Six cities to explore by night

Barcelona
See Barcelona by night. The Barcelona Secrets eBike Night Tour (www.webarcelona.com) is a great way to see the Spanish Catalan capital after the day crowd has bid goodbye. The tour covers the Old Town, Plaza España, and the Magic Fountains of Montjuïc. www.spain.info

Dubai
You cannot miss the Burj Khalifa, world’s tallest building, lit up at night. Big Bus Tours (www.bigbustours.com) runs a two-hour double decker bus tour every night and covers the major attractions. Arabian Adventures’ (www.arabian-adventures.com) nightly city tours include Burj Khalifa, the home of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum (now an air-conditioned museum), the 1787-built Al Fahidi Fort and the Jumeirah Mosque; they also conduct walking tours in the evening between May and September. Desert Safari (www.desertsafaridubai.com) conducts evening desert safaris. Enjoy the coastline on a dhow cruise, which also includes dinner (www.arabiannightstours.com). www.visitdubai.com.

Hong Kong
The spectacular lighting arrangements make night tours in Hong Kong extra special. Bus tours (www.bigbustours.com/eng/hongkong/; www.grayline.com.hk) are a convenient way to cover a wide area. For the first timer, the 8pm Symphony of Lights is a must see—light and sound show covering more than 40 of Hong Kong’s skyscrapers on both sides of Victoria Harbour. Another popular to-do is a dinner cruise—cruise around the Victoria Harbour and then dine at a fishing village (www.splendid.hk; www.watertours.com.hk; the Peak Tram (www.thepeak.com.hk) operates until midnight and offers a fantastic view of the lit-up city. www.discoverhongkong.com.

Jaipur
Rajasthan Tourism has introduced a four hour Pink City by Night tour that starts at 6.30pm. Priced at Rs 450 per head, it includes a drive past the famous landmarks and vegetarian dinner at Durg café, Nahargarh). www.rtdc.rajasthan.gov.in.

Paris
Apart from the concerts, clubs and shows, Paris is also a typical tourist city so far as night tourism is concerned. Several museums remain open for a few hours at night. There are double decker buses covering the prominent attractions, dinner cruises and more. Take a bicycle tour with Paris à vélo c’est sympa (www.parisvelosympa.com) riding through the heart of Paris or exploring some of its lesser known quarters. Pari Roller organises a three-hour tour on roller blades every Friday night (www.pari-roller.com). www.en.parisinfo.com.

Seoul
Bus tours are a great way to see Seoul by night (www.en.seoulcitybus.com). The 1.5hour single decker bus tours start from Gwanghwamun and takes visitors to the bridges of the Hangang River, N Seoul Tower (10minutes break), the Namdaemun Market and Cheonggye Plaza. The one-hour long non-stop double decker bus tour covers the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain of Banpo Bridge, Namsan Library and Namdaemun Market before arriving in Cheonggye Plaza. Or, you can take the Namsan cable car Open until 11 pm; www.cablecar.co.kr) to the top of the N Seoul Tower. The Lotte World and the Everland theme parks are open until 10pm, with the latter offering discounted tickets for the evening from 4pm. www.english.visitkorea.or.kr.

famous cities