Wallet Friendly

Capital of one the world's fastest-growing economies, Addis Ababa (also spelled Addis Abeba) is a city in motion, catching up to Ethiopia's zooming commercial development in its stride. At times gauche and somewhat rough around the edges, it is nonetheless worth more than a single night in transit, if only for the country's finest dining, shopping, and of-the-moment urban developments.

Bratislava - the little big city. With fewer than half a million people, Bratislava ranks among Europe's most relaxed capitals, because everything is in close vicinity, reachable within a few minutes walking distance. It even has two capital cities nearby - Vienna (80km) and Budapest (200km) - reachable also by a boat on the river Danube. The city itself has its old-town charm, sophisticated restaurants, traditional pubs, good music ranging from jazz to opera, stylish people, and a human scale which means that as a visitor you will not spend half your day trekking in and out of underground stations or getting from the airport into town. All this with Central Europe's greatest river as a backdrop.

Although the Jordanian capital has its fair share of ancient remnants (the city was first mentioned as Rabbath Ammon in the Hebrew Bible around the 10th century BC), it is the way Amman experiences modernity that fascinates the most. Often listed among the most progressive cities in the Middle East, Amman is a flourishing capital growing by the hour, inhabited by a culturally diverse and rather liberal populace.

Golden domes and shimmering spires peek out from the wooded hills rising above the wide Dnipro River. Leafy-green Kiev, with its traffic-packed boulevards, shopping malls, countless churches, brilliant music and lively nightlife, has embraced capitalism, yet held firmly to its heritage. The Caves Monastery is the spiritual heart of Ukraine, and nearby, a gigantic Brezhnev-era Motherland statue bearing sword and shield casts her all-encompassing eye over the city, the river, and its island beaches.

If Saigon is the frenetic, commercial heartbeat of Vietnam, then verdant and historic Hanoi is the sedate, intellectual soul of the country. Its leafy boulevards, serene lakes and sweeping white French colonial architecture set the scene as tourists and locals go about their business at a pleasingly civilised pace.

Holiday-geared Hammamet has long attracted international vacationers, a fact to which the glorious decades-old Yasmine resort complex serves as testament. The town itself offers just the right dose of thrills to culture enthusiasts looking to break the lethargy of an all-inclusive respite with some sightseeing and shopping - all within the ancient walls of a cream-colored, low-rise Medina.

The low-rise Gambian capital might not be as advanced of a visitor hub as one would, perhaps, expect from a city of such national significance, but it certainly boasts some raw appeal contained within its pulsating and – at times – rather hectic streets. Beyond Banjul proper lies the sprawling Serekunda – Gambia's most populous area – and the vacationer-favoured coastal settlements of Kololi, Bakau, Koto and Fajara.