Welcome to Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, where giant pandas delight tourists at the Chengdu Breeding Research Base. Though a modern city, Chengdu is where life happens in the back streets, with crowds waiting outside hot-pot restaurants, and tea houses abuzz with mahjong players and their noisy tile-shuffling game.

Dunedin, on the rugged east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, is a city of style and creativity. Officially founded in 1848 by the Free Church of Scotland, it's home to twenty five thousand students at the University of Otago, who mingle with the town’s landed gentry to create an eclectic destination that enthrals all who pass through. Surrounded by a deep blue harbour on one side and rolling misty hills on the other, Dunedin’s lush green dales and old world architecture pay tribute to the city’s Scottish heritage.

Verona is a city that quietly sweeps you off your feet. From the Roman Arena to Juliet’s balcony, its beauty unfolds in sunlit piazzas, riverside strolls, and evening aperitivo. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, 'The City of Love', as it is known, blends history, romance, and that effortless Italian warmth. Stay awhile—and you’ll soon see why it is one of Italy’s most beloved places.

Brussels, a city that continues to surprise and move you. This city-region capital of 500 million Europeans is waiting to share its treasures with you. It’s a fair bet that its stormy history is the reason for its open-mindedness, warmth and friendliness. You’ll feel right at home in Brussels. As well as its historic monuments, Brussels has so much to share with you: its comic strip speech bubbles, its Art Nouveau façades, the talent of its stylists and designers, its delicacies and its surrealism, which can be found on every street corner.

Despite being Slovenia’s second largest city, Maribor has the charm of a small town where nature and city live in close proximity. Embraced on all sides by lush green hills which in winter turn white and are excellent for skiing, forests and vineyards, most within an easy walk from the centre, you can sample the cafes and restaurants and stroll through the vibrant streets of the old town. But the nearby hills are a constant reminder that nature is just a few steps away and a whole world of leisure awaits you.