Alexander Pushkin, the father of modern Russian literature, some of whose lines any Russian speaker is guaranteed to be able to recite from memory, spent three fruitful years in this tiny house, exiled. It's a museum these days, and although scant English-language information is supplied in each room, anyone with a particular interest can benefit greatly from a guided tour.

A quiet spot just outside the city centre, Giusti Garden dates back to the late 1500s and was once part of a private villa owned by Count Agostino Giusti. Mozart and Goethe passed through here, but now it’s mostly a peaceful place to wander. Tall cypress trees, statues, and views over Verona if you climb to the top. There’s also a small hedge maze—local legend says if a couple finds each other inside, they’re meant to stay together.

It is an engineering marvel, the world's steepest steam-operated railway. This is Tasmania's West Coast Wilderness Railway, and it is 28 tonnes of special. Today, passengers are moved by the same locomotives that began the run from Queenstown back in 1896. They take a comfortable 16-kilometre run through the wildlands, uphill through spectacular landscapes and down to a place called Dubbill Barrill, with stops for a little gold panning and sightseeing. These locos were originally built to move copper ore for the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, delivering the mine's deep riches out of a massive, landlocked deposit at Queenstown to the port of Strahan, and from there, to the world. And every passenger is greeted by one of the line's original workhorses, a 28-tonne steam locomotive that's ready to roll — and guaranteed to raise a smile.

Located just off the Corniche in the waters of the Red Sea, King Fahd's Fountain is the tallest of its kind in the world. The water reaches an impressive height of 312 metres. No walk along the Corniche would be complete without stopping to admire it.