At Batu Caves you can climb up 272 steps, 61 metres, and be amazed by the Hindu’s Lord Murugan shrines built in natural limestone. Watch out for the monkeys who unscrupulously steal any loose items or visible food.

In Belém (situated west of the city along the river) lies Lisbon’s, and possibly Portugal’s, most important historical monument. Here you can see an opulent church and cloistered garden built in the elegant Manuelian style at the beginning of the 16th century, when Portugal was a great seafaring power. Within walking distance of many other sights, the Gothic Jerónimos Monastery is a must-see on any itinerary.

The cathedral is the symbol of Milan. Construction began in 1386 and was not completed until 500 years later. Duomo di Milano is a late Gothic masterpiece, made even more interesting by the fact that this style can’t be seen anywhere else in Italy. Towering over the Piazza del Duomo, the marble building is marked by 135 spires and countless statues.

Milan's architecture is not only neoclassical promenades, Gothic cathedrals and posh villas — Porta Nuova district is the new and modern revitalization project that has drastically changed the city. Take a walk around the Diamond Tower, the Unicredit Tower and many other glass and steel structures. The stars of the show here are the two skyscrapers known as Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest). Featured in all major architecture outlets, these residential towers have actual live trees growing on its facade. They look marvellously lush in the spring and summer and totally enchanting covered in snow and frost.