Some cities have well-known names but are barely recognized to travellers. Do not miss out on their less-obvious however typically world-class points of interest.
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Rotterdam lacks Amsterdam’s lengthy historical past and cosy, canal-side environment however makes up for it with modern type, nice buying and a harbour-front location. Previous-town remnants linger, however post-WWII reconstruction bequeaths town spectacular structure. Museumpark is a gorgeous inexperienced house adjoining to wonderful Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, a showcase of centuries of Western artwork. Rotterdam has a number of different world-class museums and loves its summer season festivals. See en.rotterdam.information
CHENNAI, INDIA
Chennai (previously Madras) is a booming high-tech centre but has eclectic sights from British-era monuments akin to Fort St George and the ornate Excessive Court docket to Portuguese church buildings, Hindu temples and vibrant visual-arts and classical-dance scenes. It is also famend for spicy southern Indian delicacies. Town is flanked by Marina Seashore, which runs for twelve kilometres and is a vibrant parade of households, cricketers and road distributors. See chennai.nic.in
GUANGZHOU, CHINA
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Quick-paced, southern buying and selling metropolis Guangzhou (Canton) delivers the dizzy vitality of twenty-first-century China amid eye-catching modern structure. Town can be scattered with sprawling parks, venerable temples – the Temple of Six Banyans was based in 537 – and landmarks related to revolutionary historical past. Guangzhou additionally has one of many world’s nice cuisines and a dynamic fine-dining scene: nowhere higher to whereas away the day over dim sum. See eguangzhou.gov.cn
HOUSTON, USA
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Houston has shaken off its as soon as staid and solely business-oriented picture to reenergize itself with specialty buying, ethnic eating, a definite immigrant flavour, and a extra subtle vibe that hasn’t seen it sacrifice its laidback cowboy angle. Town has first-class galleries and museums, orchestras and ballet and, simply exterior town, the excellent NASA Area Centre. It is also a brief drive to excellent seashores. See visithoustontexas.com
MANCHESTER, UK
The Millenium Bridge at Salford Quays. Picture: iStock
One of many powerhouse cities of the British Empire has over the past a long time undergone a Cool Britannia transformation that has spruced up its monumental Victorian buildings, industrial heritage and docks, added modern structure, and given the as soon as preeminent metropolis again its buzz. Test into an elegant boutique lodge, dine out in gastro-pubs, benefit from the nice nightlife and discover new leisure and humanities districts. See visitmanchester.com
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN
Although a brief prepare trip from Tokyo, Japan’s greatest port metropolis is under-visited regardless of its high-quality redeveloped waterfront, nautical historical past and breezy, kitschy attraction. A high sight is Sankei-en, one among Japan’s greatest classical gardens with reconstructed historic buildings and 2000 cherry timber. Yokohama Museum of Artwork is great, the Cup Noodle Museum quirky and Yamate district options nineteenth-century European structure. Raucous Chinatown has 600 eateries. See yokohamajapan.com
GDANSK, POLAND
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Most individuals of a sure age consider Gdansk as a dirty industrial metropolis that produced the Nineteen Eighties anti-communist Solidarity motion. However this port city was centuries beforehand a Hanseatic buying and selling port, and has an impressive outdated city to show it, filled with church buildings, warehouses, gargoyles and the half-timbered homes of rich retailers, now enlivened by cafés and bars, outlets promoting amber, and attention-grabbing small museums. See visitgdansk.com
HAMBURG, GERMANY
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Rich buying and selling cities invariably have upmarket buying, good eating places, inexperienced areas and high-quality museums, and Hamburg obliges, throwing in a rowdy nightlife and excellent live-music scene for good measure. Speicherstadt district, World Heritage-listed for its brick warehouse structure, bursts with cafés and galleries. Town is close to the conclusion of a two-decades waterfront revamp that showcases the perfect of the forward-thinking Europe typically ignored by vacationers. See hamburg-tourism.de
ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT
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With no pharaonic monuments, Alexandria is missed but has grand squares and Belle Époque streets that ooze light magnificence. Nice cafés and road markets, antiques district Attarine and a laidback, youthful life-style are different causes to go to. Roman mosaics and Greek artefacts are consistently unearthed: particularly, do not miss the excellent Graeco-Roman Museum. The ultra-modern cultural centre and library Bibliotheca Alexandrina (pictured above) continues town’s millennium-old cultural life. See alexandria.gov.eg
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL
São Paulo is large and unlovely however multi-cultural and complicated, and beats Rio any day in the case of tradition, buying and eating. Brazilians come for the most recent fashions, greatest eating places and top-notch artwork galleries and museums. Museu de Arte homes internationally vital European artwork and collections of Brazilian, African and Asian work and sculptures. São Paulo additionally has a terrific nightlife and music scene. See cidadedesaopaulo.com
