The village of Nuenen is also known as Van Gogh Village, and rightly so. There isn’t a place in the Netherlands where you can tread in the footsteps of this famous painter quite so literally. Here, stories about Van Gogh are still vividly told, his letters are available for reading, and there are no fewer than fourteen locations which have been immortalised by Van Gogh in a picture or a painting. Experiencing Van Gogh’s life in the Netherlands so intensely is not possible anywhere else. “The museum is a gem” In the Vincentre museum you will hear all about Van Gogh and read his own stories about Nuenen, where he lived and worked from 1883 to 1885. Who was he, how did he live, who did he socialise with, and why was he so passionate about Nuenen? It will all become clear during an educational tour with an audio guide in no fewer than eight languages: Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. In the village itself, no fewer than 23 locations have a direct link with Van Gogh. Together, they form a walking and cycling route with interactive informational signs in Dutch and English. From The Potato Eaters to The Starry Night The Potato Eaters is based on a scene that Van Gogh saw at the house of a peasant family in Nuenen. It literally comes to life in theatre Het Klooster. The world famous designer Daan Roosegaarde designed, based on Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, the now famous and unique Van Gogh-Roosegaarde cycle path, for which thousands of twinkling stones were incorporated in the asphalt. This cycle path, between Nuenen and the nearby city of Eindhoven, is part of the Van Gogh Cycle Route. Heritage locations in Brabant This cycle route connects the five Van Gogh heritage locations in Brabant, which of course include Nuenen. You won’t get any closer to Van Gogh than this. Or, as one of our enthusiastic guests wrote about Nuenen: “The same view that Van Gogh had!” Come and experience the place in which Van Gogh was inspired by the rural Brabant countryside, easily accessible at no more than ten kilometres away from Eindhoven, city of technology and design.

A tapering tower located south of New Delhi, Qutub Minar rises on a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the finest examples of the Afghan architecture that sprang up in the Islamic India from 1193. Thought to be a victory tower, it is said to be constructed to celebrate the beginning of the Muslim domination in India and, with the Qutub Complex, it is a show of that long gone majestic era.

Pico de Ana Ferreira is a peak on Porto Santo, home to one of the island’s most mesmerising natural sights: the Organ Pipes. These vertical, pentagonal basalt columns, formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago, rise straight up from the mountainside, perfectly shaped and stacked as if carved by hand. Up close, their size and symmetry are even more impressive. A short trail continues from the base of the columns to the Ana Ferreira Cave near the summit. The cave is huge and offers a fantastic view over the eastern side of Porto Santo, including the island’s peaks.

The most important work of Jože Plečnik in Slovenia is the building of the National and University Library, which is still used for its original purpose. Constructed in 1941, this monumental building is celebrated as a unique fusion of the diverse cultures the architect admired. Modelled after Italian palaces, the building features a famous black staircase and decorative elements that evoke a sense of antiquity.