Country travel guides with maps and history
Go beyond the postcard. Each guide opens on maps of the country itself, down to its own regions, cities and water, and goes on through the places, people, history, culture and everyday language that make it make sense.
Europe
Explore Albania from Tirana and the Adriatic ports to the northern Alps, Ottoman towns and Ionian Riviera.
Open the guide →Explore Andorra’s seven parishes from the southern Valira valley to the high Pyrenees.
Open the guide →Explore Armenia from Yerevan and the Ararat plain to Lake Sevan, the forests of Tavush and the mountains of Syunik.
Open the guide →Follow Austria from Lake Constance through Alpine valleys to the Danube and Vienna.
Open the guide →Explore Azerbaijan from Baku’s walled old city and the Caspian coast to Sheki’s silk heritage, the Caucasus and the forests of the south.
Open the guide →Explore Belarus from Minsk and the castles of Mir and Nesvizh to northern lakes, western forests and the wetlands of Polesia.
Open the guide →Explore Belgium from the North Sea and Flemish cities to Brussels, the Meuse valley and the Ardennes.
Open the guide →Explore Bosnia and Herzegovina from Sarajevo’s bazaar and Mostar’s Old Bridge to the Una’s waterfalls, Višegrad’s stone arches and the Dinaric mountains.
Open the guide →Explore Bulgaria from Sofia and Plovdiv to the Danube, the Black Sea, the Rose Valley and mountain monasteries.
Open the guide →Explore Croatia from Zagreb and the plains of Slavonia to Istria, the Dalmatian coast and the islands of the Adriatic.
Open the guide →Explore Cyprus from Paphos and the Troodos villages to Nicosia, Kyrenia and the long Karpas Peninsula.
Open the guide →Follow Czechia from Prague and Bohemian castles to Moravian vineyards and the industrial heritage of Ostrava.
Open the guide →Denmark spreads across the Jutland peninsula and hundreds of islands, from the dunes of Skagen to Copenhagen on the Øresund.
Open the guide →Explore Estonia from Tallinn’s medieval streets and the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa to Tartu, eastern border towns and the bogs of the southern interior.
Open the guide →Finland stretches from the islands of the Baltic to the fells of Lapland, with forests and lakes between its cities.
Open the guide →France changes from the Atlantic harbours of Brittany to the Alpine valleys and Mediterranean coast.
Open the guide →Explore Georgia from Tbilisi’s balconies and Mtskheta’s churches to Kakheti’s vineyards, the Black Sea coast and Upper Svaneti’s towers.
Open the guide →Germany changes from North Sea tidal flats to Alpine peaks, with sixteen states and cities that each tell a different story.
Open the guide →Explore Greece from northern mountains and plains to Athens, the Peloponnese and the islands.
Open the guide →Explore Hungary from Budapest’s Danube riverfront to the plains of Hortobágy, the northern hills and Lake Balaton.
Open the guide →Follow Iceland from Reykjavík around the coast to the northern fjords and eastern valleys.
Open the guide →Follow Ireland from Dublin and the Boyne Valley across the Shannon to the Atlantic coast.
Open the guide →Italy changes as you travel from the Alps to Sicily.
Open the guide →Explore Kosovo from Pristina and Prizren to the Rugova gorge, medieval monasteries and the Sharr Mountains.
Open the guide →Explore Latvia from Riga’s spires and Art Nouveau streets to Baltic ports, the Gauja valley and Latgale’s lakes.
Open the guide →Explore Liechtenstein from the Rhine valley to the Alpine villages.
Open the guide →Explore Lithuania from Vilnius’s baroque streets and Kaunas’s modernist avenues to the Curonian dunes, northern pilgrimage sites and eastern lakes.
Open the guide →Explore Luxembourg from the capital’s fortress valleys to the Minett’s steelworks, Moselle vineyards and the wooded hills of the Éislek.
Open the guide →Explore Malta from Valletta’s fortified harbours to the villages of Gozo and the channels around Comino.
