After so many years of travelling, these are my top picks for city breaks holiday based on my own travel experience. Still, I have a lot more new cities to explore and perhaps my list will change in the future… Plus, a chance to win a great offline Guided City-Walk App Worth US$4.99 from GPSmyCity as the end of this post!

No. 5: Hong Kong

Hong Kong is so unique because of its intertwined history with the Chinese and the British. I love the fact that the city still maintain many of its old ways of doing things, the Ding Ding Tram system is the best example. Despite being the one of the most populated cities in the world, one can still find serenity in Hong Kong many suburbs islands, such as Lantau Island.
My favourite sites of Hong Kong: The Victoria Peak, The Victoria Harbour, and the Lantau Island.

Hong Kong Night View from The Victoria Peak

Hong Kong Night View from The Victoria Harbour

The hanging spiral joss sticks which can burn for weeks

1-Michelin Star Dim Sum from Tim Ho Wan

The famous Hong Kong Tram also know as Ding Ding

Cable Car to Lantau Island

The Big Buddha at Lantau Island

No. 4: Beijing
Since I lived in Tianjin for 2 years, Beijing was my every weekend getaway and playground since it was only 27 minutes away by bullet train. I love this city much more than Shanghai as I find Beijing offers a balance of history, culture and modernization for me to enjoy and explore. Plus I love the distinct four seasons weather here, if compared to the forever summer in Kuala Lumpur.
My favourite sites of Beijing: The Forbidden City, The Great Wall, and Sanlitun.

Tian An Men Square

Tian An Me

The Female Chinese Guardian Lion of the Forbidden City

Forbidden City from Jing Shan Park

The one and only Great Wall of China

No. 3: Bangkok
Bangkok is only 2 hours away by flight so I always love to pop by this energetic city at least once a year for shopping and Thai food (best shopping and food in South East Asia in my opinion). Furthermore, Bangkok’s night life is so vibrant and fun and you will never get tired of partying away in whatever budget of your choice. It’s definitely the most lively city in South East Asia.
My favourite sites of Bangkok: Sirocco at Lebua State Tower, Platinum Wholesale Shopping Mall, and Chatuchak Weekend Market.

Bangkok Night View from Sirocco

Sirocco at Lebua State Tower (Do you remember it from Hangover Part 3?)

Bangkok Night View from Sirocco

Bangkok Downtown

The Grand Palace

My favourite Chatuchak Market

No. 2: Kyoto
My obsession with Japan is quite obvious as this is by far the best country in Asia to travel. Kyoto being the old capital of this country has the tranquility and zen feel all over the city and its famous temple sites. Kyoto is also famous for its Japanese fine dining too, being the birth place of Kaiseki cuisine (traditional multi courses Japanese dinner).
My favourite sites of Kyoto: Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Kiyomizu-dera, and Arashiyama

The beautiful Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

Kiyomizu-dera

Fushimi Inari-Taisha

No. 1: London 

My top choice, London due to its abundance of history, culture and food. I could wandered all day in the city, getting lost among the many museums, UNESCO sites, pubs and restaurants. British’s heritage and culture are very entrench in Malaysia being a formal colony, hence my fascination on London is totally understandable.
My favourite sites of London: British Museum, London Eye, and River Thames Cruise.

Best city view from the top of London Eye

The one and only Big Ben

Iconic Tower Bridge

The lovely view from the Greenwich Park

Egyptian Mummies in British Museum

 

So now it’s your turn to tell me which are your favourite cities! Furthermore, in collaboration with GPSmyCity (more info here), I’m giving away 20 free promo codes (worth US$4.99) to download a self-guided city-walk app from GPSmyCity, which will help you to navigate your favourite cities even without any data/wifi connection. 

How to Win:
Follow me on my Instagram (@allison_wongsw) and tell me which city is your favourite city breaks and your Instragram handle + iOS/Android preference here in the comment box.
You can find the list of over 470 cities destinations available from GPSmyCity (iOS click here/ Android click here). The 20 lucky winners picked at random will receive one full-version city-walk app worth US$4.99 for a city of their choice—for FREE! 

What are you waiting for?! Just tell me which city is your favourite city break destination now to win!

Terms & Conditions:
This app giveaway begins on June 10, 2016 and ends on June 26, 2016. The names of the winners will be announced by July 3, 2016 on my blog, Instagram and my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/urbanitediary). One promo code per person. 

**Please note that these promo codes are only available for iOS devices (iPad and iPhone) and Android only.