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Along Jordan’s ancient trade route, two cyclists encounter archaeological relics, forested parks, and a generous invite to lunch.

A locals’ guide to Latinx history, shopping, and of course, some food to keep you going.

From Blue Blues to the Blissful Drip Café, here’s where to find Madeline, Celeste, and the rest of the cast’s favorite coastal spots in Season 2 of the hit HBO drama.

A guide to going off the beaten path during Brazil’s biggest event of the year.

An epic canyon, Wadi Mujib serves as the last gasp of the Great Rift Valley. Where one of its many mouths opens to the Dead Sea, you’ll find the Mujib Biosphere Reserve—the lowest nature reserve in the world. Within the park, there are a series of marked trails that lead through the canyon or over the hills from the reception center, as well as stylish chalets overlooking the water that guests can book for longer stays. Winter is a particularly good time to visit for bird-watching, as flocks stop here on their migration between Europe and Africa. That being said, most people come for the chance to walk, or wade, up the canyon along the Siq Trail, a nearly two-mile path that ends at a spectacular waterfall. Don’t bring anything that can’t get wet, and know that the Siq Trail is closed in winter and early spring due to the risk of flash floods.

Petra flourished more than 2,000 years ago, trading with Rome as an equal before being abandoned after a series of earthquakes in the 4th and 6th centuries C.E. It wasn’t until the 19th century, when European explorers “rediscovered” it, that the ancient city returned to the public consciousness. Now, visitors can walk down the narrow canyon of the siq to the city entrance—as dramatic an approach as any to a tourist attraction on the planet. The canyon opens up onto the carved facade of the Treasury, Petra’s most iconic site. From there, you can explore the cliffside tombs with their colorful bands of sandstone, the Street of Facades, and the amphitheater hewn from living rock. The ancient center lies some distance off, along with the splendid old Monastery, which sits at the top of a steep but rewarding climb. Consider buying a three-day ticket and visiting at different times of day to enjoy the changing light—early in the morning is best for the Treasury, while late afternoon is better for the Royal Tombs.

Located on a hill that held sacred significance for the Aztecs is Chapultepec Castle, an impressive edifice completed in 1863. The castle, reputed to be the only royal castle in the Americas, has served many functions over the course of its history–royal and presidential residence, guest residence for dignitaries, military academy, observatory, and, most recently, museum– and as such, it holds many interesting tales. The castle is referenced in the US Marines’ “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (it’s “the halls of Montezuma” featured in the song’s opening line), and in modern times, it has served as a filming location for several movies, including Romeo + Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio, so it has earned its spot in pop culture history, too. Today, you can see the castle’s interior in its current incarnation as the country’s Museum of National History.

The Museo de Arte Moderno or Museum of Modern Art is located in Chapultepec Park, Mexico City. The museum is part of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes and prepares exhibitions of national and international contemporary artists. The museum also hosts a permanent collection of art from Gelsen Gas, Frida Kahlo, Olga Costa, Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Leonora Carrington, Rufino Tamayo, Juan Soriano, and Vicente Rojo.

The Museo Soumaya, financed by Carlos Slim, the richest man in Mexico, has the ambitions of the Guggenheim Bilbao from the outside. It’s a stunning building whose sweeping, soaring curves couldn’t help but make it an instant landmark near Polanco, one of Mexico City‘s ritziest neighborhoods. Inside, the museum recalls the Guggenheim New York, with galleries off of a ramp which spirals down (or up) the building. Unfortunately the museum’s permanent collection isn’t as impressive as those at either Guggenheim. The Soumaya does have some strengths—one of the world’s largest collection of Rodins and some especially noteworthy colonial Mexican works—but it can feel hit or miss, with many undistinguished pieces. Slim’s museum is free, however, so you won’t regret paying admission even if you just pass through quickly to take in the building itself and some highlights.

