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10 AlUla Hotels and Restaurants Featured in 2026 MICHELIN Guide

These recognitions underline the destination’s growth as a global hub for luxury and culinary discovery - SPA
These recognitions underline the destination’s growth as a global hub for luxury and culinary discovery - SPA
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10 AlUla Hotels and Restaurants Featured in 2026 MICHELIN Guide

These recognitions underline the destination’s growth as a global hub for luxury and culinary discovery - SPA
These recognitions underline the destination’s growth as a global hub for luxury and culinary discovery - SPA

AlUla’s standing as a world-class center for luxury hospitality and culinary excellence received renewed acclaim, with 10 hotels and restaurants featured in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide for Saudi Arabia.

This latest MICHELIN Guide recognition celebrates the exceptional quality, distinctiveness, and authenticity of AlUla’s hospitality offerings, with each reflecting the destination’s sense of place and deep cultural roots.

The renowned Dar Tantora The House Hotel was awarded One MICHELIN Key, a testament to its opulent offering rooted in heritage. Situated in AlUla Old Town and built from carefully restored historic mudbrick dwellings, the eco-boutique hotel provides guests with an authentic sanctuary in the heart of the historic area.

The Chedi Hegra was also awarded One MICHELIN Key, recognized for its location within Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. The property preserves historic structures, ancient fort walls and the former AlUla railway station, weaving centuries of heritage into a modern luxury experience.

Banyan Tree AlUla maintained its coveted One MICHELIN Key, a prestigious mark of distinction recognizing remarkable hotel experiences. Set within the sandstone canyons of Ashar Valley, the resort pairs minimalist luxury with sustainable design, offering a secluded retreat rooted in nature.

Also featured in the hotel selection are Our Habitas AlUla, recognized for its wellness-led, environmentally conscious approach to desert hospitality, and Caravan by Habitas AlUla, which offers a vibrant, adventure-inspired stay under the stars.

In the dining selection, new addition Tofareya earned a Bib Gourmand for its outstanding Saudi cuisine. Situated in a traditional village house in AlUla Old Town, Tofareya highlights local ingredients, including AlUla oranges and dates harvested from the ancient oasis. It joins returning Bib Gourmand awardee Joontos at Dar Tantora The House Hotel, which is praised for its contemporary and inventive spin on traditional Saudi dishes.

Entering the guide for the first time was Somewhere, set within the AlUla Oasis and serving Middle Eastern dishes with creative contemporary twists amidst lush palm groves.

The 2026 selection also includes returning MICHELIN-selected destinations such as Harrat at Banyan Tree AlUla, recognized for its pan-Arabic cuisine, and Tama at Our Habitas AlUla, celebrated for its farm-to-table approach and locally sourced, seasonal menus.

With 10 venues featured in the MICHELIN Guide, AlUla has a high concentration of MICHELIN-recognized hospitality venues in the region, reinforcing its position as a leading hospitality and culinary destination in the Kingdom.

Together, these recognitions underline the destination’s growth as a global hub for luxury and culinary discovery, where visitors can enjoy world-class hospitality amid ancient landscapes.

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Varieties

Champion-chip: Best Fries Contest Heats Up Belgium

Fries are a national passion in Belgium. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
Fries are a national passion in Belgium. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
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Champion-chip: Best Fries Contest Heats Up Belgium

Fries are a national passion in Belgium. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
Fries are a national passion in Belgium. Nicolas TUCAT / AFP

Thick or thin, greasy or crispy, with samurai sauce or a more traditional mayo dip? A TV show has been on a quest to find the best fries in potato-mad Belgium.

For four years running "La meilleure friterie" (the best chip shop), a lighthearted culinary competition aired by broadcaster RTL-TVI, has been seeking out perfection among fry peddlers in the country's French-speaking region.

Watching it is a "sacred Thursday night ritual", said David Antoine, the host.

Crowning a winner among a dozen contestants is no picnic.

"There's sometimes friction among the judges, but we always find that famous Belgian compromise" over a portion of fries, Antoine told AFP in a joking reference to the country's penchant for lengthy political negotiations.

