Big-city explorations, around the world.

Yoshkar-Ola

Capital of the Mari El republic in Russia's Volga region, Yoshkar-Ola sits along the river and has built a reputation for a dense café and restaurant scene i…

Padang

Padang cuisine — the fiery, coconut-rich cooking of the Minangkabau people — takes its name from this large city on the west coast of Sumatra, the capital of…

Beylikdüzü

A residential district on Istanbul's European shore, Beylikdüzü offers a walkable waterfront promenade along the Sea of Marmara, with red-roofed houses climb…

Bergedorf

The largest of Hamburg's seven boroughs, Bergedorf stretches across the city's southeastern edge, covering more green and agricultural land than any other bo…

Bucaramanga

A large Colombian city in the Santander department, set on the Eastern Andes above the Río de Oro, Bucaramanga has an exceptionally dense café and restaurant…

Nha Trang

Vietnam's most prominent seaside resort city, Nha Trang sits on the South Central Coast with a long beach, a dense café and restaurant scene, and a reputatio…

Campos dos Goytacazes

A large city in northern Rio de Janeiro state with a centre that holds many historic churches, Campos dos Goytacazes sits on the water and lies within reach…

Vientiane

Pha That Luang, Laos's most important national monument and a symbol of Buddhism in the country, stands in Vientiane, the capital city on the Mekong River.

Popayán

Known as Colombia's "white city" for its colonial-era buildings, Popayán is a mountain city in southwestern Colombia with a historic centre dense with church…

Loja

Known across Ecuador as the country's "musical capital" and "cultural capital," Loja is a southern highland city founded in 1548, threaded by three rivers an…

Jinju

Jinju Fortress, the site of two pivotal sieges during the 1592–93 Imjin War, anchors this South Gyeongsang city on the Nam River in South Korea.

Dayr az Zawr

Sitting on the Euphrates in eastern Syria, Deir ez-Zor is the largest city in the region and the administrative capital of its governorate.

Hull

A port city on the Humber Estuary in Yorkshire with over 800 years of seafaring history, Hull pairs a walkable old town dense with listed buildings and histo…

Saint-Denis

This coastal city at the northern tip of Réunion island in the Indian Ocean is the French overseas department's administrative capital, with an exceptionally…

Veracruz

Mexico's oldest and historically most significant port, Veracruz was founded by Hernán Cortés on 22 April 1519 as Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz — the first Span…

Trujillo

Chan Chan, the largest adobe city in the ancient world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986, sits within the metropolitan area of this large coastal c…

Villavicencio

The main commercial hub of Colombia's vast eastern plains (the Llanos Orientales), Villavicencio sits at the foot of the Andes along the Guatiquía River, ear…

Takamatsu

This densely built Japanese city spreading to the shore of an island-dotted inland sea, Takamatsu rewards visitors with a lively dining scene, nearby viewpoi…

Blumenau

Founded on 2 September 1850 by German chemist Hermann Blumenau, this Santa Catarina city in the Itajaí Valley is home to the second-largest Oktoberfest in th…

Zhangzhou

A large coastal city in Fujian facing the Taiwan Strait, Zhangzhou pairs a working harbour dense with fishing boats and pleasure craft with historic churches…

Niigata

Japan's largest city on the Sea of Japan coast, Niigata sits directly on the water with views toward Sado Island and the mountains beyond.

Salé

A large Moroccan city on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, directly across from the capital Rabat, Salé preserves a historic medina with major monument…

Tacloban City

Tacloban City sits on the waterfront of Leyte island in the Eastern Visayas, with a walkable centre dense with cafés and restaurants.

Natal

Founded on Christmas Day in 1599 on the banks of the Potengi River, Natal is the coastal capital of Rio Grande do Norte in northeastern Brazil, with Atlantic…

Hama

Hama's seventeen norias — waterwheel monuments on the Orontes River claimed to date back to 1100 BC — are the defining image of this west-central Syrian city…

Suez

Suez sits where the Suez Canal meets the Red Sea, a large Egyptian port city whose strategic position has shaped it for millennia — its ancient predecessor,…

Qujing

A large Chinese city on the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau, where a grand historic gate tower with traditional curved rooflines anchors a broad boulevard cutting thr…

Palu

Palu sits at the mouth of the Palu River on Sulawesi's northwestern coast, with a walkable centre offering cafés and restaurants along the waterfront and mou…

Kurume

A sprawling Japanese city spread across a flat plain in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kurume offers a lively eating and drinking scene, a riverside setting, and easy a…

Guiyang

Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province in southwest China, sits on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau at high elevation, surrounded by mountains and forests, with…

Mardan

Mardan, the second largest city in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, sits close to two of the region's most historically significant sites: the Ashoka…

Toyama

Coastal city on the Sea of Japan in central Honshū, Toyama offers mountain views inland and a dense café and restaurant scene, with UNESCO World Heritage sit…

Leshan

The Leshan Giant Buddha — carved into a clifftop at the confluence of the Dadu, Min, and Qingyi rivers during the Tang dynasty — draws visitors to this large…

Battalgazi district

Aslantepe Höyüğü, the ancient mound identified as the original founding site of Malatya, lies within Battalgazi, a large district in eastern Turkey's Malatya…

Da Nang

A large coastal city in central Vietnam with a dense café and restaurant scene, long beaches within walking distance, and mountains close by offering scenic…

Campina Grande

Campina Grande, a city in Brazil's Paraíba state, draws countrywide attention for its month-long Saint John's Festival in June — billed as the world's larges…

Adıyaman

This mid-sized southeastern Turkish city spread across a broad agricultural plain, viewed dramatically from pine-forested uplands above, with a lake visible…

Freetown

Founded on 11 March 1792 as a settlement for freed and liberated Africans, Freetown is Sierra Leone's capital and largest city, set on the south bank of the…

Santa Maria

A university city in the geographical centre of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost state, Santa Maria has a walkable centre with a dense café and resta…

Uitenhage

Uitenhage (officially renamed Kariega) is a South African city in the Eastern Cape, best known as the site of the largest car factory on the African continen…

Denizli

Denizli is the main gateway city for Pamukkale, the UNESCO-listed mineral-terraced hillside and hot springs that draw visitors from across Turkey and beyond.

Abeokuta

Olumo Rock, a giant granite outcrop that gave the city its name — "under the rock" in Yoruba — is the defining landmark of Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun Stat…

Johor Bahru

Johor Bahru, the capital of Malaysia's Johor state, sits at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula directly across from Singapore, connected by the Johor-Si…

Guigang

This large city in eastern Guangxi known historically as "Distinguished Harbour," Guigang sits where the Yujiang and Qianjiang rivers meet to form the Xunjia…

Hetauda

Hetauda sits at the eastern edge of the Chitwan Valley where the Chure hills meet the lowlands of central Nepal, making it a natural base for exploring the s…

León de Los Aldama

León de los Aldama is one of Mexico's largest cities and the undisputed economic capital of Guanajuato state, built around a leather industry that has shaped…

Ras al-Khaimah

Ras al-Khaimah, the capital of its namesake emirate in the United Arab Emirates, sits on a creek-divided waterfront with the Hajar Mountains visible on the h…

Holguín

Known as "the City of Parks" for the plazas that define its colonial street plan, Holguín is a large city in eastern Cuba founded in 1545.

Maringá

Planned from the ground up in 1947 by urbanist Jorge de Macedo Vieira along Garden City principles, Maringá is a large city in northwestern Paraná, Brazil, w…

Pereira

This coffee-country city in the Colombian Andes, Pereira sits within the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and serves as t…

Bukavu

A large city on the south-western shore of Lake Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bukavu sits at the border with Rwanda with mountain views a…

San Luis Potosí

A large city in central Mexico whose historic centre was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 as part of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, San Lui…

Algiers

Algeria's capital and largest city sits on the western shore of a Mediterranean bay, divided between a modern coastal district and the ancient Casbah — a UNE…

New Cairo

Founded in 2000 to ease the pressure on Greater Cairo, New Cairo is a planned satellite city on the eastern arc of the capital, built around gated communitie…

Tarlac City

Busy Philippine provincial capital where a striking white-and-pink Gothic-style church anchors the walkable centre, surrounded by a lively café and restauran…

Beirut

Lebanon's capital sits on the eastern Mediterranean coast and has been continuously inhabited since at least the 15th century BC, when it appeared in the Ama…

Ta'if

A high-altitude city in western Saudi Arabia, Ta'if sits in the mountains east of Mecca — historically a summer retreat for residents of the Hijaz region tha…

Taiz

Yemen's designated cultural capital, Taiz sits high in the southwestern highlands at the foot of Jabal Sabr, one of the country's tallest peaks.

