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For a nightcap, head to the enchanting Pool Bar, and as you sip your concoction, enjoy the cityscape all lit up. From here you can take in a view of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Al Maqta Bridge. The bar is open from 9am to 11:30pm, and the dress code is casual.

Completed in 1614, Johannisburg Palace is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Germany. Located along the Main River, the immense, four-winged complex served as the second residence of the archbishop-electors of Mainz until 1803. Today, it’s home to innumerable cultural and historical treasures, including a unique collection of cork architectural models called Bringing Rome Across the Alps. The State Gallery displays early German and Dutch paintings, with a special emphasis on Lucas Cranach the Elder, while the Princely Apartments offer a fine array of neoclassical furnishings. In the Palace Church, modern technology brings the Renaissance altar to life in a new way, using light and sound installations to highlight the 31 alabaster sculptures and almost 150 relief figures. Also not to be missed is the Palace Museum, showcasing the history of Aschaffenburg, as well as the gardens, where the fruit trees and flower beds are particularly splendid in summer.

Set in an 18th-century palazzo, once a former bank, the Park Hyatt Milan boasts interiors designed by American-born, Paris-based architect Edward Tuttle. It aims to wow from the outset. Guests are greeted by a lobby decorated with sophisticated materials such as warm travertine stone and alabaster, and topped with a 30-foot glass-domed cupola. There’s a discernibly modern aesthetic throughout the rest of the hotel, though, from the vibrant modern art scattered throughout the public areas to the contemporary color palettes (creams, beiges, and gentle grays). Rooms are correspondingly elegant, with high ceilings, expensive dark woods, rich wool carpets, and hand-selected furnishings (Murano light fixtures, Bang & Olufsen TVs). The bathrooms are especially impressive, not only because of their generous size and marbled interiors, but also thanks to the mirrored walls, double sinks, octagonal stone and glass showers, and Lauro Tonatto bath products.

For an unusual wildlife experience, take a day trip to Al Ain’s Camel Market, one of the last remaining in the U.A.E. Watch livestock traders and merchants drive hard bargains and haggle mercilessly. It’s an excellent photo opportunity, but be respectful and ask permission before photographing any people. The Camel Market is open until sunset daily, but most trade takes place in the morning. Al Ain is about two hours by car from Abu Dhabi proper, with the camel market a few miles from town. Norbert Heidenbluth/Flickr.

Older than both Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt, the monument at Newgrange was built around 3,200 B.C.E. Its use is a mystery, although it was most likely a place of worship, and there are legends that it was used as a burial chamber. The main circular mound has a passage with small chambers off it, and each year on the winter solstice, the sun travels along the passage and lights up the main chamber. Many of the curbstones at the front and stone slabs lining the passage have decorative examples of megalithic art, with zigzags, spirals, and other geometric designs. Access to Newgrange is by guided tour, and it’s part of the Brú na Bóinne complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which also has the passage graves at Knowth (on view by guided tour) and Dowth (not open to visitors).

When it opened in December 1999, the Burj al Arab—a sail-shaped, all-suite skyscraper hotel built on an artificial island—put Dubai on the map as an over-the-top travel destination and became a landmark. Even today, the Burj al Arab sets the standard for outsized luxury with Rolls-Royce airport pickups, a helipad, gold-plated iPads, and butler-serviced duplex suites equipped with beds with mirrored ceilings, double Jacuzzi bathtubs, and full-size Hermès toiletries. The cool architectural exterior conceals a vivid interior with acres of gold leaf, dancing fountains, and room decor so distractingly jazzy that it may make guests feel as though they’ve drunk the world’s largest cup of Arabic coffee. (This is not the place for admirers of subtlety or minimalism.) The Terrace, an ambitious project even by Dubai standards, added nearly 2.5 acres of cabana, beach, pool, and restaurant space to the resort in 2016. Come sunset, though, the place to be is the 27th-floor Skyview bar.

Deep fried globe artichokes likely have their origins in the Jewish Ghetto. Yet you will find this regional specialty on menus all over the city, including at Flavio al Velavevodetto where carciofi alla giudia (Jewish style artichokes) are only served in season, in winter and spring. Flavio serves all sorts of typical Roman cuisine, including stewed tripe and braised oxtail. Like many Roman venues, it has its ups and downs and isn’t always consistent, but on a good day the food is phenomenal.

