| London's Top 10 : Buckingham Palace |
| Between 1824 and 1831, George IV commissioned John Nash to extend the house into a substantial palace, which was first occupied by Queen Victoria in 1837. The extensive front of the building was completed by Sir Aston Webb in 1913. |
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| London's Top 10 : Science Museum |
| Packed with exciting hands-on exhibits, this huge museum explores the fascinating world of science through centuries of scientific and technological development. |
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| Berlin's Top 10 : Zoologischer Garten |
| The Kulturforum was planned to fill the large area between Potsdamer Straße and Leipziger Platz that had been destroyed during World War II. The original idea for a varied townscape of museums and parks is credited to the Berlin architect Hans Scharoun, who had designed plans for this in the years 1946 and 1957. |
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| Berlin's Top 10 : Kulturforum (part 1) |
| The Kulturforum, based in the former West Berlin, has been growing since 1956, as a counterpoint to the Museumsinsel in the former East Berlin. Here visitors can admire some of the best examples of modern architecture in the capital. |
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| San Francisco's Top 10 : Mission Dolores |
| The old Misión San Francisco de Asís acquired its popular name, Mission Dolores, from a small stream that once flowed nearby, Arroyo de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. |
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| Washington, D.C.'s Top 10 : Arlington National Cemetery |
| Some of America’s most cherished burial sites are found in the 624 acres of the nation’s best-known military cemetery. The rolling lawns filled with white tombstones, the Tomb of the Unknowns, and the grave of John F Kennedy are conspicuous symbols of sacrifices made for freedom. |
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| Rome's Top 10 : Musei Capitolini (part 1) |
| Capitoline Hill was ancient Rome’s religious heart, and is now home to a magnificent museum. A gently stepped grade, the Cordonata leads you up the hill and provides an unforgettably theatrical experience, just as Michelangelo planned it in the 16th century. |
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| Hong Kong's Top 10 : Tai Long Wan Coastline |
| Although only a few miles from urban Hong Kong, the remote, pristine beaches on the eastern edge of the rugged Sai Kung Peninsula seem like another country. There is no rail link and few roads, so you will have to make an early start, taking a bus to Sai Kung town, another bus to Pak Tam Au, then walk the hilly 4-mile (6-km) footpath to the beach. |
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| Hong Kong's Top 10 : Heritage Museum |
| Hong Kong’s newest museum, on the outskirts of Sha Tin in the New Territories, is by far its best (although the revamped History Museum in Kowloon is also worth a visit). Opened in 2000, the Heritage Museum covers the culture, arts and natural history of Hong Kong and the New Territories. |
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| Madrid’s Top 10 : Museo Thyssen Bornemisza |
| One of the most important art collections in the world, the Thyssen Bornemisza focuses on European painting from the 13th to the 20th centuries and is the perfect complement to the Prado and Reina Sofía. |
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| Madrid’s Top 10 : El Rastro |
| This colourful street market in one of the city’s oldest working class neighbourhoods has been going for well over 100 years. The word rastro means “trail” and refers to the animal innards that were dragged through the streets in the days when this was the site of the main abattoir. |
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| Beijing's Top 10 : Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) |
| A sprawling landscaped park on the edge of the city, this seasonal imperial retreat from the stifling confines of the Forbidden City was the favored haunt of Empress Cixi. She had it rebuilt twice: once after its destruction by French and English troops in 1860, and again in 1902, after it was plundered during the Boxer Rebellion.
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| Beijing's Top 10 : Hou Hai |
| The area around the joined lakes of Qian Hai and Hou Hai has traditionally been home to nobles and wealthy merchants. Several grand homes survive, hidden in the labyrinthine old lanes known as hutongs. |
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| Chicago's Top 10 : Magnificent Mile |
| This glitzy strip of stores and striking buildings runs for, you guessed it, about a mile (1.6 km), along North Michigan Avenue. A sharp developer came up with the “magnificent” moniker in 1947, and it has stuck ever since. |
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| Chicago's Top 10 : Lincoln Park Zoo |
| Chicago’s second most popular attraction after Navy Pier, this menagerie is not only one of the oldest zoos in the country but also one of the last not to charge admission. Established in 1868 with just a pair of swans, its age helps to account for how well integrated it is with the surrounding North Side community. |
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| Munich's Top 10 : Around Marienplatz |
| Henry the Lion transformed Marienplatz into the centre of Munich – and it remains the heart of the city today. This is where the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) stands, major public transit lines meet, and locals and visitors alike stroll past street entertainers, or sit at the restaurant and café patios lining the square. |
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| Munich's Top 10 : Beer Gardens |
| In summer, Bavaria’s “liquid food” is served in beer gardens. And summer unofficially begins during Lent in March, when the breweries market their bock beers such as Salvator, Maximator, or Triumphator. |
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| Seattle's Top 10 : University of Washington |
| Founded in November 1861, just 10 years after the creation of Washington Territory, the prestigious UW now occupies 693 hilly acres that were originally cleared for the festival grounds of Seattle’s Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909. |
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| Seattle's Top 10 : Lake Washington Ship Canal |
