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By day, this café and bookshop is a lovely place to enjoy an espresso prepared with beans purchased and roasted by H. Schwarzenbach, the Altstadt coffee institution. Come evening, it transforms into a popular bar among the creative types in the neighborhood. The best place to enjoy a beer or two from the nearby TurbinenBräu brewery is under the glass-roofed annex—full of lush plants, tables and chairs in faded primary colors, and a view of the Limmat River.

In the Middle Ages, it was gently sloping Rennweg that served as the city’s main shopping street and its widest. (Bahnhofstrasse? Back then the now tony street—one of the world’s most exclusive—was a moat known not charmingly as Fröschengraben “Ditch of The Frogs.”) These days, Rennweg is still lined with small boutiques, but the pedestrianized cobblestone-lined street serves less as a shopping draw than one for an idyllic stroll among centuries old pastel-colored buildings. Make sure to stop by Honold’s Tea Room for a few Lotti’s Best, divine squares of crunchy nougat enrobed in chocolate. Photo © Bruno Macor/FB/Zürich Tourismus.

Home of the Venice Film Festival, the Lido is also where you’ll find Venice‘s beaches—Shelley and Byron went horseback riding here back in the day—as well as the Grand Excelsior Hotel, whose bar is often crowded with celebrities during the festival (and other times of the year, as well). If you’re a classic film fan, the hotel might look familiar: Luchino Visconti’s Death in Venice was shot here. The island has a decidedly lively feel compared with Venice itself, less a museum piece and more a buzzing destination, popular with Venetians and visitors looking to spend a day by the sea.

Intricate textiles woven on looms handed down through generations. An array of laurel, olive, and lavender bath products and the hammered bowls to hold them. Silk shawls with which to drape the color of the Aegean in a graceful arc below bare shoulders. All organic and produced locally, with the specific intent of preserving a dying art. Jennifer’s Hamam works with traditional Turkish weavers to produce luxuriously looped Turkish towels, flat-woven pestamels (the towels and wraps used in hamams, similar to a sarong), and fine silks woven from hand-spun thread. Looms are passed from one generation to the next. New designs evolve over time. Part entrepreneur and part preservationist, Jennifer and her staff are generous with their knowledge and delight in sharing their affordable luxuries. Wander, shop, and emerge enlightened. Accessibility: A wheeled walker can easily maneuver the main path of the Arasta Bazaar.

This silk mill turned cultural center on Lake Zurich’s left bank hosts over a hundred concerts, parties and festivals a year and is home to 60 art studios. It’s also a popular bar, especially come summer, when locals flock to the communal outdoor tables steps from the water’s edge (a favorite place to sit is in one of the handful of old-school ski lifts for prime views of the Alps). The setting is colorful and edgy—graffiti everywhere, plants shooting out from clawfoot bathtubs—a rarity so far from Kreis 4 and 5. Photo © Christian Beutler/Zürich Tourismus.

Both Hilo and Kona have quaint downtown areas with small shops and cafes. Kona has been updated more recently to accommodate travelers who predominantly stay on the Kona side of the Big Island. With coffee shops, restaurants like the Kona Canoe Club and Mahina Pizza, and shops including the Pacific Fine Art Gallery and ABC Stores, you can spend an entire day browsing for Aloha shirts, art, and souvenirs before enjoying the sunset from one of Kailua-Kona’s many beachside restaurants.

Once the vacation home of the Italian Duchess Rosa de Ferrari, this exceptional estate was converted into a hotel in 2005. 2014 marked the arrival of a new owner and a new era for the property. Today, Hotel Esencia is an elegant small resort on one of the prettiest beaches on the Mayan Riviera. Surrounded by 50 acres of lush jungle and manicured, palm-fringed grounds, Esencia pairs the amenties and comforts of a larger hotel with the attentive care typical of a boutique property or B&B. Amenities include two swimming pools, a spa, and two restaurants. In the spacious rooms, lots of details stand out: iPod surround systems, well-stocked minifridges, 600-thread-count sheets, and walk-in closets.

Stockfleths has roots back to 1895, and is named after Astri Stockfleth who ran the company in Edwardian times. The focus is on good quality coffee and teas, as well as high quality pastries. Their baristas have won national championships in coffeemaking several times, and Norway’s best barista, Tim Wendelboe, has a background from this company (Tim Wendelboe’s coffee shop has a highlight of its own here at Afar.com). If you stop by during the autumn or winter, try their Valrhona hot chocolate. It is divine!

The Royal Hirschgarten, – normally just referred to as the Hirschgarten (Deer Garden) is Europe’s largest beer garden, with seating for an incredible 8000 people! Its’ original purpose was to serve as hunting grounds for Munich‘s nobility. Part of the history is still retained today, with deer in a large enclosure that guests can observe over a choice of Augustiner, Kaltenberger Brewery beers with their King Ludwig brands or a beer from the Tegernsee Ducal Breweries.

One of Munich‘s loveliest beer gardens, the Waldwirtschaft, “WaWi” for short, is located in southern Munich on the banks of the Isar River. Many people cycle or walk to it, stop for a drink, then return along the Isar. It’s also famous for its jazz concerts. Check the website to see a list of events.

Serving their world-famous beer, the Hofbräukeller am Wiener Platz in Munich is where locals go to unwind after work under the shade of the chestnut trees. It’s also a popular beer garden with parents since it has a large play area for kids. Expect crowds on nice days.

The Schiffbau, a renovated shipbuilding factory, is home to a popular theater, jazz club, bar and this glamorous restaurant, situated in a stunning glass cube. One of its signatures is a fillet of horse loaded with garlic, but for the less adventurous, the French- and Italian-leaning menu also includes classics like braised beef in red wine sauce.

If you’ve never been to the Marin Headlands, you MUST go! The views are stellar, but make sure you get there early (well, early enough to get there before all the tourists!) Ht up the headlands for a nice hike and view and then drive to Bar Bocci in Sausalito for lunch or dinner. You won’t be disappointed.

Kona coffee is famous around the world as one of Hawaii’s best known products. The relatively small coffee growing area on the Big Island of Hawaii produces only a small fraction of the world’s coffee beans. The limited production makes Hawaii Island’s caffeinated product like liquid gold for Kona coffee lovers. Among the hundreds of coffee farms on the Big Island, Country Samurai Coffee Company operates a lush and green outfit on the Kona slopes and still grows their coffee trees in a natural and traditional method that enables them to grow tall—up to 18 feet. Harvesting requires ladders and can be time-consuming, but the trees are able to develop a larger root system, pull in more nutrients from the volcanic soil, and produce more coffee berries. To try these distinctly grown beans, visit the family owned Country Samurai Coffee shop in Kailua-Kona. The shop sells several other items including chocolate covered coffee beans and macadamia nuts and Hawaiian teas.

Bouchon Bakery, with its origins in Yountville, California, and under the aegis of world renowned chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry, now has three locations—and, lucky enough for Vegas, one of them is on the Strip. The menu is classic French bistro, done extremely well, and with a carefully selected (and extensive) wine list to match. It’s also open for breakfast & brunch.