Khorramabad

This large red-brick hilltop fortress dominates this Iranian mountain-valley city, which also offers a reflective urban lake, an ancient stone arch bridge, a…

Aksaray

This Silk Road stopover city in Central Anatolia, Aksaray has a walkable centre with cafés, restaurants, and monuments predating the Ottoman era, plus early…

Zemun

A former independent town on the right bank of the Danube, Zemun is now part of Belgrade yet retains a distinct character, with a dense café and restaurant s…

Comilla

Large city in southeastern Bangladesh on the banks of the Gumti River, Comilla was once the capital of the Tripura kingdom and counts among the ancient citie…

Meknes

One of Morocco's four Imperial cities, Meknes rose to prominence under Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif in the 17th century, who built a vast palace complex and ring…

Zhaotong

Zhaotong is a large city in the northeast corner of Yunnan province, where the Jinsha River forms the boundary with Sichuan and several other rivers cut thro…

Benguela

A large Angolan Atlantic-coast city where a whitewashed baroque church with twin bell towers and ornate scrollwork façade anchors a historic centre, set agai…

Dessie

Mid-sized Ethiopian highland city spread across a green valley and ringed by dramatic rocky outcrops and layered mountain ridges, offering an authentic urban…

Brazzaville

Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, sits on the north bank of the Congo River directly across from Kinshasa — making it one of the few capital…

Petrópolis

Founded as a summer retreat for Emperor Pedro II and Brazil's 19th-century aristocracy, Petrópolis is a mountain city in Rio de Janeiro state whose centre ho…

Valencia

Venezuela's self-styled "Industrial Capital," Valencia is the country's third-largest city and the economic engine of Carabobo State, home to major national…

Jambi City

This large port city on the Batang Hari River — the longest river in Sumatra — Jambi is the provincial capital of Jambi province and a centre of oil and rubb…

Longyan

Longyan is a large city in south-western Fujian Province designated as a national Hakka cultural heritage conservation zone, where Hakka and southern Fujian…

Ōita-shi

This city on the water in Kyushu with a notably dense café and restaurant scene, Ōita is the prefectural capital of Ōita Prefecture, with mountains close by…

Gonder

Gonder served as the seat of Ethiopian emperors for some two centuries after Emperor Fasilides established his court here in 1636, leaving behind a royal enc…

Baoshan

A large city in western Yunnan with a walkable centre and a dense café and restaurant scene, Baoshan sits on the southern edge of the Hengduan Mountains, whe…

Coquimbo

Port city on Chile's Pacific coast, Coquimbo sits on a triangular peninsula in the Coquimbo Region, with a natural bay that shelters one of the region's work…

Coatzacoalcos

Port city on the Gulf of Mexico coast in southern Veracruz, Coatzacoalcos sits at the mouth of the river that shares its name — a Nahuatl word meaning "refug…

Hanzhong

Hanzhong, a large city in southwest Shaanxi, gave its name to the Han dynasty — China's first imperial golden age and the origin of the name for the country'…

Muar town

Muar — also known as Bandar Maharani, or Empress Town — is a royal city on the southern bank of the Muar River in Johor, Malaysia, with a walkable centre wel…

Manado

Coastal city on the Bay of Manado in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, with a walkable centre full of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.

Turmero

Turmero sits within the Lake Valencia basin in Venezuela's Aragua state, with the lake close at hand and mountains nearby.

Piura

Founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1532 as the first Spanish city established in South America, Piura is a large commercial city in northwestern Peru's Piura Ri…

Akashi

This Japanese castle tower rises above a canopy of green trees in this waterfront city on the Akashi Strait, with a lively dining scene and easy access to UN…

Corrientes

Founded on 3 April 1588, Corrientes is the oldest city in northeastern Argentina, sitting on a bend of the Paraná River across from its twin city Resistencia.

Bamenda

This highland city in northwestern Cameroon serves as the capital of the Northwest Region and is known for its cool climate and hilly terrain.

Takasaki

Takasaki, the largest city in Gunma Prefecture on Japan's main island of Honshu, is best known as the home of the Daruma doll — a round, weighted figure repr…

Tampico

During Mexico's first oil boom in the early 20th century, Tampico was the leading oil-exporting port of the Americas and second-busiest in the world, and the…

San Juan

Founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, San Juan is Puerto Rico's capital and one of the oldest European-established cities under United States sovereignty.

Jingdezhen

Porcelain has defined Jingdezhen for at least a thousand years, earning this Jiangxi city its reputation as China's ceramics capital.

Morioka

This city in northern Japan's Tōhoku region with a dense café and restaurant scene, Morioka serves as the capital of Iwate Prefecture and sits at the water w…

São Gonçalo

A large Brazilian city on the shores of Guanabara Bay, São Gonçalo pairs a lively urban streetscape and twin-towered historic church with calm waterfront vie…

Chimbote

Peru's largest fishing port after Callao, Chimbote sits on Ferrol Bay in the Ancash Region and has built a seafood-focused food scene around its catch — cevi…

Maebashi

The capital of Gunma Prefecture in Japan's northern Kantō region, Maebashi sits along the water with mountains visible from the city and carries a self-style…

Mianyang

The Fu River (Fujiang) runs through the heart of this large city in northern Sichuan, China's second-largest prefecture-level city in the province and the co…

Rasht

Designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2015, Rasht is the largest city on Iran's Caspian coast and the most populous in northern Iran, set betwee…

Ulaanbaatar

Founded in 1639 as a nomadic Buddhist monastery complex, Ulaanbaatar is Mongolia's capital and largest city, set in a highland valley ringed by four named mo…

Shantou

A large coastal city on the eastern shore of Guangdong, Shantou was one of the treaty ports opened to Western trade in the 19th century and later became one…

Governador Valadares

Pico da Ibituruna, a peak visible from nearly every part of the city, draws hang-gliding and paragliding competitors to Governador Valadares, a mid-sized cit…

Tegal

North-coast city in Central Java, Tegal sits on the Java Sea with mountain views to the south.

Morelia

Morelia's historic centre was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, recognised for its well-preserved colonial architecture in pink quarry stone — i…

Najran

Najran, a large city in southwestern Saudi Arabia, is home to Al-Ukhdood — an archaeological site mentioned in the Quran's Surah Al-Buruj — alongside one of…

Uberaba

Paleontologists have discovered dinosaur skeletons in and around Uberaba, earning this highland city in Brazil's Minas Gerais state the nickname "The Land of…

Wuzhou

This large city in eastern Guangxi with more than 2,000 years of history, Wuzhou sits at the confluence of the Xijiang and Guijiang rivers and serves as the…

Tétouan

Nicknamed "Granada's Daughter," Tétouan is a Moroccan city whose medina has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 — shaped by the Andalusian Muslims a…

Maputo

Mozambique's capital on the Indian Ocean, Maputo is a port city with a walkable downtown — the Baixa — dense with restaurants, music venues, and a café scene…

Nam Định

This Vietnamese city in the Red River Delta where a tall-towered Gothic-style Catholic church — its facade decorated with colorful painted panels and a rose…

Zhuhai

One of China's original special economic zones, established in 1980, Zhuhai sits where the Pearl River meets the South China Sea on Guangdong's southern coas…

João Pessoa

João Pessoa, the capital of Brazil's Paraíba state, sits at the easternmost point of the Americas — Ponta do Seixas — making it the first city on the contine…

Sandakan

A Malaysian city on the coast of Borneo, where a gold-domed mosque rises against dense tropical forest, and wildlife-rich rainforest surrounds a waterfront u…

Isparta

Rose oil production defines Isparta, a highland city in Turkey's Lakes District known as the "City of Roses." Set at elevation in western Turkey, it is also…

Karaj

One of Iran's largest cities and the capital of Alborz Province, Karaj sits close to the Alborz mountains and is nicknamed "Little Iran" for its diverse popu…

Floridsdorf

Vienna's 21st district, sitting on the north bank of the Danube, combines a dense café and restaurant scene with vineyards, parks, and listed architecture sp…

Dakar

Dakar, the capital of Senegal, sits at the westernmost tip of Africa on the narrow Cap-Vert peninsula, giving it a position where African and European cultur…

Shaoguan

This large city in northern Guangdong Province where the Zhenjiang and Wujiang rivers meet, Shaoguan has a walkable centre with a real café and restaurant sc…

Saltillo

Saltillo, the capital of Mexico's northeastern Coahuila state, is known across the design world for its thick, lightly glazed earthen ceramic floor tiles and…

Pyatigorsk

Spa city in Russia's Stavropol Krai with a long history as a balneological and mud-cure resort, Pyatigorsk sits on the Podkumok River at the edge of the Cauc…

Zagazig

Zagazig, in Egypt's eastern Nile Delta, sits on the Muweis Canal and serves as a hub of the corn and cotton trade in the Sharqia governorate.

