The lumbering trams that crawl lazily along Victorian streets may momentarily trick you into believing you’re in 19th century London, but make no mistake; modern Melbourne is a world apart. Lavish in its pursuit of the very best of fashion, food and entertainment, this is the most multicultural city in Australia and one in which […]

The largest metropolis in the southern hemisphere, the pulsing Sao Paulo is the economic heartbeat of Brazil, and capital in all but name. Its wealth was built upon its international coffee trade and, like the beans themselves, the rich and earthy flavour of the city can be an acquired taste; yet once savoured, it’s strangely […]

Immortalised by Homer’s Illiad, the ruins of Troy are now just one of the countless ancient monuments littering Turkey’s dramatic landscape. After Alexander the Great came the Romans, Seljuks and the Ottomans before the modern day republic. Ancient aqueducts and medieval bridges can still be found, as can many Islamic medresses and still-active caravanserais along […]

With an economy worth $4.4trn, Japan is the third richest nation in the world. Filled with high-tech bullet trains, peaceful rock gardens, dazzling neon signs and ancient pagodas, it is a colourful clash of old and new, west and east, which can seem daunting at first to the uninitiated. The Japanese, however, are a remarkably […]

Nestled amongst the might of the Himalayas on an improbably green plateau, the “Land of Gods” is a bizarrely bewitching city that surprises as much as it seduces. Many arriving in Nepal for its vast natural wonders overlook the equally rich cultural assets of a capital brimming with beauty of its own. First impressions can […]

For centuries, Yemen has been a land of mythology and mystery, a land where Gilgamesh searched for the secret of eternal life and where three wise men came in search of frankincense and myrrh. For so long it has been shrouded from Western eyes; unknown, unobserved and oblivious to the world. The oil reserves upon […]

A country of superlatives, the main problem with Canada is knowing where to start. Do you go with the vast national parks, crammed full of ice-capped peaks, majestic glaciers, crystal lakes and a host of unique and exciting wildlife? Or maybe head to the coast and explore the spectacular fjords and make friends with a […]

Kenya has an embarrassment of natural riches; beautiful coastland, dramatic mountain ranges, epic rolling plains, rich and vibrant rainforest, arid desert and teeming coral reef – Kenya has it all. It is perhaps most famous for its spectacular safari, yet there is also a rich and varied tribal culture to explore and the Rift Valley […]

The Basque are reckoned by some anthropologists to be the oldest culture in Europe; long before the Romans came they roamed the hills to the south and east of Bilbao. The city itself wasn’t founded until the 14th century, but today it is the commercial, cultural and political capital of the Basque region, locally known […]

Gibraltar is a tiny colony with a population of around 30,000 which has been under British administration since the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, following the War of Spanish Succession. The town takes its name from the famous Rock of Gibraltar, which was once considered by the Greeks the northernmost Pillar of Hercules and a marker […]

Peru has a fascinating historical legacy; home to some of the oldest known civilisations since 6000BC, it was conquered by the Incas in the 15th century before the Spanish took control in the 16th. Few places on earth is this ancient historical legacy more visible and more accessible; Machu Pichu and the Nazca lines are […]

There’s a compelling eclecticism about the city of Riga, a city on the verge of a glorious new age of prosperity since the end of the 90s. See Gothic spires next to funky, postmodern street cafes, and fill your boots with the bounties of a pulsing urban scene where fine cuisine is found on Art […]