Ancient Islamic city of 82 mosques, where hyenas are fed by hand at night.
Colourful colonial town frozen in time.
UNESCO silver-mining town folded into an old volcanic caldera.
Ancient desert city of windcatchers.
Belarusโs best-preserved historic centre, with two castles above the Neman.
Glide the 17th-century canal ring past gabled merchant houses, houseboats and 1,500 bridges โ the city as it was meant to be seen.
Crooked wooden wharf houses of the old Hanseatic trading quarter.
Portugalโs ancient university town, with the baroque Joanina Library, black-caped students and mournful fado.
Stockholmโs medieval old town of narrow lanes and the Royal Palace.
Cobbled colonial town of pink Gothic church spires and rooftop bars, repeatedly voted the best small city in the world.
Lively harbour city of music and pubs.
Walk the medieval city walls, the Shamblesโ overhanging shops and York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe.
Punt along the Backs past Kingโs College Chapel and the Bridge of Sighs, then drink in the pub where DNA was announced.
Silver-mining city of candy-coloured houses stacked up a ravine, with streets in tunnels and student minstrels serenading the alleys.
Honey-coloured college quads, the Bodleian Library and the dining hall that inspired Hogwarts, all walkable in an afternoon.
Lake city with a covered wooden bridge.
The only walled city north of Mexico โ cobbled streets, the Chateau Frontenac and a French-speaking old town that feels like Europe.
Gaudiโs hillside park of mosaic dragons, twisted stone colonnades and a serpentine bench overlooking Barcelona.
Gaudiโs dragon-backed house on Passeig de Gracia โ bone-like balconies, a scaled roof and not a straight line inside.
Red-sandstone castle ruin above the old town of Heidelberg and the Neckar valley.
Explore Carcassonne, a fortified medieval city in southern France. Walk the double ring of ramparts of the Citรฉ de Carcassonne (a UNESCO World Heritage site with 52 towers), admire the Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus (known for its 12th-century stained glass and Gothic choir), and cross the Pont Vieux (a 14th-century stone bridge offering panoramic views of the city).
Explore the glamorous French Riviera city of Cannes. Stroll along La Croisette (the iconic palm-lined boulevard with luxury hotels and designer boutiques), visit the Palais des Festivals (home of the famous Cannes Film Festival), wander through Le Suquet (the historic old town with a medieval castle and panoramic views), and take a boat to Ile Sainte-Marguerite (the island where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned).
Visit Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo. Explore the Basilique Sainte-Anne (a striking 1949 church with green-tiled roof and stained glass), see Congolese art at the National Museum of Congo, stroll along the Congo River waterfront for views of Kinshasa across the water, and experience the lively Marchรฉ Total market for local crafts and food.
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