Istanbul: Büyükada Island without Cars

Büyükada smells of horses, kebab, grilled fish, and sea. I found this quiet island a stark contrast to crowded, noisy and polluted Istanbul. The only sounds were the mournful cries of the seagulls, the distant blast of the ferries, and the soft clip-clop of horses’ feet shod in rubber horseshoes. Büyükada is an island without cars. True, there is the odd police car, the Coca Cola delivery truck and the garbage disposal vehicle, but there are no passenger cars. That’s the most wonderful thing about this island.

The Hague: Panorama Mesdag, an Optical Illusion

The Hague has a plethora of museums. You will need several days to visit them all. If your time is limited, be sure to visit Panorama Mesdag. This circular painting gives the impression that you are inside the painting. Panorama paintings were popular in the nineteenth century, but many were lost. The Raclawice Panorama in Wroclaw, Poland is one of the panoramas that survived, it is a monumental painting measuring 15 × 120 metre, showing the Battle of Raclawice. Panorama Mesdag is unique because it is the only panorama painting in Europe depicting an everyday scene instead of a battlefield.

Shopping in Paris

Are shopping and sightseeing the two main reasons why you would go to Paris? Excellent, because there is no better excuse. Stroll along the Champs-Élysées, mix with the rich and famous while you hunt for designer brands. Browse at Louis Vuitton and if the store is within your budget, spend between €100 and €1,000 on travel trunks or bags. Shop at the House of Guerlin. Relax in the in-house Spa and stock up on Shalimar and cutting edge fashion. Look around Le 66 displaying fashion by local and international designers.

Save Money in Amsterdam

Buy a museum pass and save money when you are in Amsterdam. The museumjaarkaart, Museum Year Pass, allows free entrance to more than 400 museums all over the Netherlands for one year. It is not promoted for tourists but if you intend to visit four museums or more, the museum card saves you money.

Berlin: Potsdamer Platz, Center for Shoppers and Movie Fans

Potsdamer Platz, rebuilt after WW II and now brimming with cutting-edge architecture. Venue of Berlin International Film Festival and a Mecca for shoppers. Come and see the cutting-edge architecture of Potsdamer Platz, also if you aren't visiting the Berlin International Film Festival. It is hard to believe that twenty years ago this square was desolate wasteland.

Top Sights of Zurich

Lined with shops from Bucherer watches to Prada handbags, Bahnhofstrasse is the place to shop and to-be-seen-shopping. This tree-lined avenue leads from the train station to Lake Zurich. Browse department stores close to the station. Then on to more serious business and see if you can afford a Vuitton handbag or a Rolex watch. Bahnofstrasse's shop windows are one of the best top sights in Zurich.

Lindt Chocolate and Sprüngli in Zurich, Switzerland

Confiserie Sprüngli is an institution in Zurich and I can never make up my mind: is it a shop or a tearoom? Bankers, office workers and Zurich housewives sit at the outdoor terrace enjoying a frothy cappuccino accompanied by friandise, petit fours and Luxemburgli. Tourists and locals walk out of the shop with elegant boxes full of Truffes du jour, Lindt chocolate bars or chocolates with the most irresistible creamy fillings.