If you’re in the city any time soon, also head to the MAM (São Paulo’s modern art museum) for a recently-unveiled exhibition about Brazilian design. Named “Brazilian Design Today: Frontiers,” it presents about 100 pieces of industrial design, graphic arts, architecture, and fashion made in Brazil, and will be on display until June 28.

Another recent opening was Dalva e Dito, a restaurant bringing rustic traditions to the sophisticated urban crowds. It is named after an imaginary couple and serves innovative homestyle cooking by Alex Atala (one of Brazil’s top chefs who is behind the city’s renowned D.O.M. restaurant) in a contemporary space.

Also new in town is Zena Caffé, an informal space not just serving lunch and dinner, but open for business throughout the day. Most of the menu is Italian, as are most of the over 60 labels on the wine list. Located in the hip Jardins neighborhood and owned by someone who has other popular eateries in town, this one is sure to become one more success story.

Not too long ago Jardins also welcomed another restaurant to the neighborhood, this time an Irish restaurant with a pub atmosphere. It’s called Mulligan, and it’s not just another typical Irish pub, this is a place for some serious Irish food, with creative interpretations of traditional recipes brought from Dublin. Yes, of course there is plenty of Guinness too, and the dessert to try is the Baileys cheesecake. When weather permits, you can enjoy it all at a table outside.

Where to stay in the city to enjoy all of this? In Jardins, of course! The recent opening of Tivoli São Paulo Mofarrej brought yet another 5-star service to the neighborhood. If you can’t get a room at Fasano or Emiliano, this hotel is a good alternative, offering tastefully-decorated rooms and a luxurious spa, not to mention one of Latin America’s largest presidential suites overlooking the city.

-See the complete São Paulo city guide.
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For all of that, UCityGuides.com has created the Uwards, the travel awards highlighting the best of what’s new in the urban world. There are 15 categories this year, which are:

-Best airport
-Best airport magazine
-Best in-flight magazine
-Best hotel group
-Best new building
-Best new body & soul experience
-Best new rooftop bar
-Best new members’ club
-Best new concept
-Best new cafe
-Best new restaurant
-Most welcomed new opening
-Best new business hotel
-Best new boutique hotel
-Best new hotel

To find out what won these Uwards, see UCityGuides’ Uwards – Urban Travel Awards page.

But Vienna is much more than a classical and imperial city, and a visit to the Museumsquartier will show you that it’s very much a city of today. Home to a number of museums showcasing everything from modern art to architecture, that huge cultural site contains both Baroque and modern buildings. It’s also a major hangout for the city’s hippest youth, thanks to its cafes, public spaces, and temporary exhibitions.

From there head to the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) to follow the history of design through its exhibits, and for a meal at its Österreicher Im MAK restaurant. It serves both classic and modern Viennese cuisine in a stylish minimalist interior that equally balances some classic touches in a contemporary space. Smaller, lighter dishes are served at the bar, one of the city’s top choices for after-work snacks.

For cocktails, the place is the Onyx Bar inside the Do & Do Design Hotel facing the city’s landmark cathedral. But you don’t have to stay at the hotel to enjoy the bar’s drinks, its views, and lounge music together with some of the city’s most fashionable crowds, and can choose to stay at the equally stylish Levante Parliament Hotel instead.

Before you go to bed you may want to hit the dancefloor at Passage, a super-club often hosting Europe’s super-DJs. There are very little furnishings here — the lighting fills the space.

All of the places mentioned above, together with all of Vienna’s best attractions, are covered in UCityGuides’ complete Vienna city guide.

The beginning of London’s “The End” was in 1995 when it soon became one of the city’s hottest clubs. With a minimalist industrial look, this West End hotspot has been the site of mega parties to the sound of major guest DJs and live acts for over a decade. Many London clubbers feel this is one of the best weekend destinations in the city, usually with drum and bass on Fridays and house on Saturdays. But The End is coming to an end in a few days, closing its doors after 13 years.

The closing party will be on January 24th, and it will be the party of all parties. It will last until Sunday afternoon, and West Central Street will be closed to traffic on that night. There are no advanced tickets available, so it’s first come first serve at the door — at 40 pounds (20 pounds after 6AM).

This has been a cutting-edge, state-of-the-art space when it comes to dance music and showcasing the best underground music. Others have followed it, and a few other mega-clubs have opened and closed recently (one of them was the iconic Astoria, closing today after having hosted legends such as Nirvana, U2, and the Rolling Stones). A great substitute is Matter, opened last September from the same team behind Fabric, another legendary club in the city. This new space is London’s most futuristic, with a bodykinetic dancefloor shooting base waves up your body, and serving as a club and a live venue.

Better known among international visitors is Ministry of Sound, the country’s first ever “superclub.” You’ll find the big-name DJs there, and if they’re not there they’re probably at Heaven, a usually mixed gay-straight club. But if you’re looking for a more exclusive atmosphere, there are the Cockoo Club and Mo*vida, two hangouts for the city’s most fashionable crowds. You can spend the night in style there, or if you simply want to chill out with a cocktail, there’s Trailer Happiness or the Mandarin Bar.

The best part of going out at night in London is knowing that no matter how many bars and clubs come and go, there will always be several choices to fit your style and the ambience you’re looking for. UCityGuides helps you with that in its complete London city guide.

Drop your luggage at the Donovan House or Hotel Rouge where you’ll sleep in style after a day and night out around the city.
After you’ve taken a look at the city’s numerous neoclassical landmarks, visit the Newseum, an interactive museum opened in 2008 presenting the history and influence of the news and media around the world.  From there it’s easy to reach the National Gallery, with its enormous East Building housing modern and contemporary art by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Picasso, Matisse, Pollock, among other artists.

When it’s time for a break, head to Georgetown for some trendy shopping and a stop at Leopold’s Kafe.  If it’s closer to dinner time, you now have some serious decisions to make.  Renowned chefs have opened restaurants in the American capital, with Wolfgang Puck’s The Source and Michel Richard’s Citronelle being two of the best destinations.

Once you’re done sampling the city’s creative menus, get further proof that it’s time to rethink Washington’s image as a city that doesn’t know how to have fun.  It has high-profile lounges and clubs matching those in New York or L.A., as proven by Lotus, Eighteenth Street Lounge, and Lima Lounge.  Have some drinks or dance the night away before returning to the sleek hotel that you checked into earlier, and sleep with the satisfaction of having found a hipper side of Washington that most tourists don’t experience.

All of the attractions mentioned above, together with numerous other suggestions, are covered in UCityGuides’ complete Washington DC City Guide.

For all of Venice’s timeless and more recent attractions, see UCityGuide’s complete Venice City Guide, which covers all of the places mentioned above.