Jepara

Jepara, a coastal city in Central Java near Mount Muria, is known across Indonesia for its Javanese teak wood carving tradition and furniture industry, and a…

Juiz de Fora

Once nicknamed "Manchester Mineira" for its early industrial prominence, Juiz de Fora is a large city in southeastern Minas Gerais, built along the Paraibuna…

Viña del Mar

A Pacific coast city founded in 1874 and known as "The Garden City," Viña del Mar sits on Valparaíso Bay in central Chile with a dense café and restaurant sc…

Lam Ha District

This sprawling Central Highlands district in Vietnam where a towering white Guanyin statue and a wide cascading waterfall rise dramatically from lush green s…

Bikaner

Founded in 1488 by the Rajput chief Rao Bika of the Rathore dynasty, Bikaner is a large city in the Thar Desert of western Rajasthan, formerly the capital of…

Cuiabá

Founded in 1719 during a gold rush on the banks of the Cuiabá River, this large Brazilian city is the capital of Mato Grosso and a gateway to the Pantanal we…

Homyel

A large river city in south-eastern Belarus, where low-rise residential neighbourhoods spread across a broad peninsula between wide waterways, backed by a co…

Liuzhou

Karst peaks rise around Liuzhou, a large industrial city in north-central Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with minority villages — Zhuang, Miao, Yao, and D…

Amman

Jordan's capital and largest city, Amman spreads across a landscape of hills and valleys, with a dense café and restaurant scene, a Roman amphitheatre, and a…

Chandrapur

Founded in the 13th century by the Gond king Khandkya Ballal Shah, Chandrapur is a fort city in eastern Maharashtra sitting at the confluence of the Erai and…

Tawau

City on the southeast coast of Sabah, Borneo, with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants and a waterfront within easy reach.

Torreón

One of Mexico's youngest cities, Torreón celebrated its centenary only in 2007, yet it carries a substantial revolutionary history — taken four times by rebe…

San Miguel de Tucumán

Argentina's declaration of independence was signed in this northern city on 9 July 1816, earning San Miguel de Tucumán the nickname "Cradle of Argentine Inde…

Porto Velho

Sitting on the eastern shore of the Madeira River, one of the Amazon's main tributaries, Porto Velho is the capital of Brazil's Rondônia state and a major tr…

Hinthada

A city on the western bank of the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region, Hinthada has a centre with a notable concentration of historic churches.

Arak

Known across Iran as the "Industrial Capital," Arak is a large city in Markazi province founded during the Qajar era and built from scratch by Yusuf Khan Gor…

Donaustadt

Vienna's 22nd district, Donaustadt ("Danube City"), combines a walkable centre with cafés and restaurants alongside vineyards on its doorstep.

Panzhihua

Sitting at the confluence of the Jinsha and Yalong Rivers in far southern Sichuan, Panzhihua is the only city in China named after a flower, and its tropical…

Kolhapur

Kolhapur, a large city on the banks of the Panchganga River in southern Maharashtra, is known across India for its Kolhapuri chappal — handcrafted braided le…

Kluang

This city in central Johor with a walkable centre known for its café and restaurant scene, Kluang sits in mountain terrain and has built a secondary identity…

Jiaozuo

Jiaozuo, a large city in northwestern Henan on the northern bank of the Yellow River, is the birthplace of tai chi and the hometown of the Three Kingdoms str…

Semarang

Large port city on Java's north coast, Semarang is the capital of Central Java and carries a substantial legacy of Dutch colonial architecture alongside a li…

Mogilev

This city in eastern Belarus with a centre dense with historic churches, Mogilev sits on the Dnieper River and serves as the regional capital of Mogilev Oblast.

Nanyang

Nanyang, in southwest Henan Province, is a large Chinese city historically associated with four celebrated figures: Zhang Heng ("sage of science"), Zhang Zho…

Tanta

The moulid of Ahmad al-Badawi, held each October at Tanta's historic Ahmadi Mosque, draws over a million visitors to this large Nile Delta city midway betwee…

Vinh

A large city on the Lam River in Vietnam's North Central Coast, Vinh has a walkable centre with a solid spread of cafés and restaurants.

Nanchong

The Jialing River, a tributary of the Yangtze, runs through the heart of this large city in northeastern Sichuan, shaping its geography as it flows south thr…

Efon-Alaaye

This densely vegetated Yoruba city in Ekiti State, where low-rise red-roofed buildings spread beneath a cloud-wrapped, forest-covered mountain that rises dra…

Santa Clara

Santa Clara, a city in central Cuba and capital of Villa Clara province, is best known as the site of the decisive 1958 battle that secured the Cuban Revolut…

Londrina

Founded in 1934 with a garden-city layout planned by urbanist Jorge Macedo Vieira, Londrina is a large city in northern Paraná, Brazil, whose name — meaning…

Sanandaj

Designated a UNESCO Creative City of Music in 2019, Sanandaj is the Kurdish cultural capital of western Iran, long known for its traditions of music, poetry,…

Jingzhou

Jingzhou, on the banks of the Yangtze River in southern Hubei, holds one of China's longest-continuously-occupied ancient city sites — a walled historic cent…

Limeira

Known internationally as Brazil's plated jewelry capital, Limeira is a mid-sized city in the state of São Paulo where more than 450 companies produce roughly…

Prome

This city on the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar's Bago Region, Pyay (formerly anglicised as Prome) has a walkable centre with a concentration…

Morogoro

A city at the foot of the Uluguru Mountains in Tanzania, a few hours' drive west of Dar es Salaam, Morogoro has a walkable centre with a real café and restau…

Cariacica

A sprawling Brazilian city in Espírito Santo's Greater Vitória metro area, where dramatic rocky peaks rise directly behind low-rise urban neighbourhoods, mak…

Pu'er City

Pu'er, a large city in southern Yunnan Province, China, is the source of Pu'er tea — a dark, aged tea that has shaped the region's economy and identity for c…

Jeju City

This coastal city on the northern shore of Jeju Island, South Korea, with a dense café and restaurant scene, scenic viewpoints in the surrounding landscape,…

Indaiatuba

This mid-sized São Paulo state city spread across rolling inland terrain, Indaiatuba glows with urban energy after dark, its low-rise residential streets giv…

Phnom Penh

Cambodia's capital since 1865, Phnom Penh sits at the confluence of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers and carries a layered history that runs from its 1372 fou…

Posadas

Sitting on the left bank of the Paraná River across from Encarnación, Paraguay, Posadas is the capital of Argentina's Misiones province and its largest city,…

São José do Rio Preto

A mid-sized Brazilian city in São Paulo state where a broad urban lakefront, palm-lined green banks, and a dense downtown skyline combine for an energetic in…

Himeji

Himeji, a large city in Japan's Hyōgo Prefecture, is home to a World Heritage-listed castle — one of the country's most celebrated feudal fortresses — set ag…

Kerman

This large city in southeastern Iran with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, Kerman sits at high elevation, giving it cooler summers than most…

Teresina

Brazil's only inland northeastern state capital, Teresina sits between the Parnaíba and Poti rivers in Piauí, with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restau…

Cúcuta

Founded as a parish in 1733 on Colombia's border with Venezuela, Cúcuta is a large Andean city that played a central role in the formation of both modern nat…

Huizhou

Large city in eastern Guangdong designated as a national historic and cultural city in 2015, Huizhou has been known since ancient times as a prominent seat o…

Shizuoka

Coastal Japanese city where a white-walled castle sits above a moat, vivid green tea fields roll across the hillsides, and a snow-capped volcanic peak domina…

Aracaju

Aracaju, the coastal capital of Brazil's Sergipe state, sits where the Sergipe and Poxim rivers meet the Atlantic, giving the city a waterfront character tha…

Guiping

Sitting at the confluence of the Qian and Yu rivers — the two primary tributaries of the Xi River — Guiping is a large city in eastern Guangxi where water de…

Montería

Sitting on the banks of the Sinú River in northern Colombia's Córdoba department, Montería is the self-styled "Pearl of the Sinú" and the country's acknowled…

Kiên Giang

Former coastal province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, Kiên Giang was long regarded as one of the region's leading cultural and tourism destinations, known for t…

Antsirabe

This highland city in central Madagascar — known locally as the "City of Water" — draws visitors with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, a cool…

Barquisimeto

Known as the "Music City of Venezuela," Barquisimeto is a large inland city in Lara State and the country's fourth-largest urban centre.

