BEYOND THE TOURIST TRAIL

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES SET TO INSPIRE – FROM VALPARAÍSO TO PORTO

In an age of fast-paced travel and endless Instagram scrolls, it’s easy to believe we’ve seen it all. Iconic creative capitals like Paris, Berlin, or Tokyo dominate our imagination, but beneath the surface, there exists a constellation of quieter, unexpected creative enclaves. These hidden cultural pockets thrive off the tourist map, each driven by passionate communities eager to share their innovative spirit. From revitalised coastal towns to vibrant historical cities, these unsung places are a testament to local ingenuity and global collaboration.

Join us as we delve deeper into these alternative creative capitals, uncovering the stories, spaces, and faces behind their creative resurgence.

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES SET TO INSPIRE

VALPARAÍSO, CHILE: BOHEMIAN PORT CITY OF MURALS AND POETRY

Nestled along Chile’s Pacific coast, Valparaíso immediately charms visitors with its bohemian spirit and explosion of street art. This hilly port city – once a major stop for sailors and vagabonds – has long embraced nonconformity and artistic freedom. Pastel-coloured houses cascade down steep Cerros (hills), connected by winding alleys, staircases and vintage funiculars. Nearly every available wall is adorned with imaginative murals, turning the UNESCO-listed old quarter into a living canvas. “Valparaíso completely defies the grid system and uniformity that defines many cities. The chaotic patchwork of art and architecture makes you feel like you’re wandering through a living, breathing piece of art,” says Chilean street artist Inti Castro, whose massive murals grace local buildings. Indeed, it’s easy to feel that every twist in the cobblestone streets reveals a new burst of creativity – from 3D graffiti installations to entire staircases painted as piano keys.

Wandering through Cerro Alegre or Concepción, you’ll find that even cafes, hostels and shops forego traditional signage in favour of vibrant painted facades. In Valparaíso, business is often advertised via murals, and art is part of the city’s identity. Local artists and international guest painters alike have turned the town into an open-air gallery, often working collectively. “In Valparaíso, even abandoned buildings and rundown facades get transformed into vibrant canvases. As an artist, I find constant inspiration from the freedom of creation here,” shares Luna, a Chilean muralist, describing the city’s permissive attitude that allows street art to flourish everywhere. The result is a thriving grassroots art scene powered by community tours, cooperatives, and “graffiti wars” where artists playfully compete for the most impactful spots. You can spend days exploring the maze-like alleys – every turn might reveal a political mural, a surrealist portrait, or a whimsical stencil. One standout is Museo a Cielo Abierto, a hillside “open-sky museum” of murals dating back to the 1960s. Even Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda left his mark: his former home La Sebastiana, now a museum, crowns the hills in eccentric colours. With its historic funiculars clattering up the Cerros and its walls shouting with colour and conscience, Valparaíso feels like a city collaboratively authored by its inhabitants – a bohemian sanctuary where art and everyday life are inseparable.

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES SET TO INSPIRE

PLOVDIV, BULGARIA: ANCIENT CITY TURNED AVANT-GARDE QUARTER

One of Europe’s oldest cities is experiencing a creative renaissance. Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second city, boasts 6,000+ years of history – Roman amphitheatres, Ottoman-era townhouses – yet in its charming old quarter, a hip creative district has blossomed. The neighbourhood of Kapana (Bulgarian for “the Trap”) was once a tangle of artisans’ streets in the Middle Ages, then a neglected zone of derelict buildings. During Plovdiv’s tenure as European Capital of Culture 2019, Kapana was revived and transformed into the country’s first artistic quarter, filled with studios, galleries, funky cafes and street art. Today, Kapana’s cobbled lanes are fully pedestrianised and alive with murals, coffee shops, design stores and workshops. “Kapana means ‘trap’ and you can’t help but love getting lost in the winding, cobblestoned streets full of colourful murals, cafés, and tiny shops selling handcrafted items,” writes one local creative, describing the district’s irresistible allure. Indeed, getting “trapped” in Kapana is a pleasure – every corner reveals graffiti masterpieces and indie boutiques, and the aroma of freshly baked banitsa (cheese pastry) mingles with music from buskers.

