The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Buddy Holly have all appeared here during their career. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic sells over 250,000 tickets annually and if there is a concert on while you are visiting you should take the chance and go.

Undoubtedly one of the world’s top tourism destinations — and officially one of the New Seven Wonders of the World — the Great Wall stretches for thousands of kilometres across northern China. From Beijing, the easiest section to reach is Badaling, about 70 km from the city. It’s well restored and has a cable car, but it also draws the biggest crowds. Mutianyu is another popular choice with fewer tour groups if you go early. For a wilder feel, head to Simatai or Jinshanling, where much of the wall is original and the hikes are longer. Huanghuacheng is partly submerged by a reservoir, so you get the unusual sight of watchtowers half surrounded by water.

Once considered the most magnificent of China’s imperial gardens, Yuanmingyuan was filled with palaces, lakes, and pavilions, as well as rare plants and artworks collected from across the empire. It was destroyed in 1860 by British and French troops during the Second Opium War, and again suffered damage in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion. What remains today are ruins — stone foundations, broken archways, and scattered carvings — set among lakes and quiet parkland.

At the northern end of Largo do Senado you can find this superb 16th century Baroque church said to be the most beautiful in Macau. Make sure not to miss the small museum in the back that collects around 300 artefacts dated from 17th to 19th century.