Secret City

This book is your essential guide to getting to know the most interesting, rewarding and hip areas to stay in 50 cities around the world. Dive deep into an exciting new destination and discover the best little-known sights and things to do, plus the coolest places to eat, drink and shop to create unforgettable trips.


For each of the 50 cities profiled in Secret City, we’ve swung the spotlight onto neighbourhoods where you can feel the rhythms of local life.


Sometimes you’ll find the city’s most well-trodden streets are only a short distance away, but there’s a well-concealed treasure: perhaps a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cafe in Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana, a historic jazz bar in Stockholm’s Gamla Stan, or an unmissable brunch spot in Brunswick, Melbourne.


Elsewhere, you’ll discover neighbourhoods you might not know much about but should really consider staying in: Tokyo’s grungy Kōenji, barnacle-clung Wapping and Rotherhithe in London, and Staten Island’s North Shore in New York City.


For each neighbourhood, there are out-of-the-ordinary recommendations for eating, drinking, partying and where to delve into local culture. All of them are hand-picked by experts who know these cities inside out, and they’re accompanied by maps to orient you in these exciting districts.


About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world’s number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we’ve printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You’ll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, eBooks and more.