Animal-lovers and those travelling with children should try and write the Lahore Zoo into their itinerary. Its variety of animal species is among the widest on the subcontinent, including tigers, lions, hippos, crocodiles, and a great many birds. The drive-through safari park on the southern edge of town provides a further glimpse of animal life.

Avenue Habib Bourguiba, the grand central boulevard of Tunis, channels Parisian elegance with its tree-lined median, sidewalk cafés and historic facades. The thoroughfare, named after Tunisia’s first president, serves as a busy commercial hub and an open-air museum of 20th-century history, flanked by landmarks like the French Embassy and the neo-Byzantine Cathedral of St Vincent de Paul. Dominating the eastern end, the Tunis Clock Tower rises 38 metres above Place du 7 Novembre. Its gilded, lattice-patterned design blends modernist and traditional motifs, glowing amber after dark. Though functionally modest (locals joke about its reliability), the tower’s height and central roundabout position make it an unavoidable landmark. By day, the avenue thrums with shoppers and coffee drinkers; by evening, it becomes a stage for leisurely promenades. For visitors, it’s less about individual sights than the collective energy: the hum of conversation, the scent of orange blossoms, and the weight of history beneath your feet.

The Jama Masjid was built by the Islamic ruler Shah Jahan to complement his new Red Fort. Completed in 1658 as the largest mosque in India, it boasts a stunning courtyard that provides space for 25,000 worshipers as well as a vast dome and two minarets.

The only remaining example of Mughal-era planning, Shalimar Gardens were designed to create a perfect cohabiting space for humans and elements of nature. Centuries later, the gardens are one of the main tourist attractions in Pakistan.