Just a short train journey from Cork City, Cobh, once known as Queenstown, is a seaside heritage town praised for its picturesque buildings and local cultural activities. It's best known as the Titanic's last port of call before its tragic sinking in 1912. To learn more, visit Titanic Experience Cobh, as well as the Cobh Heritage Centre.

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.

Taipei 101 was ranked officially as the world’s tallest building from 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. The building stands at a height of 508m/1,667 ft. This Taipei landmark was designed in eight sections, since the Chinese lucky number is just that. The building has 101 floors with some of the fastest elevators in the world, travelling at a speed of almost 61 kilometres per hour. The first 5 floors are occupied by upscale stores and boutiques.

You'll find fewer places more conducive to rest and relaxation than this former convent garden, a green oasis in the centre of Mechelen!