Shopper's Paradise

Founded nearly eight centuries ago, Indonesia’s second-largest city has seen empires come and go. The founders of the Hindu Majapahit Empire arrived in the late 13th century and remained until the 17th, to be followed by Muslim rulers of Mataram, then the colonialists of the Dutch East India Company. In recent decades, Surabaya has grown into a cosmopolitan seaport and conurbation where 21st-century hotels, apartment towers, and shopping malls stand next to historic mosques and palaces.

Also known as Canton, Guangzhou is the third largest city in China. It has long been one of China's main commercial and trading centres and is one of the first cities that opened to the world. As one of the fastest growing cities in Asia, Guangzhou has also seen fast growth in tourism, attracting visitors with its cosmopolitan atmosphere, world-renowned Cantonese cuisine and its vibrant nightlife.

Stockholm is a city of contrasts. Trends in music, design, fashion, and technology are born here. Hip bars and world-class restaurants are shoulder-to-shoulder with historical cafés and cosy neighbourhood pubs. Stockholm is simultaneously urban and close to nature, and water is an ever-present feature in this city where the lake and sea meet. The atmosphere is open, tolerant, and welcoming, and diversity and innovation are highly encouraged. Stockholm is a city for everyone.

Few cities match the iconic status that Paris boasts in the imagination of travellers. In fashion, gastronomy, and the arts, she is queen. As you visit the different quartiers of the City of Light, her moods shift from gritty to sophisticated, from Haute Couture to punk. There is always something new to discover in Paris beyond the legendary sights and museums we all know so well. This fabled city has a way of getting under your skin and feeling instantly familiar to all who wander her hypnotic streets and linger at her inviting cafés.

South African Durban, known as eThekwini in Zulu, has to be one of the continent's most appealing cities, especially after the 2010 World Cup breathed new life into the area by revamping the waterfront; the splendid Moses Mabhida Stadium remains one of Durban's primary attractions to date. Durban moves to the beat of gqom, its own home-grown music genre, which is slowly making its way onto global charts from South Africa's sunny, tropical melting pot of eclectic cultural influences.

Kerala’s first city, with its knotty official name of Thiruvananthapuram (often substituted by the shorter, more manageable Trivandrum), is a rich introduction to southern India's urban and cultural life. Trivandrum tends to be unjustly overlooked en route to the state's beachside settlements but easily warrants a few days of its own.

Welcome to 'The Emerald City', with its blend of laid-back and progressive vibes. As Washington State's largest city, Seattle is not just the home of the iconic Space Needle, Pike Place Market, and Chihuly Garden and Glass, but also the birthplace of grunge and global coffee joints like Starbucks and Tully’s. Forget the rainy reputation; Seattle often outshines it with more sun than you'd expect!

With glass skyscrapers that reflect the bustle of daily life, magnificent buildings such as the Emirates Palace, its lively souqs, excellent restaurants and long stretches of white beaches lapped by the crystal clear waters of the Gulf, Abu Dhabi is a city of outstanding contrasts.