Gregory Foster is a Vancouver-based writer, artist and content creator behind @gregoryfoster_, who writes about fragrance, menswear and contemporary living.
Ana Arana and Enrique Ventosa are founders of Plutarco, a Madrid studio that designs architecture, interiors, products and exhibition spaces, and treats color as a construction material. Hotels in Portugal and Norway are currently on the drawing board.
Demis AraniadisThessaloniki leather artist behind My Leather Studio
Demis is a leather artist and fashion designer born and raised in Thessaloniki. He has sewn since the age of seven and today runs My Leather Studio, where he makes corsets, bags and fetish pieces for men, along with a darkwear line. He works exclusively with calf leather and has clients in Greece, Germany and Sweden.
Egor Zvezdin is an artist and art producer from St Petersburg, living in Belgrade since 2023, where he produces walking, food and cultural routes through the city.
Marie Laurberg is the director of Copenhagen Contemporary, Copenhagen’s international art centre for installation art, housed in a former shipyard welding hall on Refshaleøen. She took up the role in 2022, after two decades as a curator and head of exhibitions at ARKEN and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.
Martin Ehmele is a Vienna-based floral artist and the founder of Botanical Vandalism, which turns flowers into sculptural objects and installations for brands, creative agencies and private clients. Originally from Ravensburg in southern Germany, he came to flowers from content creation and visual storytelling. Instagram: @botanicalvandalism · @martinehmele
Joe Vuong is the founder of Softer Volumes, a design and travel publication based in Australia. Softer Volumes publishes books on designer cafés, aesthetic hotels and bars, as well as a growing series of city guides. An entrepreneur who has started several businesses, he travels constantly in search of well-designed places. Instagram: @softervolumes
Fredrik Robertsson is a Stockholm couture collector and one of very few men who commission haute couture from the Paris houses. A former PR professional, he co-owns the Björn Axén hair salons with his husband and showed more than forty pieces from his collection in the exhibition Klänningen gör mannen. Instagram: @fredrikrobertsson
Julien Fournié is a Parisian couturier and the founder of Maison Julien Fournié, one of the few houses in the world to hold the official Haute Couture label. He studied medicine before fashion, learned his craft alongside Jean Paul Gaultier and Claude Montana, and today dresses clients who dare to stand out from his atelier on rue de Paradis. Instagram: @julienfournie
More locals — swipeThe people who write our guides.
Fredrik Robertsson is a Stockholm couture collector and one of very few men who commission haute couture from the Paris houses. A former PR professional, he co-owns the Björn Axén hair salons with his husband and showed more than forty pieces from his collection in the exhibition Klänningen gör mannen. Instagram: @fredrikrobertsson
Julien Fournié is a Parisian couturier and the founder of Maison Julien Fournié, one of the few houses in the world to hold the official Haute Couture label. He studied medicine before fashion, learned his craft alongside Jean Paul Gaultier and Claude Montana, and today dresses clients who dare to stand out from his atelier on rue de Paradis. Instagram: @julienfournie
vgtbl.pl is a Warsaw audiovisual duo, Franek Warzywa (visual artist Franek Drażba) and Młody Budda (jazz-trained guitarist Adam Kiepuszewski), mixing hyperpop, jazz and punk with animated visuals. Their debut album, Vegetables Worldwide, came out in 2025, and a new mixtape follows in November. Instagram: @franek_warzywa
Heiðrik á Heygum is a Faroese artist working across painting, illustration, music and film, often described as a Neo-Romantic. Trained at Super16 in Copenhagen and the Academy of Visual Art in Iceland, he has made music videos for artists including Eivør and Brimheim, and now works from his studio in the Faroe Islands. Website: heidrik.com · Instagram: @heidrik
Mette Lorenzen moved from Denmark to Malta for love in 2009 and spent years leading customer service teams in iGaming before opening Mettelina, her café on St Paul’s Street in Valletta. She serves cupcakes, coffee and champagne with Danish hygge, and her flavors change every week. Instagram: @mettelinacupcakes
KunstsalonenNomadic Art Salon in Private Copenhagen Homes
Kunstsalonen is a nomadic art salon founded in 2017 by Anne Aarsland and Mette Helena Rasmussen. Twice or three times a year they hang contemporary art in a private Copenhagen home and open it to the public for one weekend — 27 homes so far, with the works for sale.
