Megan Eaves

When was the last time you saw the sky glittering with stars? There aren’t many sights quite as awe-inspiring as a velvety back horizon studded with sparkles, but for many of us – especially those living in cities – access to the stars is disappearing. Research published this year has found that light pollution is increasing at a whopping 10 percent annually, meaning those twinkling orbs are even harder to spot.  For this reason, the best stargazing spots tend to be remote, high-elevation and far away from human-made ‘skyglow’. Many are International Dark Sky Places: reserves, parks, sanctuaries and communities certified by DarkSky for their nighttime protections. Spend time in a dark place and you might also catch a glimpse of exciting nocturnal wildlife and experience deep, restful sleep. What’s not to love? If you want to fill your eyes with stars, here are our picks of the best stargazing spots around the world. Megan Eaves is a freelance travel writer and dark sky advocate. She is the editor of DarkSky’s Nightscape magazine. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides written by local experts. RECOMMENDED:🗻 The world’s most beautiful mountains 🗺 The best places to travel alone

What’s the deal with Overseas Chinese Town? In Shenzhen, nearly everything is new. Fuelled by a zipping tech industry that’s made many locals millionaires overnight, China’s fastest-growing metropolis is shiny and modern. Overseas Chinese Town (OCT, or Huaqiaocheng in Chinese) is probably the city’s most affluent neighbourhood, and home to many young entrepreneurs who have made their money in tech empires. But OCT is still approachable, especially for those not paid in yuan. Audis vie for space with scooters on palm-lined avenues. Duck into the district’s crown jewel, OCT-Loft – an ’80s warehouse complex that’s been transformed into a thriving arts district – and you’ll find locals incubating start-ups over cappuccinos and musing on contemporary art. Sprawling OCT is full of odd pockets. Huge tracts are filled by an assortment of kitschy amusement parks, but seek and you shall find untouched traces of an earlier China. In the city’s last remaining ‘urban villages’, buzzing warrens of low-rise streets hide craft beer shops where you can pay in Bitcoin and sizzling late-night barbecue stands, alongside gritty shops and motor repair stalls. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the 50 coolest neighbourhoods in the world If you only do one thing… Photograph: Sarbast T. Hameed / CC-BY Hit up one of OCT’s bizarre amusement parks. You could join the queue at the popular Window of the World, with its collection of miniature landmarks, but there’s also Splendid China Folk Village – where instead