While most of the obvious tourist landmarks - the Statue of Liberty, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Taj Mahal - charge entry fees, many of the lesser-known hidden gems around the corner don't. Lonely Planet is releasing on Tuesday a veritable travel bible of spots around the world where you can have great experiences on a shoestring, titled The Best Things in Life are Free. MailOnline Travel rounds up 15 of the most intriguing suggestions. Clockwise from top left - Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, Chateau de Versailles in Paris, Sydney Harbour National Park and Pig Island in the Bahamas. Inset is Singapore's Gardens by the Bay.
A rum with a view! Stay at a luxurious Jamaican resort with a private beach, spa and butler for you and 24 friends... for the same price as a break in Cornwall
Believe it or not Jamaica can be an affordable family holiday destination. Overlooked for years, the Caribbean gem is finally making a comeback with more kick than a bottle of Appleton Estate rum, discovers MailOnline Travel's Tara Brady. It boasts luxury beach clubs and affordable stays for large groups of travellers including Villa Windward (bottom right) in Montego Bay and Amanoka Villa (top right, top left and inset) in Discovery Bay. Tara also spent an afternoon at the Half Moon resort (bottom left) - a favourite with the royals.
Bowing to statues to running marathons: A travel blogger reveals what it’s really like to be a tourist in North Korea
North Korea is often seen as one of the most mysterious places in the world to visit as it's so closed off to the outside world. But a new video has revealed what it's really like to be a tourist in the country. The fascinating footage and narrative revealed that as a holidaymaker, you're never allowed to travel around on your own and you always have to ask your tour guide for permission before photographing anything.
From Stonehenge to the Eiffel Tower: Vintage photographs of Europe's landmarks reveal how travel has changed in a century
These nostalgic images, captured towards the end of the 19th century, show some of Europe's best known sights, including the Eiffel Tower (inset) in Paris and the Colosseum (bottom left) in Rome. The photographs were originally taken in black and white but have since had colour restored to them with the help of photochrom technology. They bring into focus how little and how much has changed over the course of 100 years.
Want to live like a rock star? Now you can in these (relatively) affordable holiday mansions... complete with movie theatres, games rooms and crazy golf
TripAdvisor has a number of luxury mansions available for rent, including a 9-bed villa in Phuket, a Bali retreat and a castle in California. Here, MailOnline Travel rounds up the best. Pictured from top left: A villa in Praiano, Italy, a lodge in Colorado, a castle in Orange County and a villa in Thailand.
Marble bathrooms, a pool on the top deck and an outdoor cinema: Inside the stunning £200,000-a-week Art Deco superyacht launched by London's posh Wellesley hotel
The Art Deco-styled yacht (inset) - launched by The Wellesley, a five-star boutique hotel in Knightsbridge, London - features 1920's styling, a crew member for every guest and extravagant amenities. Guests can go for a dip in a spill pool on the sun deck (top left) or catch up over afternoon tea in the main saloon (top right). Every suite on board has a marble bathroom (bottom right), while the owner's suite (bottom left) has panoramic sea views and comforts enjoyed only by multi-millionaires or billionaires.
Live 'la bella vita' in your very own CASTLE: Jaw-dropping £26million Italian stronghold with 80 rooms, two chapels and a swimming pool is up for sale
Castel Valer (left), in Italy's Dolomites mountain range, could change hands for the first time in 650 years when it is auctioned without a reserve price in September. The stunning property features a number of magnificnet lounges (top right) and dining rooms (bottom right), and is being marketed as a fantastic private home or tourist attraction. It was built on the site of Roman ruins from 1200 to 1700 and has a number of modern upgrades, including a swimming pool, electric generator and a water and waste pipeline to the nearest village.
Channel your inner royalty and take a trip back in time with a visit to the stunning Corinthia Hotel Budapest
Marble floors, sweeping staircases and gilded ceilings - Corinthia Hotel Budapest is every bit as dazzling as it was in its 19th century heyday as the Grand Hotel Royal, complete with a stunning ballroom and Art-Deco spa (top left). With helpful staff rushing to meet your every need, any guest here can leave their woes at the door as they take a step back in time into an era of elegance and sophistication and steep themselves in luxury - from the gold and red regal colour scheme to the incredible restaurants serving both international and Hungarian food fit for a King.
