Shenzhen

This folksy urban village of narrow lanes and alleys is a pleasure to visit in itself, but what makes Dafen simply unmissable is the hundreds of art studios and shops churning out reproduction oil paintings by hand, from Van Gogh's sunflowers (yours for less than ¥100) to enormous, gilt-framed scenes of mounted cavalry or galleons at sea rendered in lavish detail, costing upwards of ¥2000. Or why not go pop art with a Mona Lisa–meets-Minions mash-up?

From hair metal to experimental jazz, all genres are equal at this warehouse live-music venue that welcomes eclectic performers from around the world. The musical heartbeat of OCT-LOFT, B10 is also the principal host venue for the OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival and Tomorrow Music Festival.

A delicious bookshop specialising in cultural and academic titles, Old Heaven also doubles as a vinyl-music shop, cafe, live venue and community creative hub. It's a great place to plug in and catch up on that travel blog over a hazelnut latte. Performances take place here during the OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival.

It's 'Around the World in 80 Minutes' (OK, more like half a day) at this endearingly kitsch theme park set in well-tended gardens. From the Houses of Parliament to the Pyramids, the world's great monuments are realised, tackily, in miniature. Some aren't so small – the Eiffel Tower clocks in at an impressive 108m, and Niagara Falls is quite the sight.