Plovdiv’s creative energy extends beyond Kapana. In a centuries-old Turkish bathhouse with a grand dome, the city’s Center for Contemporary Art (once known as the Ancient Bath Gallery) hosts cutting-edge exhibitions in an authentic 16th-century setting. This striking blend of old and new – contemporary art set against Ottoman stone walls – epitomises Plovdiv’s knack for reimagining heritage spaces. The city actively supports grassroots creators through initiatives like the annual ‘Night of Museums and Galleries’ festival and the post-2019 momentum of cultural investment. “Winning the [2019 Capital of Culture] title was absolutely a great thing for the cultural scene, for the city’s image, for tourism,” notes local curator Emil Mirazchiev, reflecting on how the year turbocharged Plovdiv’s art community despite challenges. In Kapana, the legacy lives on: street artists continue to repaint schoolyards and alley walls with vibrant designs, and former warehouses are now trendy cafés where designers and writers mingle. The collaborative spirit is strong – many projects were grassroots-driven. “The potential was not fully reached, but it was beneficial for the city… entirely thanks to Plovdiv’s citizens,” one community leader observed of the cultural boom. From ancient amphitheatre concerts to pop-up galleries in once-crumbling workshops, Plovdiv seamlessly fuses antiquity with the avant-garde. “Plovdiv is art,” as local tour curators like to say  – and its creative heartbeat is impossible to ignore once you stroll into the vibrant Trap.

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES THAT INSPIRE: FROM VALPARAÍSO TO PORTO

HUA HIN, THAILAND: SEASIDE RETREAT WITH AN ARTISTS’ VILLAGE

Better known for its serene beaches and royal summer palaces, Hua Hin surprises creative travellers with a budding art scene tucked away from the touristy night markets. This laid-back Gulf of Thailand town harbours a secret sanctuary for artists: Baan Sillapin (Hua Hin Artist Village). Founded in 1998 by noted painter Tawee Kesa-ngam, Baan Sillapin is a quaint, bohemian enclave of studios and galleries set amid tropical greenery. It feels worlds away from Hua Hin’s resort strips – a “poetic space that welcomes creative souls,” as one travel writer described it. Here, local sculptors, painters and mixed-media artists work and live, opening their studios for visitors to browse artworks or even join a workshop. The village’s rustic wooden buildings are adorned with colourful murals and traditional Thai decor, blending old Siam charm with contemporary art. Wandering through, you might encounter an artist calmly painting by a lotus pond or children trying their hand at clay sculpture under a mentor’s guidance. The ethos is interactive: guests can take affordable classes in painting, pottery or batik, “blurring the lines between student and teacher” in a laid-back, hands-on environment. The result is an immersive artistic experience – part studio visit, part DIY class – that engages travellers in Hua Hin’s creative process.

Beyond Baan Sillapin, Hua Hin’s creative side pops up in its night markets and public spaces. The weekend Cicada Market, for instance, is an open-air market where local artisans sell handmade crafts, indie designers showcase fashion, and live performers add a cultural buzz. As you browse under fairy-lit trees, you’ll find everything from abstract canvas paintings to upcycled jewellery – an eclectic showcase of Thai creativity. Street art has even made an appearance: keep an eye out for whimsical graffiti (one local artist became notorious for spray-painting giant eyes around town). The city’s boutique hotels contribute to the art vibe too. Design-led hideaways like the new The Standard, Hua Hin blur hospitality with artistry, featuring retro-modern decor and rotating art installations (a testament to Hua Hin’s growing reputation in the creative luxury travel circuit ). Hua Hin may still be an emerging arts hub, but that’s part of its charm: you can chat with a young painter at his easel in the morning, then catch a sunset gallery opening at a stylish beachfront hotel by evening. This intersection of seaside relaxation and grassroots art makes Hua Hin a unique haven – one where beach-loving travellers can also nurture their creative spirit, far from Thailand’s usual tourist-trodden trail.

