Bangkok is popularly known as being one of the most liberal cities in Asia; therefore it is no surprise that one of the region’s largest gay pride events is being held here. The Gay Pride event has grown since its inception and has moved away from the stereotypical ‘parade’ and more towards a week-long cultural festival. Despite this paradigm shift, organizers have ensured that the fun remains intact and the Bangkok Pride Week ends with a colourful & glamorous Gay Pride Parade that winds it way around the city streets accompanied by much fanfare and loud music.

This celebration of Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and transgender identity encompasses a wide range of activities that include art exhibitions, film festivals and sporting events culminating with a Pride in the Park party and a glitzy parade. These events are held at a variety of diverse locations in Bangkok and range from self-expression seminars, cultural dialogues to relaxed social gatherings.

An important segment of the Bangkok Pride Week is the presentation of the Utopia awards, which recognizes path breakers in the field of LGBT upliftment and recognizes men and women who have pioneered Gay and Lesbianism in South East Asia. Several sporting events that include volleyball, biking, bowling and badminton are also worked off.

Away from the serious side of this festival, numerous parties are hosted in Bangkok’s Silom Soi district through out the Pride Week. Undoubtedly the highlight of the festival is the Pride in Park Party which is held at the historic Limphini Park. The end of Bangkok Pride Week is marked by the colourful street parade which should not be missed, especially the Sexy Swimsuit Competition.

Located within close proximity of the Bangkok Pride Week events is a Bangkok serviced apartment. This Bangkok apartment also offers great access to the city’s popular shopping and party districts.

From its spectacular New Year’s fireworks to its stunning harbour setting, Sydney is truly one of the world’s most attractive cities and it’s no wonder that Sydney has long been a popular destination for travellers in Australasia and beyond. Whether you’re keen to enjoy the warm weather ‘down under’ when it’s winter in the UK, or if you simply want to make a getaway during your summer holidays, Sydney offers a variety of arts, entertainment and sports events to cater for every tourist’s taste.

As Australia’s largest city, Sydney offers a wide range of cultural attractions. The most visited parts of the city are, of course, its most iconic landmarks: the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. However, Sydney holds an array of other popular attractions that should not be overlooked if you’re visiting the city. Sydney Tower, for example, is the city’s tallest free-standing structure at 305 metres high, and its observation deck offers visitors staggering views across the city.

Furthermore, Sydney has a dedicated artistic tradition; a range of Australia’s best artistic companies hail from the city, including Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Dance Company and Sydney Theatre Company. Sydney is also famous for its distinct gay community, which centres on Oxford Street and plays host to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras every year.

In fact, the Mardi Gras is only one of Sydney’s numerous annual festivals. Every January, the city stages the Sydney Festival, which has been Australia’s largest and most popular cultural festival since its inception in 1976. Its annual programme includes over 50 free events which span across a range of genres: from classical and contemporary music to dance, drama, circus events and public lectures. Attracting around 1.5 million people every year, the Sydney Festival truly captures the spirit of what makes Sydney such a great city to visit.

Sydney is also home to the Sydney Film Festival; moreover, since the opening of Fox Studios in Sydney in 1998, the city has become steadily more prevalent on cinema screens around the world. Famous movies that have been filmed in the city include Mission Impossible II, The Matrix, Moulin Rouge and the last two instalments of the Star Wars franchise.

Travellers hoping to see something of Australia’s history while in Sydney will not be disappointed with the variety of museums in the city. The biggest are the Australian Museum (a centre for natural history and anthropology), the Powerhouse Museum, which showcases exhibits on science, technology and design, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Australian National Maritime Museum.

If you live in Britain, you’re sure to be able to find plenty of flights to Sydney on a daily basis throughout the year. So whether you’re keen to enjoy the warm weather ‘down under’ when its winter in the UK, or simply want to take a break to the Emerald City during your summer holidays, you’ll always be able to find a suitable way to travel to Sydney.

The largest city in Switzerland is Zurich and the main commercial and cultural centre. Several surveys in 2006 and 2007, Zurich was named the city with the best quality of life in the world and it is the banking capital.

In Zurich, a total of around 2,000 restaurants and bars pamper guests palates with culinary delicacies from all over the world and between the spring and fall these are supplemented by some 480 open air restaurants. Since planning laws were changed in the late 1990s hundreds of new bars, restaurants and clubs have opened.

Zurich now hosts Europes largest annual street party. The Street Parade proceeding along the side of Lake Zurich, it normally occurs on the second Saturday in August

As the largest city in Switzerland, Zurich is home to probably one of the liveliest gay scenes in Europe. Besides the active nightlife, with its bars and clubs, Zurich is host to a number of cultural events for gays, such as the Warmer Mai Gay May festival, the Swiss gay and lesbian film festival, Pink Apple.

Bahnhofstrasse is the expensive street of the city where you see the drivers of Mercedes, Bentleys, BMWs, parked outside stores waiting for their clients to come out to be whisked away. Every clothing store of significance in the world is there. This street is not only littered with international banks, but also boutique, departmental stores, pastry shops, cafes. And of course its very own Swatch store is also located here.

The highest concentration of restaurants and bars is to be found in the part of old town called Niederdorf. Especially in the summer evening when everybody eats outside and the whole area turns into an entertainment and party zone. But restaurants are spread over the whole town and mostly you get better quality for lower price if you look for a dining place outside of the city centre.

Grossmunster is the largest cathedral in Zurich, which stands at the east bank of River Limmmat, attracting visitors with her twin towers. The Karlstrum tower has 187 steps and there is no lift to take you up the tower. As there is no lift, you have to climb the narrow stairs to get to the top of the tower. Half way up the tower, there is a history galley of Grossmunster. Once up at the top of the tower, you will find a birds eye view of the city is a great reward for the 187 steps that you have climbed. The view overlooks the River Limmat and gives a good aerial view. It also gives a good photo taking angle of the entire Lake Zurich.