San Pedro Sula, Honduras

The country's second city and driving economic force, SAN PEDRO SULA sprawls across the fertile Valle de Sula ("Valley of the Birds" in Usula dialect) at the foot of the Merendón mountain chain, just an hour from the coast. Flat and uninspiring to look at, and for most of the year uncomfortably hot and humid, this is a city for getting business done, rather than sightseeing. It's also the transport hub for northern and western Honduras, meaning a visit here is usually unavoidable, even if only to pass through. On a more positive note, San Pedro's facilities rate alongside Tegucigalpa, with an international airport, foreign consulates and a wide range of hotels, restaurants and shopping outlets – indeed, thanks to its practical location and better transportation links, travellers who stick to the north of the country (as so many do) rarely need to make a visit south to the capital.