The Best Travel Destinations for Craft Lovers


Fascinated by handicrafts? Simply can't wait to get your hands dirty and make something by yourself?

A change in setting will enhance your inspiration and let your love for handmade craft materialize in the moment.  Move these 5 travel destinations to the top of your bucket list!



1  -

JAIPUR, INDIA

Also known as the Pink City of India, Jaipur boasts magnificent architecture constructed with pink stones. It is a major hub for arts and crafts in the country - the streets in Jaipur are lined with traditional shops selling antiques, jewelry, textiles, carpets, and other handicrafts made with wood or metal. 

Tourists will find plenty of workshops hosted by seasoned local artisans, providing hands-on opportunities to experience a heritage craftsmanship: wood carving, dyeing, embroidery, block printing, miniature painting, and so on. 


To Sign Up:   Jai Texart offers one-day and two-day workshops on woodblock printing and vegetable dyes. Wonderful Workshops offers week-long workshops on a variety of subjects.




 2  -

KYOTO, JAPAN

This former imperial capital of Japan is well known for its perfectly preserved cultural heritage: Shrines, temples, old-style streets, traditional festivals, and small artisan plants that have been operating for generations.

Craft tours and workshops open year-round in Kyoto. From kimono making to sake brewing, one can always find something interesting going on in the museums, handicraft centers, or even artisans' studios. 

 

To Sign Up:   Visit the websites of Kyoto Handicraft Center and Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts for workshop information. 




 3  -

OAXACA, MEXICO

Filled with unique folk arts, delicious restaurants, wonderful museums, pre-Columbian ruins and baroque churches, Oaxaca is the place for you to truly experience Mexico.

And for craft lovers, their itineraries must include a trip or two to the handicraft villages surrounding Oaxaca. San Antonio Arrazola and San Martin Tilcajete are famous for their colorfully painted balsa wood animals. Teotitlán del Valle is known for hand-woven wool rugs.  San Bartolo Coyotepec and Atzompa are home to potters who specialize in traditional black pottery and glazed earthenware. 

To Sign Up:   TripAdvisor offers plenty of information about the handicraft villages mentioned above. If you are an aspiring potter, we recommend the day tours sponsored by Innovando la Tradición.




 4  -

FLORENCE, ITALY

With splendid art and architecture, museums and galleries, Florence attracts millions of tourists every year. And yet for the most avid admirers of Italian art and craft, the greatest experience comes from a visit to the workshops of traditional craft artisans. Florence has a rich artisan culture. Today, hundreds of artisans still practice in town, with some of their crafts originating back to the Renaissance period. 

The best workshops in Florence range from metalwork to etching and printing. For the ones that are willing to delve a little deeper, there are courses on artwork conservation and shoe making. 

To Sign Up:   ARTour offers a comprehensive list of artisan workshops in Florence and the Tuscany region, including brief introduction and contact information.




 5  -

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

A gateway to the world-renowned Angkor temples, Siem Reap is also the center of Cambodian cultural heritage. Make sure to visit the museums, the markets, the floating villages, and the Angkor Silk Farm.

For centuries, Cambodia has been producing some of the highest quality silk in Asia. Angkor Silk Farm provides visitors a free guided tour in 5 hectares of mulberry tree plantation, where they learn about the entire process from silkworm farming to tie-dyeing and silk weaving. 

To Sign Up:   Book your trip on Angkor Silk Farm's website.




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