With more than six million visitors, over five million litres of beer, 200,000 pairs of pork sausages, and 100 spit-roasted oxen – Munich’s Oktoberfest is the largest folk fair in the world. At the foot of the Bavaria statue, a huge field, the Theresienwiese (Wiesn for short), is transformed into a fairground with beer tents … Read more

As recently as 1995 Chicago’s Navy Pier was a drab slab of concrete projecting into Lake Michigan, formerly used as a military and freight terminal. But a huge effort to funnel locals and tourists onto the Pier has seen the installation of a variety of attractions on the waterfront – for kids as well as … Read more

The eponymous John G. Shedd, president of Marshall Field’s department store, donated this Beaux Arts aquarium to Chicago in 1929. One of the city’s top attractions ever since, it houses some 25,500 marine animals representing 2,100 different species that include amphibians, fish, and aquatic mammals. The latter romp in the saltwater of the 1991-built glass-walled … Read more

Beijing’s most spectacular place of worship is also the most famous Buddhist temple outside of Tibet. It has five main halls, as well as some stunning statuary. The path through the Lama Temple proceeds from south to north – from earth to heaven. 12 Yonghe Gong Dajie 6404 4499 Subway: Yonghe Gong Open: Apr–Oct 9am–4.30pm … Read more

An imperial garden for more than a thousand years, Bei Hai was opened to the public in 1925. Filled with artificial hills, pavilions, and temples, it is associated with Kublai Khan, who redesigned it during the Mongol Yuan dynasty. These days, it is a fine place for a leisurely afternoon stroll, and perhaps a bit … Read more

Madrid’s most famous square was built on a grand scale. Capable of holding up to 50,000 people, it was intended to impress and still does. Nowadays it’s a tourist attraction first and foremost: a place for relaxing over a drink and watching the world go by. Originally known as Plaza de Arrabal (“Outskirts Square”) because … Read more

This award-winning museum is also a working convent – a haven of peace and quiet after the noise and bustle of Puerta del Sol and the Gran Vía nearby. The building started out as a palace, owned by the royal treasurer, Alonso Gutiérrez, but in 1555 he sold it to the sister of Felipe II, … Read more

Originally a sleepy fishing haven, Stanley was the largest settlement on Hong Kong Island before the British moved in. The modern town, hugging the southern coast, still makes a peaceful, pleasant escape from the bustle of the city. Traffic is minimal, and the pace of life relaxed, with plenty of excellent places to eat, good … Read more

Beneath the bleaching glare of a thousand naked light bulbs, tourists and locals alike pick their way among the stalls crowding the narrow lanes of Yau Ma Tei’s Temple Street. The overwhelming array of cheap goods includes clothes, shoes, accessories, designer fakes, copy CDs, bric-a-brac and a generous helping of junk. Prices here may be … Read more

The Borghese Gallery is one of the world’s greatest small museums. A half dozen of Bernini’s best sculptures and Caravaggio paintings casually occupy the same rooms as Classical, Renaissance and Neo-Classical works. The setting is the beautiful frescoed 17th-century villa set in the greenery of Villa Borghese park, all of which once belonged to the … Read more

This rich archaeological zone, rudely intruded upon by Mussolini’s Via dei Fori Imperiali, contains some of the most grandiose and noteworthy of Rome’s ancient remains. Dominating the area is the mighty shell of the Colosseum, constructed in AD 72–80 under the Flavian emperors and originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre. The quarter also holds other … Read more

The focus of this immense library – the greatest accumulation of information and images in the world – is the magnificent Jefferson Building. Its main reading room is one of the most captivating spaces in the city, gleaming with its recently refurbished decorations. Collections encompass many subjects – the law library is especially notable, as … Read more

This glorious Gothic building is the focus of public spiritual life for the city and the nation. The structure – the sixth largest cathedral in the world – was completed in 1990, with a 10-story-high nave and a central tower 676 ft (206 m) above sea level, the highest point in the District of Columbia. … Read more

Inspired by Notre Dame in Paris, the third largest Episcopal cathedral in the US stands on the site of Charles Crocker’s Nob Hill mansion, which was destroyed in the 1906 disaster. Work began on it in 1910 but was not finally completed until 1964. It is constructed of steel and concrete, despite its Gothic look, … Read more

Founded in 1935, the SFMOMA is the only museum in the western US devoted to collecting and exhibiting the full scope of modern and contemporary art, and second only to New York’s MOMA. The landmark museum moved to its wonderful Post-Modernist setting in the burgeoning South of Market neighborhood (see The Rise of South of … Read more

Yerba Buena Gardens’ Features Map of Yerba Buena Gardens Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Gallery Changing exhibitions here explore issues of race, class, gender, history, technology, and art itself. There are temporary exhibitions. 701 Mission St Open noon–8pm Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun Dis. access Adm www.ybca.org Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater … Read more

One of the most haunting symbols of Berlin, the ruins of the memorial church in the heart of the city’s West End, have been irreverently nicknamed “the hollow tooth”. The Neo-Romanesque church was given the name of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in 1895, to honour Wilhelm I. Following damage by severe bombing raids in 1943, … Read more

The construction of Schloss Charlottenburg, designed as a summer residence for Sophie Charlotte, wife of the Elector Friedrich III, began in 1695. Between 1701 and 1713 Johann Friedrich Eosander added a cupola and the Orangerie was extended. Today, it has been extensively renovated. Spandauer Damm Admission charge in all museums Two-day ticket for all museums: … Read more

Palace Rooms The new wing Neuer Pavillon Goldene Galerie The festival salon in the Neuer Flügel, 42 m (138 ft) long, was designed, in the Rococo style, by G W von Knobelsdorff for Frederick the Great. The richly ornamented room has a cheerful appearance. Eichengalerie The wooden panelling of the so-called oak gallery is carved … Read more

Opened in 1897 as the national gallery of British art, the magnificent collection at London’s first Tate gallery ranges from 1500 to the present day. Its founder was Henry Tate (1819–99) who made his fortune from sugar. The collection contains works by all Britain’s major painters, and was greatly added to by J M W … Read more