Tiago Azevedo is a New York–based pop-surrealist painter and architect from the Azores, Portugal. His oil paintings reimagine religion, mythology and fairy tales and have been exhibited in Paris, Rome, New York, London, Cannes, Dubai and Lisbon. He is the author of Scriptures and Fairytales and the host of the Tiago's Lair podcast.
Helle and Jacob Stokkebye run Stokkebye Vingård on the Danish island of Funen, where 22,000 vines produce organic sparkling wine poured at Michelin restaurants including Geranium, Jordnær and Le Taillevent. It began as a hobby in 2009 with a thousand vines in the garden. Jacob trained at Kong Hans and worked as a sommelier in Bordeaux; Helle came from the UN and the Danish Foreign Ministry
Britt KanjaStyle Icon and Grande Dame of Berlin Nightlife
Britt Kanja is a Berlin style icon and the Grande Dame of the city's nightlife. Born in West Berlin, she danced professionally across Europe before co-initiated the legendary 90 Grad club in Schöneberg in 1989, where she ran a themed party every month for sixteen years. She dresses in what she calls Eclectic Vintage, owns more hats than she can count, and is still out most nights.
Vyacheslav Gnedchik is a ballet dancer at the Hungarian National Ballet in Budapest, known for leading roles such as the Prince in The Nutcracker. Born in Minsk and formerly a principal at the Mariinsky Theatre, he also founded Balletgigs, which connects ballet artists with producers.
Ashley Scott Müller is a sculptor from Chicago, based in Berlin, and holds the world's largest collection of Thierry Mugler — around 800 pieces. She was the designer's friend from 2017 until his death in 2022. Her work is represented by White Square gallery.
Peter Revsbech is CEO of Ordbogen, the company behind Denmark's largest online dictionary, where he is building Mimir, a Danish language model trained and kept entirely in Denmark. He advises Danish industry on AI, and lives in Svendborg.
Di Wu Munk is the founder of Dots & Lines, a Calgary-based social impact startup and marketplace connecting professional artists with individuals and organizations seeking hands-on creative workshops. Originally from Chongqing, she moved to Canada with her family and launched the company shortly after arriving.
Nick NomiTravel, Fashion and Creative Industries Writer
Nick Nomi writes about travel, fashion and the creative industries, for Matador Network and ASW among others, and ghostwrites for travel influencers. He studied fashion and media at the University of the Arts London and is on the road most months, usually with music on.
Rimarkable DJDJ, Producer and Defected Radio Show Host
Rimarkable is an Afro-Puerto Rican DJ, producer and vocalist from Detroit, and the host of the weekly Defected Radio Show. She runs her own label, Betty Jean's Dream, teaches the next generation at NYU and in Detroit, and holds down her Fiesta Forever residency in Brooklyn.
Miki is a hairdresser and color specialist, and the founder of Alpha Hair & Beauty in Birkirkara, Malta. Born in Prilep, Macedonia, he was doing his friends' hair at fourteen and never stopped; blonde is his thing.
Rafi Mercer is the founder and writer of Tracks & Tales, a global guide to listening bars and listening culture. He spent twelve years at Virgin and a career in record shops, listening rooms and the quieter corners of the music business. He is the author of The Luxury of Listening, and hosts the Listening Club, a monthly vinyl session for members worldwide.
Maxim Languev is a florist, decorator and interior designer. Born and raised in Leningrad, he has worked with flowers since 1995 and interiors since 2003; his St Petersburg flower shop has been open since 1999. He now lives in Nice, working on private, event and interior projects across Europe.
Richard Stabbert is an American painter born in Red Bank, New Jersey. Self-taught, he paints the male figure in a palette of blues, pinks and ochres. His work is in the permanent collection of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art and is shown at ArtLove Gallery, Provincetown, and Galerie MooiMan, Groningen.
Marie Beltrami is a French surrealist artist, jewelry designer and stylist based in Paris. She moved to the city from Nantes in 1975 and spent twenty-five years as Jean-Paul Goude's chief stylist, working on the campaigns that defined an era of French advertising — including Chanel's Égoïste.