Young girls at Confirmation, elegant socialites and dressing gowns worn in the street: Fascinating 1940s photos of Rio reveal a quainter side to the Olympic city
As the host city of the 2016 Olympics, Rio has spent the last few years ploughing millions into infrastructure to show the world that it is a modern force to be reckoned with, with shiny new buildings and first-class stadiums. The busy cosmopolitan capital is a world away from its image in the mid 20th century, as shown in these fascinating pictures by American photographer Genevieve Naylor, who was sent to capture the spirit of the city in 1940. The AP photographer was tasked with capturing propaganda-style images to help conjure support in South America for the Allied forces during World War Two, but the style and culture of the capital caught Naylor's eye instead.
Now THAT'S a cliffhanger: The triangular house perched on a precipice that looks like it'll tumble over the edge
If you're looking for an unique house offering spectacular views then this triangular creation could be your ideal match. The futuristic Triangle Cliff House (main and top inset) is located on the edge of a nail-biting precipice and features a teepee-style roof with large windows that offer heart-stopping views of the steep drop. It was imagined by Germany-based architect Matthias Arndt as part of his firm's bi-monthly design challenge. There are three floors featuring a double bedroom and open-plan kitchen and lounge area (bottom inset).
Private helipads, views of Sugarloaf mountain and balconies over Ipanema beach: The luxury hotels in Rio the rich will be flocking to for the 2016 Olympics
The Rio Olympics kicks off today, with all eyes on Brazil's capital. Long seen as a global holiday spot, it has a long list of five star hotels, including a palace, a cliff-side retreat and modern mansion. Pictured clockwise from top left: The pool at the Hilton Barra, the grounds of the Royal Tulip, the lounge at La Suite by Dussol and the pool at the Fasano hotel. Inset: The Copacabana Palace.
Forget vampire lairs: New hotel in Transylvania is a stunning fairy tale castle... made from clay and straw
The 'Clay Castle' (pictured) is nestled at the heart of the Fagaras Mountains in Romania, in a region known as the Valley of the Fairies. It was built by singer couple Razran and Gabriela Vasile using only natural, organic materials - including clay, straw, wood and sand. While still not open to guests yet, the structure's Facebook page has amassed more than 26,000 likes, and tourists are already flocking to the area to see it from the outside.
Hazy nights, majestic mountains and vintage car graveyards: A dusty week driving across the stunning Sonoran Desert in Arizona
MailOnline Travel's James Bragg hired a white Mustang (bottom right) and drove across Arizona with stops along the way that included a natural water chute, a hot-air balloon ride (bottom left) and fat-tyre biking. He also gazed upon the incredible 'Elephant's Feet' rock formations in Navajo Nation (inset), viewed the amazing Painted Desert (top right) and stopped by at the Grand Canyon for the obligatory 'leap of death' picture (top left).
Fancy a life on Mars? Save yourself the 35million-mile journey and visit this incredible campsite in the desert where you sleep in metallic pods among the rocks
If you've ever fantasised about being settler on an alien planet then artist Andrea Zittel's futuristic looking campsite in the Californian desert might be ideal for your next holiday.The unusual accommodation, situated in the wilds of Joshua Tree, comprises a selection of metallic pods that are nestled amidst the rocks. Zittel's inspiration came from the Mojave Desert, which Nasa used to represent Mars while running tests on extraterrestrial habitats.
New travel service provides James Bond and Star Wars cameramen to capture your trip in style using DRONES - and these pictures show why prices start at £4,000
Luxury travel agent Black Tomato has just launched a new service dubbed 'Drone the World', which sends guests away with Hollywood cameramen to film their trip from above, for £4,000 plus per person. One family celebrating a big birthday had cameraman Tim Browning join them, who has worked both on Star Wars and James Bond movies, on a trip to Myanmar's Mergui Archipelago in a private junk ship (pictured).
The Wild West like you've never seen it: Stunning black-and-white photos capture the beauty of America's greatest landscapes
French photographer Laurent Baheux snapped these high contrast images of rugged mountains, deep canyons and winding rivers during his travels through the American West. He retraced the steps of famed photographer Ansel Adams and snapped photos of beauty spots including the Grand Canyon (top), Yellowstone's Upper Falls (bottom right) and Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, which is home to hundreds of bison (bottom left). Baheux's photos appear in a new book of landscape portraits called America.
Country picnics, windy seaside trips and dog walks in the woods: Nostalgia-inducing black-and-white images show a simpler life in rural Devon in the 1970s and 80s
Pictures of north Devon taken by photographer James Ravilious between 1972 and 1989 are available online for the first time thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The photos are being housed at Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter where they will be cleaned, numbered and uploaded to a website so members of the public can add their own recollections of the scenes.