Takeo

Takeo, the provincial capital in southern Cambodia, sits within walking distance of water and within sight of mountains, with a walkable centre carrying a re…

Dingxi

Dingxi, a large city in central Gansu province, sits at the junction of the West Qinling mountains and the Loess Plateau, where the Tao River runs through it…

Makurdi

Makurdi, the capital of Benue State in central Nigeria, sits along the Benue River in a region known as the food basket of the nation, with agriculture shapi…

Sukkur

Sitting on the western bank of the Indus River in Sindh, Sukkur is a large Pakistani city with a walkable centre and a riverfront setting that defines its ch…

Zaozhuang

The 1938 Battle of Taierzhuang, one of the major engagements of the Second Sino-Japanese War, took place in this large city in southern Shandong Province, an…

Shymkent

One of Kazakhstan's three cities of republican significance, Shymkent is a large southern city with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants and a his…

Matsuyama

Matsuyama, the largest city on Shikoku island and capital of Ehime Prefecture, pairs a dense café and restaurant scene with a coastal setting and easy access…

Dimitrovgrad

Sitting on the shore of the Cheremshan Bay of the Kuibyshev Reservoir, where the Bolshoy Cheremshan River meets the water, Dimitrovgrad is a city in Ulyanovs…

San Salvador de Jujuy

Sitting at the confluence of the Grande and Xibi Xibi rivers, surrounded by mountains that carry snow in winter, San Salvador de Jujuy is the capital of Arge…

Fukuyama

A substantial Japanese city in Hiroshima Prefecture, where a dense urban skyline backed by low hills meets the waterfront, offering city-scale dining and a w…

Santo André

A dense, high-rise Brazilian city in Greater São Paulo's ABC Region, with a busy central hub of converging highways, green civic spaces, and a skyline that s…

Riobamba

Known as the "Sultana of the Andes," Riobamba is a highland city in central Ecuador ringed by volcanoes — Chimborazo, Tungurahua, El Altar, and Carihuairazo…

Toyohashi

This busy Japanese city in Aichi Prefecture where tram lines run down a wide commercial boulevard flanked by multi-storey shopfronts, with mountain silhouett…

Duhok

A city in Iraqi Kurdistan ringed by mountains, Duhok has a walkable centre with a dense café and restaurant scene and a concentration of historic churches re…

Bardhaman

City on the northern bank of the Damodar river in West Bengal, Bardhaman — also known as Burdwan — serves as the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district and…

Iwaki

Sitting on the Pacific coast of Fukushima Prefecture, Iwaki is a large city with a walkable centre offering a solid range of cafés and restaurants.

Guilin

Guilin's karst landscape — rivers threading between limestone peaks — has made this large city in Guangxi one of China's most visited destinations for centur…

Dinajpur

This city in northern Bangladesh's Rangpur Division with a walkable centre, a café and restaurant scene, and a concentration of historic churches.

Nishinomiya

Koshien Stadium, home of the Hanshin Tigers and host of Japan's annual high school baseball championship, is the defining landmark of this large Hyōgo Prefec…

Liaoyuan

A broad riverside promenade lined with stone balustrades leads the eye toward a wooded hill crowned by a multi-tiered pagoda, with a cable-stayed bridge and…

Jalalabad

Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan, served as the winter capital of the Durrani Empire under Timur Shah and carries a long c…

Oujda

Oujda, the capital of Morocco's Oriental region in the northeast, sits close to the Algerian border and within reach of both the Mediterranean coast and the…

Sanming

Sitting along the Shaxi River between the Wuyi and Daiyun mountain ranges in western Fujian Province, Sanming is a large Chinese city that serves as an impor…

Huancayo

Founded on 1 June 1572 as Santísima Trinidad de Huancayo, this large highland city in Peru's central Mantaro Valley sits high in the Andes and is crossed by…

Jundiaí

Jundiaí, a city in São Paulo state roughly midway between São Paulo and Campinas, is known for its wineries, traditional fruit farms open to visitors, and th…

Hengyang

Straddling the Xiang River at the foot of Mount Heng in central Hunan, Hengyang is a large city in southern China known historically as "Wild Goose City" — a…

Kenitra

Port city on the Sebou River in northwestern Morocco, Kenitra has a walkable centre with a dense café and restaurant scene shaped partly by French colonial-e…

São José dos Pinhais

This busy Brazilian city in Paraná's metropolitan region, where a striking white-and-grey Gothic-style church anchors a lively pedestrian square surrounded b…

Long Xuyen

This riverside city in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, Long Xuyen is the capital of An Giang Province and has a concentration of historic churches in its centre.

Ipoh

Ipoh, the capital of Malaysia's Perak state, is a large city with a well-regarded food scene built around hawker stalls and restaurants serving famous local…

Praia Grande

One of Brazil's busiest beach cities, Praia Grande sits on the southern coast of São Paulo state and draws well over a million visitors each summer season —…

Ya'an

Mengding Mountain, within Ya'an's territory, is recorded as the earliest site in the world where tea was cultivated, making this large Sichuan city a signifi…

Ninh Thuận

Ninh Thuận, a former coastal province on Vietnam's South Central Coast now merged into Khánh Hòa, was for centuries the political and cultural heart of the C…

Sagar

Highland city on a spur of the Vindhya Range in Madhya Pradesh, Sagar is home to the oldest university in the state — founded in 1946 by Sir Harisingh Gaur a…

Koidu

Koidu, the capital of Sierra Leone's Kono District in the Eastern Province, is the country's main diamond trading centre — two of the world's ten largest rou…

Isiro

Isiro, the capital of DR Congo's Haut-Uele Province in the northeast, sits at the boundary between equatorial forest and savannah, with its economy built on…

Benoni

This sprawling East Rand city in Gauteng, Benoni spreads across flat highveld terrain with a compact mid-rise centre, low-rise brick suburbs, and a mine dump…

Cabimas

The 1922 blowout of the Barroso No.

Amarah

Sitting on the Tigris River at the northern edge of the Mesopotamian marshlands, Amarah is the provincial capital of Maysan in south-eastern Iraq, known for…

Lubango

Angola's second-largest city, Lubango sits in the south of the country with a walkable centre full of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.

Barcelona

Founded in 1671 as Nueva Barcelona, this large city in northeastern Venezuela serves as the capital of Anzoátegui State and anchors a metropolitan area that…

San José

Founded in 1736, San José is Costa Rica's capital and its main hub for culture, dining, and national institutions, with a dense café and restaurant scene and…

Kadıköy

Kadıköy is the Asian-side district of Istanbul with one of the city's densest concentrations of cafés, bars, bookshops, and restaurants, spread across a wate…

Okazaki

Birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who unified Japan, Okazaki is a city in Aichi Prefecture whose reconstructed castle stands as the centrepiece of th…

Ambato

Known as the "City of Flowers and Fruits," Ambato is a highland Ecuadorian city in the Tungurahua province, set in the Andes at a temperate elevation and cro…

Ismailia

Sitting on the west bank of the Suez Canal at the point where it widens into Lake Timsah, Ismailia was built in the 19th century as the operational headquart…

Paulista

Paulista, a coastal city just north of Recife in Pernambuco, stretches along roughly 14 kilometres of Atlantic shoreline, with the Maria Farinha beach area h…

Datong

One of China's nine ancient capitals, Datong served as the capital of the Northern Wei dynasty and later as a secondary capital under the Liao and Jin dynast…

Bengkulu

Founded by the British as their main pepper-trading post and held for nearly two centuries before being exchanged for Malacca in 1824, Bengkulu is a coastal…

Adapazarı

City in Turkey's Eastern Marmara region with a walkable centre full of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, Adapazarı is the capital district of Sakary…

Jieyang

Jieyang is a large city in eastern Guangdong where the Rongjiang River winds through the urban centre before reaching the South China Sea, historically signi…

Cheongju-si

A large city in South Korea's North Chungcheong Province with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, set against mountain terrain and close to water.

San Pedro Sula

Founded on 27 June 1536 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado, San Pedro Sula is Honduras's primary industrial centre and the largest city in Central…

Mahajanga

This port city on Madagascar's northwest coast at the mouth of the Betsiboka River, where the Mozambique Channel meets the shore, Mahajanga has a walkable ce…

Chenzhou

This large city in southern Hunan Province where several rivers meet mountain terrain at the junction of Hunan, Guangdong, and Jiangxi provinces, Chenzhou si…

Wonsan

Wonsan is a port city on North Korea's eastern coast, on the Sea of Japan, that has been designated for development as a summer resort destination — a plan b…

Maiduguri

Maiduguri, the large capital of Nigeria's Borno State in the northeast, greets visitors through a bold blue ceremonial gateway arch above busy streets filled…

Russeifa

A large Jordanian city in Zarqa Governorate, Russeifa spreads across hilly terrain under wide open skies, its dense low-rise limestone buildings punctuated b…

Camagüey

Founded in 1514 and redesigned as a deliberate maze after Henry Morgan burned it in the 17th century, Camagüey is a large city in central Cuba whose irregula…

Rajshahi

Rajshahi's long-standing identity as Bangladesh's silk city makes it a practical base for buying pure silk products at prices lower than elsewhere in the cou…

Meguro City

A canal lined with dense rows of flowering cherry trees draws crowds of strollers each spring through this residential Tokyo ward, which also offers a thrivi…

Bauru

A sprawling inland city in São Paulo state, Bauru spreads across gently rolling terrain with a busy commercial boulevard, a mix of low-rise red-tile building…

Yichang

Yichang is a large city in western Hubei Province where the Yangtze River cuts through the Three Gorges, marking the boundary between the river's upper and m…

Asyut

This large city in Upper Egypt on the Nile, Asyut is home to one of Egypt's largest Coptic Christian communities, reflected in a concentration of historic ch…

Caxias do Sul

A city in the Serra Gaúcha highlands of Rio Grande do Sul with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, Caxias do Sul is the l…

Ibagué

Known across Colombia as "The Musical Capital of Colombia and America," Ibagué is a large Andean city in the Tolima department, home to the prestigious Conse…

Higashiōsaka-shi

Known across Japan as "the rugby town," Higashiōsaka is a large city in Osaka Prefecture home to Hanazono Rugby Stadium, one of the country's most celebrated…

Rio Branco

Sitting on the banks of the Acre River in the far west of Brazil, Rio Branco is the capital of Acre state and the country's westernmost state capital.

