Newsroom
To help Australian travellers build their 2019 travel hit list, TripAdvisor®, the travel planning and booking site, today unveiled ten global experiences that shouldn’t be missed in the new year.
Whether it’s a tea ceremony in Japan, a three-day train journey through the Swiss Alps or a day trip to Machu Picchu, these are experiences that Australian travellers can consider in 2019. All experiences are bookable through TripAdvisor.
Held in an old geisha house (okiya) with the best selection of kimonos, Kimono Tea Ceremony Maikoya offers travellers a fun and unique introduction to the Japanese culture with a traditional tea ceremony, kimono wearing, Japanese calligraphy, the art of wrapping gifts (furoshiki), origami, and much more. From AUD $63
Set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru, Australian travellers will be in awe when they visit Machu Picchu. Collected from your Cusco accommodation, travel by train to the spectacular 15th-century Inca site, where you will learn about the Inca Empire - the largest in pre-Columbian America - and explore ancient stairways, delicate carvings, and sweeping views. Pre-booking a tour ensures you’ll have a ticket for the UNESCO World Heritage Site, where daily visitor numbers are capped. From AUD $494
View Niagara Falls from the Canadian side, which offers some of the most impressive views of the iconic waterfalls. This tour lets Aussie travellers admire the natural wonder from all angles - gaze out over the falls from the Skylon Tower, experience Journey Behind the Falls, and sail beneath the falls on a Hornblower cruise (summer), or see the Niagara’s Fury 4-D show (winter). From AUD $169
An unmissable Norwegian experience is the Northern Lights - a spectacular natural light display in the Earth's sky. This phenomenon is notoriously hard to predict, even in Tromso, so to increase chances of a sighting, Aussie travellers should book a guided excursion. This tour offers a guide who chooses a prime viewpoint according to the day’s weather and as you watch the sky, provides soup beside a firelit camp. From AUD $276
This next experience is quintessentially Venice, and shouldn’t be missed. Travellers will have a private, serenaded gondola ride through the famed canals of Venice. Glide past ancient palazzi and magnificent cathedrals on a traditional handcrafted gondola, while musicians serenade you with Italian ballads. Gondolas have room for up to four passengers, so it’s the perfect opportunity for romance or an unforgettable adventure. From AUD $547.11
Switzerland’s Glacier Express train route is one of the world’s most famous rail journeys, crossing 291 bridges and passing through 91 tunnels on a thrilling climb through the Swiss Alps. Along the way, listen to commentary via complimentary headphones explaining the engineering feat of building a rail line at high altitude. The three-day tour includes discounted rail tickets and daily breakfast, overnight stays in Zermatt and St. Moritz, and two-for-one dining deals. From AUD $746
Closer to home, Aussie travellers can experience the outback like the Australian pioneers did on this camel riding tour around one of the world’s great wonders, Uluru, and the ancient rock formations, Kata Tjuta. The guide of the customisable tour will teach you about the Red Centre’s wildlife and ecology, as you ride around some of Australia's most iconic landmarks. From AUD $80
Named in 2012 as one of National Geographic’s “25 Wonders of the World," Blue Lagoon has evolved into a world of geothermal wonder. Blue Lagoon is located in a sprawling, 800 year old lava field in the heart of the Reykjanes Peninsula – a UNESCO Geopark. The unique properties of its waters provide not only an enchanting lagoon experience for Australian travellers, but also are the patented, active ingredients in ‘Blue Lagoon Skin Care’: silica, algae, and minerals. From AUD $79.14
An unmissable experience for an Australian history buff is the Great Pyramid of Giza - the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex, and contains the fabled relics of Egypt’s Old Kingdom, constructed 4,500 years ago. On the full-day guided sightseeing tour, travellers will get a peek at one of the world’s top historical attractions, which includes the Valley Temple, the Saqqara Necropolis, and the mysterious, timeless Sphinx. From AUD $20.10
The Great Wall of China is a travel bucket list must. Although it was once thought to have been built entirely during the Qin Dynasty (between 221 and 238 BC), it is now believed to have been started earlier. On the full-day tour, Australian travellers will discover two of China’s most incredible attractions - marvel at one of the best-preserved parts of the Wall, and explore the Chang Ling Tomb, a magnificent Ming Emperor burial site. Travellers will then appease their appetite with an authentic Chinese lunch. From AUD $103.13
Experience pricing on TripAdvisor as of 12 November, 2018.