Fried potatoes are a national dish and symbol of pride in Belgium, home to about 4,600 diners specializing in the dish known as "friteries" in French or "frituren" in Flemish.

That number "has remained stable for many years," said Bernard Lefevre of the National Chip Shop Union, an industry group, noting the "market is doing well".

Each has its own flair.

To Lefevre, a good chip is preferably cut from a Belgian potato of the Bintje variety and double fried in beef fat. And size is paramount.

"Anything under nine millimeters is too thin and anything over fourteen is too thick," he explained.

- Hand-peeled 'gold' -

At Hill's Burger, a diner in Brussels, chef Massimo Sefa has gone for a "size twelve" -- that is "a two-millimeter crust and ten millimeters of creamy flesh", he said.

The 23-year-old smiled nervously when the TV show's judges entered his joint and the cameras started rolling.

But the stress is worth it, he explained. The broadcast will shine a spotlight on his friterie and a win would likely send sales skyrocketing.

Sefa opened up shop with his two younger brothers, Lorenzo and Marco. For them chips are a family matter: their grandfather ran about 10 chip shops in Brussels.

"Wow, delicious, crispy, and peeled by hand," Fabienne De Corte, one of the judges, raved upon tasting the goods.

"Fries in Belgium are our gold," added her husband Patrick De Corte, who is also on the judging panel.

"Every little detail makes a difference."

The show has a devout following, including some who tag along for filming sometimes dressed as fry cones and chanting "We've got the fries, we've got the potatoes!".

It has also had its share of controversies, particularly on the hot topic of sauces.

A technical glitch caused trouble during public voting in the first season and some grumbled the winner had bamboozled jurors with dazzling sauces, while the fries were not to everyone's taste.

Still the show has established itself in the French-speaking Belgian media landscape at a time where fries are sometimes changing along with Belgian society.

"There are halal, vegetarian, and vegan fry shops -- that's perfectly normal; society is evolving. We're not a museum of bygone folklore," Lefevre insists.

Varieties

Aging Japanese Village Turns to Peru in Search of New Residents

A general view of Nanmoku village, Gunma prefecture is seen on September 26, 2026. (Photo by Rie KIKUCHI / AFP)
A general view of Nanmoku village, Gunma prefecture is seen on September 26, 2026. (Photo by Rie KIKUCHI / AFP)
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Aging Japanese Village Turns to Peru in Search of New Residents

A general view of Nanmoku village, Gunma prefecture is seen on September 26, 2026. (Photo by Rie KIKUCHI / AFP)
A general view of Nanmoku village, Gunma prefecture is seen on September 26, 2026. (Photo by Rie KIKUCHI / AFP)

In a misty mountain village in Japan, residents recently welcomed unlikely guests from a Peruvian district along the Amazon River, seeing a chance to revive an aging community facing extinction.

The mayor of Belen and two young women visited a care home on their trip to Nanmoku, a village of just 1,300 people in Gunma Prefecture, greeting the elderly with broad smiles as some looked on slightly puzzled.

"From the moment I arrived, I began to admire everything about this place," 19-year-old student Wendy Sangama told AFP during a week-long tour of Japan that followed the signing of a sister-city agreement between her hometown and the village last year.

"And yes, it's a town where I could see myself living and settling down," she said.

The village is the oldest municipality in Japan, with 70 percent of its residents aged 65 or above. A 2014 think tank report described it as "most at risk of disappearing."

The main street along the Nanmoku River is lined with houses and shops, some abandoned, and appeared largely deserted on the rainy weekend AFP visited.

Village officials hope the sister-city agreement, which promotes cultural and people-to-people ties, will ultimately attract young people from Belen to live in Nanmoku, although how they might obtain residency remains unclear.

While Peru has the world's third-largest population of Nikkei -- Japanese immigrants and their descendants -- Nanmoku Mayor Saijo Hasegawa told AFP the pact was down less to strategy than to a chance meeting with a Japanese-Peruvian businessman.

The village needed "to broaden its horizons and attract more residents, including foreigners,” no matter where they came from, he said.

"Without them, we could reach a point where even public transportation stops operating."

Despite its rapidly aging population and labor shortages, opposition to immigration is growing within Japan, prompting a push by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for tighter regulations on foreign nationals.

