Even the strongest jenever—the Dutch predecessor to gin—won’t help you pronounce Wynand Fockink, but this 350-year-old bar and distillery is the best place to sip the juniper-laced drink. Imbibers spill out into an alleyway, their glasses filled with jenever concoctions infused with such flavors as vanilla, coffee, orange, or cinnamon. Pijlsteeg 31, 31/(0) 20-639-2695. Photo courtesy of Zemistor/Flickr. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

Just three months after opening last August, the 70-seat Samhoud Places restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars for international dishes such as sole in hazelnut sauce, chickpea and crab crepes, and eggplant moussaka. Hit the casual lounge for à la carte entrées if you’re not up for the six-course prix-fixe dinner upstairs. Oosterdokseiland 5, 31/(0) 20-260-2094. Photo courtesy of Samhoud Places. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

Located near the lively Museumplein, the Conservatorium Hotel pays tribute to the building’s former life as a music conservatory; a classical sound track changes with the time of day. Italian architect Piero Lissoni played with indoor-outdoor spaces. He created a courtyard lobby encased in glass and a spa with fig and olive trees. From $415. 31/(0) 20-570-0000. Photo courtesy of the Conservatorium Hotel. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

Headquartered about an hour north of the city, Royal Tichelaar Makkum has been making traditional Dutch pottery and tiles for more than four centuries. In Amsterdam proper, the design store Frozen Fountain sells modern Makkum pieces, including handpainted earthenware bowls crafted by Dutch designer Hella Jongerius. Prinsengracht 645, 31/(0) 20-622-9375. Photo courtesy of thomasseyck.com. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

This year’s Grachtenfestival, an annual 10-day celebration of classical music on Amsterdam’s famous canals, takes place from August 16 through 25. Guides lead architecture tours (in Dutch), and musicians perform on barges and docks. Don’t miss the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, which will play from a pontoon near the Hotel Pulitzer. Photo courtesy of Ronald Knapp. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

It has been a decade since the major museums on the Museumplein—a grassy square connecting Amsterdam’s main art centers—have all been open at the same time. Here’s what to check out at the Van Gogh Museum. Sunflowers, The Bedroom, and The Potato Eaters are just a few of the masterpieces on display as part of the “Van Gogh at Work” exhibit. Paulus Potterstraat 7, 31/(0) 20-570-5200. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

It has been a decade since the major museums on the Museumplein—a grassy square connecting Amsterdam’s main art centers—have all been open at the same time. Here’s what to check out at Stedelijk Museum. The modern art gallery’s controversial new wing (the exterior looks like a giant bathtub) houses a restaurant, a gift store, and expanded exhibition spaces that will host the works of Dutch artist Aernout Mik this summer. Museumplein 10, 31/(0) 20-573-2911. Photo courtesy of John Lewis Marshall. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

It has been a decade since the major museums on the Museumplein—a grassy square connecting Amsterdam’s main art centers—have all been open at the same time. Here’s what to check out at Rijksmuseum. Once you’ve made the pilgrimage to the canvases of Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Hals at the upgraded Rijksmuseum, visit the new Asian art pavilion and a two-story shop filled with gifts and books. Museumstraat 1, 31/(0) 20-674-7000. Photo courtesy of Jannes Linders. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

The Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant serves housemade granola, ginger scones, and seasonal fruit strudels in a cabin built in 1937. Wood-fired pizzas, with toppings such as squash and prosciutto, stand out on the dinner menu, and the blackberry shortcake is a dessert favorite. Occasional summer barbecues are worth a pit stop. 47540 Hwy. 1, (831) 667-0520. Photo courtesy of Tara Donne. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

The oceanview cottages and cliff-edge infinity pools here are the stuff of dream honeymoons. At the Sierra Mar restaurant, chef John Cox recently debuted a Taste of Big Sur menu that celebrates the coast with dishes such as red abalone marinated in kelp. From $675. (831) 667-2200. Photo courtesy of Kodiak Greenwood. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

