Big-city explorations.
Capitals and metropolises, when you still want the whole place.
Alanya
A Mediterranean resort city on Turkey's southern coast where a Seljuk-era citadel dominates a modest peninsula backed by the Taurus Mountains, Alanya combine…
Hobart
Sitting on the Derwent River estuary beneath the peak of kunanyi / Mount Wellington, Hobart is a photogenic waterfront city and Australia's second-oldest cap…
Marbella
This Mediterranean city on Spain's Costa del Sol with a dense café and restaurant scene, a photogenic old quarter, and a seafront backed by the Sierra Blanca…
Victoria de Durango
Founded in 1563 by the Spanish explorer Francisco de Ibarra, Victoria de Durango is the highland capital of Mexico's Durango state, set in the Valley of Guad…
Cholula
Cholula's Great Pyramid — the largest pyramid by volume in the world, with the colonial Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios built on its summit — ancho…
Afyonkarahisar
Afyonkarahisar's most striking landmark is its ancient citadel, built around 1350 BC on a black volcanic crag rising above the city, with a cluster of mosque…
Toluca de Lerdo
The highest capital city in Mexico and North America, Toluca de Lerdo sits well above sea level in the State of Mexico, giving it a temperate climate year-ro…
Cuenca
Founded in 1557 on the ruins of the Inca city of Tomebamba, Cuenca is a large Andean city in Ecuador whose historic centre was declared a UNESCO World Herita…
Olinda
Founded in 1535, Olinda is one of Brazil's best-preserved colonial cities, with its historic centre — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982 — dense with ba…
Otsu
Enryaku-ji, the ancient headquarters of the Tendai Buddhist sect on Mount Hiei, draws visitors to this lakeside prefectural capital in Shiga, Japan.
Fenghuang
A photogenic county town in western Hunan, set among the Wuling Mountains near the Guizhou border, with a walkable centre along the Tuojiang River full of ca…
Xalapa
A mountain capital in central Veracruz state with one of Mexico's densest café and restaurant scenes and the oldest symphony orchestra in the country, Xalapa…
Eskişehir
A large university city in northwestern Turkey where the Porsuk River runs through the centre, Eskişehir is known for its lively café and restaurant scene, f…
Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar, on the southern bank of the Orinoco where the river narrows sharply, is a photogenic Venezuelan city whose colonial historic centre — cathedr…
Sarıyer
This district on Istanbul's European shore where the Bosphorus meets the Black Sea, Sarıyer has a walkable centre with a strong café and restaurant scene and…
Lincang
A multi-tiered pagoda rises above a green lakeside park at the heart of this sprawling southwest Yunnan city, where traditional architecture meets a modern s…
Tokushima
Tokushima, the capital of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku island, sits at the water's edge and markets itself as a "water city," with mountains close by.
Utrecht
Utrecht's medieval canal-lined centre — built on a Roman fortification and granted city rights in 1122 — is one of the most walkable in the Netherlands, dens…
Villahermosa
Founded on 24 June 1564 by the Spanish colonist Diego de Quijada, Villahermosa is the capital of Mexico's Tabasco state and one of the country's older cities…
Al Hoceima
Sandy Mediterranean beaches — among them Cala Iris, Bades, Quemado, and Tala Youssef — meet the high peaks of the Rif Mountains at this Moroccan coastal city…
Guadalupe
Founded on 4 January 1716 and formally named in 1756 as the Pueblo de la Nueva Tlaxcala de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Horcasitas, this large city in Nuev…
Riyadh
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital and political centre, sits on the Najd plateau and holds a concentration of landmarks for visitors: the 19th-century Masmak Fo…
Beykoz
A district of Istanbul along the northern Bosphorus on the Anatolian side, Beykoz has a walkable centre with a concentration of cafés, restaurants, and histo…
Kentron District
Yerevan's downtown core, Kentron is the commercial and cultural heart of the Armenian capital, with an exceptionally dense café and restaurant scene spread a…
Wakayama
This Japanese castle complex with dark-tiled rooftops and autumn foliage commands elevated views over this coastal Kansai city, where a broad bay and arched…
Kirov
A large city on the Vyatka River in European Russia, Kirov has a walkable centre with a café and restaurant scene alongside universities, theaters, museums,…
Kurashiki
Kurashiki's historic canal district — lined with white-walled merchant storehouses dating to the Edo period — is one of the most photographed streetscapes in…
Ica
Founded in 1563 by the Spanish conquistador Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera, Ica is a city in southern Peru with a dense café and restaurant scene and a centre mark…
Pachuca
Credited as the birthplace of Mexican football — the sport introduced by Cornish miners who arrived in the 19th century — Pachuca is the highland capital of…
Mingora
This densely built city spread across a broad valley floor in Pakistan's Swat District, Mingora sits along the Swat River with a dramatic ring of bare mounta…
Kütahya
Kütahya, a city in western Turkey on the Porsuk River, is renowned for its decorated tiles and has a well-preserved old quarter to explore.