Open the guide →Explore Moldova through Chișinău’s parks, Orheiul Vechi’s limestone cliffs, Dniester fortresses, southern vineyards and Gagauzia.
Open the guide →Explore Monaco from the Rock and Port Hercule to Monte Carlo, Fontvieille and Larvotto.
Open the guide →Explore Montenegro from the Bay of Kotor and the Adriatic coast to Cetinje, Lake Skadar and the high country of Durmitor.
Open the guide →Explore the Netherlands from Amsterdam’s canals and Rotterdam’s harbour to Friesland’s islands, the Veluwe and the hills of Limburg.
Open the guide →Explore North Macedonia from Skopje’s bazaar and the Vardar valley to Ohrid’s lakeside churches, the Šar Mountains and the vineyards of Tikveš.
Open the guide →Explore Northern Cyprus from North Nicosia’s courtyards and Kyrenia’s harbour to Famagusta, ancient Salamis and the Karpas Peninsula.
Open the guide →Follow Norway from the cities of Oslofjord through the western fjords to the Arctic coast.
Open the guide →Explore Poland from Gdańsk’s Baltic waterfront and the lakes of Warmia-Masuria to Warsaw, Kraków and the Tatra Mountains.
Open the guide →Portugal runs from the green, granite north to the plains and cliffs of the Algarve, with the Azores and Madeira far out in the Atlantic.
Open the guide →Explore Romania from Bucharest and the Carpathians to Transylvanian towns, Maramureș churches and the Danube Delta.
Open the guide →Explore Russia from the Baltic and the Volga to the Caucasus, Siberia and the Pacific.
Open the guide →Explore San Marino from the towers of Mount Titano to the market square of Borgo Maggiore and the nine castelli.
Open the guide →Explore Serbia from Belgrade’s river confluence and Vojvodina’s plains to medieval monasteries, the Danube gorge and the forests of Tara.
Open the guide →Explore Slovakia from Bratislava and the Danube lowlands to central mining towns, the High Tatras and the historic cities of the east.
Open the guide →Explore Slovenia from Ljubljana and the Julian Alps to the Karst, the Adriatic coast and the eastern wine-growing hills.
Open the guide →Spain changes from the green Atlantic north to the Mediterranean coast, with a high plateau between them.
Open the guide →Sweden runs from the beaches and farmland of Skåne past the Stockholm archipelago to the forests and fells of Lapland.
Open the guide →Follow Switzerland from the cities of the Central Plateau into the Alps and Italian-speaking Ticino.
Open the guide →Türkiye is the country either side of the straits: eighty-one provinces spread over two continents, a high plateau ringed by mountains, and a coast that runs from the Black Sea round to the Aegean.
Open the guide →Explore Ukraine from the Carpathians and Kyiv to the southern steppe, Black Sea and Crimea.
Open the guide →The United Kingdom brings together England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with distinct histories and traditions across its four nations.
Open the guide →Explore Vatican City’s basilica, palace, museums and gardens.
Open the guide →Asia
Discover Afghanistan through Herat’s architecture, Kabul’s gardens, Bamiyan’s archaeological landscape and the Hindu Kush.
Open the guide →Explore Bahrain from Manama’s souq and Muharraq’s pearling houses to Dilmun’s temples and burial mounds.
Open the guide →Follow Bangladesh’s rivers from the northern plains to Dhaka, the eastern hills and the Bay of Bengal.
Open the guide →Explore Bhutan from Paro’s cliffside monastery and Thimphu’s streets to central valleys, eastern dzongs and subtropical forests.
Open the guide →Explore Brunei from Bandar Seri Begawan and Kampong Ayer to the oil coast and Temburong’s rainforest.
Open the guide →Explore Cambodia from Angkor and Tonle Sap to Phnom Penh, the Gulf coast and the northeastern uplands.