Peter Simonsson is the founder and creative director of The White Briefs, the Swedish men's underwear and essentials brand he launched with his wife Henriette in 2008. Based in Österlen, southern Sweden.
Hanne Kvernberg Hidlefjord is the general manager (daglig leder) of Flor & Fjære, the family-run tropical garden and restaurant on the island of Sør-Hidle in Ryfylke, a short boat ride from central Stavanger. The garden is open to visitors from May through September, with boats departing from Skagenkaien. More at florogfjare.no.
Locals Insider is a travel and lifestyle magazine for globally mobile people. We are always on the move. Alongside personal, local guides to the world's best places to stay, eat and unwind — from boutique hotels and seafood spots to luxury wellness retreats — we review the apps, connectivity, insurance and money tools that make travel actually work. Curated by travel insiders and writers who've been there. Because you don't have to live somewhere to experience it like a local.
In our view, being a "local" doesn't mean living in a place or knowing everything about it. Things change so fast that we sometimes feel like strangers in our own cities. We believe you become a local for a day or a week whenever you travel with curiosity and pay attention.
And we explore the world through people, because places are people first. Behind every good thing is someone who made it. So we talk to founders, designers, artists, café owners, chefs, architects — anyone who makes the world a more beautiful place — and by learning what they do, we get to see their world: the places they love, and the places they've created.
Behind Locals Insider are Alex Copenguy & Martin Eriksen (Danemaq). More about us →
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Daily places, people and finds from our contributors — on Instagram as @locals_insider.
Spain“Colour Is a Construction Tool”: Plutarco Architect Studio on Madrid, Spanish Design and Why Scandi Minimalism Is Losing Its Grip
GreeceLeather as a Voice: Thessaloniki Artist Demis on Corsets, Fetish Wear and His City
Denmark“The Institution Should Adapt to the Art, Not the Other Way Around”: Marie Laurberg on Copenhagen Contemporary and Where to See Art in the City
SwedenThe Dress Makes the Man: Fredrik Robertsson on Couture, Courage and His Stockholm
Denmark“I Want Beauty Back”: Faroese Artist Heiðrik á Heygum on Neo-Romanticism, the Hidden People and His Faroe Islands
HungaryThe Prince and the Barre: Vyacheslav Gnedchik of the Hungarian National Ballet on Budapest and What the Audience Never Sees
Denmark“Denmark Built Its Own ChatGPT. It Started With a Dictionary”: Peter Revsbech of Ordbogen on Sovereign Models, Silicon Valley — and Where to Eat in Svendborg
SwedenThe White Briefs Founder on Redefining Men’s Underwear and Guide to Sweden’s Österlen
CopenhagenCopenhagen ContemporaryRefshalevej 173A, RefshaleøenRecommended by Marie LaurbergFrom: “The Institution Should Adapt to the Art, Not the Other Way Around”: Marie Laurberg on Copenhagen Contemporary and Where to See Art in the City
CopenhagenCirkelbroenRecommended by Marie LaurbergFrom: “The Institution Should Adapt to the Art, Not the Other Way Around”: Marie Laurberg on Copenhagen Contemporary and Where to See Art in the City
StockholmJUS StockholmRecommended by Fredrik RobertssonFrom: The Dress Makes the Man: Fredrik Robertsson on Couture, Courage and His Stockholm
NyborgHotel HesseletChristianslundsvej 119, 5800 NyborgRecommended by Helle and Jacob StokkebyeFrom: Hans Christian Andersen’s Island Makes Sparkling Wine for Geranium and Le Taillevent: Helle and Jacob Stokkebye on Making Michelin-Listed Wine on Funen
