Aubrey Hilll

Stand in the middle of Nancy’s Place Stanislas and at once you feel an exhilarating sense of style and space. Around you, the magnificent Hôtel de Ville, the theater, and the Musée des Beaux Arts are as fresh and dazzling as the day they were completed more than 250 years ago. This is a lovely … Read more

More Caribbean in outlook than most of Brazil, Salvador is a laid-back town that likes to party. Music follows you wherever you go – on the beautiful palm-backed beaches or around the old district of Pelourinho, which has some of the finest colonial architecture in South America. This is the third-largest city in Brazil, and … Read more

Nowhere in Japan can you feel so close to the days of its feudal lords. Little remains of Kanazawa Castle except a rebuilt gate and walls, but within its grounds lies the exquisite samurai Seisonkaku Villa. Nearby there are samurai mansions and two geisha districts of traditional wooden buildings, including a teahouse where you will … Read more

It’s hard to think of a city center as beautiful as Isfahan’s Imam Square (see pp120–21). Nor can there be bazaars more exciting nor mosques more exquisite than the brilliantly tiled examples here. A day’s sightseeing is best ended on the two-story Khaju Bridge, where young people meet to enjoy themselves on warm desert evenings. … Read more

“The highest quality of life in South America” is a statement that’s often made about Montevideo, and it’s easy to see why. This is a prosperous, sophisticated, and relaxed city, with wide avenues, handsome European-style buildings, and all the trappings of modern life. The beaches are pretty wonderful, too. The best place for a stroll … Read more

As you wander Aix’s fountain-filled streets, you can’t help but be seduced by the joie de vivre. The town’s ongoing love affair with art can be seen in the cathedral, with treasures such as the 15th-century Burning Bush triptych by French artist Nicolas Froment.

Resplendent with a score of maharajas’ palaces, the “City of Lakes” in Rajasthan is one of the most beautiful, tranquil places on the whole subcontinent. Anybody who stays in one of the former palaces that are now hotels is liable to feel like a maharaja, too. City Palace is the largest in Rajasthan and dominates … Read more

History runs deep in Quebec City. The French-speaking town on the St. Lawrence River has North America’s only fortified old town outside Mexico, and you can walk its walls. Dominating the old town is the French-style Château Frontenac, with its turrets, towers, and steep green copper roof. The hotel’s sumptuous public salons are an excellent … Read more

The Habsburgs seem to live on in this sunny city in southeast Austria, with its old regime of grand palaces, spires, and cobbled courtyards. Unblemished by war, its architectural mix – from Italian Renaissance to Baroque – gives the city a solid, confident air. But not all is old – there’s a brand-new art gallery … Read more

Set between desert and mountain snows, Sedona is hauntingly beautiful. The city is known for its massive red sandstone rocks and rich cultural life, which includes the Sedona International Film Festival and various music events. Shops offer crystals, amulets, and other healing devices that appeal to New Age visitors who are convinced the Native Americans … Read more