Open the guide →China is a country that falls in three steps from the Tibetan Plateau to the coastal plain, with almost everyone living on the last of them.
Open the guide →India is a country you arrive in rather than visit: 28 states drawn along the lines of the languages spoken in them, a monsoon that sets the year, and a train network that will carry you between the two.
Open the guide →Explore Indonesia from Sumatra and Java to Kalimantan, Sulawesi, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Maluku and Papua.
Open the guide →Explore Iran from the Caspian forests and Alborz mountains to Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz, Yazd and the southern shores.
Open the guide →Explore Iraq from Baghdad’s bookshops and the ancient cities of Mesopotamia to southern reed marshes and the mountains of the Kurdistan Region.
Open the guide →Explore Israel through Tel Aviv–Yafo’s coast, Haifa and Galilee, Jerusalem’s institutions and the Negev.
Open the guide →Japan is a country stretched over 3,000 kilometres of ocean, from the deep winters of Hokkaido to the subtropical islands off Okinawa, with three quarters of the land too steep to build on and almost everyone living on the coastal strips that are left.
Open the guide →Discover Jordan from Amman and As-Salt to Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba’s coral coast.
Open the guide →Explore Kazakhstan from the Caspian coast and open steppe to the Altai and Tian Shan.
Open the guide →Explore Kuwait from the capital and Jahra to the southern coast and Wafra.
Open the guide →Explore Kyrgyzstan from Bishkek and Osh to Issyk-Kul, Silk Road towns and high summer pastures.
Open the guide →Follow the Mekong from northern mountain towns and Luang Prabang to Vientiane and the islands of Si Phan Don.
Open the guide →Explore Lebanon from Beirut’s waterfront and the ports of Byblos, Tripoli and Sidon to Baalbek, the Bekaa Valley and mountain cedar forests.
Open the guide →Explore Malaysia across the peninsula, Sarawak and Sabah.
Open the guide →Explore the Maldives from northern Utheemu to Malé and southern Addu.
Open the guide →Explore Mongolia from the western Altai and southern Gobi to northern lakes and eastern steppe.
Open the guide →Explore Myanmar through Bagan’s temple plains, the Ayeyarwady valley, Shan uplands and the long Andaman coast.
Open the guide →Travel across Nepal from the Tarai plains and inner valleys to the middle hills and the high Himalaya.
Open the guide →Explore North Korea from the volcanic heights of Paektu to the granite valleys of Kumgang, the Taedong River and the old capital of Kaesong.
Open the guide →Explore Oman from Muscat’s harbour and the Hajar Mountains to Musandam and the frankincense landscapes of Dhofar.
Open the guide →Explore Pakistan through Lahore’s Mughal monuments, the Indus cities of Sindh, Gandharan Buddhist heritage and the northern mountains.
Open the guide →Explore Palestine through the West Bank’s olive terraces and historic cities, East Jerusalem’s sacred places and Gaza’s Mediterranean heritage.
Open the guide →Explore the Philippines from Luzon’s mountain terraces and Manila’s old walls to the islands of the Visayas, Palawan’s limestone coast and Mindanao’s highlands.
Open the guide →Explore Qatar from Doha’s waterfront to northern pearling towns and the western desert.
Open the guide →Cross Saudi Arabia from the Red Sea ports and pilgrimage cities to Riyadh, the Gulf coast, southwestern highlands and Empty Quarter.
Open the guide →Explore Singapore from Marina Bay and the old ethnic quarters to the heartland new towns, the central reservoirs and the islands offshore.
Open the guide →South Korea brings mountain trails, royal palaces and busy port cities into a compact peninsula, with volcanic Jeju offshore.
Open the guide →Explore Sri Lanka from Sigiriya and the ancient reservoir cities to Kandy’s highlands, Jaffna’s peninsula and Galle’s coast.
Open the guide →Discover Syria through Damascus’s courtyards, Aleppo’s trading streets, coastal mountains and the Euphrates valley.
