Somewhere to stay, and someone who knows it

Live music seven nights a week, barbecue worth queueing for, and a spring-fed pool in the middle of the city.

Do this once: Swim at Barton Springs Pool

Seven hills, tiled facades and a light that photographers travel for. Wear shoes you can climb in.

Do this once: Sunset from a miradouro

Two thousand years of city, most of the best museums free, and a park always within ten minutes' walk.

Do this once: Walk the South Bank at dusk

Eighty neighbourhoods pretending to be a city, with mountains at one end and the Pacific at the other. Pick two a day, maximum.

Do this once: Griffith Observatory at sunset

Art Deco on the sand, Cuban coffee at a walk-up window, and murals by the block. Miami is a beach city with a Caribbean accent.

Do this once: Walk the Art Deco district at golden hour

Live music from lunchtime, hot chicken that fights back, and a music history you can walk between in an afternoon.

Do this once: Do Broadway once, properly

The only American city that feels like somewhere else entirely. Come hungry, and follow the sound of a brass band.

Do this once: Live music on Frenchmen Street

The city you have already seen a thousand times, which is somehow still surprising in person. Walk more than you plan to.

Do this once: Walk the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise

Seventy miles of coast, a park bigger than Central Park, and the best fish tacos north of the border.

Do this once: Balboa Park

Twenty-two garden squares under live oaks and Spanish moss, all of it walkable, most of it haunted according to somebody.

Do this once: Walk the squares

Saguaro cactus, 300 days of sun, golf courses in every direction and a walkable Old Town. Come between November and April.

Do this once: Hike at sunrise

Thirteen million people, the world's best public transport, and the best eating on earth at every price point.

Do this once: Senso-ji at opening