Kid-Friendly Ninja Museum Opens at Historic Japanese Castle
Posted on 04/18/2019, 6:45 PM
A new museum in Japan shines a light on the shadowy history of ninjas, and, via kid-friendly interactive exhibits, gives visitors a chance to hone their own ninja skills. Opening April 20, the museum is located on the grounds of Odawara Castle, a 15th-century landmark about 80km (50 miles) southwest of Tokyo. The site is easily reached from that city by a short train ride, along the same route that...
This Rolling Hotel Moves to Wherever the Surf's Up
Posted on 04/09/2019, 3:15 PM
A new hotel makes traveling among the beaches of southwestern Portugal super-easy—because it's the hotel that does the traveling.The Truck Surf Hotel is just that: a cargo truck that has been converted into a surf hotel.The double-decker B&B on wheels features a kitchen, living area, bathroom, and large sliding doors on the lower level. Upstairs, hydraulic arms extend to make space for five dou...
South African President de Klerk's Retreat Becomes All-Inclusive Beach Lodge
Posted on 04/02/2019, 12:00 PM
The coastal retreat of former South African president F.W. de Klerk has been reborn as an all-inclusive, eco-conscious lodge overlooking an untouched, nearly 4-mile (6km)-long stretch of Indian Ocean beachfront. Set to open April 15, Lekkerwater Beach Lodge is located about a 3-hour drive east of Cape Town in a secluded area of De Hoop Nature Reserve, a landscape of sand and scrub between the ocean...
Whoa. WOW Air Collapses, Cancels All Flights—What Should Ticket Holders Do?
Posted on 03/28/2019, 11:00 AM
Low-cost Icelandic carrier WOW Air abruptly announced that it has ceased operations today. All flights have been canceled, according to a "travel alert" on the company's website, and passengers are advised to "check available flights with other airlines."Which is not very helpful at all for the estimated 10,000 people that this sudden collapse left stranded and no-doubt panicked at airports away fr...
Travel Podcasts: Cruising, California, Cuba, and Kentucky
Posted on 03/28/2019, 6:30 AM
Each week, Frommer's brings you two fresh podcasts stuffed with travel tips, news, and inspiration. Recordings are made from our weekly call-in show on WABC-770AM in New York and our nationally syndicated radio program. Hosts Pauline Frommer and Jason Cochran cover a lot of ground this week—but they start out on the water, chatting with cruising expert and Frommer's guidebook author Fran Golden a...
Amsterdam Bans Tours of Red-Light District
Posted on 03/26/2019, 12:15 PM
As much as it's known for picturesque canals and paintings by Dutch masters on display at the Rijksmuseum and elsewhere, Amsterdam has also gained a reputation as a haven for legal marijuana and prostitution. Neither of those is leaving the city anytime soon, but authorities are cracking down on tourist lookie-loos checking out the famous red-light district, where sex shops and sex workers do their...
Eat with the Fishes at Norway's New Underwater Restaurant
Posted on 03/25/2019, 5:00 AM
A new restaurant with what's being billed as Europe's first underwater dining room will soon open on the southern tip of Norway. The semi-submerged, aptly named Under is housed in a 112-foot (34m)-long rectangular building, one end of which sits on the seabed, 18 feet (5.5m) below the surface of the North Atlantic.The other, aboveground end looks kind of like an intermediate species dragging itself...
Unruly Drinking on This Spanish Island Could Cost You Thousands
Posted on 03/21/2019, 9:00 PM
Tourists who break public drinking laws on the Spanish island of Majorca—long known for its beaches and raucous party scene—will face fines of up to €3,000 (US$3,400) this summer, as part of a crackdown on boozy misbehavior.Under the new restrictions, law enforcement can fine alcohol-fueled revelers for fighting, breaking stuff, and otherwise “causing a public nuisance," according to The Independen...
Travel Podcasts: Ireland, Innsbruck, and "I Do's"
Posted on 03/17/2019, 8:00 PM
Each week, Frommer's brings you two fresh podcasts stuffed with travel tips, news, and inspiration. Recordings are made from our weekly call-in show on WABC-770AM in New York and our nationally syndicated radio program. First up, Frommer's editorial director Pauline Frommer and editor-in-chief Jason Cochran mark St. Patrick's Day by inviting listeners to call in with questions about and recommenda...
Floating Art Museum Soon to Open in Paris
Posted on 03/13/2019, 1:00 PM
Paris, which has made popular museums out of train stations, royal palaces, and modernist tangles of exposed infrastructure, is innovating yet again: The city is putting a museum on the river Seine. Billed as the world's "first floating urban art center," Fluctuart is a three-level, bargelike structure located at the foot of the Invalides bridge, facing the Grand Palais in the heart of the city. Th...
