Hyderabad

A four-minaret gateway raised in 1591, beneath which the four main roads of the old city meet. Laad Bazaar runs off to the west, lined with shops selling glass-studded bangles that glitter under the lamps in the evening.

The Qutb Shahi stronghold on a granite hill, where a handclap under the Fateh Darwaza gate is said to carry up to the Bala Hissar at the summit. Steep steps make an early-morning climb wise, and a sound and light show runs after dusk.

A royal necropolis about 1 kilometre from Golconda Fort, gathering dozens of domed tombs inside a garden. Years of work by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture have brought its stepwells and garden channels back to life.

The palace of the Nizams, where the Khilwat durbar hall hangs rows of Belgian chandeliers and the royal family's vintage cars are on show. Friday is its closing day, and the Charminar lies an easy stroll off.

A museum built from one family's collection, best known for the Veiled Rebecca, a marble figure whose veil looks sheer. On the hour a small figure steps out of an English musical clock to strike the bell, and a crowd gathers in front minutes before.

A reservoir dug in the 16th century, with a white Buddha carved from a single block of granite on a rock island in the middle. Boats run out to the statue from the Lumbini Park jetty, and the Tank Bund embankment is where people stroll in the evening.

A great mosque southwest of the Charminar, whose central arch is said to hold bricks made with soil brought from Mecca. Tombs of the Nizam family stand in a row by the courtyard pool, and flocks of pigeons blanket the yard.

A Venkateswara temple of white marble on Naubat Pahad hill, its terrace looking down on Hussain Sagar. Phones and cameras are not permitted, so visitors check them into a cloakroom below the hill.

A film studio complex out on the city's east side, listed by Guinness as the largest in the world. Touring the sets by bus inside the grounds takes the whole day, so it pays to arrive in the morning.

The burial ground of the Paigah nobles, tied to the Nizams by marriage, where marble screens are pierced like lace. Tucked into a residential area southeast of the old city, it sees few visitors.

A lane market running west from the Charminar, lined with shops of lac bangles set with glass stones. At the back of each shop artisans melt lac over a flame and shape bangles on the spot. On Ramadan nights the crowds stay past midnight.

A Vishnu temple near Osman Sagar, west of the city, nicknamed the visa temple. Devotees circle the shrine eleven times to make a wish and a hundred and eight times once it comes true. It keeps no donation box and turns down offerings of money.

A crafts village opened in 1992 at Madhapur beside HITEC City, where artisans from many Indian states take turns running stalls. A separate rural museum section copies mud-walled houses. Buying from the maker leaves more room to haggle than city shops do.

A zoo opened in 1963 on the shore of Mir Alam Tank, with a bus safari through lion and tiger enclosures. The grounds are big enough to eat half a day on foot, so take the electric carts inside. By midday the animals retreat into the shade.

A stone-arcaded street leading to the Charminar, lined with pearl shops in keeping with the city's pearl-city nickname. Dealers will tell you a real pearl feels gritty when rubbed gently on your teeth. Prices go by weight and lustre, so compare several shops.