Sanaa
One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with a history stretching back at least to the 5th century BC, Sanaa sits high in the Yemeni Mo…
Quanzhou
Once the world's busiest port under its Arabic name Zaiton, Quanzhou was praised by both Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta as among the greatest trading cities on e…
Chizhou
Mount Jiuhua, one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism, sits within Chizhou's boundaries in southern Anhui Province, making this large Yangtze-si…
Ganja
Azerbaijan's second-largest city by area blends ornate mosques with domed Russian-era civic buildings, red-brick churches, tree-lined boulevards, and Soviet…
Mogi das Cruzes
Founded in the early 17th century as a stop on the route between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Mogi das Cruzes is a city in the Alto Tietê region east of São…
Kakogawa
Sizeable Hyōgo city on the water, where a grand wooden Buddhist hall with sweeping tiled roofs and stone lanterns anchors a temple precinct shaded by mature…
Quelimane
Seaport city in central Mozambique where Vasco da Gama stopped in the late 15th century and named the nearby river Rio dos Bons Sinais — "River of the Good S…
Aguascalientes City
Founded on October 22, 1575, near thermal springs that gave it its name — "hot waters" — Aguascalientes is a large city in north-central Mexico whose histori…
Vila Velha
Founded in 1535 by the Portuguese colonist Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, Vila Velha is the oldest city in Espírito Santo state and served as the captaincy's capi…
Salta
The provincial capital of Salta sits high in the Andes foothills of northern Argentina, in the Valle de Lerma, crossed by the Arenales river and close to the…
Yeosu
A coastal city on South Korea's southern shore, Yeosu is known for its seafood, beaches, and marinas, and hosted the 2012 World Expo in its harbour.
Celaya
Founded in 1570 as Villa de la Purísima Concepción de Zalaya — a Basque word meaning "flat land" — Celaya is a city in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, with…
General Pueyrredón Partido
Mar del Plata, the large Atlantic coast resort city that anchors this Buenos Aires Province partido, draws visitors with a dense café and restaurant scene an…
Ardabil
The UNESCO-listed Sheikh Safi al-Din Khanegah and Shrine Ensemble — sanctuary and tomb of the founder of the Safavid order, and burial place of Ismail I, fou…
Hofuf
This substantial Arabian city set within a vast oasis, where a large mud-brick fortress with rounded towers rises at a busy intersection, surrounded by date-…
Monrovia
A dense, lively West African capital spread across low hills above a broad river estuary, Monrovia offers an energetic street scene, waterfront access, and a…
Nyíregyháza
Sóstógyógyfürdő, the thermal bath and recreation district on the edge of this northeastern Hungarian city, anchors the main reason to visit: a spa complex wi…
Imphal
Imphal, capital of the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, holds a remarkable cluster of world-record claims: the Imphal Polo Ground is said to be the worl…
Tepic
Founded in 1531 by Nuño de Guzmán, Tepic is the capital of Mexico's Pacific-coast state of Nayarit, set in a valley with the Sierra Occidental in the surroun…
Hachiōji-shi
Autumn-foliage hillsides frame sweeping views over this large western Tokyo city, where forested upland trails give way to a dense urban centre with a lively…
Tacna
This city in southern Peru with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, Tacna carries a strong patriotic identity shaped by i…
San Salvador
El Salvador's capital since 1545, San Salvador is a large Central American city with a walkable historic centre dense with churches, cafés, and restaurants.
Pasto
Founded in 1537 at the foot of the Galeras volcano in the Andes, Pasto — officially San Juan de Pasto — is the capital of Colombia's Nariño department, with…
Kawagoe
Known locally as "Little Edo" for its concentration of historic buildings that recall the old name for Tokyo, Kawagoe is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.
Ha'il
Ha'il is a large city in northern Saudi Arabia shaped by the two prominent mountains that flank it — Jabal Aja and Jabal Salma — with the city arcing around…
Bandar Lampung
Bandar Lampung, the provincial capital at the southern tip of Sumatra, has a dense café and restaurant scene and sits close to Bukit Barisan Selatan National…
Tlaquepaque
Lively Mexican plaza anchors this Jalisco city, where a terracotta-domed bandstand, tree-lined walkways, and a red-tiled church tower set the scene for explo…
Sharjah city
The cultural capital of the United Arab Emirates, Sharjah is a large city bordering Dubai that holds the distinction of being named UNESCO World Book Capital…
Ha Long
The gateway city to Hạ Long Bay — a UNESCO-listed natural heritage site off its southern shore — this city in Quảng Ninh province sits on the bay's edge with…