Tassels, tapestries and beds to die for: Inside the stunning New York hotel where Zayn and Gigi sealed their romance (... and half of Hollywood hang out!)
MailOnline Travel's Rebecca Seales followed the trail of A-listers to New York's glorious Bowery Hotel, where Zayn Malik, ex-One Direction member adored by millions, fell for his supermodel girlfriend Gigi Hadid (inset). Kristen Stewart loves the Bowery, and the list of past guests reads like an Oscars party invite list. So just what do the stars find waiting behind those giant loft-style windows? We step inside to investigate.
It's behind you! Hilarious moment tourist is engulfed by wave as he poses on rocks
With his back to the sea and posing for the camera (pictured left), this man is given a shock when he is hit by a huge wave (centre). It is not known where the video was filmed, but the men speak Serbian in the clip. We see the man clambering up the rocks, soaking wet, as people watching laugh out loud. As he reaches higher ground he takes the bag from around his neck and tips the water out of it (right).
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TOP STORIES IN TRAVEL
- From bowing to statues to running marathons: A travel blogger reveals what it's really like to be a tourist in North Korea
- From Stonehenge to the Eiffel Tower: Vintage photographs of Europe's landmarks reveal how travel has changed
- 'Lovely weather we're having': The very British phrases you might hear... and what they actually mean
- Mail on Sunday bags a first-class bargain and discovers what it's like to... Fly like a star
- Chester has installed contactless payment points on its 2,000-year-old Roman walls so TOURISTS can help pay for its upkeep
- Hotel stays in France fall by 10 per cent as US, Asian and Gulf tourists are deterred by recent terror attacks
- Switzerland... with a big helping of Italian passion: A charming break with lakes, castles and a dash of culture
- That's what I call a birthday party! An unusual celebration featuring Ethiopia's stunning churches and a dazzling religious festival
- Every dog has its holiday... How do you make two moody, timid pets smile? Let them loose in the Forest of Dean
- Bird watching in Cyprus - what a magnificent lark: The twitchers' paradise where you can spot more than 60 species in one day
- Devoted to Devon: Old-fashioned pleasures await at the Thurlestone Hotel (and you may well spot Pippa Middleton at the village pub)
- Ready, Steady, Rio! The world's most vibrant city is in the Olympics spotlight - here's how to dive right in
- Travel notes: What's new and how to get the best from your holiday including staycation options and far-flung budget destinations
- Used condoms left by previous guests, beds covered in urine and cockroaches in the bathtub: Travellers reveal their hotel horror stories
- Marble bathrooms, a pool on the top deck and an outdoor cinema: Inside the stunning £200,000-a-week Art Deco superyacht launched by London's swanky Wellesley hotel
- Channel your inner royalty and take a trip back in time with a visit to the stunning Corinthia Hotel Budapest
- Live 'la bella vita' in your very own CASTLE: Jaw-dropping £26million Italian stronghold with 80 rooms, two chapels and a swimming pool is up for sale
- The travel clothes it's claimed won't smell even if they're worn every day for a MONTH (but would you dare put them to the test?)
- Private helipads, views of Sugarloaf mountain and balconies over Ipanema beach: The luxury hotels in Rio the rich will be flocking to for the 2016 Olympics
- Landan, Tourkey and Edinboro revealed as the most common place-name spelling errors on hotel chain's booking site - where one in five locations are entered incorrectly
- Young girls at Confirmation, elegant socialites and dressing gowns worn in the street: Fascinating 1940s photos of Rio reveal a quainter side to the Olympic city
- Want to live like a rock star? Now you can in these (relatively) affordable holiday mansions... complete with movie theatres, games rooms and crazy golf
- Unlimited champagne, a Saks shopping trip and a party for 250 people: The incredible $500k package launched by W Hotel for the 2017 presidential inauguration
- From Shanghai's 'marriage market' to toddlers with no diapers: Travellers share their weirdest encounters in China
- The most expensive tourist resorts in Europe revealed: Ibiza party hotspot ranks No 1 while St Ives in Cornwall comes in seventh
- Now THAT'S a cliffhanger: The triangular house perched on a precipice that looks like it'll tumble over the edge
- 'I looked out of the window, saw water, and realised it wasn't Luton': Teenager flies on WRONG PLANE after Ryanair staff fail to check her boarding pass
- 'I was asked if Scotland has trees': Tourists share their strangest experiences in the US
- Forget vampire lairs: New hotel in Transylvania is a stunning fairy tale castle... made from clay and straw
