Famous for its cuisine, art and architecture, France is the world’s most popular tourist destination. Visitors are lured by the romance of Paris and the sophistication of the south – but is there life beyond the Eiffel Tower, can-can girls and haughty waiters? Justine Shapiro travels to the western and northern regions of this surprisingly diverse nation to find out.

Traveller Ian Wright makes the cultural pilgrimage to the extraordinary Italian region of Tuscany - a finely made combination of cultural wealth, beautiful landscapes, quality food, fashion and passion. Ian starts his journey in Florence, a massive, beautiful monument to the Renaissance. It's a cultural treasure trove as Ian discovers touring the Piazza della Signoria, the Accademia and the Uffizi Museum, coming face-to-face with priceless works like Michelangelo's David statue and Caravaggio's Medusa shield. Inspired, he tries his hand at painting himself, at the Palazzo de Cataloni that's been teaching art since 1975 - amazingly he's not too bad! No visit to Florence would be complete without a tour of its dominating cathedral the Duomo which is so big there's nowhere in the city where you can see in all its entirety. A climb into its dome takes his breath away. As does the Palio, a crazy version of football combined with wrestling, boxing and rugby, dating back to the fifteenth century. He's had his fill of Florence, but not before he tucks into two city favourites, ice-cream and a Florentina steak. In Carrara, Ian meets an American artist who gives him the lowdown on the area. Its marble has been quarried since Roman times and 40 per cent of US marble comes from here. Michelangelo even spent five years up in the mountains here, such is the quality of its stone. Then it's off south to the home of another Renaissance master, Leonardo da Vinci, where he visits a museum showcasing the designs of his great scientific mind - he not only invented the bicycle but even an underwater diving suit! Chianti is synonymous with its fine wines - Ian meets the owner of Castello de Brolio where Chianti Classico was invented in the 19th century. Then it's off to Castello di Cafaggio to visit a beautiful old farmhouse near the village of Impruneta. The farmhouse is owned by Enrico Benci and is part of the Italian agriturismo home-stay movement. But... Ian so

Traveller Megan McCormick ventures into perhaps the most misunderstood region in the world - the Arab Gulf States. Megan's journey begins in the oil fields of Kuwait, which were set alight and destroyed by the invading Iraqi army of 1990. The nation then celebrates Liberation Day and Megan joins in the festivities on the streets of Kuwait city. Megan is then invited to stay with a Kuwaiti family who were camping in the desert, a tradition that many Kuwaitis hold dear, and samples some local dishes. She then makes her way south, across the Arabian Gulf to the United Arab Emirates, where she explores the exciting cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Megan stays at the world famous Burj Al Arab hotel, a landmark of modern Dubai, before going abayya shopping in one of the city's many shopping malls. In Abu Dhabi, she tees off at a unique desert golf course and meets one of the most flamboyant sheiks in Arabia, who car collection includes a giant custom made Dodge pickup truck! She travels across the border into Oman and discovers one of the hidden jewels of the Gulf. Immersing herself in the natural beauty, Megan finds herself irresistibly charmed by the country, as she goes swim-trekking in the Wadi Bani Khalid and cattle shopping in Nizwa. Megan's adventure ends in the south of Oman, in the city of Salalah. She visits the mystical tomb of Job and finds the source of one of the treasures of the ancient world - frankincense. Led by a Bedouin guide, she treks into the Empty Quarter, which is one million square miles of nothing but sand.

Ian Wright and Megan McCormick take a journey through mysterious Morocco, the meeting of Europe and Africa and a land of richly cultured cities, high mountain ranges and inhospitable desert landscapes.

The Middle East is known as the 'cradle of civilisation' for good reason. The area has been home to some of the most formidable empires the world has ever known and is the birthplace of the world's three biggest monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Pilot team go in search of the major empires, religions and conflicts that have, and continue, to shape the region. The Ancient Egyptian Empire flourished for over 3000 years and bequeathed us some of the most amazing structures in the world. Estelle Bingham visits the Giza plateau, home to the Pyramid of Khufu, the only remaining wonder of the world where renowned Egyptologist Dr Selima Ikram explains the significance of the Sphinx and the Pyramids. Then Megan McCormick travels south down the Nile to the Valley of the Kings and cycles round this working archaeological site. Dr Badir takes her into Tomb No. 34 where he deciphers the scenes and texts depicting the trip through the afterlife. Rameses II built his sun temple at Abu Simbel on the southern border of Egypt to awe travellers from Africa. Megan discovers that the effect hasn't waned even after thousands of years. Meanwhile, the Persian civilisation was flourishing to the northeast on the site of modern-day Iran. Ian Wright visits the ruined city of Persephelis built by Darius the Great over 2,500 years ago. Then it's north to the Tombs of Naghsh-É-Rostam where the four greatest shahs of the empire are buried. The Nabatinian empire's capital was Petra, a city carved out of sheer rock in the sixth century BC and now in modern-day Jordan. Ian checks out this premier tourist attraction and puffs his way up the to the 2500-year-old monastery above. In 100 BC the next great empire appeared on the scene. Justine Shapiro goes in search of the Roman's premier archaeological sites in the Middle East. Ephesus in Turkey was a powerful and influential city in its time; nowadays it's a stunning site with some wonderfully preserved mansio

Megan McCormick visits Hong Kong and travels from there to the remote Orchid Island.

New York has always been a city of superlatives: biggest, brashest, best - at least that's the opinion of its proud inhabitants - and with over 30 million visitors a year it seems that there are plenty of others who agree! Ian Wright and Megan McCormick return to New York to seek out a city that is now known as much for its resilience in the face of tragedy as its economic power, cultural dominance and ethnic diversity.

London with Jonathan Atherton & Megan McCormick