Taj Mahal e-tickets, Melbourne trams, and skiing in Japan: Travel agenda

Where to go and what to know

Portree, the main town on the isle of Skye, gets a new Youth Hostel from next month (Dreamstime.com)

1. Skye beds

Portree, the main town on the isle of Skye, gets a new Youth Hostel from next month. The SYHA Hostelling Scotland property occupies a renovated hostel and guest house. It has 18 rooms, some of them with private facilities, and a self-catering kitchen.

syha.org.uk

2. Away days

London residents and visitors to the capital can take advantage of cheap coach travel and discounted admission to attractions outside the city. National Express One Day Adventures cover attractions within three hours of London, such as Cambridge, the Ark Royal Museum in Portsmouth and Dover Castle.

nationalexpress.com/ onedayadventures

3. Taj tech

E-tickets are now available for two of India's top monuments, the Taj Mahal and Humayun's Tomb. They include barcodes for security, and visitors must also bring along proof of identity. The aim is to extend similar systems to other popular attractions such as Qutub Minar and the Red Fort.

asi.irctc.co.in

4. East piste

Powder Byrne has a new programme in the resort of Niseko in the north of Japan. The trip includes four or five days' skiing in the mountains, and a further four or five days spent visiting the cultural region near Kyoto and Tokyo. Prices start at £2,865 for a 10-day trip, excluding international flights and ski gear.

powderbyrne.com

5. Grand tram

Trams in Melbourne city centre are now free to ride. You can hop on and off without a ticket in an area stretching from Flinders Street Station and Federation Square in the south to Queen Victoria Market in the north. It also extends a dozen blocks from east to west.

ptv.vic.gov.au

6. Burma high

Backyard Travel is including a hot-air balloon flight over Burma's Inle Lake – normal price £280 – in the price of its two-week Myanmar in Depth tour, which costs from $2,789 (£1,860), excluding international flights. The itinerary includes Mandalay and an Irrawaddy River cruise. Book by 31 March for travel during the following year.

backyardtravel.com

7. Classic lines

"Defining beauty: the body in ancient Greek art" is the next exhibition at the British Museum in London. It opens in the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery on 6 March, and covers everything from the prehistoric simplicity of Cycladic figurines to the realism of the Hellenistic age.

britishmuseum.org

8. Train gain

Argentina and Paraguay have become better connected thanks to a new passenger train between the Argentinian city of Posadas and Encarnación, in the south east of Paraguay. The 10-minute trip costs the local equivalent of £1, and enhances travel prospects for backpacking in the region.

sateliteferroviario.com.ar