At the end of a tough business day, there’s nothing quite like having your body steamed and pummelled amid the grandeur of a 16th-century Ottoman bath palace, or swimming in healing waters amid marble columns in Art Nouveau splendour. Sue Dobson samples the delights of Budapest

At the heart of southern Asia, bordered by China, India, Afghanistan and Iran, Pakistan is a hidden gem full of wonders rarely seen by many westerners. In large part this is due to years of turmoil; an uneasy relationship with India and extremist Islam have marred its reputation as a destination. To the everyday Pakistani, […]

Nestled in the packed heartland of Europe, Hungary is often overlooked by nations further west, yet this former world power still has a lot going for it. Split by the glorious Danube, it’s varied and forgiving terrain provides ample opportunities for fishing, horse riding, botany, bird-watching, cycling and a host of other outdoor pursuits; meanwhile, […]

An island of golden, tropical beaches and tranquil tea plantations hidden in green mountain valleys, Sri Lanka is a cricket-obsessed island off the southern tip of India. Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim influences are overlaid with the legacy of British rule. The classic countryside comes complete with ancient cities and colonial artefacts, not to mention busy […]

At the end of the last ice age, as polar caps retreated, the Sami were so enamoured with the ice that they followed it all the way north and still dwell there today, in the Sápmi region of Scandinavia. The haunting spirituality with which the wilderness affects the populace should not be underestimated; to understand […]

The United Arab Emirates is a marvellously contradictory nation, where conspicuous consumption and ostentation hold hands with traditional Muslim conservatism and a Bedouin culture than continues to thrive in the country’s deserts. Dubai, the city which invented the ‘shopping festival’, dazzles with its ultra-modern skyline and ever-present glamour. Yet the desert sands beyond tell a […]

New York is about far more than bricks and mortar, or even the people who inhabit it. It’s importance to the nation runs deeper even than its status as the world’s second biggest financial centre. The streets aren’t quite paved with gold, but to some they might as well be; New York is the embodiment […]

From rather modest beginnings in 1847, when it was founded as a Mormon retreat by the prophet Brigham Young, Salt Lake City boomed with the laying of the first transcontinental railway through the town. Originally populated by religious converts, the discovery of mineral wealth in the surrounding country brought greater economic prosperity, and today the […]

Perched on an isolated peninsula on the Saudi coast, Qatar defies easy stereotypes. Since gaining full sovereignty, following independence from the UK in 1971, the country has really begun to find its feet after a bloodless coup in 1995, which saw Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani seize power from his father and proceed with a […]

The Paradise Falls in Disney’s 2009 smash Up may not have been real, but it was inspired by the stunning geology and ‘Lost World’ feel of Venezuela’s Canaima National Park. Angel Falls, an incredible cascade that tumbles from the cliffs of Auyantepui mountain, is the world’s highest, while the breathtaking table top tepui and giant […]

Nestled between the Andes and the Pacific, with over 6,000km of coastline riddled with fjords, inlets and islands, Chile is blessed with an unusual geography that encompasses desert, forest, vast glacier and rolling grassland. It is also a South American success story – it has, among other things, the highest level of development, economic freedom […]

Nepal, home to eight of the world’s ten highest mountains, is a hiker’s paradise that attracts mountaineers and thrill-seekers from all over the globe. The Kathmandu valley is home to some of the most striking sculpture and architecture you are ever likely to see. Yet beneath this veneer, Nepal is a troubled country; one of […]