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Head to Willemstad’s Pietermaai district at happy hour, and you’ll quickly stumble across a row of festive Euro-style bars on Nieuwestraat—but none are as funky and eclectic as the Cuban-themed Mundo Bizarro. This indoor-outdoor lounge-restaurant is filled with antique furniture, bold paintings on colorful walls—look for the older Cuban woman wielding a cigar and a sassy stare—and knickknacks from around the planet. Try some of the most beloved items from its international menu, such as smoked-beef carpaccio, rib eye, salads, and quiches. Fridays at 10 p.m. are popular for the live salsa band.

A pilgrimage to this enchanting park is a must for any Antoni Gaudí fan. Located atop Carmel Hill to the north of the city, the park was inspired by English landscape gardens, but its fantastical elements make sure you know it was created by Catalonia’s most eccentric architect. Though there are multiple entrances, the most impressive is via a grand staircase guarded by an enormous, mosaic-tiled dragon. It leads to a sprawling plaza with a mosaic-covered cement bench stretching some 328 feet around the perimeter. Park Güell was originally designed as a gated residential development, but it failed; a show home built to lure buyers is now the Gaudí House Museum (not included with park admission). Visitors should reserve an online ticket to avoid lines.

The name of this restaurant gives a fairly big clue as to its culinary specialty—i.e., fish. But the market part of the name is equally important, since the kitchen espouses a commitment to fresh ingredients, which are usually purchased from local farmers and fishermen. Spread across two floors inside one of central Reykjavík’s oldest buildings, this smartly decorated spot is run by head chef Hrefna Rósa Sætran (part of the Icelandic National Culinary team), and serves not just fish and seafood but also meat and vegetarian dishes, all prepared in an open kitchen that boasts the country’s only robata grill. There is a separate raw bar serving up sushi and sashimi, and a surprisingly funky cocktail and craft beer menu.

This Georgetown hot spot offers diners an unexpected array of international dishes and a surprise art gallery between its cocktail bar and grill. A vast funky mural spices up an exposed cinder-block wall, and a skylight floods the furnishings’ bold pops of orange, scarlet, and turquoise. The menu celebrates the eatery’s wood-fired oven, showing off dips and flatbreads from all over the globe. Chimichurri rubs shoulders with mojo verde, burnt honey, and smoked yogurt, while small plates range from falafel to pomegranate-honey chicken wings. Don’t miss this terrific collaboration between James Beard Award–winning chef Matt Dillon (Sitka & Spruce, the London Plane) and Marcus Lalario (Li’l Woody’s, Fat’s Chicken and Waffles).

A longtime cook at the venerable Café Pasqual’s, chef Jesus Rivera now operates this friendly, funky, and cheerful rustic storefront serving delicious breakfast of Huevos El Salvadoreños (scrambled eggs with green onions and tomato) and the Salvadoran tamale (wrapped in banana leaf). There’s also a hearty lunch and dinner, with a nice selection of beer.

A 1,200-acre green space filled with museums, theaters, and gardens, Balboa Park is the center of art and culture in San Diego. It’s also one of the city’s most historic sites, built for the Panama–California exhibition in 1915. While the museums are definitely worth seeing, there are also a number of free attractions, including the photogenic Botanical Building, which houses more than 2,100 plants (including Venus flytraps); the Desert Garden, filled with succulents from around the world; and a sculpture court with works by Miró and Rodin. For one of the area’s best views, purchase a timed ticket to climb the California Tower in the Museum of Man. The ornate structure reopened to the public in 2015 after being closed for nearly 80 years and features a spiral staircase to the eighth floor, where you can catch a glimpse of the Cuyamaca Mountains, the Cabrillo Bridge, and even Mexico’s Coronado Islands.

Cartagena’s culinary scene has been sizzling lately, with a growing number of restaurants that specialize in contemporary updates of Colombian classics popping up around the city. María Cartagena is one of them—a place that privileges local ingredients, especially those from the sea. Look for grilled octopus and crab rémoulade, and pair your pick with one of María’s popular cocktails. The modern-tropical décor includes funky pineapple-laden chandeliers.

Follow the fern-lined stairwell up to this inviting shop that brims with teapots, dishes, ladies’ clothing, makeup, natural body products and jewelry, from the funky to the fine. Elevated hand-selects quality Australian brands such as Samantha Robinson ceramics, Dr Hauschka, Leina Broughton, and Elk accessories (pictured). No wonder it’s a long-running favorite.