Open the guide →Explore Taiwan from Taipei and the western cities to the central mountains, Pacific coast and offshore islands.
Open the guide →Explore Tajikistan from Dushanbe and Khujand to ancient Panjakent, the Fann Mountains and the Pamirs.
Open the guide →Follow Thailand from Chiang Mai’s mountain valleys and Bangkok’s river plain to Isan and the southern coasts.
Open the guide →Explore Timor-Leste from Dili and Atauro to the coffee highlands and eastern plateau.
Open the guide →Explore Turkmenistan from Ashgabat and the Kopet Dag to Caspian shores, Karakum sands and the ancient cities of Merv, Nisa and Kunya-Urgench.
Open the guide →Explore the United Arab Emirates from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Al Ain’s oases, Sharjah’s archaeology, northern pearling settlements and the Gulf of Oman coast.
Open the guide →Explore Uzbekistan through Samarkand’s Registan, Bukhara’s trading streets and Khiva’s walled inner town, then discover the Fergana Valley, Karakalpakstan and the western Tian Shan.
Open the guide →Follow Vietnam from the northern mountains and Hanoi to Hue, the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta.
Open the guide →Explore Yemen from Sana’a’s decorated tower houses and the terraces of Haraz to Wadi Hadhramaut, the Red Sea coast and Socotra.
Open the guide →North America
Explore the Bahamas from Bimini near Florida to Nassau, the Exumas and the flamingo habitats of Inagua.
Open the guide →Cross Canada from the Pacific rainforest over the Rockies and prairies to the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence and the Atlantic, then head north to the Arctic.
Open the guide →Explore Costa Rica from the Central Valley and volcanic highlands to Guanacaste, the Caribbean coast and the Osa Peninsula.
Open the guide →Explore Cuba from Havana and the western limestone valleys to central towns, the Cauto plains and the Sierra Maestra.
Open the guide →Explore the Dominican Republic from the Cibao valley and central mountains to Samaná, Santo Domingo and the Caribbean coast.
Open the guide →Explore El Salvador from the western volcanic lakes to San Salvador, the Lempa valley and the Gulf of Fonseca.
Open the guide →Explore Guatemala from the volcanic highlands and Lake Atitlán to the forests of Petén and the Caribbean coast.
Open the guide →Explore Haiti from the Citadelle and Cap-Haïtien to the Artibonite Valley, Port-au-Prince and the southern peninsula.
Open the guide →Explore Honduras from the western highlands and Copán to the Caribbean coast, the Bay Islands and the Mosquitia.
Open the guide →Explore Jamaica from Kingston Harbour and the Blue Mountains to the north-coast towns and western plains.
Open the guide →Mexico stretches from desert canyons to tropical forests, with mountain cities and coastlines facing two oceans.
Open the guide →Explore Nicaragua from the great lakes and Pacific volcanoes to the northern highlands and Caribbean coast.
Open the guide →Explore Panama from the Chiriquí highlands and Bocas del Toro to the canal, Azuero and Darién.
Open the guide →The United States is a federal union of fifty states that write their own laws, so the country changes at a state line about as much as it does at a mountain range.
Open the guide →Africa
Explore Algeria from the Casbah of Algiers and Roman cities to mountain valleys, oasis settlements and Saharan rock formations.
Open the guide →Explore Angola from Cabinda and Mbanza Kongo to Luanda, the central highlands and the Namib coast.
Open the guide →Explore Benin from Porto-Novo and the coastal lagoons to the Atakora hills and northern savannas.
Open the guide →Explore Botswana from Gaborone and the eastern towns to the Kalahari, Makgadikgadi and the Okavango Delta.
Open the guide →Explore Burkina Faso from Ouagadougou and the central plateau to Bobo-Dioulasso, the southwestern sandstone landscapes and the northern Sahel.
Open the guide →Explore Burundi from Gitega’s royal heritage and the Congo–Nile highlands to Bujumbura and Lake Tanganyika.
