Lima vs Rio de Janeiro

Lima has become one of the world's most talked-about food cities, home to several restaurants regularly ranked among the world's best, built on ceviche and Peru's extraordinary biodiversity. Colonial-era architecture in the historic centre contrasts with the clifftop parks of Miraflores overlooking the Pacific, and the city serves as the main gateway to Machu Picchu and the Andes.

Rio's setting is unmatched — granite peaks rise directly from the city between Copacabana and Ipanema's beaches, with the Christ the Redeemer statue watching over it all from Corcovado mountain. Samba, Carnival, and a beach-centred daily culture define the city's rhythm, alongside favela communities that are an essential, complicated part of Rio's social fabric.