USA

• 1 Top five festive cities to spend Christmas
  Sprinkle some magic into this year's Christmas by visiting one of the world's most festive locations. With sleigh bells ringing, frosty snow falling and the commencing of the advent calendar in our midst,...

• 2 Houses to take your breath away
  The German publishing house Taschen specialise in lavish, but affordable original editions with exceptional photos on a range of topics particularly design, architecture and lifestyle. This time, with...

• 3 LA dreaming
  When Edward, the rich and handsome businessman played by Richard Gere, gets lost in the sprawling city of LA, he stops in Beverly Hills  to ask the way. And that, of course, is when he meets Vivian...

• 4 Be tempted by the Big Apple
  Judging from the TV, just about everything is possible in New York – it seems it's even possible to dash around the city wearing electric-blue 'Manolos' with four-inch heels. Fortunately the shoes...

• 5 The world's best toy shops
  Hamleys, London Established in 1760, the seven-storey toy shop on Regents Street is a treat for any family shopping day in the capital. Rocking horses, dolls and other traditional toys, educational toys,...

• 6 Twilighting in Washington State
  Up in the far northwest of America, on the border with Canada, the State of Washington is a land of contrasts with mountains, deserts, steppe landscapes and active volcanoes. Its Pacific edge boasts a...

• 7 Loving Las Vegas
  To the unmistakable tones of Elvis Presley the camera pans over The Strip, that most famous of avenues that begins and ends in the desert. It's night and in the lights below a replica of the Eiffel tower...

• 8 The natural wonders of the world
  The idea of listing the wonders of the world is hardly a new thing. The historian Herodotus compiled his own list way back in the fifth century BC, and from then on many have been unable to resist the...

• 9 Lots to do in Los Angeles
  Los Angeles – 'the city of the angels' – the third richest city in the world, is the indisputable entertainment capital, and epicentre of the motion picture industry. It's also an international...

• 10 Hawaii: islands and marvels
  Leave your work clothes behind. Just pack a bag with bikinis, sandals and pareos, and head west. Way out west. Hawaii may be the 50th American state, but the archipelago is actually the northernmost island...

• 11 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...

• 12 San Francisco, a city with heart
  San Francisco is unusual. Unlike other American cities, it's not vast, chaotic and noisy, and the residents seem genuinely pleased to welcome visitors with a smile. Rocketed from being just one more...

• 13 Yellowstone, the world's original national park
  Known and loved by many through the exploits of the cartoon character Yogi Bear, the wealth and range of Yellowstone's natural heritage is worthy of more serious consideration and puts it in high on the...

• 14 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...

• 15 Sotheby's Manhattan wine shop
  Sotheby’s has become the first major international auction house to venture into the realms of wine retail with a specialist shop situated in the lobby of the company's New York headquarters at 1334...

• 16 The glitz list: destinations with glamour
  From the Swiss mountains to the South Seas: exclusive beaches and ski resorts, chic cities and island paradises, these are the places with star quality, where elegance and sophistication reign. Lonely...

• 17 The glitz list: destinations with glamour
  From the Swiss mountains to the South Seas: exclusive beaches and ski resorts, chic cities and island paradises, these are the places with star quality, where elegance and sophistication reign. Lonely...