Eritrea

Asmara is one of the most entrancing cities in Africa. It usually comes as a surprise to travellers to discover a slick city crammed with architectural gems harking back to the city's heyday as the 'Piccolo Roma' (small Rome). Isolated for nearly 30 years during its war with Ethiopia, Asmara escaped both the trend to build post-colonial piles and the push towards developing-world urbanisation. Thus, it has kept its heritage buildings almost intact. Wander the streets in the centre and you'll gaze upon a showcase of art deco, international, cubist, expressionist, functionalist, futurist, rationalist and neoclassical architectural styles. Among the most outstanding buildings are the Opera House, the Ministry of Education, the Cinema Impero, the Municipality Building and the Cinema Roma. But nothing can compare with the Fiat Tagliero Building, a superb example of a futuristic architecture. Built in 1938, it is designed to look like an aeroplane (or a spaceship, or a bat). The central tower with its glass 'cockpit' is similar to many structures in Miami, USA.

The best way to see Asmara's architectural heritage is to walk around town. Asmara: Africa's Secret Modernist City, a book by Edward Denison, is the most comprehensive source on the subject.

Once called the 'Pearl of the Red Sea', Massawa is now a more faded-glory beauty, as the historic Ottoman, Egyptian and Italian architecture continues to fall further into the disrepair originally inflicted by the final days of fighting of the War for Independence in 1991. Budding historians and photographers continue to explore the Old Town in small numbers, while nearby beaches (both on the mainland and in the Dahlak Islands) and the archaeological excavations at Adulis also draw their share of visitors.

The road from Asmara to Massawa winds down from the highlands through several large canyons before finally reaching sea level and the empty desert on the final approach to the coast. En route you'll pass though the highland market town of Ghinda; it's worth a wander if you have time to spare, particularly on Wednesdays when residents of surrounding villages come in for the weekly market.

Part junkyard, part memorial, the ruins of military vehicles from around the country have been dragged to this open field in the years since heavy fighting ended, and make for poignant reflection on the damage done during decades of fighting. Local families have made their homes in a number of shipping containers in the centre of the area, which you'll need a permit from the Tourist Information Centre to enter, but wander (and photograph) at will apart from this area.

Historians debate whether or not the ruins of Qohaito were once the inhabited walls of the ancient town of Koloe, a settlement that predated, but grew to commercial importance during, the Aksumite kingdom. Even if it wasn't, the city's impressively large remains – covering an area of 2.5km (1.5mi) by 15km (9mi) – are testament to its once-great stature. Though only about 20% has been excavated, it'll still take you a few hours to make it through the main sights.