The beguinages of Flanders and the Netherlands are always oases of calm and stillness, where you might still expect to see an old beguine mumbling her prayers in a doorway. Two of Ghent’s three beguinages have been included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Although the Old St Elizabeth Beguinage, in Begijnhofdries in Ghent, is no longer enclosed by a wall, making it simply part of the city, it still has a unique atmosphere. Today the Old St Elizabeth Beguinage is known as ‘holy corner’, a place of religious tolerance, because it has no less than three different churches: one is Roman Catholic, one is Orthodox and the other is Protestant. From bleachfield to orchard This open beguinage grew into something of a ‘beguine city’ in the 13th century, with a church, the ‘Grootjuffer’s House’, an infirmary, a chapel, more than a hundred houses for beguines, a bleachfield (a field where linen was laid out to bleach) and an orchard. After the French Revolution, with increasing industrialisation, the inhabitants moved to their new beguinage in Sint-Amandsberg in 1873.

Located right by the lake at the Zürichhorn, this Chinese garden was given to the city as a gift from the Chinese city, Kunming, which is twinned with Zürich. The garden contains several plants and ornaments, typical of the Chinese art of creating a garden.

Constructed in the 16th century and still magnificent today. It's obvious why Dresdner Schloss still attracts tourists from all over the world, having been the residence of kings for over 400 years, and Baroque in style. Today, the castle houses 5 museums which present special literature, paintings, and armoury.

Church of Our Lady, called Fraumunster, is located right by the riverside and is one of Zürich's landmarks with its blue spire. The church dates back to 1250 and is especially known for the stained glass windows by Marc Chagall.