| In 1854, pioneer Thomas Mercer recognized the need for a passage to the ocean from Seattle’s two landlocked water bodies, Lake Washington and Lake Union, to replace the cumbersome transport of natural resources such as coal and timber. |
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| Barcelona’s Top 10 : Fundació Joan Miró |
| This superb tribute to a man whose legacy as an artist and as a Catalan is visible city-wide was founded in 1975 by Joan Miró himself, who wanted it to be a contemporary arts centre. |
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| Barcelona’s Top 10 : La Pedrera |
| Completed in 1910, this fantastic, undulating apartment block, with its out-of-this-world roof and delicate wrought ironwork, is one of the most emblematic of all Gaudí’s works. La Pedrera, also known as Casa Milà, was Gaudí’s last great civic work before he dedicated the rest of his life to the Sagrada Família. |
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| Toronto's Top 10 : Ontario Place |
| This internationally acclaimed cultural, leisure, and entertainment complex, designed by Eb Zeidler and opened in 1971, is centered on three man-made islands along the Lake Ontario waterfront. |
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| Toronto's Top 10 : Distillery Historic District |
| The 44 buildings of this 13-acre (5-ha) site were, until the mid-1900s, part of Gooderham and Worts, once the world’s largest distillery. The distillery evolved from a grist mill founded here in 1832 by Englishman James Wort and his brother-in-law William Gooderham. |
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| Boston's Top 10 : Museum of Fine Arts |
| Over its 130 year-plus history, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) has collected some 350,000 pieces from an array of cultures and civilizations, ranging from ancient Egyptian tomb treasures to stylish modern artworks. |
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| Boston's Top 10 : Around Newbury Street |
| One of the first streets created on the marshland known as Back Bay, Newbury has seen a myriad of tenants and uses over the past 150 years. Look closely and you’ll glimpse a historical side to Newbury Street all but unseen by the fashionistas. |
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| Paris Top 10 : Arc de Triomphe |
| The best day to visit the world’s most familiar triumphal arch is 2 December, the date that marks Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, when the sun sets in line with the Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe, creating a spectacular halo around the building. |
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| Paris Top 10 : Sacré-Coeur |
| One of the most photographed images of the city, the spectacular white outline of Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart) watches over Paris from its highest point. |
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| London's Top 10 : Natural History Museum |
| There are some 70 million specimens in the Natural History Museum’s fascinating collections. Originally the repository for items brought home by Charles Darwin and Captain Cook’s botanist, Joseph Banks, among others, the museum combines traditional displays with innovative, hands-on exhibits. |
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| London's Top 10 : Tate Britain |
| Opened in 1897 as the national gallery of British art, the magnificent collection at London’s first Tate gallery ranges from 1500 to the present day. I |
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| Berlin's Top 10 : Schloss Charlottenburg (part 1) |
| The construction of Schloss Charlottenburg, designed as a summer residence for Sophie Charlotte, wife of the Elector Friedrich III, began in 1695. Between 1701 and 1713 Johann Friedrich Eosander added a cupola and the Orangerie was extended. Today, it has been extensively renovated. |
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| Berlin's Top 10 : Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche |
| The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche has the Berliners to thank for its preservation: in 1947, the Senate had planned to demolish the Tower Ruins for safety reasons. In a referendum only about ten years later, however, one in two Berliners voted for its preservation. |
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| San Francisco's Top 10 : Grace Cathedral |
| Inspired by Notre Dame in Paris, the third largest Episcopal cathedral in the US stands on the site of Charles Crocker’s Nob Hill mansion, which was destroyed in the 1906 disaster. |
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| Washington, D.C.'s Top 10 : Washington National Cathedral |
| This glorious Gothic building is the focus of public spiritual life for the city and the nation. The structure – the sixth largest cathedral in the world – was completed in 1990, with a 10-story-high nave and a central tower 676 ft (206 m) above sea level, the highest point in the District of Columbia. |
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| Washington, D.C.'s Top 10 : Library of Congress |
| The focus of this immense library – the greatest accumulation of information and images in the world – is the magnificent Jefferson Building. Its main reading room is one of the most captivating spaces in the city, gleaming with its recently refurbished decorations. |
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| Rome's Top 10 : Galleria Borghese |
| The Borghese Gallery is one of the world’s greatest small museums. A half dozen of Bernini’s best sculptures and Caravaggio paintings casually occupy the same rooms as Classical, Renaissance and Neo-Classical works. |
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| Hong Kong's Top 10 : Stanley |
| Originally a sleepy fishing haven, Stanley was the largest settlement on Hong Kong Island before the British moved in. The modern town, hugging the southern coast, still makes a peaceful, pleasant escape from the bustle of the city. |
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| Madrid’s Top 10 : Plaza Mayor |
| Madrid’s most famous square was built on a grand scale. Capable of holding up to 50,000 people, it was intended to impress and still does. Nowadays it’s a tourist attraction first and foremost: a place for relaxing over a drink and watching the world go by. |
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