Nanmoku has tried various initiatives to attract young people from elsewhere in the country, but employment opportunities remain scarce, and farmland is limited in the mountainous area.

"Around 60 people die each year here, and just two or three babies are born," Hasegawa said.

Belen, meanwhile, is young. The impoverished district of Iquitos, a remote Amazonian city in northeastern Peru, has a median age of about 27 years old.

Home to more than 60,000 residents, the "Venice of Latin America" -- accessible only by plane or boat -- is filled with wooden houses built on stilts to withstand seasonal flooding.

"I think the young people would be more enthusiastic about wanting to settle in other cities because of the economic situation we have," Mayor Lina Arista Lopez told AFP.

The district's residents rely largely on informal trade and agriculture, growing crops such as yuca, rice and corn.

"We have a harsh reality in Belen," Lopez said. "There is no work."

Ketsi Yahuarcani, a 23-year-old student, called the visit to Nanmoku "incredible,” citing the sense of warmth she felt.

"If I had the opportunity to settle here, I would," she said.

Sangama, the other student, said moving to the Japanese village could be "a better option" if it allowed them to build a brighter future and support their families back home.

Not being able to see her family regularly, however, would "certainly be a challenge", she conceded.

While municipalities near Nanmoku have accepted foreign workers, particularly caregivers, it has typically been via short-term programs for skilled workers and technical interns.

Mayor Hasegawa said his vision was different.

Rather than attracting people who stay only a few years for work, he hopes to welcome residents of Belen as fellow villagers ready to build long-term lives in Nanmoku.

"The approach of simply bringing in workers from an agency just because we're short-staffed isn't right for our village," he said.

Yuki Wanibuchi, 34, who moved to Nanmoku several years ago from the Kyoto area, said potential newcomers would face hurdles, including the language barrier.

"You cannot live here without a car, and getting a driver's license will require Japanese skills," Wanibuchi said.

"But personally, I think it's more interesting when people from different backgrounds come here to live."

Hiroshi Ihara, an 87-year-old villager, told AFP he had watched his community grow greyer and greyer, with young people, including his three children, moving to bigger cities to make a living.

"I want more younger people to come and live in the village," he said.

"The Japanese population is shrinking. I think it would be best if people from overseas could come here and do what they can to support us."

Varieties

India Capital Steps Up Air Pollution Controls Ahead of Winter

Effigies of Ravana are transported on a truck ahead of the Hindu festival of Dussehra in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
Effigies of Ravana are transported on a truck ahead of the Hindu festival of Dussehra in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
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India Capital Steps Up Air Pollution Controls Ahead of Winter

Effigies of Ravana are transported on a truck ahead of the Hindu festival of Dussehra in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
Effigies of Ravana are transported on a truck ahead of the Hindu festival of Dussehra in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

India began annual measures on Thursday to tackle toxic air pollution in New Delhi, a megacity of 30 million people regularly ranked among the world's most polluted capitals.

Delhi's air quality deteriorates in winter, when cooler air traps pollutants close to the ground.

Major sources include coal-fired power plants, traffic, construction and farm stubble burning in neighboring areas.

The Delhi government on Wednesday announced a ban on open rubbish burning and ordered food stalls to stop using coal or firewood.

In previous years, such measures have failed to curb pollution, which peaks from November to January, when levels of cancer-causing PM 2.5 microparticles often hit more than 300 micrograms per cubic meter, 20 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum.

Monitors recorded 233 micrograms per cubic meter early Thursday, about 15 times the limit.
The government's Commission for Air Quality Management has predicted air quality to remain "poor" the coming days.

A study in The Lancet Planetary Health in 2024 estimated that 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 were linked to pollution that exceeded India's own air quality guidelines.

Last year, pollution levels peaked at 846 micrograms per cubic meter, 56 times the WHO limit.
The UN children's agency warns that polluted air puts children at heightened risk of acute respiratory infections.

Further restrictions take effect on November 1, including doubled parking fees and work-from-home arrangements for government office staff, aimed at reducing traffic emissions.

Tighter construction rules will also begin then, followed by a complete ban on construction and demolition from December 10 to January 20.