DenmarkRisinge HerregaardRecommended by Helle and Jacob StokkebyeFrom: Hans Christian Andersen’s Island Makes Sparkling Wine for Geranium and Le Taillevent: Helle and Jacob Stokkebye on Making Michelin-Listed Wine on Funen
BudapestMassolit Budapest Books and CaféNagy Diófa u. 30, Budapest, 1072 HungaryRecommended by Vyacheslav GnedchikFrom: The Prince and the Barre: Vyacheslav Gnedchik of the Hungarian National Ballet on Budapest and What the Audience Never Sees
USAWendella Architecture Boat Tours400 N Michigan Ave, at the Wrigley Building and DuSable (Michigan Avenue) BridgeRecommended by Pooja NaikFrom: The Best Way to See Chicago Is From the River: Pooja Naik’s Guide to Architecture Cruises, Water Taxis and Party Boats
BudapestMaison Bistro & HotelOrszágház u. 17, Budapest, 1014 HungaryRecommended by Vyacheslav GnedchikFrom: The Prince and the Barre: Vyacheslav Gnedchik of the Hungarian National Ballet on Budapest and What the Audience Never Sees
USAShoreline Water TaxiMichigan Avenue dock, 401 N Michigan Ave, plus stops across downtownRecommended by Pooja NaikFrom: The Best Way to See Chicago Is From the River: Pooja Naik’s Guide to Architecture Cruises, Water Taxis and Party Boats
Hong KongAntique Hollywood Road and Souvenir Cat StreetRecommended by Alexandre VassilievFrom: Guide to Hong Kong: British Bones, Hollywood Road, and Double-Decker Trams
BangkokPublic Records233 Butler Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217Recommended by Rafi MercerFrom: Best Listening Bars in the World: Rafi Mercer of Tracks & Tales on What Makes a Room Worth Listening In
BudapestBrody HouseBródy Sándor u. 10, Budapest, 1088 HungaryRecommended by Vyacheslav GnedchikFrom: The Prince and the Barre: Vyacheslav Gnedchik of the Hungarian National Ballet on Budapest and What the Audience Never Sees
DenmarkFalsled Kro, south FunenAssensvej 513, 5642 MillingeRecommended by Helle and Jacob StokkebyeFrom: Hans Christian Andersen’s Island Makes Sparkling Wine for Geranium and Le Taillevent: Helle and Jacob Stokkebye on Making Michelin-Listed Wine on Funen
ChinaThe Temple HouseRecommended by Xingchen YangFrom: Where to Go in Chengdu: Local Favorites and a Gastronomic Journey
United Arab EmiratesBakeristGround Floor, Dubai Hills Mall, Dubai Hills, DubaiRecommended by Anastasiya ShakirovaFrom: How Locals Do Dubai: Restaurants, a Russian Banya, and Sunrise Views
Copenhagen1 Hotel CopenhagenKrystalgade 22, 1172 Copenhagen, DenmarkRecommended by Locals InsiderFrom: 10 Best New Hotels in the World We Want to Visit
AarhusBest Seafood & Fish Restaurants in Aarhus for Fresh Oysters & Grill
AmsterdamAirbnb Rules by City in 2026: Where Short-Term Rentals Are Still Legal – and Where They’re Effectively Banned
Buenos AiresA Local’s Favorite Restaurants, Rooftops, and Wine Bars in Buenos Aires Neighborhoods (San Telmo, Monserrat, and Puerto Madero)
CopenhagenMy Copenhagen, in Pearls and Sparkle: Cecilie de la Prada on Dudette & the City
EdinburghEurope’s Most Walkable Cities — Where Every Street Tells a Story
FlorenceNice & Cozy Hotels in Florence for First-Time Visitors, Including New Places
Ho Chi Minh CityLocal Food Tours in Vietnam Worth Booking
IstanbulHow to Survive Istanbul: Insider Tips, the Best Hotels, and the City’s European PastSee all Curated City Guides →
“Art Is Training for Future Superheroes”: Andrey Bartenev on Turning Minuses into Pluses, Alternative Miss World and the Museums to VisitBy Andrey Bartenev
From Renault Cars to Paris Eyewear: Dzmitry Samal of SAMAL DESIGN on Retro Futurism, Art Deco, and the Paris Boutiques He VisitsBy Dzmitry Samal
Catawiki Online Auction Review – The Best Marketplace App for Collectibles? By Alex Copenguy
Inside Berlin Vintage Corner: A Local’s Fashion Refuge in a Changing CityBy Locals Insider