- Watch thrill-seekers ride the incredible secret 35ft water slide in Hawaii (that you can only reach after a trek through unmapped jungle)
- 'What rule would you introduce if you were president?' Flight attendants reveal the most bizarre questions they've been asked in interviews
- Hazy nights, majestic mountains and vintage car graveyards: A dusty week driving across the stunning Sonoran Desert in Arizona
- Fancy a life on Mars? Save yourself the 35million-mile journey and visit this incredible campsite in the desert where you sleep in metallic pods among the rocks
- A photo of hot dog legs means you're vain and attention seekers favour group selfies: Psychologists reveal what your holiday snaps say about you
- Satnavs that show speed cameras are illegal in France and pedestrians have the right of way in Switzerland: The rules of driving in Europe revealed
- Will THIS protect you from Zika virus? Bizarre net suit covers wearer from head to toe to avoid mosquito bites
- UK tourists warned over travel to Mexico after dozens of holidaymakers are struck down with food poisoning at luxurious hotels there
- The Wild West like you've never seen it before: Stunning black-and-white photos capture the beauty of America's greatest landscapes
- Country picnics, windy seaside trips and dog walks in the woods: Nostalgia-inducing black-and-white images show a simpler life in rural Devon in the 1970s and 80s
- New travel service provides James Bond and Star Wars cameramen to capture your trip in style using DRONES - and these pictures show why prices start at £4,000
- Revealed: The 10 foods Brits most like taking on holiday with them include ketchup, vinegar and Marmite
- Tassels, tapestries and beds to die for: Inside the stunning New York hotel where Zayn and Gigi sealed their romance (... and half of Hollywood hang out!)
- Naked ambition! More than HALF of Brits would go nude on holiday... and men are twice as willing
- Exploring Sweden's fascinating baroque castles and grand country houses (and a few of its 4,000 beautiful islands, too)
- Brits will spend £140million on in-car entertainment to keep their kids quiet on summer holiday journeys
- 'Vertical pier in the sky' that gives 360-degree views of up to 26 miles will open this weekend in Brighton
- From the Ritz's £95 feast to Bettys' classic with scones: The UK's best afternoon teas revealed
- It's behind you! Hilarious moment tourist is engulfed by giant wave as he poses on rocks... and is left having to tip water out of his manbag
- Shocking pictures show bruises on a flight attendant's face after she 'was slapped by a passenger angry that crew wouldn't carry her bags'
- Turquoise waters, frothy waves and white sands: Mesmerising drone photos of Australia's coastline will make you want to dive in
- Keeping the flame alive: Mesmerising photos capture the ancient art of Taiwanese fire fishing
- Revealed: How to jump the queue when you call an airline's customer service desk
- Beerwatch: Firefighters rescue a boozy British tourist after he somehow passes out on TOP of a lifeguard tower in Magaluf
- Thought your valuables were secure in a hotel safe? Shocking video reveals why you should never trust them
- Now THAT'S walkies! Athlete who met a stray dog on a 250km ultra-marathon across the Gobi desert is now bringing the adorable pooch home to the UK
- The snorkelling mask that makes you look like a NINJA: New £125 device covers a swimmer's entire face and allows them to breathe through their nose and mouth
- The REAL game of thrones: Mapping the historic empires that shaped the world
- Shocked plane passenger discovers a KNIFE on her seat that was 'left behind by a mechanic'
- Pictured: Ryanair fuel leak on airport tarmac that forces passengers to disembark before take-off
- 100 holidaymakers hit with 36 HOUR flight delay after 'technical fault' discovered on BA plane flying back to the UK from Cyprus
- Daredevil tourists sneak into the Colosseum and scale 157ft outer wall (and they didn't encounter a single security guard)
- Why time spent at Norfolk's Barsham Barns is rural bliss for exhausted parents in need of a break
- From Peppa Pig World to Stonehenge: TripAdvisor reveals the UK's most popular attractions outside London
- A downtown hotel with the charm of a chic pied-a-terre: Why those in the know choose Sixty SoHo as their New York home from home
- Picnic with Puddle-Duck: Celebrating Beatrix Potter's birthday with an enchanting adventure in her beloved Lake District
- Wingless jets and tiny helicopters where you stand on top of the rotor blades: MailOnline reveals some of the strangest aircraft the skies have ever seen
- Sex toys with a 'please wash' note, naked men and dead bodies: Hotel maids reveal the most disturbing things they've found while cleaning guests' rooms