Seclusion and tranquility are the new forms of luxury in a world that is so accessible and plugged in. Aqua Wellness Resort successfully marries contemporary luxury accommodations with serene surroundings, providing a memorable and rejuvenating experience for travelers. Accessible by a two-and-a-half-hour drive or 40-minute helicopter ride from Nicaragua’s international airport in Managua, Aqua offers peace and privacy so that you can enjoy the beautifully wild landscape of Nicaragua’s Pacific “Emerald Coast.” 24 Tree Houses accommodating 50 luxurious villas and suites dot Aqua’s forested hillside, which overlooks a private, white sandy beach.

Without a doubt Versailles is the most luxurious palace in Europe, built to astound visitors and impress the king’s subjects into awed submission with crystal chandeliers, gilt, and fine art. This opulent monument is also attractive to those with simpler tastes: Visitors with green thumbs will love the king’s kitchen gardens while others may want to rent bicycles to pedal the lavish grounds, and animal lovers will enjoy the sheep, goats, and chickens receiving the royal treatment at the queen’s quaint hamlet. La Petite Venise, an excellent restaurant on the grounds, offers garden seating on sunny days.

While the call of the beach is powerful in Miami, sooner or later world-class art, architecture, and shopping lure most visitors to the Design District. Marc Quinn’s acrobatic Myth Fortuna sculpture of Kate Moss and Fernando Botero’s iconic Maternity are among the eye-catching installations on display in the neighborhood’s plazas and along its palm-lined streets. The new Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami) opened in December 2017, and other top galleries include Locust Projects and Maman Fine Art. When it comes to the art of fashion design, major brands are well represented: Versace, Bvlgari, Harry Winston, Miu Miu, Prada, and Max Mara, just to name a few. Refuel between stops with creative comfort food (and refreshing cocktails made with hand-squeezed juice) at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink.

After a day of exploring Nairobi a great place to stop for a cocktail is Zing at Dusit D2, a swanky boutique hotel in central Nairobi. It’s a glamorous place, with wicker chairs, elegant cushions, flickering candles and tall-backed velvet chairs, and the drinks list is extensive. Creative cocktails include a chilli margarita and, of course, all the classics. There’s also one of the best wine lists in Nairobi, and around the corner is the Rouge Deck – a red swimming pool with bar where you can take your drink to sip away in a tranquil, funky setting.

In recent years, there has been an awesome pizza trend in Las Vegas. Gone are the days when the average toss-it-in-the-oven pie was the only option; today, there are fun local pizza eateries, high-end gourmet pies and even hidden alcoves housing some of the very best bites in the city. Locals love Metro Pizza, which has a handful of locations throughout the city, and Rocco’s Deli, which is all about keeping pizza simple and fresh. Despite that it’s meant to be a secret, one of the best known pizza places is tucked down a hallway in The Cosmopolitan. Five50, located in ARIA, has a menu of interesting pizzas, and the chefs serve from the front counter late into the night.

Weekend mornings are typically sleepy in Amsterdam. The town barely wakes up by noon, and many stores and restaurants are closed Sunday morning. Which leaves few options beyond local bakeries and venues serving touristy “English Breakfasts” to satisfy the urge for hearty morning fare. Enter G’s West, possibly the coziest spot in Amsterdam West for weekend brunch. Open Friday–Sunday, the former “bruin café” sits on a quiet street in Amsterdam’s Jordaan. Self-described as “an eclectic hot mess of love, lust, hunger & thirst,” the interior features whitewashed wood, funky furnishings, tablecloths printed with old comic strips, and a bar stocked with antique apothecary bottles and Bloody Mary fixin’s. Order from a sassy menu shaped like an old LP, featuring Foreplay, The Main Act, Happy Endings and Tipsy. Start with oysters on the half-shell or G’s Brunch Dip on Crack, washed down with a Bloody Bacon, Passion in the Morning or Morning Wood cocktail. The Main Act stars classic Eggs Benedict, Challah French Toast and other breakfast dishes, as well as a Chicken Waffle Burger featuring fried chicken sandwiched between sugar waffles. The same fare is offered on a Brunch Cruise that sails every Saturday and Sunday, with pick-up and drop-off at the Homomonument on Keizersgracht. As one of the only spots that serves weekend brunch in Amsterdam, G’s lives up to its URL: http://reallyniceplace.com/. Both the Jordaan venue are available for private parties and corporate events.

On this episode of Unpacked: Travel to Listen, host Tim Chester discovers how Minneapolis became one of America’s most original music cities—and why, a decade after Prince’s passing, the sound he created has never been more alive.