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.

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.

With a globally recognizable skyline and 8.4 million people who call it home, New York City is bursting with diversity and excitement – from the iconic attractions you've seen on TV and in the movies to hidden gems waiting to be uncovered. Each of the five boroughs – The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island – has a distinctive flavor, while individual neighborhoods maintain identities all their own.

Olbia is the gateway to the pearly white beaches of Sardinia's northeast coast and the sparkling Costa Smeralda. This is where jet-setters, film stars and the ‘glitterati’ arrive to indulge in 'la dolce vita' Sardinian-style. With a Greek name meaning ‘happy’, Olbia used to be a little fishing village but has now grown to become Sardinia’s busiest ferry port, complete with an international airport and tons of tourist amenities. The countryside is cloaked in aromatic wild herbs, the macchia, and the surrounding sea glows in every hue of electric blue, in a little known and exclusive place waiting to be discovered.