Once in a lifetime

• 21 Ascot: a day at the races
  You  may have missed Royal Ascot itself, but there's no reason why you shouldn't visit the world's most famous race course for one of the other meetings and try your luck. And this year there's...

• 22 Meet the orang-utans in the jungle of Borneo
  Your first encounter with an orang-utan in the jungle is an unforgettable experience. Your attention is caught by a rustle of leaves or the movement of a branch, then a reddish shadow appears. Perhaps...

• 23 Sightseeing in Paris by Citroen
  There are lots of ways to travel around a city, but there's no doubt that none are quite like seeing the sights from a classic 2CV, the minimalist cuatro roues sous un parapluie – 'umbrella on four...

• 24 The world's best sunsets
  Serengeti, Tanzania People who have had the good fortune to visit the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania say that until you've seen the sun set over the great orange plains you haven't lived. The image...

• 25 Dazzling and dancing in Vienna
  The annual Life Ball has been raising funds for the fight against AIDS since 1993 and is, as the name suggests, an exuberant celebration that has gone a long way to raise awareness and set a high-profile...

• 26 It's the year 2554!
  Songkran is always a special occasion, but this year it coincides with the king's 84th birthday. In the Buddhist tradition, based on a twelve year lunar cycle, every twelfth birthday is especially important,...

• 27 Valencia lights the blue touch paper
  In the run up to March each year, the whole of Valencia focuses on Las Fallas: a fire festival par excellence, dedicated to San Jose – Saint Joseph – which celebrates the arrival of spring....

• 28 Five fine restaurants with five-star views
  Le Jules Verne, Paris Some say this is the most romantic restaurant in the City of Love, perhaps in the whole world. Even if it isn't, it's certainly one of the most impressive. With the famed chef Alain...

• 29 Take a Polar anniversary cruise
  This year marks the centenary of the first successful expedition to the South Pole, led by the Norwegian Roald Amundsen, aboard the Fram; coincidentally, it's also the 150th anniversary of the birth...

• 30 Through the Clouds to Machu Picchu


  

Until 1911 the ruins of Machu Picchu were a secret lost to the world at large. Nobody would have imagined that among the inaccessible ravines of the Cordillera de los Andes mountain range lay hidden...

• 31 The Isles of Scilly: a right royal choice?
  Usually stars and celebs go all out to choose the most exotic locations possible for getaways, holidays and honeymoons, but rumour has it that everyone's favourite royal couple are shunning the usual distant...

• 32 Versailles to boast palatial hotel
  Built by Louis XIV on the site of a royal hunting lodge, the Palace of Versailles is one of the world's most popular tourist sites, and soon it will be possible for a few privileged visitors to actually...

• 33 “Shadows of the days gone by” in Palmyra
  From Damascus, the Syrian capital, it's a dusty journey of at least three hours by way of ancient rocky villages to reach Palmyra, standing like a life-sized cinema set against the backdrop of the bare...

• 34 Barcelona dreams
  Drive a Ferrari 
 Or perhaps you'd rather it was a Porsche, or a Lamborghini? If you're ready for speed and new sensations at the wheel of one of the world's most powerful, sophisticated and luxurious...

• 35 Celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong
  Nowhere are the ancient festivities of Chinese New Year celebrated with such gusto and fervour as in the ultra-modern city of Hong Kong where the three main days of celebration will bring everything to...

• 36 Dance to the rhythm of the samba at Rio's carnival celebrations
  Click on the photo for more glamour and some gorgeous scenery, too

• 37 From Paris to Istanbul on the Orient Express
  Click on the image to see more photos of the legendary train and its journey to the historical Turkish city  

• 38 The Jesus trail: hiking in the Holy Land
  “The angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.” So...

• 39 Around the planet in the wake of the whales
  Click on the photo for more spectacular images of these marine marvels

• 40 The polar bear kingdom of Svalbard
  At the far limits of Europe, set in the Arctic Ocean, midway between Norway and the North Pole, lies the archipelago of Svalbard, a wild and unspoiled wonderland of white. Over half the area is covered...