Open the guide →Explore Cameroon from the Wouri estuary and Atlantic coast to the western highlands, Adamawa Plateau, northern savannas and southeastern forests.
Open the guide →Explore the Central African Republic from Bangui and the Ubangi to western highlands, northern savannas and the forests of Dzanga-Sangha.
Open the guide →Explore Chad from N’Djamena and the southern rivers to Lake Chad, Ounianga, the Tibesti and the Ennedi.
Open the guide →Explore Côte d’Ivoire from Abidjan’s lagoons and Grand-Bassam to Yamoussoukro, cocoa-growing country, the western mountains and northern savannas.
Open the guide →Explore the Democratic Republic of the Congo from Kinshasa and the lower river to the central rainforest, Kasai, the Copperbelt and the eastern Great Lakes.
Open the guide →Explore Djibouti from the capital’s port streets to Tadjourah, the Day Forest, Lake Assal and the limestone chimneys of Lake Abbe.
Open the guide →Follow the Nile from the Mediterranean delta to the temples of Luxor and Aswan, then explore the deserts and Red Sea coast.
Open the guide →Explore Eritrea from Asmara’s modernist streets to the Red Sea ports, western lowlands and southern highland sites.
Open the guide →Explore Ethiopia through Lalibela’s churches, Harar’s walled streets, highland coffee landscapes and the Rift Valley.
Open the guide →Explore Gabon from Libreville and the Atlantic coast to the Ogooué valley, northern forests and southeastern plateaus.
Open the guide →Ghana runs from the castle towns of the Atlantic coast through cocoa forest to the open savanna of the north.
Open the guide →Explore Guinea from Conakry and the Atlantic coast to the Fouta Djallon, Upper Guinea and Forest Guinea.
Open the guide →Explore Guinea-Bissau from Bissau and the Geba estuary to the eastern towns and Bijagós islands.
Open the guide →Explore Kenya from Nairobi and the central highlands to Lake Victoria, the dry north and the Swahili towns of the Indian Ocean coast.
Open the guide →Explore Liberia from Monrovia’s Atlantic shore and the lagoon at Robertsport to the Nimba uplands, Sapo’s rainforest and Cape Palmas.
Open the guide →Discover Libya from Tripoli and the Roman cities of the Mediterranean coast to Ghadames, Fezzan’s oases and the Acacus rock art.
Open the guide →Explore Madagascar from Antananarivo’s highland hills to the rainforests, western baobabs and Indian Ocean islands.
Open the guide →Explore Mali from Bamako and the Niger’s inland delta to Djenné, Timbuktu, Gao and the Sahara.
Open the guide →Explore Mauritania from the Atlantic ports and Senegal River valley to the Adrar, the ancient ksour and the Sahara.
Open the guide →Cross Morocco from the Rif and imperial cities to the Atlas, Atlantic ports and southern oases.
Open the guide →Explore Mozambique from Maputo Bay and the Inhambane coast to the Zambezi valley, northern plateau and Indian Ocean islands.
Open the guide →Explore Namibia from the Atlantic dunes and Fish River Canyon to the central highlands, Etosha and the northeastern river corridors.
Open the guide →Explore Niger from Niamey and the southern Sahel to Agadez, the Aïr Mountains and the Ténéré.
Open the guide →Explore Nigeria from Lagos and the Niger Delta to the Jos Plateau, northern trading cities and eastern highlands.
Open the guide →Explore the Republic of the Congo from Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire to the Niari valley, inland plateaus and northern forests.
Open the guide →Explore Rwanda from Kigali’s hills to Lake Kivu, the Virunga volcanoes and the eastern wetlands.
Open the guide →Senegal runs from Dakar at the tip of Africa through the groundnut country of the center to the rivers of the north and the green Casamance in the south.
Open the guide →Explore Sierra Leone from Freetown’s peninsula and Atlantic estuaries to the Loma Mountains, Kono’s diamond country and the Gola-Tiwai forests.