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES SET TO INSPIRE

SANTA MARIA, CAPE VERDE: ISLAND RHYTHMS AND COMMUNITY MURALS

On the sun-drenched island of Sal in Cape Verde lies Santa Maria, a town best known for its turquoise waters and lively music scene. But in recent years Santa Maria’s locals have turned their whitewashed walls into a vibrant gallery, fostering a grassroots arts movement that few beach tourists suspect. Walk through the sandy streets and you’ll stumble upon striking murals – vivid portraits of fishermen, abstract designs in pan-African colours, scenes of Creole life – splashed across houses and schoolyards. Thanks to a community project called Arte d’Zona, “the streets of Santa Maria became a stunningly colourful gallery of artworks” that emanated positive energy on nearly every block. This initiative began during the pandemic when a local resident, Arianna, noticed how drab and neglected the town’s alleys had become without visitors. Rallying friends and neighbours, she led a mission to beautify Santa Maria: “It was amazing what happened… All the residents, including the children, joined forces to improve the image of the street. They got up at 6 am to clean, paint and plant,” Arianna recalls of the first block they transformed. In just one week, an uninspiring grey lane blossomed into a colourful passage full of murals, flower pots, and painted benches – inspiring many more volunteer art makeovers around town.

Today, Santa Maria’s open-air art is a point of pride and a driver of cultural tourism. The annual Santa Maria Street Art Festival invites local and international artists to create new murals each summer, with the medina’s walls whitewashed fresh each year as a blank canvas. The result: a town that reinvents itself through art every season. Importantly, this grassroots creativity is tied to community uplift. Arte d’Zona’s efforts not only beautified neglected areas but also led to free art classes for children, preserved bits of architectural heritage, and even boosted local businesses as tourists began seeking out the mural-covered streets. Santa Maria has also long been a cradle of music – strains of morna (Cape Verde’s soulful national music) spill from modest bars where live bands play at night. The fusion of visual art and music here creates a uniquely immersive cultural atmosphere. One moment you’re snapping photos of a colossal painted mandala on a crumbling wall; the next, you’re drawn into a courtyard by the sounds of acoustic guitars and cachupa stew cooking on a fire. Cape Verdean singer Cesária Évora once sang about the Saudade (longing) of these isles, and in Santa Maria, that soulful heritage collides with modern artistic expression. It’s a place where art is truly by the people and for the people – every mural a story, every tune a tribute – inviting visitors to experience the real heartbeat of this island community beyond its resort veneer.

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES SET TO INSPIRE

ANTWERP, BELGIUM: FASHION’S QUIET REBEL

It might not be as overtly bohemian as Berlin or as classic as Paris, but Antwerp has quietly become one of Europe’s coolest creative capitals. This Belgian port city – famed for diamonds and Old Masters – also harbours an avant-garde streak that has produced world-class fashion designers, edgy art venues, and design concepts that seamlessly blend past and present. Antwerp has been the self-proclaimed capital of avant-garde fashion, ever since the legendary “Antwerp Six” designers (including Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester) shocked the style world in the 1980s. Their legacy endures in the city’s Fashion District, where the Royal Academy of Fine Arts continues to churn out cutting-edge talent and the ModeMuseum (MoMu) celebrates contemporary fashion in a beautifully revamped heritage building. Today’s visitors can shop at concept stores like Graanmarkt 13, housed in a 19th-century townhouse, or sip coffee at a café-cum-art-gallery in the trendy Zuid quarter – all experiences that show how classic and contemporary collide in Antwerp. As Condé Nast Traveler put it, “Buzzing with entrepreneurial energy, Antwerp’s creative culture is cooler than ever”, with young artists and designers bringing a fresh spirit to the city’s old-world appeal.

What makes Antwerp special is how deeply integrated creativity is into the urban fabric. Walk through Het Eilandje, the rejuvenated docklands, and you’ll find repurposed red-brick warehouses turned into design studios and microbreweries. An old harbour hangar becomes an art fair venue; a former shipping house is now the sculptural MAS Museum. In the gritty Borgerhout district, locals pulled off one of the city’s greatest grassroots transformations: they took the derelict 1920s De Roma cinema – once the most opulent movie palace in Belgium – and restored it into a vibrant community-run cultural centre. Volunteers scraped decades of grime off Art Deco frescoes and now De Roma is “a people’s palace in the heart of multicultural Borgerhout,” hosting indie concerts and film nights under its gilded ceiling. Such creative reimagining of space is everywhere in Antwerp. A former grain silo houses the M HKA contemporary art museum; an old fire station now throbs as Pakt, a creative hub with startups and a rooftop farm. These projects highlight Antwerp’s knack for “reinvention through design” – preserving heritage architecture by giving it a new, creative purpose.