Safi

Safi is an Atlantic-facing Moroccan city with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, scenic coastal viewpoints, and a long history as Morocco's mai…

Guangyuan

Sitting on the upper Jialing River at the northern edge of the Sichuan Basin, Guangyuan is a large city in northern Sichuan that serves as the main gateway b…

Ibb

Ibb sits high in the Yemeni Mountains — historically nicknamed "The Land of Green" for the fertile, well-watered terrain that surrounds it — and serves as th…

Kumasi

Kumasi is the cultural heart of Ghana's Ashanti Region and home to the Kejetia Market, the largest market in West Africa.

Banjarmasin

Banjarmasin, the largest city in South Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, is known as the City of a Thousand Rivers — a delta settlement spread across rough…

Várzea Grande

Founded in 1867 as a military camp during the Paraguayan War, Várzea Grande sits on the right bank of the Rio Cuiabá, connected to the state capital by six b…

Seremban

This walkable city in the hill terrain of Negeri Sembilan state, Seremban is the state capital of Malaysia's west-coast Peninsular region and sits within the…

Damietta

Damietta is an Egyptian port city on the Nile Delta's eastern branch, close to where the river meets the Mediterranean near Ras al-Bar.

Tartus

A Mediterranean port city on Syria's coast with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, Tartus is the country's second larges…

Namangan

Large Uzbek city in the Fergana Valley where golden-stone mosques with tiled minarets and green domes line busy streets, offering visitors a living Central A…

Port Said

Founded in 1859 at the start of construction on the Suez Canal, Port Said sits at the northern mouth of that waterway where it meets the Mediterranean — a po…

Palmas

Planned from scratch in 1989 as the capital of the newly created state of Tocantins, Palmas is Brazil's youngest state capital and the last fully planned cit…

Suncheon

A city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, known for Suncheon Bay and set in mountain terrain with a lively café and restaurant scene.

İlkadım

This Black Sea district forms the urban core of Samsun, with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and historic churches along the coast.

Maracay

Known in Venezuela as "Ciudad Jardín" (Garden City) for its abundant green spaces, Maracay is a large city in north-central Venezuela at the foot of the coas…

Jos

Set on a high plateau in north-central Nigeria, Jos is the capital of Plateau State, known for its cool climate and dramatic mountain scenery — qualities tha…

Hegang

One of China's principal coal-producing cities, Hegang sits in Heilongjiang Province where the Lesser Khingan Range meets the Sanjiang Plain, with the Songhu…

Sinuiju

Sinuiju is a North Korean city on the Yalu River, facing the Chinese city of Dandong across the international border.

Petrolina

Petrolina, on the north bank of the São Francisco River in southern Pernambuco, has grown since the 1980s into a significant wine-producing area, with irriga…

Yangzhou

Designated a UNESCO "Creative City of Gastronomy" for its Huaiyang cuisine tradition, Yangzhou is a large historic city on the north bank of the Yangtze in c…

Biên Hòa

A large city in Dong Nai Province, northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, Biên Hòa sits on the water with a walkable centre full of cafés, restaurants, and historic…

Kumamoto

Kumamoto Castle anchors this large city on Japan's Kyushu island, the prefectural capital known for a dense café and restaurant scene and scenic surroundings…

Pristina

Kosovo's capital is a large, energetic city with an exceptionally dense café and restaurant scene spread across a centre where Ottoman-era mosques and church…

Haiphong

Vietnam's principal northern port city, Haiphong is also the gateway to Cát Bà Archipelago, home to a UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserve, and to the beach r…

Uşak

Uşak, an inland Aegean city in Türkiye, is best known for its museum housing the Lydian treasures, with canyons and ancient sites scattered through the surro…

Lusaka

Zambia's capital and largest city, Lusaka sits at high elevation on the country's central plateau and serves as the country's hub of commerce and government.

Maseru

Maseru, Lesotho's capital, spreads across a broad valley of brick and mid-rise buildings, framed by dramatic flat-topped sandstone hills that make the surrou…

Nanning

This large subtropical city in southern China known as the "Green City" for its lush foliage, Nanning is the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region…

Hsinchu

Home to the Hsinchu Science Park — headquarters of TSMC, MediaTek, and United Microelectronics Corporation — this coastal city in northwestern Taiwan is also…

San Cristóbal

Founded on 31 March 1561 by Juan de Maldonado, San Cristóbal is the capital of Venezuela's Táchira state, set in the northern Andes above the Torbes River wi…

Chamdo

Sitting at the confluence of the Jinsha, Lancang, and Nu rivers in eastern Tibet, Chamdo is a large city traditionally known as the "Pearl of Eastern Tibet"…

Sivas

A city in central Anatolia with several well-preserved 13th-century Seljuk buildings, Sivas sits high in the broad valley of the Kızılırmak river and serves…

Utsunomiya

Utsunomiya, the capital of Tochigi Prefecture in Japan's northern Kantō region, is best known for gyoza — pan-fried dumplings — with well over two hundred re…

Valledupar

Valledupar is the birthplace of vallenato, Colombia's most popular musical genre, and hosts the annual Vallenato Legend Festival that draws visitors from acr…

Jiamusi

Sitting on the Songhua River in the far northeast of Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi is a large Chinese city that faces Russia across the Ussuri River and the…

Đà Lạt

This highland city in Vietnam's Central Highlands, Đà Lạt sits roughly 1,500 metres above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau, giving it a cool, misty climate…

Suzano

A city in São Paulo state's Alto Tietê region, Suzano grew into one of the metropolitan area's significant industrial centres, with a history shaped by succe…

Shiyan

Wudang Mountain, one of the four great sacred peaks of Taoism and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, rises within Shiyan's boundaries in northwestern Hubei — maki…

Kassala

Kassala, in eastern Sudan, sits at the head of the Gash River delta against the slopes of the Taka Mountains, close to the Eritrean border.

Viet Tri

Widely regarded as the first capital of Vietnam and the origin of the Vietnamese nation, Việt Trì in Phú Thọ Province is home to the ancient capital of Văn L…

Pavlodar

A regional capital in northeastern Kazakhstan on the Irtysh River, Pavlodar has a layered history stretching from a medieval settlement during the Kimak Khan…

Dammam

Dammam sits on the Arabian Gulf coast as the administrative capital of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, with waterfront access and a position that makes it t…

Çorum

Çorum is a highland city in northern Anatolia known for its Hittite and Phrygian archaeological sites, its thermal springs, and leblebi — roasted chickpeas t…

Junagadh

Junagadh, a city in Gujarat on the Arabian Sea, sits at the foot of the Girnar hills and serves as the only base for seeing wild Asiatic lions, which survive…

Luohe

Luohe, a large city in central Henan province, is China's leading food-processing hub, home to major brands including Shuanghui (meat products), Weilong (sna…

Eyüp

Eyüp, on Istanbul's European shore at the head of the Golden Horn, draws visitors above all to the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari — companion and standard-beare…

Laayoune

Laayoune (also written El Aaiún, meaning "The Springs" in Arabic) is the largest city in Western Sahara, founded by a Spanish captain in 1938 and later the a…

Montes Claros

Regional industrial hub in northern Minas Gerais, Montes Claros is a large Brazilian city with a walkable centre holding several historic churches, including…

Musashino

This city in western Tokyo whose Kichijōji neighbourhood ranked among the most desirable places to live in central Japan in a 2019 survey, Musashino draws vi…

Merlo Partido

A large Buenos Aires Province city in Greater Buenos Aires, with a tree-lined central plaza, a landmark church tower, and a walkable café and restaurant scen…

Liupanshui

This sprawling Chinese city in western Guizhou where dense urban blocks are dramatically ringed by steep, forested karst peaks, earning it a reputation as a…

Aba

Aba is a large commercial city in southeastern Nigeria, founded by the Ngwa clan of the Igbo people as a market town and long known for its craftsmen.

