The Grand Bassin, Ganga Talao, is a crater lake in a secluded mountain area in the heart of Mauritius. Visited by many pilgrims during the festival Maha Shivaratri, it is of religious importance for the Hindu faith in God Shiva, and since 2007, Shiva itself towers over the impressive lake, pictured as a giant statue as another goddess, Durga, does since 2017.

Named after the nearby Embassy of Spain, the Spanish Steps link Piazza di Spagna with Piazza di Trinità dei Monti. The 135-step stairway is especially striking in spring, when azaleas bloom along the balustrades. The steps became famous all around the world thanks, in part, to Audrey Hepburn's film "Roman Holiday" and Bob Dylan's song "When I Paint My Masterpiece". Sitting on the steps is now prohibited, but the view across the piazza and the surrounding streetscape remains one of Rome’s most recognisable sights.

The George Peabody Library is one of those hidden gems that leaves you in awe the moment you step inside. Housed in a breathtaking 19th-century building, it's a place where you can lose yourself among rows of books and beautiful architecture. Located at Johns Hopkins University, the library is open to the public, and visitors can wander through its five-tiered atrium, marveling at the iron railings and towering shelves packed with rare volumes. Whether you're a book lover or just looking for an Instagram-worthy spot, it’s definitely worth a stop.

Christmas Island’s narrow reef supports bountiful marine life, including 88 coral species and more than 600 species of fish. It’s an underwater wonderland for divers, with clear warm waters, coral reefs and spectacular wall dives. Soft corals, feather stars and gorgonian corals grow along vast walls which plunge into a seemingly bottomless abyss. The fish community is distinctive because the island is a meeting place for Indian and Pacific Ocean fish species. It’s one of the few locations in the world where you’ll see Indian and Pacific Ocean fish swimming side by side. Some of these species interbreed to produce hybrids. Christmas Island has more hybrid fish than anywhere else in the world, making it a marine hybridisation zone of international significance. In addition to the hundreds of species of tropical fish, dolphins inhabit the island’s waters and whale sharks regularly visit during the wet season. Whale sharks generally first appear when the red crabs are spawning at the start of the wet season — they converge to supplement their plankton diet with crab larvae. Locations like Flying Fish Cove, Ethel Beach, Dolly Beach, West White Beach and Winifred Beach offer scuba divers and snorkellers a rewarding marine experience. At Flying Fish Cove and Ethel Beach shore diving is possible depending on the time of the year. There is excellent fishing, with sailfish, tuna and wahoo among some of the fish to be caught. You’ll find boat ramps at Flying Fish Cove and Ethel Beach.