Although the height of the holiday season is well and truly upon us, it’s not too late to plan that ultimate summer trip. Before the exciting but grueling Art Week calendar kicks off again in September, art girls are stealing away for much-needed time off to soak up some sun, and often in search of art, design and architecture. I have asked my friends, whose Instagram feeds are always filled with artful and stylish getaways, to join me in sharing their summer holiday destinations. From historic city breaks, hot spring retreats and incredible nautical escapes, these it girls always find their way to art.
Patricia Li, Art and Culture Strategist, Hong Kong
Porto, Portugal
“Porto is a firm favourite of mine – simply one of the most magical places I have ever visited. Although the city is small, it has everything one would ever want for a quintessential summer in Europe, namely a healthy dose of sun-drenched dolce far niente neatly wrapped up in beautiful architecture.
I love getting lost in the UNESCO heritage-listed city centre filled with medieval streets and century-old buildings, browsing for summer reads in the enchanting bookshop Livraria Lello, dipping in the Leça Swimming Pool complex on the Atlantic Coast (designed by none other than Alvaro Siza), and checking out art exhibitions and the sculpture garden at Casa de Serralves.
Porto is also the gateway to the Upper Duoro region. If you have time, I highly recommend taking a short trip to the Duoro Valley to visit the many wineries that produce the namesake sweet fortified wine, cruise along the river aboard a traditional rabelo boat to take in the dramatic landscape dotted with vineyards, a leisurely lunch under the sun at a historic cellar, and sail all the way back to Porto to catch the sunset.”
Vicky Chen, Collector and Founder of TAO ART, Taipei
Yufuin, Japan
“Yufuin, a small hot spring resort town in Kyushu, is somewhere I would return to time and time again. I came mainly to visit Comico Art Museum, housed in a loose cluster of charred cedar-cladded buildings designed by Kengo Kuma. I have always wanted to check out Comico’s collection, including the works of Tatsuo Miyajima, as I was in the midst of organising his solo exhibition at TAO ART at the time. However, I quickly discovered the abundant and vibrant nature around the town of Yufuin. The beautiful Lake Kinrin is best known for magical morning mist that hovers above the water. Another surprise discovery was the Floral Village, a Ghibli-inspired landmark that feels straight out of a fairy tale.
To fully enjoy summer hot spring experience, I stayed at KAI, a modern ryokan also designed by Kengo Kuma. I love how farmhouse-inspired villas are dotted around the terraced rice paddy fields. Although quite a departure from the typical island escape, I feel much closer to the art I saw, and to the nature around me.”
Yurina Hattori Roche, Art Consultant, Tokyo
Lake Fuschl, Salzburg, Austria
“My husband and I escape the Tokyo heat every August to Austria to stay with his family near Lake Fuschl, filling long summer days with woodland hikes up to the peaks of Zwölferhorn and Schober. I love the wonderful views of waterfalls along the way, picking mushrooms and filling our stomachs with far too many schnitzels while we are at it. I always make sure to bring along electrolyte cubes by Waterdrop, my Austrian partner in crime for hydration.
Nearby Salzburg is Austria’s cultural heart, an easy day trip we take again and again: world-class contemporary art at galleries like Thaddaeus Ropac and Rudolf Budja, the main street Getreidegasse for tracht (traditional clothing in German speaking regions) at Lanz / Madl, Mirabell Gardens, coffee at Hotel Sacher, and a concert or opera at the Salzburg Festival. It’s a place I never get tired of, a rare blend of mountain calm and real cultural depth.”
Elaine Kwok, Independent Culture Strategist and Auctioneer, Hong Kong
Luoyang, China
“My family and I spent a week in Luoyang. While my two younger children attended a cultural summer camp, my eldest and I explored the city’s many cultural sites at a leisurely pace. In my humble opinion, Luoyang and its surrounding areas remain some of China’s most underrated destinations. The UNESCO-listed Longmen Grottoes were magnificent and awe-inspiring, but Luoyang offers so much more. We also visited Erlitou, an early Bronze Age archaeological site widely attributed to the Xia Dynasty dating back nearly 4,000 years. We lit and offered incense at White Horse Temple, China’s first Buddhist temple founded in 68 AD; we discovered Mount Song, not only home to the Shaolin Monastery of fabled Shaolin Kung Fu, but also historical monuments of Dengfeng, a UNESCO heritage site where ancient Chinese astronomers regarded as ‘The Centre of Heaven and Earth’.
It was great to get up close and personal with so much history. My one complaint about Luoyang was the heat — if your schedule doesn’t have to revolve around school holidays, I would highly recommend visiting in Spring or Autumn instead.”
Minju Kweon, Head of VIP Relations & Business Development Asia at Frieze, Seoul
Gangwon Province, South Korea
“As Frieze Seoul takes place at the beginning of September, my summer holidays are always quite short. Whenever I can steal a few days away, I usually head to South Korea’s East Coast. I like to stop at Museum SAN in Wonju along the way. One of my favourite moments is the walk from the entrance to the museum building. Surrounded by mountain ridges and open skies, the path immediately makes me feel cooler and calmer even on the hottest summer days. It’s the perfect transition from a busy schedule to a slower pace.
After Museum SAN, I continue onwards to the East Sea, where I enjoy fresh seafood and simply recharge by the water. It isn’t about travelling far—it’s about finding a place where art, architecture, the mountains, and the sea come together. Even a short escape there leaves me feeling refreshed and ready for the busy weeks leading up to the fair.”
Jamie QQ Wu, Collector, Entrepreneur and Content Creator, Singapore
The Amalfi Coast, Italy
“One of my favourite summer holidays was to visit the Amalfi Coast with my husband and children. It’s so exciting to see gravity-defying cliffside villages slowly reveal themselves as we sail along the coast. For much of the journey, it felt as though we had travelled back in time to the medieval Mediterranean.
Ravello remains especially memorable. I stumbled upon Anselm Kiefer’s solo exhibition ‘Le Donne dell’Antichità’, where mythic female figures felt unexpectedly at home within the ancient Villa Rufolo. Nearby Procida was equally enchanting with postcard-like fishing villages of pastel houses, small harbours and a quieter, more humble rhythm of island life. The food is effortlessly delicious, from simple pasta and freshly caught fish prepared on the boat to fine dining that both children and adults loved.
I love the contrast between Capri’s Italian glamour, secluded swimming coves and deep blu mediterraneo waters. The Amalfi Coast showed us so many versions of Southern Italy, and I would return in a heartbeat.”
Editor
Patricia Li
