China (SAR)

Hong Kong and Macau are the rebellious, neon-soaked siblings of the mainland. Here, the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy creates a dizzying cultural hybrid. In Hong Kong, double-decker trams rattle past bamboo scaffolding and glass skyscrapers, while the air smells of humid jungle and roasting goose. A short ferry ride away, Macau trades the finance bros for high-rollers, blending the pastel-colored colonial architecture of Lisbon with the glittering excess of the world’s biggest casinos. These cities are dense, vertical, and obsessed with food—from Michelin-starred dim sum to flaky Portuguese egg tarts.