Perched atop Mount Pagos in the heart of İzmir, Kadifekale offers a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape and the Aegean Sea. Also known as ‘Velvet Castle’, Kadifekale boasts a rich past dating back to various periods, including Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine times. You can explore the archaeological remains while enjoying breathtaking vistas of İzmir and the coastline below. At sunset, the call to prayer echoes throughout the city, reverberating in a show of İzmir's soul. Linked to the centre by a bus line, it is also ideal for a suggestive hike.

Saint Martin Carnival is one of the island's cultural highlights, where locals and tourists get together in the streets to sing, dance, make music, throw confetti and have a good time watching the lively parade. Both Marigot and Philipsburg are decorated in colourful feathers and glitter for the whole carnival month. On the French side, the carnival takes place in February and until early March. On the Dutch side, the carnival is celebrated from mid-April until early May.

Stretching along Hollywood Boulevard, the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a tribute to entertainment legends, with over 2,700 brass stars embedded in the sidewalks honoring actors, musicians, directors, and more. And a few steps away, the TCL Chinese Theatre is impossible to miss, with its dramatic, pagoda-style facade. The real magic, though, is in the forecourt, where generations of stars, from Marilyn Monroe to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, have left their handprints and signatures in cement. Since its first movie premiere in 1927, the theater has been at the center of Hollywood’s biggest moments, and even today, it’s one of the best places to catch a film in true Hollywood style.

The capital of Sint Maarten is the central point for shopping and the local cultural scene. Tucked in the southeastern part of the island between Great Bay and Great Salt Pond, the city has been a major commercial hub for the island since the 17th century.