Festivals & seasons destinations

Japan's kitchen — a brash, food-mad city built around canals, street stalls and a landmark castle.

The old imperial capital: thousands of temples, geisha districts and bamboo groves.

Hokkaido's hub for miso ramen, powder-snow ski trips and a famous February snow festival.

Japan's first permanent capital, where free-roaming deer bow for crackers among giant Buddha halls.

A round-the-clock capital of palaces, K-beauty lanes, mountain trails and all-night eating.

The rose-hued 'Pink City' of Rajasthan, packed with hilltop forts, royal palaces and bustling bazaars.

Brazil's carnival city of samba and sunshine, strung between granite peaks, rainforest and world-famous beaches.

The Afro-Brazilian soul of the country, where pastel colonial streets pulse with capoeira, drums and beach life.

A frenetic capital of gilded temples, canal markets, rooftop bars and street food on every corner.

The laid-back northern capital, ringed by old-city temples, misty mountains and lantern-lit festivals.

Bavaria's proud capital of beer halls, baroque palaces and the world's biggest Oktoberfest.

A dreamlike city of canals and gondolas, where palazzos rise straight from the water.

Birthplace of paella, blending a medieval old town with futuristic waterfront architecture.

Birthplace of jazz, Creole cooking and a French Quarter that never quite sleeps.