Saurimo

Leafy central square fronts a white colonial-era church with an orange-tiled steeple in this sizeable Angolan provincial capital, offering a glimpse into Lun…

Shanwei

A coastal resort city in eastern Guangdong, Shanwei faces the South China Sea along a long shoreline dotted with hundreds of islands, with the Lianhua mounta…

Kelar

Mid-sized Kurdish city in Iraq's Garmian Region, Kalar sits beside the Sirwan River with a tree-lined public park and fountain visible from its elevated outs…

Menemen

Menemen, a city in İzmir Province on Turkey's Aegean coast, is known across the country for its earthenware pottery, produced here for centuries, as well as…

Tai'an

Mount Tai, revered as the greatest of China's Five Sacred Mountains and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, rises within the boundaries of this large Shandong city…

Cuito

Cuito (also spelled Kuito) is the capital of Angola's Bié Province in the central highlands, a fast-growing city within sight of mountains and a short drive…

Battagram

A compact town in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, set in a broad mountain valley at elevation, with pine-forested hillsides, terraced farmland, and a dramatic…

Xinyang

Xinyang, in southeastern Henan Province, is the birthplace of Xinyang Maojian, one of China's ten most celebrated teas, and sits at the upper reaches of the…

Mossamedes

Founded in 1840 by the Portuguese colonial administration, Mossamedes is a coastal city in southwestern Angola and the capital of Namibe Province, set where…

Rosetta

Rosetta (also known as Rashid) is the Egyptian port city where the Rosetta Stone was discovered at nearby Fort Julien in 1799, making it one of the most cons…

Chengde

Chengde, a city in Hebei Province northeast of Beijing, is best known for the Mountain Resort, a vast imperial palace and garden complex that served as the Q…

Feira de Santana

Feira de Santana is best known internationally for hosting the Micareta, Brazil's largest out-of-season carnival, and sits at the commercial heart of Bahia's…

Amagasaki

Industrial city in Hyōgo Prefecture just west of Osaka, Amagasaki has a café and restaurant scene dense enough to reward a dedicated visit, and sits directly…

Huangshan

Home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites — the granite peaks of Mount Huangshan and the ancient villages of Xidi and Hongcun — this city in southern Anhui Pro…

Moreno Partido

A large Buenos Aires Province city whose tree-lined central plaza — complete with a marble statue, ornate ironwork, and a yellow-trimmed civic building — anc…

Osogbo

Osogbo, the capital of Nigeria's Osun State, is a large city in southwest Nigeria known as a major centre for traditional fabric dyeing — a practice so centr…

Suining

This large city in eastern Sichuan, Suining sits along the Fu River as it flows south through the Sichuan Basin, joined by several tributaries along the way.

Kahramanmaraş

Kahramanmaraş — known historically as Marash and, in antiquity, as Germanicea — is a city in southern Turkey at the foot of Mount Ahır, designated a UNESCO C…

Bujumbura

Burundi's largest city and economic capital, Bujumbura sits on the shore of Lake Tanganyika in the far west of the country, with mountains close by.

Shaoxing

Shaoxing, a large city in northeastern Zhejiang, is one of China's classic Jiangnan water towns, its centre threaded with traditional bridges, canals, and wo…

Kigali

Rwanda's capital spreads across a series of hills, with a walkable centre well supplied with cafés and restaurants.

Al-Hasakah

A city in northeastern Syria where the Khabur and Jaghjagh rivers meet, Al-Hasakah is home to a concentration of historic churches in its centre, reflecting…

Jinhua

Jinhua ham, China's most celebrated dry-cured ham, originates in this large city in central Zhejiang Province, where the Jinhua River runs through a basin ri…

Ha Tinh

This city in Vietnam's North Central Coast region with a walkable centre and a dense café and restaurant scene, Ha Tinh sits close to the South China Sea and…

Bafoussam

The main city of the Bamiléké people and the commercial capital of Cameroon's West Region, Bafoussam sits in the Bamboutos Mountains with a centre that inclu…

Tianshui

Tianshui, Gansu's second-largest city, sits along the upper Wei River at the boundary of the Loess Plateau and the Qinling Mountains, and is home to the Maij…

Portoviejo

Founded on 12 March 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pacheco, Portoviejo is the capital of Ecuador's Manabí province and one of the country's major…

Neiva

Sitting on the eastern bank of the Magdalena River, with the Central and Oriental mountain ranges visible on either side, Neiva is the capital of Colombia's…

Jiangyin

This large port city on the southern bank of the Yangtze River in Jiangsu province, Jiangyin sits at one of the more significant crossings of the lower Yangt…

Arzamas

A city in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast with a walkable centre dense with historic churches, Arzamas sits on the Tyosha River roughly a hundred kilometres south of…

Cumaná

Widely regarded as the oldest continuously-inhabited city of Spanish foundation in South America, Cumaná sits at the mouth of the Manzanares River on Venezue…

Jiujiang

Sitting on the southern bank of the Yangtze River with Poyang Lake — China's largest freshwater lake — within its borders, Jiujiang is a large port city in n…

Nouakchott

Nouakchott, the capital and largest city of Mauritania, sits on the Atlantic coast and has a walkable centre with a range of cafés and restaurants.

San Miguel Partido

This city in Greater Buenos Aires whose centre has developed into a dining and entertainment hub for the northwest of the metropolitan area, drawing resident…

Siping

A large Chinese city on the Songliao Plain in Jilin Province, where a landscaped riverside walkway with wooden boardwalks, sculpted public art, and tree-line…

Boorama

Boorama, the capital of Somaliland's Awdal region in the country's west, is known as the educational heart of the Somali people, home to numerous schools, co…

Kananga

Kananga is a large city in DR Congo's Kasai-Central Province, formerly known as Luluabourg, that was once considered as a potential new national capital.

Shuangyashan

This large coal-mining city in eastern Heilongjiang Province, Shuangyashan sits along the Ussuri River, which forms the border with Russia's Khabarovsk and P…

Santiago de Querétaro

A large Mexican city whose historic centre was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, Querétaro is dense with colonial churches and a well-developed…

Khartoum

Sudan's capital sits at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers, where the two streams merge to form the Nile proper — a geographic fact that has dr…

Zhaoqing

Large city on the West River in Guangdong Province, Zhaoqing draws weekend visitors from Guangzhou and Shenzhen for its fresh air, scenic mountain surroundin…

Contagem

A sprawling Brazilian industrial city in Minas Gerais, Contagem sits within the vast Greater Belo Horizonte metro area, offering a lakeside green corridor am…

Vũng Tàu

A coastal city on a peninsula in southeastern Vietnam, Vũng Tàu draws visitors with its beaches — including Bãi Sau and Bãi Trước — a warm year-round climate…

Qinhuangdao

A coastal city in northern Hebei on the Bohai Sea, Qinhuangdao is home to the scenic areas of Shanhaiguan and Beidaihe, sits near UNESCO World Heritage sites…

Favoriten

Vienna's 10th district, Favoriten sits south of the city's historic core with a dense café and restaurant scene, many historic churches, and a heritage-rich…

Karşıyaka district

This waterfront district on the northern shore of the Gulf of İzmir, Karşıyaka has a walkable centre with a dense café and restaurant scene running along the…

Nonthaburi

This riverside city on the Chao Phraya, Nonthaburi sits just north of Bangkok and is served by the Chao Phraya Express Boat as well as the MRT Purple and Pin…

Jeonju

Designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2012, Jeonju is a large South Korean city with over 1,300 years of history and one of the country's most c…

Changzhou

Changzhou, on the southern bank of the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province, is the birthplace of Zhou Youguang, who created the pinyin romanization system.

Manisa

Spreading across the slopes of Mount Sipylus in Turkey's Aegean region, Manisa is a city known for its old mosques and a five-hundred-year-old Mesir Paste Di…

Malanje

Malanje, a provincial capital in Angola's interior, sits within reach of the Calandula waterfalls and the distinctive rock formations of Pungo Andongo, makin…

Xuchang

Xuchang, a large city in central Henan Province, is known for attractions including Baling Bridge and Chunqiu Tower, and has earned recognition as one of Chi…

Kashiwa

Known locally as "Little Shibuya," Kashiwa is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, with a notably dense café, restaurant, and shopping scene concentrated aroun…

Sohag

Busy Nile-side city in Upper Egypt, Sohag offers a palm-lined central boulevard, a domed colonial-era civic building, and a walkable café scene backed by sur…

Lishui

A city in southwestern Zhejiang province whose name translates as "Beautiful Waters," Lishui sits among the rivers and mountain ranges of the Ou River's uppe…

Kuala Terengganu

Kuala Terengganu, the royal capital and administrative centre of Terengganu state on Malaysia's East Coast, sits at the mouth of the Terengganu River facing…

Mbandaka

This river port city in DR Congo's Équateur Province, Mbandaka sits at the confluence of the Congo and Ruki rivers and serves as a significant stop on the wa…

Baise City

Baise, in the western reaches of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is best known as the site of the 1929 Baise Uprising led by Deng Xiaoping, which gives the…

Santo Domingo

Founded in 1496 by Bartolomé Colón, Santo Domingo is the oldest permanent European settlement in the Americas and home to the continent's first cathedral and…

Bharatpur

A dense roofscape of blue-washed and brick houses spreads across this flat Rajasthani city, which sits within easy reach of Agra and serves as a practical ba…

Huaibei

This large city in northern Anhui Province known historically as Xiangcheng, Huaibei rose to prominence through coal mining and is also recognized for produc…

Huambo

Designed in 1912 to become Angola's new capital — a role it held on paper until 1950 under the name Nova Lisboa — Huambo is a large city in the central highl…

Nakhon Si Thammarat

One of Thailand's most ancient cities, Nakhon Si Thammarat served as the administrative centre of the south for much of its history and was once the Kingdom…

Linyi

Large city in southeastern Shandong whose name literally means "close to the Yi River," Linyi has expanded along that river in recent years, adding recreatio…

