The perfect place to combine business and pleasure – though it covers one of the largest areas of any capital city in the world, a low population density, parklands and forests aplenty makes it one of Europe’s most pleasant cities. Julianna Barnaby reports

Variously dubbed “the new Tokyo” and the “model city of the future”, Seoul is fast becoming one of the most important centres of business on the planet. Yet although the city’s eyes are very much on the future, its heart and soul remain rooted in a rich and varied history. Steven Rowland takes a closer look at this vast metropolis

Hard times in the tourist industry? Not as far as Scotland is concerned. Tourist chiefs are expecting 2009 to turn into a boom year, thanks in no small part to their 300-event Homecoming Scotland campaign celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of national poet Robert Burns. David Neville Williams reports

Beijing is a city in a hurry, racing to claim its place as the top modern metropolis. But the space age architecture and super-cool nightspots co-exist with an older world of night markets, rickshaws and choirs in the park. Susan Marling goes in search of the real Beijing

Paris. Does it need an introduction? Home to a thousand iconic images, world-class museums and entertainment to suit every kind of visitor, it’s no wonder so many travellers flock to this city time and time again says Julianna Barnaby

Milan’s reputation as a fashion hub is universally known but its dedication to modern art receives less attention. Julianna Barnaby discovers the weird, wacky and wonderful side of the avant-garde

With over half of Icelanders believing in elves it’s no wonder magical locales are an attraction in their own right. Catherine Quinn discovers Iceland’s myths and magic

Sharron Livingston visits Dakar, a city that is just as racy as the annual Paris-Dakar rally that brought worldwide fame to its sandy shores three decades ago

Set deep in the heart of the famed Zulu land, is a city bursting with diversity, a melange of different people and cultures all expertly displayed through fine cuisines, beating distinctly to the rhythm of the African drum

Heavily westernised, clean, safe, and tailor made for business, Singapore can seem little more than a stopover between Britain and Australia or a place to unwind in a squeaky clean hotel bar. But is there more to Singapore than meets the eye? Steven Rowland finds out

Washington DC might not be quite what it seems, discovers Emma Holmqvist

Ireland’s cities manage to showcase as much charm and appeal as her countryside. Catherine Quinn discovers why business travellers are well catered for here