Cultural

You've probably got a mental picture of California. Maybe it's rows of palm trees against a perfect, azure sky. Maybe it's the Hollywood sign, Mullholland Drive twisting into the night above a million twinkling lights, the mansions of Beverly Hills. Maybe it's the Golden Gate Bridge, the precipitous streets of San Francisco, the vast, glittering Pacific Ocean. These things are all California icons, and you should definitely go and see them, but there's a lot more in between that you miss while cruising at 35,000 feet. California is huge and varied: dramatic mountains, sun-baked vineyards, blissful beaches. To really get to know the Golden State, you need to be in a car. Forget internal flights with their dull check-ins and romance-free shuttle buses, and get behind the wheel. Here are three great road trips that we suggest.

Dundee has come a long way. The city on Scotland's east coast has been named one of Lonely Planet's top ten European destinations.  It is now on the same list as Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, Cantabria in northern Spain and chic Provence in France.  This is due in part to the city's blossoming status as a cultural centre - the beacon of which is down to the new V&A Dundee museum with its Kengo Kuma design inspired by the cliffs of Scotland. The V&A is cited as an international centre for design, discovery and education.

Waterfront walks

'We are now in the worse part of Picardy,' said my guide. I looked around at the rather pretty landscape, bewildered as to why a tourist officer for the area should have such a low opinion of it. then my brain caught up with my ears and I realised: we had just entered L'Oise.

Despite being in the Sonoran Desert, southern Arizona is far from barren. It’s home to around 5 million cacti, and while you’ll want to avoid the fuzzy jumping cholla, which attaches itself to you at the slightest touch, the majestic saguaros can grow up to 40ft and live for 250 years.  Join a sunrise hike up Camelback Mountain outside Scottsdale, which takes about three hours. As well as taking in the incredible vistas at the 2,700ft-high summit, there’s an almost needle-less saguaro you can hug on your way down.

With the night's getting longer and the weather becoming colder, now is the time to start thinking about escaping to a winter paradise in the sun. Barbados is a great antidote to the cold winter weather, with a combination of breathtakingly beautiful sandy beaches, lush, wild tropical vegetation, tantalising food and drink almost- guaranteed, year-round sunshine.

Surrounded by snow-covered mountains are the market towns of Mittenwald, Krün and Wallgau in the Bavarian region of Alpenwelt Karvendel.  These historic villages come alive during the Christmas season, inviting visitors to their Christmas markets from early to mid-December.  As one of Germany’s best winter regions, the Alpenwelt Karvendel is an ideal destination for a relaxing pre-Christmas break.  The Bavarian charm, hospitality and ‘joie de vivre’ are combined with often centuries old traditions and customs, like the Lüftlmalerei, the local style of fresco paintings.

Christmas markets are big business in Switzerland.  Almost all major and smaller cities start setting up festive stalls towards mid-November to bring locals and tourists alike into the much-needed Christmas spirit.  Whether you opt for a smaller or longer Christmas market, they are held mainly between mid-November and 24 December.  Some are open for weeks, some just for a couple of days.

Set between the bustling city of Frankfurt on the Main river and the peaceful hilltops of the Taunus, is the charming spa town of Bad Hamburg.  The area has a lot to offer in addition to its ideal location, is the perfect balance between tradition and modern.  Exhibitions and live concerts lure the culture enthusiasts while the town’s famous casino Bad Hamburg - since 1841, turns night into day for many.  You can enjoy its beautiful parks, visit Bad Hamburg’s historical Royal Day Spa, or you can go shopping in its many independent shops.

Each year on the fourth Monday of November, Switzerland’s capital city of Bern holds the Bern’s Zibelemärit (Onion Market), a very special folk festival.  The event draws farmers from the surrounding areas brining more than 50 tonnes of onions to Bern for this famous Zibelemärit.  From about 5am visitors, farmers and hundreds of stalls line the picturesque Old Town selling everything to do with onions and garlic.

If you land during a local celebration of some sort you’ll find something very special about being greeted at Havana’s airport by a troupe of dancing girls, clad in sequins and feathers, moving rhythmically to the strains of salsa and handing out glasses of rum punch.