Taking place in February, the Sapporo Snow Festival is an impressive event. Huge snow sculptures, one more fascinating than the next, dot Odori Park; some require a staggering 500 trucks filled with snow to be built.

Cenotes (sinkholes) are deep wells with crystal clear water that can be accessed when the roof of a cave collapses. Fed by underground rivers, the cenotes were the main source of freshwater for the Mayans and therefore are considered sacred. They are unique to the Yucatán peninsula, and still to this day, the underground cave system connecting all the cenotes remains largely unexplored. Witnessing the breathtaking beauty of the large clusters of stalactites and stalagmites being mirrored in the crystal clear cool waters is a unique experience. Every cenote has its own particular beauty, and putting on a swimsuit and snorkeling in the pool is an absolutely unforgettable experience. Some tour operators also offer cave diving excursions for very experienced divers.

Originally a medieval castle called Kastello, it was destoyed in 1856 and resurrected in 1939. Now, it's the crown jewel of the Old Town. Inside, ancient mosaics bedeck the floors, and you'll find a unique collection of 16th and 17th-century Western furniture. On a hot day, the castle's massive walls provide a much-needed reprieve from the heat.

As one of the most beautiful and appealing caves in Ha Long Bay, Sung Sot is a dazzling work of nature, astonishingly vast in size, despite its inconspicuous appearance from the outside. The rocky entrance down into the cave, coated in dense vegetation, leads to two large limestone-laden chambers, each meticulously decorated with a millennia-old ceiling of delicately formed stalactites. The impressive rock formations are colourfully lit up and can be admired from the comfort of a smooth walking path that traverses the cave.