The twang of electric guitar and the bumping baselines of folk ditties are the backing track to Nashville. Welcome to one of America’s most musical cities. This is the town that showed Hank Williams and Chet Atkins to the whole world. It’s considered the home of country music and hosts the legendary Grand Ole Opry … Read more
With more than 3,000 years of trading history to its back and a story that includes everyone from the Romans to the Phoenician Greeks to Napoleon’s imperial armies, Marseille is one enthralling French metropolis. The grit and energy of the Vieux Port belies the A-list grandeur of the Cote d’Azur, but comes with other pleasures … Read more
Seattle spreads under the gaze of the Washington Cascades before the icy blue waters of the Puget Sound. It’s a city at the mercy of the elements, with storm clouds and rains rushing over from the Pacific Ocean every month of the year. But it’s also a steadfast metropolis that oozes energy and culture despite … Read more
Welcome to The South, of which Atlanta is the de facto capital. One of the fastest growing cities in the USA, this sprawling town is bold, cultured, and brimming with fun. You’ll fill your days with fizzing drinks at the World of Coca-Cola (a whole museum dedicated to the country’s most iconic soft beverage) or … Read more
And breathe…Goa is where the pace of life slows down and the hubbub of India drops away behind the swaying palm trees and jungle-covered hills. It might be the smallest state in the country, but it pulls in a whopping 7.1 million visitors every year with its promise of R&R and good-time living on the … Read more
Strasbourg has that tempting Alsatian blend of Germanic culture and French pizzazz. The capital of the region, it hosts some of the most important EU institutions of all, from the European Court of Human Rights to the Council of Europe. They bring life and energy to the town, which might otherwise have been a kitschy … Read more
The so-called City of Churches is one of Australia’s lesser-known towns. Usually content to let Melbourne and Sydney vie for the limelight, this one ticks over with a palpable urban energy and charm. Its importance comes from the fact that it’s the state capital of South Australia. That inevitably puts some bucket-list draws on the … Read more
Just a mention of the name Maui is usually enough to get any sun seeker’s or surf lover’s wanderlust valves a-ticking. This member of the Hawaiian chain has long represented that dream destination; a land of sparkling gold sands and stooping coconut palms that meet the pearly blue waters of the Pacific Ocean in style. … Read more
Turin sits in the shadow of the Aosta Alps in the north-western corner of Italy. And if that sounds like a pretty position, just wait until you see the gorgeous boulevards and stately Art Nouveau architecture of the city itself. Famed across the planet as the home of the revered Shroud of Turin (a holy … Read more
Tucked deep into the base of its very own fjord at the southern end of Norway, Oslo is an astounding city that oozes Scandinavian culture and real urban cool. Sleek, steel-dressed buildings crowd its harbour. A cutting-edge opera house that mimics an iceberg glows in Carrara marble on the seafront. There’s even a ski jump … Read more
Millions upon millions of travelers are drawn to the vast metropolis of London every year. They come because of the iconic landmarks of the British state, from Buckingham Palace to the soaring Gothic spire of Big Ben and beyond. They come to seek out hearty pubs and fish-and-chip stalls, frothy ales and Michelin-starred bistros alike. … Read more
Singapore glimmers and shimmers like a jewel at the very tip of the Malay Peninsula. A breath of mechanised modernism in the midst of Southeast Asia, its heart is an uber-efficient banking and big-business hub that hits a zenith with the UFO-like skyscrapers of the Marina Bay. Swirling around that is a metropolis of epic … Read more
Paris steals the hearts of travelers like no other city on the globe. With its proud Haussmannian blocks and look-at-me palaces, its tree-lined boulevards and uber-romantic bistros, it oozes a style and pizzazz that other capitals can only dream of. Then you throw in the world-class museum exhibits of the Orsay and the Louvre (hello, … Read more
Verona hits the headlines on account of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It was between the marble-carved balconies and cobbled lanes of this old city that the great English bard chose to play out his tale of love and tragedy. But there’s also much more to it than that. With the Alps and the glistening waters … Read more