Beijing Capital Museum was formally open to the public in 1981, and the Confucian Temple was its original site. In order to accommodate a larger collection, a new museum was built in December 2001. There are more than 5000 pieces of cultural relics here like porcelain ware, calligraphy works, paintings, coins, jades, seals and Buddhist statues.

The Summer Palace is a 220-hector imperial garden. The idea was to rebuild a classic view of southern China so that the emperors, as well as the royal families, could enjoy a different atmosphere without even leaving Beijing. Both the mountain and the lake inside the Summer Palace are artificial. The lake was intended to imitate the famous West Lake of Hangzhou and is even a street alongside the river that perfectly restores the scene of a small northern waterside village.

Hop aboard a mountain gondola and take a ride to the top of Tünektepe which lies 618 metres above sea level. From there, you can catch stunning views over the Gulf of Antalya, city skyline and peaks of the Taurus range. After a meal at the hotel restaurant up top, hike back down to the city, enjoying fresh mountain air and sea breeze.

Perched atop the stark white cliffs of Pamukkale lies Hierapolis — an ancient city that's as rich in history as it is in thermal springs. Once a Phrygian cult centre and later a flourishing Greek city, Hierapolis boasts a well-preserved amphitheatre, an array of atmospheric ruins, and the famed Sacred Pool — a thermally heated delight where you can immerse yourself amidst submerged Roman columns, scattered by an ancient earthquake. Just a stone's throw away, the terraces of Pamukkale steal the show. These gleaming white formations, made of travertine — a sedimentary rock deposited by the mineral-rich hot waters — give the town its name, meaning 'Cotton Castle'. With temperatures ranging from 35°C to a steamy 100°C, these hot springs have been creating an expanding landscape of terraces for centuries, as calcium carbonate from the waters crystallises into the soft gel of travertine. Awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, Hierapolis and Pamukkale offer a unique fusion of cultural history and natural wonder that should not be missed.