Cairo is more than camels and desert, although they have that too. The areas around the Nile are green and lush with trees. Sometimes when I’m walking in Dokki or Zamalek I feel like I’m walking in my hometown in downtown Chico. Unlike the posh island of Zamalek, that’s filled with expats, Dokki is quite authentic. This bustling very local area is full of interesting and unusual restaurants such as my favorite, the Yemeni restaurant. You can also find delicious Sudanese food nearby.

While exploring Burano, break for a fabulous seafood lunch at Al Gato Nero. The “black cat” restaurant is the creation of Ruggero Bovo, who has been cooking up some of the tastiest fresh fish and seafood here since 1965. “I love the fish of the Venetian lagoon and the Adriatic Coast, the raw material which has fed my island for generations and which I still have the fortune of getting fresh every day,” Bovo says. Fish and seafood are the star attractions on both the appetizer and main menu selections, but there are also options for vegetarians and carnivores. The pasta here is homemade, as are the delicious desserts.

The former residence of Napoleon Bonaparte’s grandnephew, on a hill leading down to the Seine next to the Trocadéro, has been converted into this striking palace hotel whose airy, light-filled spaces by Pierre-Yves Rochon showcase European Empire and minimalist Asian decorative influences in a manner some French traditionalists find refreshing, others eccentric. The location is a bit of a desert when it comes to shopping and dining. However, culture-minded guests love the cluster of less touristy beacons within a two-block radius.

Many rooms in the Shangri-La Paris have unimpeded views of the river, and some have Eiffel Tower views from the bathtub. The second-floor historic rooms, with alabaster columns, stained-glass windows, and coats of arms bearing bees and “B” for Bonaparte, have become a popular venue for society baptisms.

Built in the style of a desert fortress near an endurance horseracing center 45 minutes from the city of Dubai, the family-friendly Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa wraps around an oasis and looks out over gently rolling sand dunes that guests explore by 4x4, horse, camel, and mountain bike. Rooms with private balconies or garden patios cluster in double-story buildings that surround courtyards, shaded corridors, and infinity pools. Stone bathtubs, wood furniture, chests, kelims, colorful textiles, and a reproduction spice souk create a Disney-meets-Bedouin lifestyle setting. For peace and quiet, stay during the week, since the main restaurant fills on weekends with locals and bus tours.

Situated on a farm a 50-minute drive northwest of Hobart, Two Metre Tall’s brewery is worth the detour. On Fridays and Sundays, the outdoor bar serves experimental beers and ciders made with local apples, hops, and other ingredients. Don’t miss the beer-fed local beef, which visitors can barbecue on-site.

Family style restaurant where you can sample virtually everything on the menu. Salad sampler, pasta sampler, meat sampler. GET IT ALL

Located just a few minutes’ stroll from the Rialto Bridge, Al Volto is Venice’s oldest wine bar and home to an impressive 1,000-bottle collection. The list includes Italian and international wines, but not all are offered at the same time—the wine list rotates daily. If you aren’t sure what to order, the staff is very knowledgable. Beyond the attraction of the wine, the atmosphere is jovial and the vibe is cozy with wood-paneled walls and every bit of the ceiling plastered with wine labels. If you’re hungry, the adjoining restaurant cooks up delicious traditional Venetian lagoon fare. The homemade pastas are excellent—keep it simple and try the spaghetti with clams and olive oil.

Cesare al Casaletto is far off the well-beaten tourist track, but it is easy to get to: just take the 8 tram from Piazza Venezia or Largo Argentina and get off at the very last stop. Fifty yards from the tram tracks sits Rome‘s best trattoria, where spectacular fried appetizers (get them all, or at least the gnocchi fritti and polpette di bollito) give way to classic pasta dishes like carbonara and gricia. The second courses are excellent and fall-off-the-tailbone braised oxtail is a favorite. Pair it all with fairly priced natural wines from all over Italy and be sure to leave room for dessert, preferably the panna cotta.