The imposing, white-domed wedding cake now known as Palacio de Bellas Artes was originally planned as a national theater, and construction was begun in 1904. The Mexican Revolution, among other things, postponed its completion until 1934, which explains the stark contrast between its creamy art nouveau exterior (note amazing iron- and stonework with local motifs like serpents) and its art-deco-inspired interior, finished in black and red marbles, and with walls that feature dazzling murals by Rivera, Siqueiros, and other postrevolutionary masters. Today the beloved edifice is home to a concert hall, exhibition areas given over to blockbuster shows, and Mexico’s National Architecture Museum; take an auditorium tour—or better yet, see a performance—to lay eyes on the theater’s magnificent Tiffany glass “curtain,” a mosaic formed (they say) by more than 1 million separate glass components.

Mexico City is a rabbit hole for architecture enthusiasts: one could get lost for days—if not weeks—exploring just one era’s edifices: the pre-colonial, colonial, and contemporary among them. There are buildings the likes of which you won’t find elsewhere in the world, and exceptionally preserved and restored structures that serve as testaments to various chapters of Mexican history. Examples of fascinating contemporary architecture abound, ranging from installations built for the 1968 Olympics to ambitious cultural institutions like the Polyforum Siquieros. The exterior has been described as diamond- or star-like in appearance: a dodecahedron with 12 massive vertical panels featuring the work of muralist David Siqueiros, who was a contemporary of Diego Rivera. Inside, you’ll find performances, exhibits, and other cultural activities. If your visit doesn’t coincide with a guided tour, consider taking one to learn more about Siqueiros and his work.

This small, single-nave white church, also known as the Whalers Church, was prefabricated in Norway, shipped to Grytviken and consecrated in the Norwegian Lutheran denomination on Christmas Day 1913. It is still used on occasion for services and wedding ceremonies. Nearby, explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton is buried in the whalers’ cemetery alongside 63 other men, a number of whom died during a typhoid epidemic in 1912. His granite headstone is engraved with the nine-pointed star he used as a personal symbol. Shackleton died after suffering a heart attack at sea in 1922, and his body was returned to Grytviken at his widow’s request—the place he based himself while planning the rescue of the crew from his ship Endurance.

Adega Pérola opened 60 years ago in the heart of Copacabana, and today the place is the same as always: The long bar is laden with Iberian-style tapas, here called tira-gostos. The octopus in vinaigrette is the most celebrated dish, but there are pickled vegetables, codfish, cold cuts and cheeses, meats, olives—in fact, some 100 options are served on trays and sold by weight. The bar is short on glamour, but the quality is nonetheless spectacular—and nothing could be more authentic. It’s tough finding a free table, but who cares? In line with Carioca custom, great conversation with a cold chopp (draft beer) or a Portuguese vintage, and a tira-gosto is a winning bet, even if you have to stand.

José Clemente Orozco, one of the “Tres Grandes” of Mexican muralists (along with Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros), is one of Guadalajara’s most famous sons and unlike another one, the architect Luis Barragán, many of Orozco’s most important works are in the city (at the Hospicio Cabanas, the University of Guadalajara, and other buildings). It may come as a surprise, then, that there is no museum dedicated to the painter and his works in his hometown. You might think, given its name, that the Casa Taller José Clemente Orozco would be it, but the house and studio was only used briefly by Orozco on visits to Guadalajara in the last three years of his life.

After his death, in 1951, his widow decided to turn it into a cultural center. There is only one work by Orozco on display in the building (La Buena Vida). Painted for the exclusive Turf Club, it shows a scene of festive debauchery, complete with scantily clad female dancers. Except for some perhaps veiled criticism, it shares little in common with Orozco’s more typical scenes of revolution. While the Casa Taller is not the place to go to learn about Orozco or see his works, it should be on your list if you want to see current works by contemporary Mexican and international artists. Its galleries regularly house temporary installations and shows by current artists following in Orozco’s footsteps by creating challenging socially engaged works. Admission is free.