- Thomas Cook tells grieving widow her husband had boarded a flight to Mallorca - despite the fact he'd died seven days previously
- Warding off angry elephants and being charged by lions: A day in the life of a Kruger safari guide
- 'This could be the most disgusting hotel room ever': Shocked traveller finds bed bugs, dead roaches inside a fridge, stained linen and HAIR from a previous guest (and an envelope for a tip)
- Anything but Planey McPlaneface! British Airways asks Twitter users to name aircraft that is flying Olympians back from Rio
- Revealed: British tourists are flocking to Spanish favourites such as Barcelona and the Canaries after terror attacks in France, Egypt and Turkey
- Five tourists killed at Bolivia's famous salt flats after vehicle they were travelling in flipped upside down
- Passenger detained by police after 'slapping duty free shop worker twice in the face' at Los Angeles Airport in argument over missing credit card
- Boeing 737 with 200 passengers on board skids off the runway and onto the grass after landing at German airport
- Passenger plane en route to Jamaica performs U-turn over the Atlantic Ocean and returns to Manchester after 'the autopilot didn't seem to work'
- The ultimate selfie! From scaling giant skyscrapers to doing handstands on a beam 1,394ft high, daredevils show no fear in chasing that perfect shot
- 'We could still hear it when we got back': Couple's luxury £2,200 holiday to Jamaica turns into a nightmare with 'deafening drilling' 12 HOURS a day
- Supermarkets in Magaluf to be BANNED from displaying alcohol in shop fronts in latest bid to clean up party resort
- Tourist bus skids off the road and plummets into a ravine in Norway leaving one person dead and two seriously injured
- Our Andalusian escape act at the Hurricane Hotel: Dom Joly averts a family holiday disaster in Seville by heading south to the exotic town of Tarifa on the Strait of Gibraltar
- Try living like a monk (but without all those irritating habits): The former French monastery that is now five-star hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant
- A bon voyage round Britain: From London to Belfast (with a quick stop-off in Belgium), a cruise on the L'Austral leaves memories to treasure forever
- An island Réunion? I'm in! CAROL DRINKWATER is so enchanted by the natural treasures of this French Indian Ocean island, she vows to return for more
- Revelling in the rugged beauty of the 'other Portland', where you can select your lobster for dinner from the sea
- Are YOU a seat kicker, boozy passenger or noisy hotel guest? Britons reveal the holidaymakers they hate the most
- Eating raw horse meat for a week and seeing a hole so deep it creates its own weather: Pilot reveals his experiences flying to the most remote places on earth
- An underwater hotel room, a suite on the side of the cliff and a tree house with the best view of the sea: The world's most unusual places to stay revealed
- Bravo Brittany! The sea might be chilly but everything else is warm and wholesome... and even actress Salma Hayek is a fan
- An Inspector calls: Filthy curtains and lifeless pillows at The Bell near Epping make it hard to justify £100 per night price
- TSA on track to find a record 3,000 guns in passengers' carry-on luggage this year after 74 were intercepted at US airports in ONE WEEK
- Mussolini's birthplace BANS shops from selling souvenirs with images of the fascist dictator after complaints from tourists
- Are these the most adorable baby animals ever? Photos of furry critters that will melt your heart... and where in the world you can find them
- The stunning catamaran more luxurious than most homes on land: 200ft concept yacht comes with an infinity pool, 12-seat cinema, cocktail bar and a spa
- British tourists 'drive along canal and nearly run over a pedestrian' in car-free Venice... but blame Google Maps for not telling them vehicles are banned
- Welcome to the dark side! Heartwarming moment boy dressed as Star Wars villain Kylo Ren is escorted around Disney World by Stormtroopers
- £40k for a bottle of water in Mexico and £500 for a cupcake in the US: The most expensive food and drink in the world revealed
- Is this the most essential travel gadget? The portable filter that will purify dirty water ANYWHERE in the world in just 15 seconds
- Revealed: The behaviour commuters hate the most on public transport (if you want to make friends, best to put your phone away)
- Inside the Irish Orient Express: Travel Ireland in style on luxurious new train service (if you can afford the £1.3k a night price tag)
- Is this the sweetest place on Earth? Ice Cream Museum is serving up edible balloons and frozen treats as guests swim in a pool of SPRINKLES
- Tourist who threatened flight attendants and shoved his wife after he was barred from doing YOGA on a plane is ordered to pay United Airlines more than $44,000