Kisangani

Kisangani marks the farthest navigable point upstream on the Congo River, where the Boyoma Falls — a series of cataracts along a roughly 100-kilometre stretc…

Calabar

Calabar, capital of Nigeria's Cross River State, sits alongside the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and has carried a reputation as the country's tourism capita…

Jiaxing

Sitting on the Grand Canal in northern Zhejiang, Jiaxing is a historic water city with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, reachable in under an…

Kirkuk

Kirkuk, a large city in northern Iraq and capital of its governorate, sits above the ancient Kirkuk Citadel near the Khasa River and holds a walkable centre…

Cần Thơ

Floating markets on the Mekong Delta's rural canals are the defining draw of Cần Thơ, one of Vietnam's largest cities and one of its seven centrally administ…

Kuantan

Kuantan, the largest city on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, sits at the mouth of the Kuantan River along the South China Sea, with beaches and a walk…

Shahr-e Qods

Mid-size Iranian city west of Tehran, where a gold-domed shrine decorated with vivid blue tilework and Arabic calligraphy sits amid busy urban streets, with…

Owerri

Owerri, the capital of Nigeria's Imo State and the largest city in Igboland's heartland, has built a reputation as one of West Africa's liveliest cities afte…

Port-au-Prince

A dense Caribbean capital spread between turquoise harbor waters and mountain ridges, Port-au-Prince offers a walkable centre with a lively café and restaura…

Hillah

The nearest city to the ruins of ancient Babylon, Hillah sits on the Euphrates River in central Iraq, a short drive south of Baghdad.

Callao

Founded in 1537, Callao is Peru's chief seaport and the country's main gateway, sitting on the Pacific coast as part of the Lima metropolitan area.

Toamasina

Madagascar's largest port city and its second-biggest urban centre overall, Toamasina sits on the Indian Ocean's edge on the country's east coast, a short di…

Ribeirão das Neves

Sprawling Brazilian city in Minas Gerais, Ribeirão das Neves sits in hilly terrain on the edge of Greater Belo Horizonte, offering a base for exploring the w…

Lobito

This port city on Angola's Atlantic coast, Lobito serves as one of the country's main logistical hubs, with a significant harbour and rail terminals connecti…

Arusha

This large city in northern Tanzania at the foot of Mount Meru, Arusha has a walkable centre with a real café and restaurant scene and serves as the main gat…

Heyuan

Heyuan, a city in northeastern Guangdong, China, has been officially designated China's "Hometown of the Dinosaur" following the unearthing of thousands of d…

Irbid

This large city in northern Jordan with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, Irbid is the capital of its governorate and t…

Bahía Blanca Partido

A coastal city in southwestern Buenos Aires Province, Bahía Blanca has a walkable centre with a real café and restaurant scene and sits on the shore of the A…

Jixi

This coal-mining city in southeastern Heilongjiang Province, Jixi sits on the Muling River close to the Russian border, with the Ussuri River marking the bou…

Mossoró

Mossoró hosts the Auto da Liberdade, Brazil's largest open-air theatrical performance, and the Mossoró Cidade Junina, one of the country's biggest June festi…

Rangamati

Sitting on the western shore of Kaptai Lake in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts, Rangamati is a hill-district city where lake, forest, and mountain terrai…

Zunyi

Zunyi, a large city in northern Guizhou province, is best known as the site of the 1935 Zunyi Conference, where Mao Zedong first rose to leadership of the Ch…

Caruaru

Caruaru, a city in the interior of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil, hosts the Feira de Caruaru — recognized as the world's largest open-air market and desi…

Surakarta

Widely known as Solo, this large Central Javanese city carries deep royal heritage as one of two successor states to the Mataram Islamic Kingdom, established…

Helwan

This southern district of Cairo on the Nile, Helwan has roots stretching back to ancient Egyptian times and was historically known for its sulphur springs, w…

Santiago de los Caballeros

Santiago de los Caballeros, the Dominican Republic's second-largest city, has a walkable centre with a real café and restaurant scene and a concentration of…

Vitória da Conquista

The birthplace of Glauber Rocha — widely regarded as the most influential filmmaker of the Cinema Novo movement — Vitória da Conquista is a regional city in…

Changde

The Changde Poetry Wall — a flood wall along the Yuan River lined with ancient Chinese poems and listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest…

Kollam

One of India's oldest continuously inhabited cities, Kollam sits on the Arabian Sea at the southern gateway to Kerala's Backwaters, with Ashtamudi Lake on it…

Itaquaquecetuba

Founded between 1560 and 1563 by Jesuits led by Father José de Anchieta, Itaquaquecetuba — commonly shortened to Itaquá — is a large city in the Metropolitan…

Pekalongan

Batik production defines Pekalongan, a port city on the northern coast of Central Java, Indonesia, where the textile tradition is varied and distinctive enou…

Niamey

The capital of Niger and its largest city, Niamey spreads across both banks of the Niger River in the country's west, with a walkable centre that supports a…

Barueri

This city in the São Paulo metropolitan area known for its strong economy and high GDP per capita among large cities in the state, Barueri is home to Alphavi…

Kikwit

Kikwit, the largest city of Kwilu Province in southwestern DR Congo, sits at the furthest navigable point of the Kwilu River and developed from a tiny villag…

Bac Ninh

Vietnamese city whose traditional temple architecture — dark timber columns, sweeping tiled rooflines, dragon carvings, and red lanterns — anchors a lively u…

Agartala

Agartala, the capital of India's Tripura state, sits on the banks of the Haora River just a couple of kilometres from the Bangladesh border — closer to Dhaka…

Fujisawa

This sizeable Japanese city on the Shonan coast, Fujisawa pairs a lively central café and dining scene with easy access to the waterfront, upland countryside…

Rondonópolis

This regional industrial and agricultural hub in southeastern Mato Grosso, Rondonópolis sits at the junction of two major federal highways — BR-163 and BR-36…

Mixco

Guatemala's second-largest city, Mixco borders the capital to the west, separated from it by a series of canyons crossed by multiple bridges.

Akita

Modern, glass-fronted civic plaza anchors this mid-sized Japanese prefectural capital on the Sea of Japan coast, where upland scenery, a lively dining scene,…

Damanhur

A city in Egypt's western Nile Delta whose name derives from the ancient Egyptian "Dmi n Hor," meaning "city of Horus," Damanhur has held administrative impo…

Mogadishu

Mogadishu, known locally as Xamar, is the capital and largest city of Somalia, with a history stretching back over a thousand years as a major Indian Ocean t…

Chiayi City

This city in southwestern Taiwan with an exceptionally dense café and restaurant scene, Chiayi is also the starting point for the Alishan Forest Railway, a l…

Jilin City

The Songhua River — known historically as the Sungari, meaning "white river" — winds through much of Jilin City, earning this large city in northeast China t…

Lat Krabang

An eastern district of Bangkok where flat, open terrain gives way to a lively local café and restaurant scene, with Thai and royal flags lining institutional…

Pyin Oo Lwin

This hill station city in Myanmar's Mandalay Region, Pyin Oo Lwin — formerly known as Maymyo — sits at elevation in the highlands east of Mandalay, with a wa…

Córdoba

Córdoba, Argentina's second-largest city, pairs a lively café and restaurant scene with historic colonial churches, hill-framed surroundings, and a sports cu…

Harare

This sprawling upland city with a compact high-rise core giving way to tree-lined suburbs and wide open country beyond, Harare offers the energy of a major A…

Al Diwaniyah

A city in south-central Iraq and the administrative capital of Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Al Diwaniyah has a walkable centre with a café and restaurant scene.

Mito

Gravel path winds through a vast plum orchard in full bloom — white and pink blossoms canopying crowds of visitors under a clear blue sky — making this Ibara…

Nantong

Sitting where the Yangtze River meets the East China Sea, Nantong is a large port city in southeastern Jiangsu with a long history as a textile centre and a…

Manizales

Founded in 1849 in the heart of Colombia's coffee-growing Zona Cafetera, Manizales sits on the Central Andes with views toward the Nevado del Ruiz volcano.

Managua

Nicaragua's largest city and capital, Managua sits on the southwest shore of Lake Xolotlán, with a centre that has rebuilt itself around a walkable café and…

Baiyin

Named "White-Silver" after a Ming-dynasty government mining office established here, Baiyin is a mid-sized city in northeastern Gansu province whose identity…

Ouagadougou

Burkina Faso's capital and largest city, Ouagadougou is the country's cultural, economic, and administrative centre, with a walkable downtown café and restau…

Sukabumi

A mid-sized city in West Java set in the southern foothills of Mount Gede, Sukabumi sits at elevation and enjoys a cooler climate than the surrounding lowlan…

Anqing

Huangmei opera, a style of Chinese opera that rose to national prominence from the 1950s onward, originated in this large Yangtze River port city in southwes…

Berrechid

This city south of Casablanca with a walkable centre along Mohammed V Avenue — said to be the widest street in Morocco — lined with gardens, cafés, and resta…

Higashihiroshima

Sake brewing defines Higashihiroshima's Saijo district, which ranks among Japan's most recognized sake-producing areas and is home to many breweries.

