An Art Lovers' Guide

Dr Janina Ramirez and Alastair Sooke head to Amsterdam, a city that pioneered so much of modern life, from multinational trade to the way we design our homes.

Although Barcelona is famous for its exuberant modernista buildings, the Gothic Quarter and artistic superstars such as Picasso, Janina and Alastair are determined to discover some less well-known cultural treats.

Janina and Alastair explore St Petersburg through its dazzling art and architecture, wanting to see how art has been used to enhance prestige and power in this city, ever since it was founded by Tsar Peter the Great.

Janina Ramirez and Alastair Sooke head to Lisbon, rapidly becoming one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations. Winding through the city's cobbled streets, from its steep hills to the picturesque shoreline, the cultural riches they encounter reveal the city's fascinating history.

Janina Ramirez and Alastair Sooke explore Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon. This fascinating crossroads between east and west has a rich history, and a troubled recent past. It's the most diverse city in the Arab world, with 18 recognised religious sects. Its French influence gave it the reputation as the Paris of the east during the mid 20th century. But this diversity turned to division in 1975 when the city became embroiled in a 15-year civil war.

Bordering the Caspian Sea, Baku offers a tantalising mix of the ancient and modern - at the crossroads of east meets west, on the ancient silk trading route. It is also an authoritarian state, where cultural life is tightly controlled.