Time to rewind? Where to take the ultimate nostalgia trip

In an age of relentless technological advancement and always-connected living, more of us are finding comfort in the past, especially when it comes to our travel habits. Nostalgia is one of the guiding forces behind how we’re booking our trips this year – we’re not just looking for an escape to a different place, but to a more familiar era. A yearning for a slower and less complicated way of life combined with our desire to reconnect with cherished memories and experiences is influencing how we spend our downtime. It’s been termed “the nostalgia effect” by Hilton, which reports 58 per cent of global travellers plan to return to destinations they holidayed in as a child this year. From retro-themed accommodation to analogue activities, we travel the world to tick off the trends.

The world’s best retro restaurants

Whether it’s new hotspots with a retro sheen or beloved institutions serving classic dishes that take you back, going out to eat has become a time-travelling affair. In Tokyo, the trendy showa retro aesthetic is on full display at Café Sepia in Shibamata. Shimokitazawa is the place to go for all things retro, and Cafe Viet Arco , with its mismatched tableware and relaxed atmosphere, offers the perfect pitstopmid-vintage spree. Craving something sweet? London’s retro revival shines at Dovetale , where kitsch ice cream trolleys bring back the simple joys of our formative years, and at Sydney’s pastel-hued Ciccone & Sons gelateria , classic flavours are paired with nostalgic decor.

In Hong Kong, Lau Haa Hot Pot serves up 1970s-style favourites beneath neon signs and vintage posters, and the near-century-old Jimmy’s Kitchen had the city hankering for its signature 1960s baked Alaska when it reopened last year.

Bib Gourmand restaurant Jing Hua Lou, on the Beijing Central Axis, combines famille rose porcelain with Qing Dynasty dishes in a dining room rich with details, including crane sculptures, chandeliers and painted screens.

Where to travel for vintage-vibe nightlife

Across the globe, bars and lounges are tapping into the past with arcade games, vinyl records and speakeasy atmospheres – offering immersive, nostalgia-charged nights out.

Play arcade games at retro bars

Sip sake or highballs between rounds of Pac-Man in Tokyo: rock up at Tokyo Video Gamers in Akihabara and watch the hours melt away. In Bangkok, the rebirth of one of its oldest neighbourhoods, Talad Noi, has yielded retro bar 100-Bit Barcade , where cocktails are inspired by the game machines that line this establishment’s neon walls. NQ64 arcade bars , with outposts across the UK, including in London and Manchester, offer a fun, nostalgia-fuelled way to spend date night.

Spin records at vinyl cafés and bar

Peel’s Records in Bandung, Indonesia, spins classic records in a bold, minimalist 1970s-inspired space. In Chicago, hidden behind a record shop, Dorian’s serves cocktails alongside Italian hi-fi sounds and live vinyl DJ sets.

Step inside speakeasies

A blend of hidden entrances and classic cocktails served with cinematic flair, Bengaluru’s ZLB23 – an Asia’s 50 Best Bar – channels the mystique of Prohibition-era drinking. In Barcelona, the fridge door of a blue-and-white-tiled pastrami shopconceals Paradiso , a sculptural wooden space where some of the world’s best cocktails are to be found.

Where to take a retro ride

From exhilaration in the Himalayas and air-cooled campers, to old-school theme park fun and the great train revival – it’s all about savouring the journey like the good old times.

At Retro RV ’s locations all over Australia, hop into a Volkswagen Kombi camper van and turn the open highway into a 1970s road trip. Something of a thrill-seeker? In India, take a Royal Enfield motorcycle from Delhi to the remote Kinnaur and Spiti Valleys, tracing ancient Himalayan trade routes near Tibet, with Vintage Rides . Speaking of rides, at New York theme park Six Flags Great Escape , new wooden rollercoaster The Bobcat delivers a modern twist on the old-fashioned funfair classic.

For less G-force but no less nostalgia, see the historic shophouses of Singapore on a vintage Vespa sidecar tour from the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore.

Trains are well and truly cool again: board one of the Orient Express La Dolce Vita’s mid-century carriages to see Italy’s breathtaking landscapes through the lens of 1960s Italian glamour. For the pinnacle of luxury, book the entire L’Observatoire carriage on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which is designed to look like an Art Deco observatory, complete with its own library.

Watch movies at a classic cinema

Lights, camera, nostalgia! In a world of digital multiplexes, the analogue movie experience has never been cooler. Step into cinematic history at Paris’s Le Grand Rex , Europe’s largest cinema with 2,800 seats, dating to 1932. Its neon facade and Art Deco interiors draw crowds to attend classic film screenings and backstage tours. Owned and programmed by avowed retrophile Quentin Tarantino, the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles champions 35mm film, ensuring this 1920s vaudeville theatre remains a cinephile shrine. Under Texas skies at Fort Worth’s Coyote Drive-In , catch the latest Hollywood blockbuster from the comfort of your car – complete with a bucket of fresh popcorn and a starry night.

History-steeped hotels you can stay in

Jet Age futurism? Maximalist boltholes? Mid-century Californian glitz? The bygone era is alive and well at these stylish escapes.

In Hong Kong, The Fleming pays homage to the city’s maritime history and the iconic Star Ferry with brass accents and retro-modern interiors. The TWA Hotel at New York’s JFK Airport revives the golden era of jet travel. Housed in Eero Saarinen’s 1962 former air terminal, it’s an immersive throwback: modernist furniture, sunken lounges and even a 1958 Lockheed Constellation repurposed as a cocktail lounge bring the scene together.

The Beverly Hills Hotel – fondly referred to as the “Pink Palace” – evokes the romance of Old Hollywood. Think banana-leaf wallpaper, palm trees, poolside striped cabanas and rooms that feel lifted from a Slim Aarons photograph. In London’s West End, Broadwick Soho weaves together Martin Brudnizki’s love of Jazz Age Italy and disco-era glamour. With jewel-toned velvets, mirrored finishes and eccentric art, it’s both time capsule and fever dream.

At the foot of the Uetliberg mountains, Five Zurich plays on its 1970s heritage with chic flair – especially in the lavish, rockstar-inspired Come Play Suite. Travelling further back, L’Escape Hotel in Seoul evokes a 19th‑century Parisian fantasy, with ornate Belle Époque furnishings, embroidered wallpapers and interiors that feel both romantic and majestic.