Overlooking Barcelona, Montjüic is a hilltop vantage point a world away from the labyrinthine streets of the city below. Explore the castle and botanic gardens, and see the grand Olympic Stadium originally built for the 1929 Olympics and refurbished for the 1992 Games.

Discover Barcelona's rich heritage in this vast living museum, with its main building on Plaça del Rei. The Museu d'Historia de Barcelona (MUHBA) contains the remains of Roman villas, an underground winery and the largest Roman excavation outside Rome.

Explore the diminutive but diverse collection of erotica from across history at Barcelona's Museu de l'Erotica. From pictures of lithe Kama Sutra bodies to the voluptuousness of Japanese Shunga drawings, this museum opens a door into the history of desire and sexual expression.

You'll find Europe's largest collection of modern and contemporary art at the Centre Pompidou (or Beaubourg as it's often called), housed in a striking building covered in pipes and scaffolding. Inside, you'll find temporary exhibitions alongside the permanent collection that includes masterpieces like Duchamp's Fountain, and recognisable works by Frida Kahlo, Robert Delaunay and Wassily Kandinsky.

Stroll along the Canal Saint-Martin, for boutique shopping by day and buzzing bars and restaurants by night.

Spend an afternoon relaxing by a fountain on the public chairs in one of Paris' many parks – the Jardin du Luxembourg is particularly peaceful.