Francisco de Goya, our most universal artist, was born in a village near Zaragoza called Fuendetodos. The Palacio de Los Pardo is home to the Goya Museum, dedicated to the writer and professor who bequeathed his private collection of paintings and sculptures to the city. The works exhibited span the 15th to the 20th century. Particularly noteworthy is the room dedicated exclusively to five series of etchings by Goya: Los Caprichos, La Tauromaquia, Los Disparates or Proverbios, Los Desastres de la Guerra and Los Toros de Burdeos.

Cheong Fatt Tze, the Blue Mansion, was one of the wealthiest merchants of the 19th century, and Penang Straits Settlement imported artisans from China to build this opulent 38-room mansion. With its five courtyards, carved woodwork, Gothic louvered windows and cast iron, the mansion is a fascinating fusion of East and West culture. The building was restored at a cost of 7.6 million ringgit, and it is crammed with sculptures, antique furniture and tapestries, while now being a unique boutique hotel. However, it is also open for non-residents during guided tours, so book one ahead.

Once a prayer hall, the Ribat Museum showcases a varied collection of traditional fabrics and objects such as coins, jewellery and pottery that will transport visitors back to a time when Islamic art was highly coveted the world over. It also displays an astrolabe (a device which measures the distance between stars) dating all the way back to the year 927, right at the time when pivotal discoveries in astronomy and mathematics were taking place. The museum is accessible from the south wing of the Ribat.