Martine Rose’s Foldable Bag: Fashion’s DHL MomentBy Alex Copenguy
Teenage Engineering’s Wooden Choir Might Be the Coolest Gadget You Don’t Need—Until You Hear ItBy Martin Eriksen (Danemaq)
Best Design & Fashion Shops in Copenhagen (Local Shopping Guide)By Alex Copenguy
The Best Designer Phone Cases for TravelersBy Locals Insider
The Rico Lounge Chair by Ferm Living: A Bold Danish Design Statement You Can Actually Sit InBy Alex CopenguySee all Design →
French PolynesiaThe Sparkling Wine Made from Pineapples: A Weekend Discovery from French PolynesiaBy Alex CopenguySee all Travel Insights →
MaltaOur Tora Malta Review – Champagne, Watermelon Duck Salad and the Best View of Valletta in MaltaBy Alex Copenguy
SpainTop 10 Seafood Restaurants in BarcelonaBy Martin Eriksen (Danemaq)
Singapore“Trends Come and Go, but the Guest Sitting Across From Me Is Real”: Chef Masa on Omakase at Sushi Masa by Ki-Setsu, SingaporeBy Chef Masa
DiningTallest Hotels in the World with Rooftop Bars for Drinks & ViewsBy Locals Insider
DiningBest New Restaurants in the World Loved by Visitors and CriticsBy Insider Editorial
FranceMarseille by the Glass: 5 Cool Wine Bars Worth Stopping ForBy Yasha Lysenko
DiningThe Food Cities in Europe (and the Contemporary Restaurants with Local Ingredients – Good for Solo Dining)By Locals Insider
ItalyLatest Michelin Star Restaurants in RomeBy Locals Insider
MontenegroThe Best Seafood Restaurants in Montenegro, According to Locals: Oysters at an Old Mill and Sea Bass Fresh from the FishermenBy Insider EditorialSee all Restaurants →
RewardsDo Hotels.com promo codes work? Here’s what actually saves you money — OneKey, UK rewards, mobile dealsBy Natasha Etzel
RewardsBooking.com Promo Codes & How to Save on Hotels + Our European PicksBy Natasha Etzel
StaysGlamping in Europe: 11 Extraordinary Places Where Nature Is the Greatest LuxuryBy Denis ZaykovskiySee all Stay →
Jettly Review: Can We Really Book Private Jets On-Demand?By Locals Insider Review Desk
Inside the Luxury Aman Nai Lert Bangkok: A Photo Story from the Suite, the Spa, and the Massage RoomBy Alex Copenguy
25 Best Luxury Wellness Retreats WorldwideBy Locals Insider
Top 3 Luxury Spa Retreats in French Polynesia Listed by Locals InsiderBy Locals Insider
USAFlying My Samoyed on a Private Jet for Pets: Dublin to New YorkBy Alesia
Luxury TravelThe New Luxury Entry Point: 10 Fashion Brand Cafés & Restaurants Around the World (From Dior, Tiffany to LOEWE)By Locals Insider
PortugalPortugal’s eight new spa retreats for design, slow living, and eco-luxury momentBy Locals Insider
AppsJettly Review: Can We Really Book Private Jets On-Demand?By Locals Insider Review Desk
ThailandInside the Luxury Aman Nai Lert Bangkok: A Photo Story from the Suite, the Spa, and the Massage RoomBy Alex Copenguy
Luxury Travel25 Best Luxury Wellness Retreats WorldwideBy Locals Insider
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Luxury TravelThe Best 5 All-Inclusive Overwater Villas in the Maldives for 2026 VacationBy Locals Insider
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Cyprus for digital nomads: tax, rent, and how it compares to Malta and Andorra→
“We Built It for Nomads Like Us”: Inside Genki’s Global Coverage Model→
CaliforniaCoast, parks and wine country
FloridaBeaches, springs and the Keys
ColoradoMountains, hot springs and trails
LouisianaMusic, food and the bayou
TexasHill country, coast and barbecue
WashingtonRainforest, islands and coffee
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July Luggage Picks & Promo Codes: How to Save Money on Your July Luggage OrderBy Natasha Etzel
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Airhub Drone App Review: Compliance, Plans & PricingBy Alex Copenguy
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