Open the guide →Explore Somalia from Mogadishu, Merca and Barawe to the southern rivers, central interior and northeastern coast.
Open the guide →Explore Somaliland from Hargeisa and Borama to Zeila, Berbera, Burao and the eastern highlands.
Open the guide →South Africa stretches from the Cape’s vineyards across the dry Karoo to the highveld and the wildlife of the Kruger.
Open the guide →Explore South Sudan from Juba and the White Nile to the Sudd, Equatoria’s highlands and the Boma–Badingilo migration landscape.
Open the guide →Discover Sudan through the Nile’s great bend, Kushite pyramids, Nubian towns, Darfur’s highlands and the Red Sea coast.
Open the guide →Explore Tanzania from the Great Lakes and Kilimanjaro to Dodoma, the Swahili coast and Zanzibar.
Open the guide →Explore Togo from Lomé and the Atlantic coast through the Plateaux hills to Kara and the northern savannas.
Open the guide →Explore Tunisia from Tunis and Carthage to the wooded northwest, the Sahel coast, Djerba and Saharan oases.
Open the guide →Explore Uganda from Kampala and the Great Lakes to the Rwenzori Mountains and northeastern savannas.
Open the guide →Explore Western Sahara from Laayoune and the Saguia el Hamra to Dakhla Bay and the Saharan interior.
Open the guide →Explore Zambia from Lusaka and the Copperbelt to the Barotse floodplain, Luangwa valley and Victoria Falls.
Open the guide →Explore Zimbabwe from Harare and Bulawayo to the stone walls of Great Zimbabwe, the spray of Victoria Falls and the Eastern Highlands.
Open the guide →Oceania
Australia is a whole continent with almost everyone living on its edges, from the harbor cities of the southeast to Perth on the far side of the desert.
Open the guide →Explore Fiji from Suva and the sugar towns of Viti Levu to Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Lau and far-northern Rotuma.
Open the guide →New Zealand runs from the subtropical beaches of Northland past the volcanoes of the North Island to the glaciers and fiords of the far south.
Open the guide →Explore Papua New Guinea from the Highlands and Sepik coast to New Britain, New Ireland, Manus and Bougainville.
Open the guide →South America
Travel across Argentina from the Andean northwest and subtropical northeast to the Pampas, Patagonian glaciers and Tierra del Fuego.
Open the guide →Explore Bolivia from Lake Titicaca and the Altiplano to the valleys around Sucre and Cochabamba, the Chiquitano east and Amazonian lowlands.
Open the guide →Brazil stretches from the Amazon basin to the grasslands of the south, with regional traditions that reach far beyond Rio.
Open the guide →Follow Chile from the Atacama Desert and central valleys to southern lakes, Chiloé and Patagonia.
Open the guide →Explore Colombia from Caribbean islands and Andean coffee valleys to the Pacific coast, eastern plains and Amazon.
Open the guide →Travel across Ecuador from Pacific ports and Andean market towns to Amazonian rivers and the Galápagos Islands.
Open the guide →Explore Guyana from Georgetown’s Atlantic waterfront and the Essequibo islands to Kaieteur Falls, the forested highlands and Rupununi savannahs.
Open the guide →Explore Paraguay from Asunción’s riverfront and eastern mission ruins to the forests and settlements of the Chaco.
Open the guide →Cross Peru from the Pacific desert over the Andes to the Amazon, with coastal cities, highland markets and river ports along the way.
Open the guide →Explore Suriname from Paramaribo’s wooden waterfront and the rice-growing coast to Brokopondo Reservoir and the forested interior.
Open the guide →Explore Uruguay from Montevideo’s rambla and Colonia’s historic streets to western river ports, the grassland interior and Rocha’s Atlantic dunes.
Open the guide →Explore Venezuela from Caribbean islands and western Andean towns to the Llanos, Orinoco delta and tepuis of Canaima.
Open the guide →