Nobody uses the Nilgiri Mountain Railway to get from A to B, but for the sheer joy of riding in a train that passes through 16 tunnels, 250 bridges and 208 serpentine curves.
Despite the growing trend in solo travel, women still encounter challenges when they travel abroad alone. But some places are topping the rankings when it comes to safety and equality.
From hiking to Lion Rock to shopping for embroidered shoes, these insider picks will help you discover a different side of one of the world's busiest cities.
Once symbolic of the power and wealth of the Nattukottai Chettiar community, thousands of gigantic and glamourous mansions in Tamil Nadu now lie in ruins.
For 16 generations, master gardeners in this one family have dedicated their lives to preserving one of the nation's most cherished – and highly sought-out – symbols.
For more than 70 years, this tiny restaurant has been dishing out its signature meal – Kethel's fried chicken – Kerala's spicy, finger-licking food.
Some vendors say moonlight and dew are the magic ingredients, but modern developments are moving this beloved sweet treat off the streets and into fine-dining restaurants.
For years, sattu flour, the main ingredient in a variety of unpretentious street snacks, has remained at the fringes of India's urban foodscape – but now it's going mainstream.
Thiểu Ngô has been serving up a beloved black sesame pudding on the streets of Hoi An for more than half a century. Now his family are continuing his legacy.
Combining two of Bangladesh's greatest loves – rice and spice – jhal muri is a pungent snack prepared with drama by street-side vendors with cult followings.
While yakitori and satay may be better known, the Philippines has their very own charcoal-grilled delicacies – whose distinctively sweet and tangy flavour unites the nation.
Cardamom and pistachios flavour this smooth and creamy frozen treat, which has origins dating as far back as the 16th Century.
Hindu pilgrims have long come to Varanasi to die, believing that it will bring salvation. But by wandering aimlessly, Pico Iyer realises this city of death is actually a city of joy.
A herbal tincture that originated in Java's royal courts more than 1,300 years ago is being given a new twist by young Indonesians.
More than 500 years before Oxford University was founded, India's Nalanda University was home to nine million books and attracted 10,000 students from around the world.
There's one garment in Southeast Asia that embodies fashion, heritage and national pride. And now the kebaya is being nominated to join Unesco's Intangible Heritage List for 2023.
The festive treat is flaky and crumbly on the outside, with a soft and sweet filling that can be made with a variety of ingredients like coconut, cashews and khoya (milk solids).
A visually striking special occasion recipe, with ruby berries studding a bed of glossy, saffron-tinged rice that cradles juicy cuts of chicken.
Not only has Odisha's Belgadia Palace been transformed into an award-winning boutique hotel, but its princess owners are redefining the role of Indian royalty.
For more than 300 years, women residing around a turquoise lake have woven textiles from visions they say were bestowed to them by a goddess in their dreams.
