Cafes a perfect place for tourists to go and unwind

Back in the 14th century, which marked the beginning of the Renaissance period in Europe, coffee houses were popular haunts for intellectuals such as poets, philosophers, and inventors. In modern times, coffee houses are now known as cafes and have become popular haunts in pop culture for friends to gather, unwind and exchange information - a perfect example is on hit TV show 'FRIENDS,' where a group of friends gathered at Central Perk, a New York coffee house almost every day. Since they're daily destinations for many a city's locals, cafes are the perfect place for tourists to go if they're looking to understand the vibe of a new city. The right cafe can offer an authentic insight into a city's personality which is far removed from the structured, guided experiences that typical tourist attractions like museums and monuments offer. Take Dubai for instance. In a city known for its lavish way of living, casual visits to a cafe involve expensive, designer clothes, a healthy amount of jewelry and the most exclusive scents. The cafes themselves are typically plush, with oodles of light, comfortable lounges chairs, and organic fare. Meanwhile, if you head North-West over to Europe, you'd find that the coffee culture - which is almost synonymous with cafe culture - in Turkey is huge. Turkish coffee has earned fans across the world. Turkish cafes or coffee houses in Istanbul, the country's cultural and economic center, reflect the culture’s serious attitude towards coffee; the cafes themselves are often rustic, open-aired spaces allowing customers to devote all their attention to perfectly prepared coffee. The Turkish tend to sip their coffee leisurely, mirroring their laid-back personalities. This leisurely attitude is seen in locals' behavior in the world's fashion capital; Paris. Parisians tend to spend hour upon hour at open air cafes - head to one to soak up Paris' famous cultural vibe and enjoy being surrounded by dozens of effortlessly fashionable folk. Strangely enough, French coffee is infamous for tasting terrible, but - in keeping with French tradition - many serve a variety of wines, while their croissants and cheese varieties will give your taste buds plenty of reasons to dance in delight.  Head further West to New York City, and you'll find casual cafes on nearly every street corner. New York's most famous cafes like Cafe Grumpy in Chelsea, Coffeed in Long Island City and Culture Espresso in Midtown are low maintenance in terms of decor but high maintenance regarding coffee. New Yorkers, being perpetually in a rush are pretty serious about their energy boosts from caffeine. New York cafes are the best places to melt unobtrusively into the crowd and eavesdrop on that hipster table next to you to discover where to head for offbeat plays or art shows. To soak up Mumbai's true vibe, skip over large coffee chains and head stand-alone cafes instead. The Kala Ghoda Cafe in Fort has long been a favorite brunch-and-coffee spot for the city's artists, writers, photographers and the likes, as is The Pantry - also at Fort - and Prithvi Cafe, which fringes Mumbai’s Prithvi theatre. If you want to understand the life and struggles of the common man in Mumbai, order some cutting chai at the dime-a-dozen roadside stalls which dish out morning cups of tea to taxi drivers, peons, dabbawalas and the rest of the city's hoi polloi. Finally, if you take a plane ride over to Kyoto and set up shop at any cafe, you’ll discover the Japanese obsession with the word ‘kawaii’ which translates to cute. Rather than being called ‘beautiful,' many Japanese pop stars and actors are called ‘cute.' This trend is reflected in the fare in cafes which is tiny and designed into cute animal shapes. Cafes in Kyoto also represent Japan’s love for popular culture - there’s a Hello Kitty themed Cafe, an Alice In Wonderland Cafe and a Peanuts Cafe – as well as its tendency to come up with slightly off the wall ideas. Japan was responsible for the first cat cafe (which has a collection of cats patrolling the cafe), a vampire cafe and a cuddling cafe.If the sound of Japan’s bizarre cafe culture scares you just a little, begin your immersion into the world of cafe culture in Mumbai, Paris or New York, even if you’ve visited the cities before. It’ll be a wholly different experience.