Strolling through Antwerp, you might start your day viewing Rubens paintings in a Baroque church, spend your afternoon browsing a cutting-edge photography gallery in a converted warehouse, and end the night at a warehouse-turned-club along the Scheldt River. The city’s residents, known for their cool cosmopolitan outlook, actively support this blend of high culture and subculture. “The only way to be creative is to be open-minded,” says famed Antwerp-based designer Axel Vervoordt, a mantra that seems to echo in Antwerp’s approach to art and life. Whether it’s street art popping up in the Berchem neighbourhood or the annual Antwerp Art Weekend uniting dozens of indie galleries, the city prides itself on collaboration and innovation. The vibe is forward-looking but never losing sight of Antwerp’s rich history – truly a creative city where edgy design coexists with medieval cobblestones. For travellers seeking a luxe European city break with a twist, Antwerp delivers: world-class cuisine and boutique hotels alongside avant-garde fashion shows in old chapels and an endlessly photogenic mix of Gothic spires and modern murals. It’s little wonder savvy travellers rank Antwerp as Europe’s effortlessly cool design destination  – it’s a secret creative hub hiding in plain sight.

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES SET TO INSPIRE

TBILISI, GEORGIA: EURASIA’S EMERGING CREATIVE CAPITAL

Set against a backdrop of ancient fortresses and Soviet modernist blocks, Tbilisi crackles with creative energy. Georgia’s capital has in recent years earned comparisons to early-2000s Berlin for its raw and flourishing subculture. Here, fashion designers, electronic musicians, visual artists and architects are collectively forging a new identity for a city at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. In Tbilisi’s once-dusty industrial quarters, you’ll now find techno clubs in former factories and design hotels in Soviet publishing houses – repurposed spaces that fuel the city’s avant-garde renaissance. “Fashion and nightlife are blooming in Tbilisi,” says designer Gola Damian, noting that a vibrant club scene has played a “huge role” in drawing international creative crowds to the city. Indeed, nightlife has become a legend here: the bass thumps from world-renowned clubs like Bassiani (housed beneath a football stadium) and Khidi (inside a cavernous former industrial bridge structure) until dawn, fostering a spirit of freedom and artistic experimentation on the dance floor. The spillover effect is real – visiting DJs and artists end up exploring Tbilisi’s galleries and fashion boutiques by day, enchanted by the city’s blend of Old World charm and edgy innovation.

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES SET TO INSPIRE

One epicentre of Tbilisi’s creative scene is Fabrika, a Soviet-era sewing factory reborn as a sprawling multi-use creative hub. This photogenic complex houses a hostel, co-working spaces, artist studios, concept stores and courtyards full of mural art and trendy cafes. “The atmosphere now, it’s good… You can feel the energy and the movement. There’s a platform for people,” says Jay, a local entrepreneur who opened a shop in Fabrika, capturing its collaborative buzz. Within Fabrika’s graffiti-covered walls, a vinyl record shop sits next to a contemporary art gallery and a streetwear boutique – the whole space thrumming with youthful, entrepreneurial energy. Similar creative clusters dot the city: the Rooms Hotel (a former newspaper office) and adjacent Stamba Hotel (old printing press) have become design landmarks, featuring brutalist-chic interiors and hosting art events. Tbilisi’s streets themselves are an art gallery if you know where to look – from the chaotic Dry Bridge flea market where local painters sell canvases, to the public sculptures and vibrant street art pieces that have multiplied in hip districts like Vera and Marjanishvili.

What’s striking is how deeply grassroots initiatives are shaping Tbilisi’s rise. Young curators like Gvantsa Jishkariani have co-founded collectives (e.g. New Collective) to create gallery spaces and opportunities for contemporary Georgian artists. “There are more spaces opening. Last year there were only two or three galleries showing contemporary art. Now there are four more,” Gvantsa notes of the rapidly expanding art infrastructure. In 2018, the city launched its first Tbilisi Art Fair, signalling a new era for the fine arts scene. Yet even as formal institutions grow, the DIY spirit remains Tbilisi’s soul: you’ll find pop-up fashion shows in an abandoned theatre, experimental plays in a repurposed power station, or street performances during the annual October Tbilisoba festival. The city’s creative pioneers are fueled by Georgia’s rich cultural heritage – from polyphonic music to Orthodox iconography – but they’re remixing it with daring modern flair. The juxtaposition is everywhere: century-old Persian-style bathhouses now neighbour minimalistic concept restaurants; traditional Georgian wine bars host digital art installations. For travellers, Tbilisi offers an intoxicating blend of heritage and edge. One evening you might discuss abstract art at a café in the shadow of a medieval fortress, the next you’re dancing with designers and poets at an underground club. As one local gallerist put it, Tbilisi is “having a creative renaissance”  – and the world is starting to notice this secret hub of inspiration in the Caucasus.

