Architecture

Vienna is more than just a city; it's a grand stage where history, art, and modern life perform a captivating waltz. Once the heart of the Habsburg Empire, its streets echo with the genius of Mozart and the ideas of Freud. But what truly makes Vienna special? Perhaps it's the way a grand imperial palace can sit just a short ride away from a wonderfully bizarre apartment block, or how the aroma of coffee and cake drifts from centuries-old coffee houses. Let's explore some of the most compelling experiences this remarkable city has to offer.

Ronda, split by the Tajo gorge and spanned by the Puente Nuevo of 1793, with Arab baths, a water mine cut inside the rock and one of the oldest bullrings in Spain.

The capital of Andalucia: the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, the Giralda, the Alcazar that is still a working royal palace, and a city centre closed to traffic since 2006.

Cordoba beyond the Mezquita: the Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs, the old Jewish quarter and its synagogue, the Roman bridge, and Medina Azahara outside the city.

The Leaning Tower is Pisa cathedral's bell tower, not a building beside it. Siena's cathedral is thirteenth-century marble, not nine-century brick. The frescoes at Monte Oliveto Maggiore are Signorelli's and Sodoma's. And Tuscany has eight World Heritage inscriptions.

Gaudi's apartment block on the Passeig de Gracia, known as La Pedrera: a stone front hung on a steel frame, no load-bearing internal walls, and the witch-scarer chimneys on the roof.

Gaudi's hillside park above Gracia, built as a housing estate that failed. The monumental zone is ticketed, timed and capped, and must be booked; the woods above remain free.

Antoni Gaudi's buildings in Barcelona: the Sagrada Familia, Park Guell and Casa Mila have pages of their own, with Casa Batllo, Casa Vicens, Palau Guell and the crypt at Colonia Guell beside them.