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With these urban hospitality openings, it seems fitting that, from April to October 2025, Osaka will play host to the World Expo, themed around the creation of sustainable societies. For the occasion, Osaka created an island in Osaka Bay called Yumeshima, where a new metro station is being built, improving accessibility to the fair. With Japan’s famously efficient public transport system, it’ll be easy to see, do, and eat as much as you can in Osaka and, itinerary permitting, beyond. —Matt Ortile
Pererenan, Bali
Go for: an up-and-coming culinary scene away from Bali’s crowds
Sandwiched between the volcanic black sand beaches of Bali’s achingly hip surf spot Canggu and the lower-key Seseh, the rice-paddy-surrounded locale of Pererenan is fast becoming the island’s most interesting corner.
Where established Canggu boasts a number of hotels, as well as cafes, boutiques, and bars, Pererenan is slowly starting to give its neighbors a run for their money on the dining front, with a number of new restaurants and visiting chefs from across the globe. Mexican business partners Alvaro Rosales Machado, Cassandra Escamilla Frutos, and chef Alejandro Urbina Andrade have launched Origen, a restaurant celebrating generations-old recipes and offering the largest range of mezcal varieties in Bali; cofounders of hospitality group Kilo Collective, Joshua Adjodha and Javier Perez, have opened Kilo Kitchen Pererenan, a sophisticated sister to its popular Seminyak venue; Australian chef Benjamin Cross’s Bar Vera serves up tonka bean cocktails and sambal-sprinkled steak tartare; and Stephen Moore’s Shelter Pererenan regularly invites world-famous chefs for culinary collaborations as part of Shelter Sessions, with names like Jake Kellie and British chef Tom Brown traveling to the island to host exclusive dinners.
Away from the food, an interesting edit of artisanal fragrance and skincare concept stores (like Our Projects and Oaken Lab); carefully curated fashion boutiques; and contemporary art galleries (such as Seventeen and Sun Contemporary) are helping Pererenan build its reputation as Bali’s one-to-watch. —Natascha Hawke
Prayagraj (Allahabad), India
Go for: the greatest human gathering on earth
Every 12 years in the city of Prayagraj (previously known as Allahabad), in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, more than 100 million people gather on a strip of sand at the confluence of the rivers Gange, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati. The Kumbh Mela—among the most important Hindu pilgrimages—is touted as the largest human gathering in the world, and the next one falls in January 2025.
Completing its 12-year cycle, the Kumbh will take place in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26, bringing millions of devotees and curious-minded travelers from across the world to witness the power of faith. Believer or not, there is no denying the palpable spiritual energy that pervades the Kumbh: Offerings of flowers and incense sticks drift across the water; the days are filled with chants and drumming; and smoke from earthen lamps curls through the air. For pilgrims, the pinnacle of the festival is a dip in the sacred waters on auspicious days—an act believed to cleanse the faithful of their sins.
To accommodate this throng of humanity, a temporary city of impossible proportions springs up on the sandbanks, featuring tented accommodations, roadways, power supplies, and medical facilities. Holy men hand out blessings, gurus dispense sermons to their disciples, and pilgrims have the chance to be in the presence of normally reclusive ascetics.
Alongside old hands such as the Ultimate Travelling Camp Sangam Nivas, a luxury tented campsite called Shivir will debut at the Kumbh in 2025. Guests can check in to chic tented suites with attached bathrooms and heating. On-site, there will be multiple restaurants and meals catering to various dietary requirements (Sattvic, Jain, vegetarian), as well as activities such as guided yoga and meditation, boat cruises along the sacred rivers, walking tours of the akharas, and audiences with seers and ash-smeared holy men. —Malavika Bhattacharya
Looking for more inspiration? Read last year’s list of the Best Places to Go in Asia in 2024.
This article originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller Middle East.
