| MYSORE | Former name of the city regarded as the cultural capital of Karnataka, India |
| MONTREAL | Canadian city regarded as the cultural heart of Quebec |
| BANGALORE | Capital of Karnataka, or a Bengal development (9) |
| KODAGU | Administrative district in Karnataka, India, also known by its anglicised former name of Coorg |
| PUNE | Cultural capital of Maharashtra |
| KYOTO | Cultural capital of Japan |
| INVERNESS | City regarded as the administrative capital of the Scottish Highlands (9) |
| SETIF | Algerian city regarded as the country's trade capital |
| BENGALURU | Capital city of Karnataka, known as India's tech hub and startup capital, home to major IT firms, research institutions, and a vibrant cosmopolitan culture (9) |
| BENARES | Former name of the city of Varanasi in NE India (7) |
| BRUXELLES | French name of the city that is the headquarters of the EU (9) |
| CANTAB | Coming from the medieval Latin name of the city, what means "of Cambridge"? (6) |
| LENINGRAD | Former name of the city of 5 17 (9) |
| ISTANBUL | What is the present name of the city that has spanned the divide between Europe and Asia for more than 2000 years? (8) |
| BRESLAU | German name of the city of Wroclaw, Poland (7) |
| UZBEKISTAN | Lonely Planet's new Best in Travel 2024 offers suggestions in five categories, including this pick, in COUNTRIES, where "the cultural hubs of Samarkand, Bu khara, and Khiva still evoke the era of the |
| TUPELO | Deciduous tree found in damp habitats in North America; also the name of the city Elvis Presley was born in (6) |
| OSLO | Modern-day name of the city where "Peer Gynt" premiered |
| MEME | Something from the Internet that becomes part of the cultural conversation |
| CORGI | One follows part of Karnataka leaving out old dog (5) |
