Global cities

A series of articles from BBC World Histories magazine in which historians explore the historical sites in cities around the world, helping you to plan your visit

A man wearing a blue jumper and black trousers stands in front on a large mural of an airport

Kavita Puri's hidden histories: "A UK museum that tells the long, rich history of migration is long overdue"

Michael Wood on amazing insights into medieval daily life

Roman Forum in Rome, Italy (Photo by Olgacov | Dreamstime.com)

Rome historyEmperors, popes and Renaissance glory

ExploreYangon, Myanmar: City of Golden Pagodas

ExploreFès, Morocco: Morocco’s spiritual capital

Thessaloniki's Rotunda of Galerius, Greece, built in the fourth-century by Roman occupiers

ExploreThessaloniki, Greece: Greece's cultural melting pot

The 17th-century church of Santi Luca e Martina overlooks the Arch of Septimius Severus in the Roman Forum

ExploreRome, Italy: the 'eternal city'

Plaza de Armas in historic center of Cusco, Peru

ExploreCusco, Peru: Navel of the Incan world

Notre Dame de la Major church, Arles

ExploreArles, France: 'Little Rome' of Provence

Brass band playing during Mardi Gras in Mew Orleans

ExploreNew Orleans, United States: Louisiana's 'big easy'

ExploreSan Francisco: the Golden City by the bay

ExploreSt Petersburg, Russia: the Venice of the north

Church of Santo Domingo de Guzman in Oaxaca Mexico

ExploreOaxaca: Central Mexico’s “fair and beautiful city”

Sveti Georgi (St George) a Roman-era church is Sofia's oldest preserved building

ExploreSofia, Bulgaria: an emperor’s home from Rome

Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto and a mountain in the background

ExploreKyoto: Japan’s city of gardens and geishas

An indigenous Aymara woman selling herbs at La Paz's Witches' Market

ExploreLa Paz, Bolivia: the history of the turbulent city of peace

Colourful streets of the Bo-Kaap district in Cape Town South Africa

ExploreCape Town: Africa’s ‘Mother City’

Acropolis Museum Athens, combines modern and ancient

ExploreAthens: a city of ancient sites and modern visions