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Row your boat: A gondolier

48 Hours: Venice

Italy's most romantic city is the perfect place to take your Valentine – or get into the carnival spirit, says William Cook.

Get set to party: The Rosenmontag parade

48 Hours: Mainz

This German city where the Rhine and Main meet is gearing up for carnival season, says Susan Griffith.

Big smoke: Mount Etna rumbles in the distance

48 Hours: Catania

Even in winter, this Sicilian city charms with colourful festivities, delicious food and dramatic scenery, says Duncan Garwood.

Stellar views: The legendary Star Ferry

48 Hours: Hong Kong

The night skies are lighting up all over the Chinese city-state as residents welcome the dawn of the Year of the Dragon. Matthew Bell reports.

Shore leave: Las Canteras beach

48 Hours: Las Palmas

Winter sun and an impressive urban beach: the capital of Gran Canaria is an alluring prospect for Matthew Hirtes

Cliff hanger: San Diego has 70 miles of coastline

48 Hours: San Diego

A mild and sunny winter awaits in California's second-biggest city.

Wildlife spotting: A giraffe in Nairobi National Park

48 Hours In: Nairobi

Warm days and wildlife on your doorstep make Kenya's capital an appealing place in which to escape winter. Richard Trillo reports.

Viewpoint: The Old City and Dome of the Rock

48 Hours: Jerusalem

Every step you take in this holy city reveals an aspect of its tangled history.

<p>Light shopping: browse Calle Marqués de Larios</p>

48 Hours in Málaga

Receive a warm welcome in the cultured corners and bustling bars of this Mediterranean marvel

Bright lights: The Christmas market at the cathedral

48 Hours: Cologne

A winter visit to this fine city on the Rhine offers Christmas markets, hearty food and drink, and invigorating art.

48 Hours: Vienna

This handsome city is looking its festive best and preparing to celebrate 150 years since Gustav Klimt's birth.

48 Hours: Lille

The end of the year finds this northern French city at its most welcoming, with a Christmas market adding some seasonal cheer

Harbour lights: Downtown Boston sits on a peninsula

48 Hours: Boston

Art, cuisine and great Christmas shopping are among the treats on offer in the historic Massachusetts capital, says Cathy Winston

Pull up a chair: Cafés line Riga's historic squares

48 Hours: Riga

Latvia's handsome capital embraces the onset of winter with festivities and a warm welcome for visitors. Simon Calder reports

48 Hours: Johannesburg

The jacarandas are blooming in South Africa's largest city, as spring turns into summer. Richard Trillo explores the diverse attractions

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Day In a Page

No secularism please, we're British

No secularism please, we're British

Arguments about the role of religion in national life have recently acquired a new urgency
Harold Tillman: 'Chinese tourists can save the high street – if we let them'

Harold Tillman interview

'Chinese tourists can save the high street – if we let them'
Working as a jail torturer ruined my life

Working as a jail torturer ruined my life

Meet the former soldier who has joined the political prisoners he tortured in Turkey's Mamak prison by suing the generals who led a regime of terror
The local high street jet shop

The local high street jet shop

Got a spare $50m and can't stand the queues at Heathrow? Get yourself down to London's first private plane dealership
Do you like your doctor? It could be the death of you

Do you like your doctor?

It could be the death of you...
The mysterious affair of how Agatha Christie is teaching foreigners English

How Agatha Christie is teaching foreigners English

Twenty of the author's novels have been adapted and presented with learning notes and a CD
Six Grammys, five years off: Adele puts love before career

Six Grammys, five years off

Adele puts love before career
The 10 Best binoculars

The 10 Best binoculars

From no-frills to bins with digital cameras
Milan for £300

Milan for £300?

A cultural family holiday - on a budget - to Italy's most stylish city
'Black-hole' resorts: Turn up, tune out, log off

'Black-hole' resorts

Turn up, tune out, log off
New Arsenal face an old question of credibility in San Siro

New Arsenal face an old question of credibility in San Siro

Remodelled since winning in Milan in 2008, for all their consistency – and prize-money – Wenger's side are yet to claim a European title
James Lawton: This prodigal son deserves no forgiveness

James Lawton: This prodigal son deserves no forgiveness

City would be putting their desire to win title ahead of morals if Tevez plays for them
Mark Cavendish: Is Olympic gold at end of the rainbow?

Mark Cavendish interview

Is Olympic gold at end of the rainbow?
Apple admits it has a human rights problem

Apple admits it has a human rights problem

After years of complaints and workers' suicides in China the technology giant faces up to the human cost of its gadgets
Peter Moore: 'I feel guilty I'm the only one alive'

Peter Moore interview

'I feel guilty I'm the only one alive'