Coffee at Café A Brasileira in Lisbon

Travellers visiting Lisbon and keen to experience Portuguese culture often head out at night for a Fado show after pounding the city’s cobbled pavements during a packed day of sightseeing. Pausing for a coffee, though, can be just as effective a way of finding a window to view the nation’s soul.

Luxury and shopping in Muscat, Oman

Looking around Muscat it’s difficult to believe that just over a generation ago Oman was a country without a single luxury hotel and barely 10km of tarmac road. Times have changed markedly since July 1970, when Qaboos bin Said became the Sultan of Oman.