Travellers'Choice

Ubud · Seminyak · Uluwatu · Indonesia

The Island of the Gods — ancient Hindu temples rise from emerald rice terraces, world-class surf meets sacred ceremony, and every dawn in Ubud's rice fields feels like a spiritual reset. Visa-free for Indian passport holders, just 6 hours from Delhi.

Westminster · Shoreditch · Notting Hill · United Kingdom

The city where 2,000 years of history share postcodes with the world's finest contemporary art, the globe's most diverse restaurant scene, and theatre that puts Broadway to shame. The British Museum, National Gallery, and Tate Modern are all free. Direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

Downtown · Marina · Deira · UAE

A city of deliberate superlatives — the world's tallest tower, largest mall, most-visited airport — set against 800-year-old gold souks and the endless Arabian desert. Direct flights from 15 Indian cities, no visa required for most Indian passport holders.

Old Quarter · Hoan Kiem · Ba Dinh · Vietnam

Vietnam's ancient capital of 1,000 years — the Old Quarter's 36 guilds still sell their original trades, egg coffee was invented here, and a 3 am bowl of pho in a back alley will rearrange your relationship with food. Visa-free for Indians up to 45 days, direct flights from Hanoi.

Île de la Cité · Montmartre · Le Marais · France

The Eiffel Tower sparkles every hour after sunset, the Louvre holds 38,000 years of human civilisation, and a croissant from a neighbourhood boulangerie at 8 am is the closest thing to perfection. Direct Air India flights from Delhi and Mumbai — the most romantic city on earth.

Colosseo · Trastevere · Vatican City · Italy

Every street corner in Rome is a 2,000-year-old classroom — the Colosseum is still the world's greatest arena, the Trevi Fountain grants wishes at midnight, and Roman carbonara is among the most perfectly engineered food on Earth. Direct flights from Delhi and Mumbai.

Medina · Djemaa el-Fna · Palmeraie · Morocco

The Red City — a labyrinthine medina of souks selling saffron, argan oil, and hand-knotted carpets, the great Jemaa el-Fnaa square alive with storytellers and snake-charmers at dusk, and riad guesthouses hiding courtyard gardens behind unmarked wooden doors.

Old City · Sukhumvit · Silom · Thailand

Gold-spired temples, street carts serving pad thai for ₹80, sky-high rooftop bars, and the world's best night markets — Bangkok is Asia's most electric city and a remarkable bargain for Indian travellers.

Heraklion · Chania · Rethymno · Greece

The largest Greek island carries 4,000 years of Minoan civilisation alongside the world's deepest gorge, extraordinary feta and olive oil, and beaches — Elafonisi's pink sand, Balos's turquoise lagoon — that appear wholly invented. Europe's most underrated island for Indian travellers.

Manhattan · Brooklyn · Queens · United States

Every neighbourhood in New York is its own city — Chinatown is Shanghai, Little Italy is Naples, Harlem is the birthplace of jazz, and the High Line turns a disused railway into the world's finest public garden. The most intense, rewarding urban experience on the planet.

Angkor · Old Market · Pub Street · Cambodia

When the morning light washes over the overgrown temples and ruins of Angkor Wat, a simple Siem Reap sunrise becomes a profound event. The ancient structures are contained within one of the largest religious complexes ever built — a civilisation recorded in stone across 400 km².

Sultanahmet · Beyoğlu · Bosphorus · Türkiye

Istanbul is the only city that straddles two continents — Europe and Asia — connected by the Bosphorus Strait. Get your history fix in Sultanahmet, home to both the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, or head to Beyoğlu for galleries and meyhane dining. Direct flights from 8 Indian cities.

Plaza de Armas · Sacred Valley · Machu Picchu · Peru

Incan majesty and Andean baroque exist side-by-side in Cusco's stone streets, and you can see the cultural melting pot for yourself in the Plaza de Armas, home to both the Qorikancha sun palace and the Cathedral. The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu are a 2-hour journey away.

Gothic Quarter · Eixample · Barceloneta · Spain

Gaudí's impossible buildings — La Sagrada Família, Park Güell, Casa Batlló — share a city with the world's best tapas bars, 4 km of Mediterranean beach, and La Rambla's perpetual carnival. Direct Air India flights from Delhi connect in under 10 hours.

Alfama · Belém · Bairro Alto · Portugal

The European city that rewards getting lost — tram 28 climbs the Alfama hill past fado houses, the Belém Tower guards the river mouth that launched the Age of Discovery, and the world's greatest custard tart (pastéis de Belém) costs €1.50 at the source.

Shinjuku · Shibuya · Asakusa · Japan

More Michelin stars than any other city on Earth, cherry blossoms along the Meguro River, the hypnotic energy of Shibuya Crossing, and a cultural richness that makes every hour feel like discovery. Direct flights from Delhi.

Thamel · Patan · Bhaktapur · Nepal

The gateway to the Himalayas holds seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in a single valley — the living goddess of Kumari, Boudhanath's spinning prayer wheels, the burning ghats of Pashupatinath, and the Swayambhunath stupa perched above a city that smells of juniper smoke.

Old Town · New Town · Leith · Scotland, UK

A city built on extinct volcanoes, haunted closes, and a literary tradition that produced Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter — Edinburgh Castle looms over a medieval skyline unchanged since the 16th century, and the Fringe Festival every August is the world's largest arts event.

El Dahar · Sahl Hasheesh · El Gouna · Egypt

Egypt's Red Sea riviera — 30+ metres of underwater visibility over intact coral reefs, 330 sunny days a year, and all-inclusive beachfront resorts that make the Mediterranean look expensive. Night snorkelling with bioluminescent plankton and a day-trip to Luxor's Valley of the Kings.

Land's End · Marina · Pedregal · Mexico

At the very tip of the Baja California Peninsula, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez, El Arco rock arch stands in the water like a natural cathedral. Whale watching (Dec–Apr), marlin fishing, glass-bottom boats over the underwater sand waterfall, and sunsets that justify every connecting flight.

North Malé · South Malé · Ari Atoll · Maldives

Overwater villas above turquoise lagoons, 30-metre underwater visibility, manta rays at Hanifaru Bay — and local island guesthouses now making paradise affordable for Indian travellers. Just 3.5 hours from Mumbai, no visa required.

Old Delhi · Lutyens · South Delhi · India

India's capital is a city of layers — the 12th-century Qutab Minar stands 73 metres tall, the Mughal Red Fort guards old Shahjahanabad, and Lutyens' vast boulevards frame a democracy of 1.4 billion. The best street food per rupee on Earth is in Chandni Chowk.

Buda Castle · Pest · Jewish Quarter · Hungary

The Danube cuts Budapest in two — Buda's hilltop castle district against Pest's grand boulevards — creating the most beautiful city in central Europe. The thermal bathhouses (Széchenyi, Gellért) are Budapest's true cultural institution: soak in 1,000-year-old waters while chess players float boards around you.

Gangnam · Jongno · Hongdae · South Korea

K-culture's global capital — tteokbokki and hotteok towers in Gwangjang Market, 700-year-old Gyeongbokgung Palace surrounded by visitors in hanbok, and the Han River's night cycling trails dotted with convenience stores selling soju at midnight.

Corniche · Yas Island · Al Mina · UAE

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque's 82 domes and 1,000 columns make it one of the most architecturally overwhelming structures ever built — and it's free to visit. The Louvre Abu Dhabi floats under a geometric dome over the Arabian Gulf, and Yas Island houses the Gulf's best theme park cluster.