Luang Prabang in Laos named Top City at Wanderlust Awards

The city of Luang Prabang in Laos has been recognised as one of the world's top adventure travel destinations.

Located in the north of the country and with a population of around 100,00, Luang Prabang was named Top City at this year's Wanderlust Travel Awards.

Voted for by readers of the travel magazine, the city beat a number of better-known rivals - such as Venice, Kyoto and Berlin - to claim the top spot for the third year in a row.

"Your perennial fave gets the gong again," said Wanderlust. "We love the fact that your top city isn't about bright lights and fast living.

"No, laid-back Laos city Luang Prabang likes to take things slow. Really slow. You can't get enough of its serene tem ples and jungle ecolodges."

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Luang Prabang is famous for its Buddhist temples and monasteries, one of the best known of which is Wat Chom Si, which sits atop a large hill in the city.

The Kuang Si Falls, around 30km south of the city, are also a major draw for those on tours in south east Asia, while the Haw Kham Royal Palace Museum and the Wat Xieng Thong temple are among some of Luang Prabang's most popular landmarks.

Anyone visiting the city should also take the time to walk through the old town, where a number of French provincial style houses make for a unique mixture of cultures.

Meanwhile, Laos was also named among this year's top countries by Wanderlust readers.

It came sixth in the Wanderlust Travel Awards' Top Country category, which was won by Japan with Bhutan and New Zealand coming second and third respectively.

Sudan won the prize Top Emerging Destination, a category that also included the likes of Greenland, Mongolia, the Cook Islands and Iran.