbnbs in Cihangir, IstanbulIstanbul Airbnb in Kadıköy and Büyükada, AdalarIstanbul Airbnbs near Galata Tower19th-century luxury loft with patio near Galata Tower
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Recently renovated under the care of church renovation artists, this unique loft is presented with historic frescoes. High ceilings, vintage furnishings, and sublime fabrics add comfort to the property while the yard is perfect for morning coffee. Steps from the Galata Tower in the Beyoğlu district, this one-of-a-kind Airbnb is in the touristic heart of Istanbul.
Six guests, three bedrooms
Price: $275 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Bursting with natural light and contemporary interiors, this breezy penthouse occupies the top floor of a historic townhouse near Taksim Square. The sun terrace overlooks the Golden Horn (Halic) and the epicenter of Istanbul. Having the bedrooms on a separate floor opens up the space, with the master suite featuring its own balcony.
Six guests, two bedrooms
Price: $295 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
A stone’s throw from the funky Karaköy harborside neighborhood, this Istanbul, Türkiye, Airbnb is ideal for larger groups. Divided into separate units, the property will appeal to those traveling as a couple of families. The roof terrace is rigged with a two-person hot tub that grants unbeatable views over the city.
Fourteen guests, seven bedrooms
Price: $600 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Channeling that industrial-chic trend no traveler can resist, this Beyoğlu find is one of the coolest vacation rentals in Istanbul, Turkey. The belly of the apartment is consumed by the open-concept living room and kitchen while the bedroom is nestled upstairs in the mezzanine. Stacks of books frame the wood burner while the private roof deck grants 360-degree views of the Bosphorus, Hagia Sophia, and the Blue Mosque.
Three guests, one bedroom
Price: $152 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Located in Sultanahmet 150 meters from Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, Irini Seaview House is one of the most family-friendly vacation rentals in Istanbul. The townhouse spreads across three levels with the roof terrace providing heart-stopping Bosphorus views. With a daily maid service included in the rate, you can look forward to sinking into the freestanding tub after a day of touring the sights.
Four guests, two bedrooms
Price: $221 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Conveniently sited for walking to the Sultanahmet neighborhood and the Grand Bazaar, this Istanbul Airbnb with sea views is tucked away down a quiet street. The shed roof in the kitchen adds a kookiness while all three double bedrooms feature exposed brickwork. The terrace is prepped with deckchairs where you can sip Turkish tea and drink up Bosphorus panoramas.
Seven guests, three bedrooms
Price: $132 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
This pet-friendly Airbnb in Istanbul with a garden is teeming with bohemian character and zen vibes. Swing in the hammock or bask on the couch until nightfall when you can relocate to the covered yard complete with further botanicals and colorful art. Interiors are fashionably appointed and there’s a projector available for a Netflix binge over a homemade meze.
Seven guests, three bedrooms
Price: $320 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Sure, you’ll need to tackle four floors to get there but the reward is worth it at this loft Airbnb in central Istanbul, Türkiye. The presence of a suspended egg chair, a swinging dining bench, and panoramic views from the roof deck elude the sense of flying. You’ll have Cihangir’s awesome eateries right on your doorstep in addition to your own grill.
Four guests, two bedrooms
Price: $350 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
A super trendy apartment in the super trendy Moda neighborhood in Kadıköy, this light and airy Airbnb in Istanbul’s Asian side has sea views. The open-plan living quarters contain a prime workspace for remote workers with plants, books, and a piano adding character. Swing open the French doors in the bedroom and you’ll find a quaint balcony overlooking the streets.
Four guests, one bedroom
Price: $430 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
One of the best vacation rentals in Istanbul, Turkey, for a couple or solo traveler, this Kadıköy Airbnb, is moments from Moda’s cafes, bakeries, and seafront. The patio is laid-out with a balcony “garden” and a dining table for two as well as an epic day bed for reading or late-night conversations. There’s a fully-equipped kitchen for evenings when you fancy a night-in to soak up the sunset views.
Three guests, one bedroom
Price: $81 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Photo: Airbnb
Swap the museums for a night at this two-story Ottoman “köşk” built by a Greek architect in the 19th century. Period furnishings fill the villa while expansive windows allow the island air to circulate freely. Rental includes full access to the fruit-tree-laden garden. This Istanbul Airbnb on Büyükada is a 10-minute walk from the harbor where regular ferries connect to the mainland.
Six guests, five bedrooms
Price: $130 per night
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