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES SET TO INSPIRE

LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA: ALTERNATIVE HAVEN IN A FAIRYTALE CITY

Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana often beguiles visitors with its storybook beauty – the leafy riverfront, Baroque facades, and cobbled squares. But venture a few blocks from the postcard-pretty centre, and you’ll discover Metelkova Mesto, an autonomous alternative culture zone that has become one of Europe’s great creative havens. Metelkova is a self-governed art commune occupying the site of former Austro-Hungarian military barracks – seven buildings that were squatted by artists in 1993 to save them from demolition. Thirty years on, the complex has evolved into a “vibrant cultural hub that serves as a safe haven for ideas, creativity, and expression,” as one guide puts it. Its courtyards are a riot of colour: every wall and even the pavement is covered in mosaics, wild graffiti, sculptures made of scrap, and avant-garde installations. By day, Metelkova hosts artist studios, galleries, a women’s centre, and even an anarchist library. By night, it transforms into Ljubljana’s underground playground – with 7+ independent clubs and music venues coming alive, featuring anything from punk rock gigs and DJ sets to experimental theatre. This micro-city is entirely run by a collective of volunteers and artists, sustaining itself through events and sheer creative will. The atmosphere is welcoming and defiantly inclusive: Metelkova famously houses an LGBT+ community centre (vital in a region that hasn’t always been tolerant) and regularly throws all-ages art workshops and disability-friendly programs alongside its edgy parties. It’s a place where a retired professor might dance next to a tattooed skater kid under an impromptu sculpture made of bicycle parts – the true spirit of counterculture and community.

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES SET TO INSPIRE

Metelkova Mesto’s entrance, covered in graffiti and art installations, has become a symbol of Ljubljana’s alternative creative spirit. Once squatted by artists to prevent demolition, the former barracks now house clubs, galleries, studios, and community spaces teeming with expression.

Metelkova is the beating heart of Ljubljana’s creative underground, but the city nurtures art in many other ways too. Thanks to its compact size and youthful population, Ljubljana has a thriving indie scene – from literary circles (it’s a UNESCO City of Literature) to a prolific comics and illustration community. Each summer, the Ljubljana Street Art Festival invites international muralists to leave their mark on the city’s walls, complementing the dozens of political murals that student activists have painted over the years. Even Ljubljana’s castle – a medieval fortress overlooking the town – has hosted projection art shows and an “escape room” interactive theatre, blending historical ambience with modern creativity. A short walk from Metelkova, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MSUM) and multiple small galleries display cutting-edge European artists, underscoring that Ljubljana embraces high art alongside counterculture. And in a tale similar to Metelkova’s, another disused industrial space – the old Rog bicycle factory – was taken over by artists for over a decade as Rog Autonomous Factory, a hive of DIY workshops and studios that the city is now redeveloping into a new official creative centre (not without controversy from the collective that once ran it). This dialogue between grassroots and government mirrors Ljubljana’s personality: highly progressive, green, and creative, yet constantly negotiating between free-spirited initiatives and organised support. For travellers, Ljubljana offers the best of both worlds. By day you soak in a café culture rivaling Vienna’s – but with poets penning verses at the next table – and by night you can hunt down a warehouse rave or an art-house cinema in a converted tobacco storage. The city’s slogan is “Beloved” (Ljubljana literally means that), and it’s beloved by creatives who find its mix of fairy-tale setting and subversive soul utterly inspiring. In Ljubljana, traditional charm and alternative culture don’t compete – they symbiotically thrive, making this small capital a big draw for the creatively curious.

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES THAT INSPIRE

PORTO, PORTUGAL: OLD-WORLD CHARM WITH A NEW CREATIVE PULSE

With its medieval Ribeira district, azulejo-tiled churches and centuries-old port wine cellars, Porto wears its heritage proudly. But Portugal’s second city is also quietly booming as a creative hotspot that many travellers overlook in favour of Lisbon. In Porto, classic and contemporary collide, yielding a fresh energy beneath the city’s old-world appeal. Strolling the Douro riverfront, you might notice eye-popping street art enlivening alleyways and riverbank warehouses. Porto’s street art scene has blossomed into a living canvas: from the whimsical cats and birds painted by local legend Hazul on hidden walls to large-scale international murals commissioned during the annual Street Art Festival. The city even offers street art tours that guide visitors through vibrant murals in districts like Miragaia and Vila Nova de Gaia, proving that public art is now part of Porto’s identity.

