Midtown Museums & Art Morgan Library & Museum The library reopened in 2006 after a major expansion to hold this private collection of rare books, prints, and manuscripts . 225 Madison Ave at 36th St Open 10:30am–5pm Tue–Thu (to 9pm Fri), 10am–6pm Sat & Sun Admission charge Morgan Library Museum of Modern Art Reopened in … Read more

The 3rd-century Aurelian walls are still largely intact and served as the defence of the city for 1,600 years until Italian Unification was achieved in 1870. After that, the walls were pierced in several places so that traffic could bypass the old gates and the modern city quickly sprawled far and wide in every direction. … Read more

A Morning Walk on the Appia Antica Start at the Porta San Sebastiano, the grandest city gate of them all, where you can visit the Museo delle Mura . Climb the stairs for great views. From here, continue straight on along the Via Appia Antica . One of the first sights you’ll come to, on … Read more

Potsdam is an important part of European cultural history – a splendid centre of European Enlightenment, which reached its climax in the 18th century in the architectural and artistic design of Frederick the Great’s palace. The palace complex of Sanssouci, with its beautiful, extensive park, is both magnificent and playful and has been designated a … Read more

A Day in Potsdam Morning Begin your exploration in the Schlosspark Sanssouci as early as possible in order to get ahead of the daily influx of visitors. Start with Schloss Sanssouci and Neues Palais then visit Chinesische Haus, Römische Bäder and Orangerie. From the orangery’s viewing terrace you will have magnificent views over the entire … Read more

The ancient square mile of London, defined roughly by the walls of the Roman city, is a curious mixture of streets and lanes with medieval names, state-of-the-art finance houses and no fewer than 38 churches, many of them, including St Paul’s Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Don’t miss the City’s old markets: Smithfield still … Read more

City Churches to Visit St Paul’s Cathedral St Paul’s Cathedral St Bartholomew-the-Great One of London’s oldest churches, St Bartholomew, was built in the 12th century. Several Norman architectural details may be seen. West Smithfield EC1 Open 8:30am–5pm (4pm in winter) Mon–Fri, 10:30am–4pm Sat, 8:30am–8pm Sun Adm St Mary-le-Bow Located in Cheapside, St Mary-le-Bow was rebuilt … Read more

Chaillot was a separate village until the 19th century, when it was swallowed up by the growing city and bestowed with wide avenues and lavish mansions during the Second Empire building spree. Its centrepiece is the glorious Palais de Chaillot which stands on top of the small Chaillot hill, its wide white-stone wings embracing the … Read more

A Day in Chaillot Morning It would be hard to imagine a better start to a day in Paris than going to the Palais de Chaillot and seeing the perfect view it has across the Seine to the Eiffel Tower . Then tour the fascinating collections of the Cité de l’Architecture and, if marine history … Read more

When New York’s upper crust moved uptown a century ago, their destination was the Upper East Side, and it is still the address of choice for many wealthy families. Most of the older Beaux Arts mansions around 5th Avenue are now occupied by embassies or museums; today’s elite live in the solid apartment buildings that … Read more

A Day Exploring the Upper East Side Morning Start at the Guggenheim and admire Frank Lloyd Wright’s great architectural achievement before seeing the fine modern art collection. “Must sees” include Chagall’s Paris Through the Window, Modigliani’s Nude, and Picasso’s Woman Ironing. Stop for coffee at the café on the main floor of the museum before … Read more

Beyond Regent’s Park and the railway termini of Euston, King’s Cross and St Pancras, North London drifts up into areas that were once distant villages where the rich built their country mansions to escape the city. Many of these houses remain and several are open for the public to wander around and imagine a bygone … Read more

Exploring the North Morning Starting at Hampstead tube station, head left down pretty Flask Walk (The Flask pub once sold spa water) to the local museum in Burgh House for some background on the area. Then spend some time exploring the many attractive back streets, which are lined with expensive Georgian houses and mansions. Visit … Read more

Painters and poets, from Picasso to Apollinaire, put the “art” in Montmartre, and it will forever be associated with their Bohemian lifestyles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There are plenty of artists around today too, painting quick-fire portraits of tourists in the place du Tertre. The area’s name comes from “Mount of … Read more

A Day in Montmartre Morning As with all the city’s busy attractions, the sooner you get to Sacré-Coeur the more you will have it to yourself – it opens at 8am. Later in the morning, enjoy the bustle of Montmartre with tourists having their portraits painted by the area’s street artists in the place du … Read more

Cabarets and Clubs Au Lapin Agile Poets and artists not only drank in this cabaret club, some such as Renoir and Verlaine also laid tables. Picasso even paid his bill with one of his Harlequin paintings (see Au Lapin Agile). Au Lapin Agile Moulin Rouge As old as the Eiffel Tower (1889) and as much … Read more

This area did not begin to develop until the 1870s, when the 9th Avenue El went up, making it possible to commute to midtown. When the Dakota, New York’s first luxury apartment building, was completed in 1884, it was followed by others on Central Park West and Broadway, while side streets were filled with handsome … Read more

Walk on the West Side Morning Begin at Lincoln Center and admire the plaza, the Chagall windows at the Metropolitan Opera, and the Henry Moore statue in front of Lincoln Center Theater. The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts on Amsterdam Avenue, behind the theater, is notable for its enormous collection of books … Read more

The palaces that once graced London’s river to the south and west of the city centre were built in places that remain popular today, from Hampton Court and Richmond in the west, downriver to Greenwich. There, on a deep meander in the Thames, a vast Tudor palace was the dramatic first sight of the city … Read more

A Day Exploring Maritime Greenwich Morning Start the day from Westminster Pier, because the best way to arrive at Greenwich is by boat. The journey takes 50–60 minutes and there are terrific river sights on the way. The old tea clipper Cutty Sark is undergoing restoration until 2010 but the visitor centre is worth a … Read more