“Rio is a beauty. But São Paulo, São Paulo is a city,” said Marlene Dietrich about Brazil's most cosmopolitan city. São Paulo is Brazil’s cultural as well as financial powerhouse, complete with a vibrant music scene, top-designer shopping, and delicious gastronomy, not to mention world-class museums and art galleries. All this is combined with the vibrant local life of Paulistanos, who will surely be easy to make friends with.

Shanghai is the shiniest gem in modern China’s jewel box. It’s a hip, contemporary city that charges into the future with all the energy of its famous Maglev train. At the same time, if you veer away from the sleek highways and glitzy shopping streets, you can still stumble upon a more traditional Shanghai, with all its character and flavour. In the tiny back streets, wet-market vendors peddle their wares — buckets of bright green vegetables, fish flapping in shallow plastic bowls, and heaps of crayfish crawling over each other.

Just a short distance from London, on the southern coast of Great Britain, lies the charming resort town of Brighton. Heralded as one of the world's hippest and most cultural, this seaside city never fails to mesmerise visitors with its unique architecture, pleasant festivals, galleries, museums, drama, arts, music, spectacular outdoor activities, sprawling beaches and so much more.

Beirut is the perfect destination for seasoned travellers: here, East and West intertwine in intricate ways, creating a city so magnetic that few are able to resist its powerful draw. Much has changed over the latter half of the twentieth century, with Beirut rising to become glitterati central in the 60s, but falling from grace during the bloody Civil War. However, the city is alive and kicking, enticing travellers with superb gastronomy, the Middle East's most vibrant nightlife and close proximity to the ancient towns of Byblos and Baalbek.

Overlooked by spectacular heights of Table Mountain and surrounded by stunning beaches, lush farmland, and superb vineyards, Cape Town has established itself as South Africa’s cultural capital and one of the most vibrant cities on the continent. This is where African, European, and Asian cultures meet in a multi-ethnic rainbow reflected in its music, architecture, visual arts, as well as in its amazing choice of cuisines. Cape Town is great for partying as well, with a year-round calendar of festivals, parades, and world-class sporting events.