Browsing: City Culture

Belfast had never been on my agenda, but it was the lure of the award-winning museum, Titanic Belfast, which initially captured my attention. I’m so glad it did, or I would never have discovered what a captivating city Belfast is. When I subsequently found out that it’s possible to take an easy day trip from the city to the natural wonder of the Giant’s Causeway, it clinched the deal.

Often overlooked by visitors who flock …

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Inside the vibrant district of style, art, and food, expanding Miami’s travel landscape

In just over two decades, the Miami district of Wynwood has been making its own distinctive mark on the city’s wider landscape thanks to a growing arts and lifestyle presence here – and all inside what was once an unknown industrial and warehouse neighborhood.  That transformation into a forward-thinking, creative, and small-business community includes a significant number of Afro-American and African-Caribbean entrepreneurs …

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Mongolia needs to be approached not as a checklist destination but as a study in contrast—between nomadic past and urban present, isolation and global ambition.

Its capital, Ulaanbaatar, is not a city that eases you in gently. It rises from the Tuul River valley in a sweep of concrete towers, Buddhist monasteries, Soviet-era blocks and distant mountains that seem to hold the capital in a quiet embrace. Bordering the vast expanse of Bogd Khan Uul …

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Budapest is one of the largest and most well-known cities on the Danube River in Hungary. It’s a town of many faces as it’s actually divided between “Buda” and “Pest.” You could easily fill a week in this city, but if you’re short on time, make sure you hit the highlights. You’ll quickly find out how this city played a big part in World War II and has come to be known as the “Jewel …

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Wrapped by the sea on three sides and claiming three millennia of continuous habitation, Cádiz stands as Western Europe’s oldest city—yet it remains one of Spain’s most underappreciated destinations. While masses descend upon Barcelona and Seville, this Andalusian port city maintains an authenticity that has become increasingly rare along heavily touristed Mediterranean coasts. Here, the Atlantic crashes against Phoenician foundations, baroque churches rise above faded colonial facades, and the smell of fried fish drifts through …

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Exciting news – I’ve found a country I like so much that I’m planning to return time and time again.

After a wonderful week in Panama, I’m already itching to go back for more exploring. It’s got exactly what I’m looking for in a holiday, all in such a compact place that you can do everything almost instantly. If you want a beach, there are some tiny Caribbean islands with turquoise water and only a …

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Let’s get a few things straight. First off, Oxford University is not in London. Oxford is in Oxford, approximately 60 miles northwest of the United Kingdom’s capital city. Secondly, there is no “campus”; the University is comprised of over three dozen colleges and private halls which are spread across the aptly named “city of dreaming spires.” Finally, the University was conceived as an institution of higher learning—one of the world’s most prestigious, in fact—and …

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Upon arriving in Lyon, France’s third-largest city and textile capital, it took me all of twenty minutes to figure out how French women maintain their slim figures.

They walk everywhere. And in a city like Lyon, where the topography rivals that of San Francisco, there’s nothing even remotely simple about a “simple stroll” through the boutiques of the Côte de Grande.

Fortunately, the city boasts a surprising number of alternatives—nine to be exact—thus proving that …

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I’d heard about Savannah’s charm for years, but nothing quite prepared me for the reality of stepping into what felt like a picture-perfect movie set. From the moment I arrived, I was struck by something unexpected: the cleanliness. The streets were immaculate, the squares meticulously maintained, and everywhere I looked, people were unfailingly polite—holding doors, offering directions, greeting me with genuine Southern hospitality.

Savannah’s layout is unlike any American city I’ve visited. General James Oglethorpe …

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Each year, as the air turns crisp and city lights glow a little warmer, New York City enters a season unlike any other. Between late November and early January, the city becomes a living celebration — from parades and public art to Broadway marquees and winter markets. For visitors, these weeks offer a chance to witness the city in full holiday splendor, shaped not just by tradition but by the energy of the moment.

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Easily accessible from the capital of Brussels, Ghent has been Europe’s best-kept secret for many years. The second largest city in the Flanders region of Belgium, after Antwerp, it’s an enchanting and often overlooked destination. Situated on the confluence of the rivers Leie and Scheldt, Ghent is packed with fascinating architecture, scenic canals, chocolate shops, and bicycles. With a cosy vibe, it has a compact and walkable center, and all the main attractions are located …

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Few passengers careening between tube stations know there is an underground city beneath London.

In the 19th century, digging deep-level underwater tunnels was hazardous. Numerous attempts to cross the Thames underground had failed, with many lives lost. Today, the East London Line uses Brunel’s Thames Tunnel, being the first successful under-Thames crossing.

When steam traction was exchanged for electricity, deeper tunnels could be dug using compressed air and a large circular drilling shield, which was …

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There are many nicknames for the city of San Francisco, including “The City.” There is “415” – the area code, “San Fran” – (don’t use this one), “Fog City” – self-explanatory, “Golden Gate City” – for the bridge, and even “Baghdad by the Bay” – with reference to the cosmopolitan nature of the population, much like that of pre-war Baghdad. Lately, The City …

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Founded in 1533 by the Spanish, Cartagena is situated on the northern Caribbean coast of Colombia and was Spain’s gateway to its new empire. Trading in gold, silver, tobacco, and, regrettably, enslaved people, the city boomed. These days, Cartagena draws tourists from all over the world, many of them arriving on cruise ships to explore the cobbled streets and colonial buildings of the colorful old city.

The historic streets of Cartagena’s old city are full …

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