Retro furniture, bright textiles, and in-room yoga mats characterize the Glen Oaks motel. Guests who book the Big Sur Cabin can stargaze from an outdoor clawfoot tub. From $225. (831) 667-2105. Photo courtesy of Erin Kunkel. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

On a craggy rock in north Big Sur, the Point Sur lighthouse has beamed through furious fog, rain, and wind since 1889. Volunteers lead moonlit tours from late April through October that allow visitors access to the lighthouse tower, old housing quarters, and a blacksmith shop. Listen up for stories of shipwrecks along the way. Mile marker 54.1 on Hwy. 1, (831) 625-4419. Photo courtesy of Douglas Peebles. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

Tour Okavango on a mokoro, the dugout canoes of the Bayei people, traditionally carved from jackalberry and sausage trees but now often made from fiberglass. Lodge guides paddle the boats (or pole them like Venetian gondoliers) past lechwe antelope, painted reed frogs, and flocks of purple herons. Most lodges offer mokoro trips between June and October. Photo by Athena Lao/Flickr.

Botswana’s most famous crafts are baskets woven from fan palm fibers. They are dyed with natural pigments: blue from fever-berry leaves, dark brown from magic guarri shrubs, and yellow from the roots of red star apple trees. Some baskets take a month to make. Nearly all lodges sell baskets, but you can also purchase them online.

The ecotourism company Wilderness Safaris has been operating mobile camps in Botswana for 30 years. Today it runs 16 lodges in the Okavango Delta. Located on the delta’s 700-square-mile Abu Concession, Abu Camp offers an unusual safari experience: to walk among a herd of rescued elephants, or even ride a mother or calf, as you observe the region’s game. Reserve the open-air “star bed” on an elevated platform next to the elephant enclosure. Accommodations must be booked through a tour outfitter such as Travel Beyond. From $2,431. (800) 876-3131. Photo courtesy of Abu Camp. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

The ecotourism company Wilderness Safaris has been operating mobile camps in Botswana for 30 years. Today it runs 16 lodges in the Okavango Delta. Three private, parquet-floored tents at Little Mombo Camp feature outdoor showers and private decks that overlook the floodplains of the vast Moremi Game Reserve. You’ll see elephants—Botswana has more than any other country—as well as lions, leopards, and hyenas. Accommodations must be booked through a tour outfitter such as Travel Beyond. From $2,431. (800) 876-3131. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

Two Indianapolis transplants opened this café in the NuLu neighborhood in 2011. Customers can sip local coffee while they play records on self-service turntables. The chewy cookies studded with oversize chocolate chunks have earned a loyal following. 800 E. Market St., (502) 553-0113. Photo by Michael Wilson. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

Find gifts, modern furniture, home goods, and jewelry at local interior designer Andie Frisbee’s boutique. Patrons can purchase pillows stitched from recyclable materials and order custom Cale & Cole jewelry, crafted in a studio down the street. 3729 Lexington Rd., (502) 899-3729. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

Portugal produces at least half of the world’s cork, harvested from its many cork oak forests. A design shop in the Bairro Alto neighborhood sells umbrellas, handbags, and kitchenware made from the recyclable material. Rua das Salgadeiras 10, 351/21-609-0231. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

Founded nearly 200 years ago, Vista Alegre manufactures fine porcelain in its factory 155 miles north of Lisbon. Tour the facility to see how such pieces as the Trasso collection salad bowl are produced. Rua dos Alámos and Rua Augusto, Ílhavo, 351/234-320-628. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

Since 1930, the Ferreira family has been selling seafood preserved in vintage-style tins. Browse original wooden shelves stacked with colorful boxes of fish products, including Prata do Mar’s tuna fillets packed in olive oil and salt. Rua dos Bacalhoeiros 34, 351/21-886-4009. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

This design hotel fits its location on the Tagus River, near the Monument to the Discoveries. The 45 rooms and five suites feature wall panels that depict the routes of colonial exploration. Feitoria Restaurant and Wine Bar brings global flavors to the plate. Doubles from $247. Doca do Bom Sucesso 1400-038, 351/21- 040-0200. Image by João Canziani. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.