Beyond its graffiti, Porto supports a thriving contemporary art ecosystem. The city hosts numerous cutting-edge galleries – many of them tucked into repurposed spaces that themselves tell a story. Wander down Rua de Miguel Bombarda (known as the “Art Block”) and you’ll find a cluster of galleries and concept stores occupying a former dormitory and a retro mall, each showcasing works by emerging Portuguese artists. From converted warehouses to sleek modern cubes, these galleries provide platforms for creativity to flourish. A must-visit is the acclaimed Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, set within a lush park. Its striking minimalist building (designed by Porto’s own Pritzker-winning architect Álvaro Siza Vieira) houses rotating exhibitions from global contemporary masters  – a bold counterpoint to the ornate baroque and art-nouveau architecture in town. Meanwhile, Porto’s grassroots creative hubs serve as incubators for talent. One standout is Maus Hábitos, a multidisciplinary cultural centre occupying the top floor of a nondescript Art Deco parking garage in downtown Porto. Since 2001, Maus Hábitos (literally “Bad Habits”) has been a home for “all forms of contemporary art practices”, combining a gallery, music venue, vegetarian restaurant and bar in one funky space. With its former textile factory setting and rooftop terrace overlooking the twinkling city, Maus Hábitos exemplifies how Porto nurtures innovation in unlikely places. On any given night there, you might catch an experimental jazz performance, a graphic novel launch, or a DJ set – drawing an artsy crowd that fuels Porto’s creative renaissance.

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES SET TO INSPIRE

Porto’s blend of tradition and modern artistry also extends to design and craft. The city has long been known for its craftsmen – barrel makers, goldsmiths, ceramicists – and that heritage continues in updated form. Young designers are reinventing Porto’s famous azulejos (hand-painted tiles) with contemporary motifs, while concept stores sell fashion that fuses Porto’s vintage aesthetics with edgy design. Even Porto’s culinary scene is part of the creative wave, with up-and-coming chefs turning old merchant houses into design-forward restaurants that reinterpret classic Portuguese cuisine. The atmosphere is one of revival and reinvention. As travel journalists have noted, “Porto is a big city of small houses” – intimate in scale, yet grand in vision. Walking its steep lanes, you experience a collage of sights: an avant-garde sculpture in a historic square, a traditional Fado singer performing in a gallery opening, and street art blending into azulejo-adorned chapels. The myriad ways creativity flourishes here make Porto feel dynamic and young at heart, even as it celebrates its 900-year history. For those seeking an authentic Portuguese experience with a twist, Porto delivers richly: it’s a city where “up-and-coming artists and designers [bring] a fresh spirit to the city’s old-world appeal,” inviting you to enjoy the collision of past and future in every corner.

HIDDEN CREATIVE CITIES SET TO INSPIRE

From the Cerros of Valparaíso to the studios of Porto, these offbeat creative hubs invite you to travel differently – to swap tourist checklists for immersive cultural experiences. Each city we’ve explored thrives on a unique creative energy rooted in its sense of place: the heritage architecture repurposed into art spaces, the community initiatives sparking grassroots art movements, and the lively mix of tradition and innovation that defines their style. These are destinations where you can spend your morning chatting with artisans and your evening at an experimental art happening, where creative travel isn’t just a buzzword but a way of life. Importantly, none of these cities have rested on being “the next big thing” – they’re too busy nurturing local talent and maintaining an authentic vibe. And that is exactly what makes them so alluring to the discerning traveller. As the world’s leading creative luxury travel magazine, Fused champions these locales because we believe true luxury is cultural richness – the thrill of discovering a hidden atelier down a side street in Plovdiv or attending a pop-up design showcase in an Antwerp warehouse. So next time you plan a journey, consider venturing beyond the tourist trail to one of these creative enclaves. You’ll return not just with beautiful photos, but with inspiration, fresh perspectives, and maybe even a piece of the local creative spirit to carry with you – a reminder that sometimes the world’s most memorable luxury is encountering human creativity in the most unexpected places.