How to plan a photo-led two-hour walk in porto's ribeira to capture tile details without crowds

I arrived in Porto with a notebook full of names and a camera that, predictably, kept finding reflections in the Douro. What I was after wasn’t the glossy postcard shot of cellars stacked like dominoes on Gaia’s waterfront, but the quieter corners where port is still tasted by the people who make it. Over several visits I wandered from the busy lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia to small quintas upriver, tasting tawny that smelled of orange peel...

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I arrive in a Mexican neighborhood with the same appetite I bring to any city: curious, slightly hungry, and ready to wander until I find something unexpected. In Mexico City, that usually means following smells — smoke from a grill, chile and citrus in the air — but when you’re looking specifically for vegan street food, you need a few more tools than your nose. Here’s how I find real, local, vegan bites across neighborhoods beyond La...

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I have a soft spot for kitchens that blur borders, and Lima’s chifa scene does that in a way few other food traditions can: it’s Chinese technique filtered through Peruvian ingredients, cooked fast and loud over a blistering wok. I spend hours wandering markets and back alleys to find the chifas that feel lived-in — pork fat sizzling, steam clouding the doorways, regulars who order without looking at the menu. If you want to find authentic...

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I learned early on that Paris’s métro is as much a local ritual as it is a transportation system. After a decade of mapping rooftops, markets and back alleys, I’ve tried nearly every pass and trick Paris offers. Below I share what I use and recommend for first-timers and return visitors who want to move fast, save money and avoid the most annoying queues and crushes at rush hour.Which pass should you buy? A quick orientationParis has a few...

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I learned long ago that the best Mexico City nights end with a stack of tortillas, a squeeze of lime, and the smell of chiles frying in a comal. But after years of roaming alleys and market corners, I’ve also learned how fragile that pleasure can be if you don’t pay attention to the small hygiene and timing details. Below I share my exact approach to a late-night taco crawl in CDMX that maximizes flavor and minimizes the risk of getting sick...

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I ride Istanbul’s ferries the way I scout a neighborhood: with a loose plan, a hunger for street food, and an eye for where the light falls on stone and water. Ferries here aren’t just transport—they’re a vantage point and a living room, a place where commuters, students, fishermen and street vendors share the same short journey. If you want to discover the city’s hidden waterfront neighborhoods, adopting the commuter mindset will open...

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I have a habit of chasing light. In Bangkok that often means waking before the city fully stirs and climbing to a rooftop where the skyline reads like a living map: temples and cranes, canals and glass towers, and, if I'm lucky, a slice of sky that turns from indigo to molten gold. Rooftop breakfasts in Bangkok are a curious hybrid — some places are full-service hotel terraces with elegant breakfast buffets, others are humble rooftop cafes...

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I love wandering Casablanca’s old medina without a guide. There’s a particular pleasure in letting your senses stitch together the city: the first whiff of frying oil from a tucked-away stall, the scrape of sandals on uneven stone, a chorus of bargaining voices, the sudden flash of cobalt tile behind a wooden door. If you want to plan a sensory walking route through the medina — one that’s safe, manageable and full of texture —...

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Walking into a Tokyo depachika—the basement food hall of a department store—is like stepping into an edible cathedral. The lights are bright, displays immaculate, and the air hums with the polite choreography of shoppers sampling, comparing and carrying away gifts. Over years of wandering these subterranean markets, I’ve learned how to shop smart: what to buy, when to go, how to taste without offending, and most importantly, how to avoid...

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When I head out for a city photo walk with nothing bigger than my compact mirrorless camera, I’m thinking less like a gearhead and more like a city wanderer: what will let me move fast, stay light, and notice small details without missing the light? Over the years I’ve learned to pack not for “everything that could happen” but for the rhythms of urban exploration — sudden markets, rooftop light, wet cobbles, and a good slice of street...

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