Historical rankings
Cities known for this, ordered by which countries are the best value right now.
India's sprawling capital, where Mughal forts and colonial boulevards give way to the tangled lanes of Old Delhi.
The jewel of the Silk Road, where the turquoise domes and tiled madrasas of Registan Square glow gold at sunset.
A living museum of Silk Road trade, its old town dense with caravanserais, trading domes and thousand-year-old minarets.
The only city spanning two continents, layering Byzantine domes, Ottoman palaces and grand bazaars along the Bosphorus.
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.
The Red City of labyrinthine souks and palaces, where snake charmers and storytellers fill Jemaa el-Fnaa square at dusk.
Morocco's spiritual capital, home to the world's largest car-free medina and centuries-old tanneries and madrasas.
A world capital where royal palaces, riverside icons and 300-plus museums crowd both banks of the Thames.
