The National Palace Museum holds the world’s largest collection of Chinese art including antiquities, paintings, calligraphy, and rare documents spanning 5,000 years. The museum is known as the treasure house of Chinese culture. The museum offers multilingual guided tours.

The Beitou area of Taipei is renowned for its high concentration of thermal spa centres. There are establishments to fit any budget, from the low-priced open-air Public Hot Spring (modest swimwear required) to private hotels and resorts uphill, all offering hot spring baths at various price points. One option most resorts offer is renting a private room with a large bath that can be filled with hot spring water. The Spring City Resort in Beitou is a great mid-range option. A session here includes access to about a dozen thermal pools of varying water temperature (from seemingly boiling-hot to rather chilly), plus robe, towel, and slipper rental. They even offer a free shuttle bus to the metro station. For a luxurious spa treatment, look into the offerings of Hotel Regent Taipei, for example. Wellspring Spa offers a wide range of relaxing treatments including massages, body wraps, skin polishing and facials. Take the elevator to the top floor and unwind at this urban sanctuary.

On the large island of Basse-Terre, about half an hour from Pointe-a-Pitre, is the beautiful Guadeloupe National Park, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. The park has over 300 kilometers of hiking trails through lush vegetation, imposing mountains and volcanoes, and a wide array of flora and fauna, including 100 species of orchid and 11 different kinds of bats.

Amersfoort beer has been around since 1323. Because Amersfoort has always had good-quality water, the brewery industry in Amersfoort boomed. After 1800, unfortunately, many breweries had to close down because of rising competition from other Dutch cities. De Drie Ringen was founded in 1989, on the initiative of a bunch of friends. Enjoy traditional Amersfoort beers, go on a guided tour, and take a look at the ins and outs of the brewery.