Bijie

This large city in northwestern Guizhou Province where the Wu River has its source, with the Wumeng Mountains running through its territory and a landscape s…

Bunia

Bunia, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ituri Province, sits on a highland plateau between Lake Albert to the east and the Ituri Rainfor…

Yangsan

A South Korean city in Gyeongnam Province where a compact urban skyline backed by forested ridgelines meets a riverside setting, with easy access to nearby U…

Batman

This busy southeastern Turkish city on a plateau near the Tigris, with a wide tree-lined boulevard, a lively café and restaurant scene, and access to upland…

Ibaraki

Well-connected suburban city between Osaka and Kyoto, Ibaraki offers a lively dining scene, easy rail access to both historic capitals, and proximity to the…

Weifang

Known as the "Kite Capital of the World," Weifang is a large city in central Shandong Province with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants.

Nasiriyah

The closest major city to the ruins of ancient Ur, Nasiriyah sits on the lower Euphrates in southern Iraq and serves as the gateway to one of the most signif…

Quilmes

Founded in 1666, Quilmes is a city on the Río de la Plata coast in Buenos Aires province, a short distance southeast of the Argentine capital, with a walkabl…

Suqian

Birthplace of Xiang Yu, the Chu-Han warlord known as the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, Suqian is a large city in northern Jiangsu Province with more than 2,70…

Enugu

Enugu, the Igbo-language capital of Enugu State in southeastern Nigeria, grew from a coal-mining settlement founded in 1912 into one of the country's major c…

Kōriyama

This commercial hub in Fukushima Prefecture with a dense café and restaurant scene in the centre, Kōriyama is the largest city in the prefecture by populatio…

Xiangyang

One of the oldest intact city walls in China stands in Xiangyang, a large city in northern Hubei Province where the Han River divides the historic southern d…

Salihli

Salihli, a city in Turkey's Aegean region, sits close to the ancient Lydian capital of Sardis — a site on UNESCO's Tentative World Heritage List and said to…

Bida

Bida is a lively Nigerian city in Niger State where traditional craftsmanship and Islamic culture thrive, as seen in its vibrant community gatherings, embroi…

Buôn Ma Thuột

Vietnam's coffee capital, Buôn Ma Thuột is the largest city in the Central Highlands of Đắk Lắk Province, with a walkable centre dense with cafés rooted in t…

Çekmeköy

This sprawling residential district on Istanbul's Asian side, Çekmeköy offers tree-lined public squares, a modern civic centre, and easy access to the forest…

Yinchuan

Once the imperial capital of the Western Xia (Tangut) dynasty from 1038 to 1227, Yinchuan is now the large capital city of China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Reg…

Herat

Known in the Middle Ages as the Pearl of Khorasan, Herat is a large city in western Afghanistan whose Timurid-era glory is compared to Florence as a center o…

Iksan

This South Korean city in North Jeolla Province is known as the City of Jewelry, home to the Iksan Jewelry Museum and a walkable centre with a strong café an…

Fuyang

A large city in northwestern Anhui Province where the Ying River runs through the urban centre before joining the Huai River to the south, Fuyang holds sever…

Hungnam

A coastal district of North Korea's second-largest city, Hungnam sits on the East Sea with low-rise institutional buildings spread across a wide plain backed…

Toyota

Toyota, a city in Aichi Prefecture formerly known as Koromo, is defined by its identity as a company town built around Toyota Motor Corporation, one of the w…

Qitaihe

A coal-mining city in eastern Heilongjiang Province, Qitaihe sits where the Woken River crosses the terrain between the Wandashan ranges to the north and the…

Bogor

Bogor's Kebun Raya botanical garden — one of the oldest and largest in the world — sits at the heart of this large West Javanese city south of Jakarta, along…

Mbuji-Mayi

Mbuji-Mayi, formerly Bakwanga, sits atop one of the largest known diamond deposits in the world, making it the traditional centre of industrial diamond minin…

Armenia

The capital of Colombia's Quindío Department and a hub of the country's coffee-growing region, Armenia sits in mountain country with a dense café and restaur…

Al Khums

Leptis Magna, one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies on the eastern edge of Al Khums, a coastal city in n…

Hirakata

This city on the eastern edge of Osaka Prefecture, close to the border with Kyoto, Hirakata sits along the water with mountains nearby and the wider region r…

Depok

The University of Indonesia, one of the country's most prestigious universities, anchors this large city in West Java directly south of Jakarta.

Quảng Ngãi

Quảng Ngãi, a city on Vietnam's Central Coast, is most closely associated with the My Lai massacre of 1968, making it a significant stop for those tracing th…

Suita

Suita, a city in Osaka Prefecture, is known as the site of Japan's 1970 World Exposition, whose grounds are now Expo Commemoration Park — home to Taro Okamot…

Pingliang

Pingliang, a large city in eastern Gansu province, is best known for the Kongtong Mountains on its doorstep — a range sacred to Taoism and traditionally iden…

Thanh Hóa

Sitting on both banks of the Ma River, Thanh Hóa is a large provincial capital in Vietnam's North Central Coast region, with mountains visible from the city…

Gyeongsan-si

A university city on the western edge of North Gyeongsang Province, Gyeongsan sits directly against Daegu and is served by its metro network, making it a pra…

Taraz

One of Kazakhstan's oldest cities, Taraz has been a settlement for some two thousand years — a milestone UNESCO recognized in 2001 — and was a significant Si…

Sancaktepe

A large, modern district on Istanbul's Anatolian side, Sancaktepe offers a lively café and restaurant scene alongside a compact municipal stadium with a dist…

Santa Marta

Founded on 29 July 1525 by Rodrigo de Bastidas, Santa Marta is Colombia's oldest surviving city and one of the earliest Spanish settlements in South America,…

Puente Alto

Chile's most populous commune, Puente Alto sits at the south-eastern edge of Greater Santiago with the Andes close at hand and vineyards in the surrounding C…

Xingning

Xingning, a county-level city in northeastern Guangdong Province, has been a settlement since 331 AD and carries a long-standing reputation as a homeland of…

Fergana

City in the southern Fergana Valley at the foot of the Alay Mountains, with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants.

Nawabganj

Known across Bangladesh as the "mango capital," Chapai Nawabganj hosts the country's largest mango market and sits on the banks of the Mahananda River in the…

Nong Chok

This large but sparsely populated eastern Bangkok district where a white-domed mosque glows with festival lights at night, drawing crowds against a backdrop…

Bắc Giang

Compact Vietnamese city where the Thương River meets a busy transport corridor, its dense red-tile rooftops and modern commercial blocks sitting within easy…

Al Hudaydah

Yemen's principal Red Sea port and one of its largest cities, Al Hudaydah has a walkable centre with a concentration of cafés and restaurants close to the wa…

Baoji

Baoji, in western Shaanxi Province, sits where the Wei River crosses the Guanzhong Plain, with the Qinling Mountains rising to the south.

Quilpué

Known locally as "Ciudad del Sol" (City of the Sun) for its mild climate, Quilpué is a city in Chile's Valparaíso Region and part of the Greater Valparaíso m…

Akure

Busy south-western Nigerian state capital where large Anglican churches line active streets, surrounding hills offer a green backdrop, and the city's lively…

Lomé

Togo's capital on the Gulf of Guinea coast, Lomé is a large city with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.

Gunsan

This port city on South Korea's west coast where a walkable centre packed with cafés, restaurants, and historic churches meets the broad mouth of the Geum Ri…

Sakura

Sakura, a city in Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo, has a castle-town streetscape recognised as a Japanese Heritage site, and the wider region holds UNESCO Wor…

Anshun

Anshun is a large city in southwestern Guizhou Province, best known as the base for visiting Huangguoshu Waterfall, China's tallest, along with the Long Gong…

Malvinas Argentinas Partido

Large Buenos Aires suburban city whose civic center features bold Corten steel sculpture and modern brick architecture, offering easy access to the wider Gra…

Toyonaka

A dense Osaka Prefecture suburb with a lively central café and restaurant scene, Toyonaka sits within easy reach of the wider Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe region's many…

Kandahar

One of Afghanistan's oldest continuously settled cities, Kandahar was founded by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC as Alexandria Arachosia and later…

Gwangmyeong

Compact South Korean city on Seoul's southwestern edge, Gwangmyeong pairs a walkable café and dining scene with low hills rising through the urban fabric and…

Likasi

Copper-mining city in southeastern DR Congo, founded in 1916–1917 when the local mines began production and later named Jadotville in honour of engineer Jean…

Kabwe

Kabwe, the capital of Zambia's Central Province, carries a claim as the birthplace of Zambian politics, having served as a significant political centre durin…

Beihai

This large port city on the Gulf of Tonkin in southern Guangxi, Beihai has served as a gateway for international trade since ancient times — including as a d…

Haliliye district

This large urban district forming the eastern heart of Şanlıurfa, Haliliye sits close to a reservoir-dotted landscape and serves as a gateway to the wider re…

Bagerhat