Middle East Travel Stories

Apr 17, 2018 • 5 min read

Abu Dhabi's humble roots are difficult to unearth. Following its oil boom, the city has become a playground for the Gulf’s rich and famous. But beyond the…

Apr 17, 2018 • 5 min read

Abu Dhabi might get flak for its supposed superficial sheen of modernity and luxury, but bubbling away below the surface is a thriving centre of arts and…

Apr 3, 2018 • 7 min read

Leave the bright lights and tourist delights of Esfahan and Shiraz far behind to track down astonishing millennia-old relics among the dusty wilds of…

Mar 29, 2018 • 6 min read

The 470km-long Lebanon Mountain Trail traverses the full length of this tiny Middle Eastern country, passing through ancient cedar forests and olive…

Mar 22, 2018 • 3 min read

Lonely Planet Local Lindsey Parry has been living in Abu Dhabi for more than five years, amongst its welcoming community and wealth of historical charms…

Mar 21, 2018 • 4 min read

I squint in the desert sun, scanning the horizon from Megiddo hill. So far, not a single harbinger of the apocalypse.

Mar 13, 2018 • 4 min read

Tel Aviv is Israel’s cultural capital, but traditional museums are not always the best ambassadors for contemporary artists. For a more colourful look at…

Mar 9, 2018 • 5 min read

For a city with such a storied reputation, Beirut is geographically quite small. You can walk across it in about an hour, traversing districts of many…

Mar 8, 2018 • 6 min read

It’s hard to tear yourself away from Jerusalem’s divine selection of sights and its heady Old City, but great escapes are just a short hop away for when…

Mar 3, 2018 • 5 min read

Epic desert landscapes, hospitable people and ancient ruins are Jordan’s most obvious drawcards, but a closer look reveals that, despite its arid…

Feb 26, 2018 • 6 min read

Although many travellers to Jordan have their sights set on the architectural marvels of Petra and the magical martian landscapes of Wadi Rum, the capital…

Feb 16, 2018 • 6 min read

The joy of driving Israel’s north coast is all about the detours. It takes just a couple of hours to zoom directly between Tel Aviv and Israel’s…

Feb 13, 2018 • 5 min read

Romance isn’t off limits once you have children – you just need to work harder to make it happen, and that goes for when you’re travelling too.

Feb 8, 2018 • 6 min read

A sublime sunset view, a wild off-road adventure: these are the moments that turn our escapes into love affairs for a new locale. And while there may be…

Feb 2, 2018 • 5 min read

If Israel is the ‘vegan nation’, then Tel Aviv is its capital. Boasting hundreds of vegan restaurants, the city's animal-free food scene has blossomed,…

Feb 2, 2018 • 5 min read

A flourishing art scene might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Amman, Jordan's capital that stretches out over seven hills and…

Jan 30, 2018 • 6 min read

With its wind-whittled landscape, honeycomb tombs and silent canyons blessed by forgotten gods, the ancient city of Petra embraces human history on an…

Jan 3, 2018 • 4 min read

Lonely Planet Local Dan Savery Raz has been living in Tel Aviv for almost 10 years. Initially attracted by the beaches, bars and general bustle of Tel…

Dec 19, 2017 • 6 min read

Cities abound with sights, tours and activities for travellers to enjoy. But not all of them deliver an authentic experience, affording a real insight…

Dec 4, 2017 • 9 min read

Say the word ‘desert’ and chances are that rolling sand dunes and expansive horizontal space spring to mind. In Oman, however, the desert landscape…

Dec 1, 2017 • 5 min read

Brunch has taken on new meaning in the Middle East, evolving from a light late-morning meal into a veritable feast that spans long into the afternoon. You…

Nov 21, 2017 • 4 min read

Think of the word 'brunch' and images of a lazy mid-morning meal in a neighbourhood cafe probably spring to mind. Not in Dubai. In a city that takes…