Lonely Planet Best in Travel Greatest city comebacks

Rallying from devastation is typical of Beirut ... enjoying the pool of bombed landmark the Saint-Georges hotel. Photo: AFP Once deep down in the urban dumps, these cities have bounced back from the brink of becoming no-go destinations, turning tumultuous pasts into tourist drawcards. From the new book, Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 11 the best trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the upcoming year. 1) BERLIN, GERMANY Advertisement: Story continues below Germany aims for transparency in government with its parliament?s glass dome - Reichstag, Berlin. Photo: Russell MountfordLonely Planet Stalinist-style buildings were slated by contemporaries even as they were erected in post-WWII Berlin; architecture on Karl-Marx-Allee was mockingly dubbed 'wedding-cake style'. No surprises that now communism is kaput, Soviet-era hallmarks have been preserved with a degree of tongue-in- cheek. Preservation wasn't easy: following the Fall many favoured obliterating communist architecture. Now if Soviet sights are your thing you can, besides visiting the Wall, catch live music at the old Tr228;enenpalast ('hall of tears'; where families said farewells near the Wall), see a movie at communist cinema Kino International or experience the DDR Museum, where exhibits even allow you to get spied on by the Stasi. Soon after pre-Fall film The Lives of Others was released in 06, Ostel, self-styled 'Der DDR design hotel' opened its doors. Secure a stay in its communist-themed rooms by visiting ostel.de. 2) AYACUCHO, PERU Now it's a colonial gem of the Andes rivalling Cuzco for majesty; years ago it was the heart of the Shining Path terrorist movement that decimated the Peruvian highlands, with travellers steering well clear. The turnaround in Ayacucho has been monumental: paved roads only reached here in 1999. Since then tatty house facades have been spruced up and streets pedestrianised to get that idyllic, untouched-by-time feeling fl owing again through the city. A cluster of chic-but-cheap hotels Rosetta Stone and restaurants have opened too, all in complete harmony with the buzzing colonial vibe. Cream of the crop of charismatic colonial accommodation in Ayacucho is Hotel Santa Rosa. Check their Spanish-language website (hotel-santarosa) or call in (Lima 166, Ayacucho). 3) BEIRUT, LEBANON Rallying from devastation is typical of Beirut: a city set back by two major conflicts in the last 30 years. Still, incredibly, meze and macchiatos are served up from its relaxed restaurants and cafes in a downtown rebuilt to its former grandeur. Hamra, a hotbed of Lebanon's civil war, now has shops and clubs favoured by an international following of fashionistas and partygoers. Formerly on the front line, Beirut National Museum was torn apart by militia fighting: renovation has seen the museum regain its status as a world-famous cultural centre. Much like the city as a whole, actually. At the heart of downtown, Etoile Suites (etoilesuites) has individually designed rooms and a rooftop terrace. ASMARA, ERITREA Many who have glimpsed visually arresting Asmara call it Africa's most beautiful city due to its innovative art deco architecture, built by Mussolini during his unsuccessful campaign to create a second Roman empire. For much of the last 50 years, however, Eritrea was embroiled in war with neighbouring Ethiopia, first for independence and then over territory.

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