Markets

Cuenca Colonial, Ecuador — unesco-listed highland city with churches, markets, and nearby national park.

Yazd Old City, Iran — adobe lanes, windcatcher towers, and courtyards at the edge of the desert.

Dusty desert town used as a base for lagoons, valleys, and starry skies.

Melanesian capital with markets and blue holes. Port Vila is low-key Pacific.

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico — highland town of churches, markets, and crisp evenings in Chiapas.

Muscat Souqs & Corniche, Oman — white buildings, forts, and a busy souq between sea and desert.

A green, hilly capital with markets, nightlife, and a gateway to gorillas. Kampala is friendly chaos.

High-altitude capital connected by a network of cable cars over the canyon.

Red walls, palm trees, and a roaring square. Marrakech is markets, riads, and sensory overload.

Africa’s largest city: music, markets, and nonstop energy. Lagos is chaos and creativity.

Art Nouveau, a huge market, and Baltic buzz. Riga is the capital of the trio.

Riga Art Nouveau District, Latvia — baltic capital with ornate facades, a vast market, and a compact old town.

Restored souq with alleyways, falcons, and a view of the modern skyline.

A medieval medina with thousands of alleys, tanneries, and mosques. Fez is North Africa's oldest university city.

Towers, souks, and a Gulf capital rebuilding. Kuwait City is modern with pockets of tradition.

Atlantic island capital with plateaus above the sea. Praia is music, markets, and ocean breeze.

Cairo, Egypt — the pyramids of Giza on the city's edge, Khan el-Khalili bazaar, and the Nile.

Colonial streets, mole and mezcal, and indigenous culture. Oaxaca is colour, food, and crafts in a highland valley.

Samarkand Registan, Uzbekistan — three madrasas facing a square on the Silk Road.

The medieval medina, tanneries, and maze-like streets. Fes is craft and chaos.

Lamu Old Town, Kenya — narrow alleys, carved doors, and donkeys on a car-free Swahili island.

Atlantic medina with wind, surf, and blue fishing boats.

West African capital on the tip of the Cap-Vert peninsula. Dakar is music, markets, and Gorée Island.

Temples, river bends, and hill country at the meeting of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar.