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When the Catalan capital overwhelms, head for the hills....or mountains, capes and lakes. The diverse landscape surrounding Barcelona offers a wide variety of outdoor activities in a natural setting, not to mention seasonal eats harvested from area forests and farms.

Far above the plains where lions roam, there’s another Kenya, where life moves slowly and the people run fast. Writer Matt Gross tries to keep up.

24 hours in Montreal—mission possible? Absolutely. Visitors trying to craft the perfect day can eat their way through Montreal’s legendary food scene, admire its most popular attractions, from Old-Montreal to Outremont, mingle with its friendly locals, and visit classic Montreal cultural attractions such as downtown art museums or the designer shops on boulevard Saint-Laurent.

Minsk, the austere capital of Belarus and a former Soviet satellite, harbors Beatles cover bands, bookish bohemians feasting on salo and vodka, and the curious legacy of Lee Harvey Oswald.

Siem Reap is home to Cambodia’s finest restaurants, including the outstanding Cuisine Wat Damnak, named Cambodia’s Best Restaurant when it crept onto the San Pellegrino Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list at #50 in March 2015. The town’s Khmer restaurants should be your priority, including Sugar Palm and Chanrey Tree for outstanding traditional food, served in beautiful spaces. However, Siem Reap also boasts an abundance of restaurants offering international cuisines, from Italian to Indian.

A mix of Indian and Portuguese flavors, Goan cuisine can be intoxicating, from the spices and fruit to the fresh fish. Also on offer are French bistros, sushi bars, food trucks and more—a testament to Goa’s history as a stop for traders and tourists.

You could easily spend your entire time in Japan roaming between gardens, temples, and shrines—and it would be time well spent. Meander through Kyoto’s moss and rock gardens or explore Tokyo’s Imperial palace garden. Stay the night in an ancient temple and eat among Buddhist monks or visit one of Japan’s three great Shinto shrines situated in Tokyo, Ise, and Nagoya.

Belgium may be famous for fries, waffles and chocolates, but there is so much more to this food-lover’s paradise. I’ve spent the past 8 years exploring this country through food and drink and I can’t think of a better way to discover Belgium. Bon appetit!

Dining in one of Zurich’s classic restaurants is not only a treat for the taste buds, but also a step back into Switzerland’s past. The almost 100-year-old Kronenhalle is among the most esteemed of Zurich’s restaurants, with its fabulous food matched by the expensive decor. Alfresco dining doesn’t get better than snuggling under a blanket outside the Zunfthaus zur Zimmerleuten and indulging in an all-you-can-eat fondue session. Zurich is also home to the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant.

Everyone may be familiar with couscous, and maybe even tagines, but the pastilla (also called b’stilla), the bessara soup, and the spit-roasted lamb brochettes—and, oh dear, the lavish breakfasts—may convince you to take a cooking course so you can bring the flavors of Fes home.

Eaton Canyon has a great nature center if you want to learn about the local plants, animals, geology, and ecology. The exhibits and nature walks are kid-friendly. Hiking trails are also easily accessible from the nature center. The Eaton Canyon Falls trail is a fun and easy hike; it’s cooler and more shaded than many of the local trails, and it follows a creek to a wading pool and waterfall—a great place to relax and cool down on a hot day.

Mexico’s Pacific Coast beach town Puerto Vallarta is all about fun. Not sure what to do while in Puerto Vallarta? We’ve got you covered. Puerto Vallarta has fabulous nightlife, a charming downtown, a long malecón, or boardwalk, great al fresco dining options, and the best sunsets of the West. Visit the beach where the Richard Burton-Ava Gardner flick “Night of the Iguana” was filmed, eat fresh, delicious seafood, and then dance until dawn in one of Puerto Vallarta’s many neon nightclubs.

Give yourself a break from Barcelona’s noise and traffic and travel to another time and place: life as lived in Catalonia’s smaller villages and historic old towns. Stroll medieval bridges, hike around stone houses that hang onto green hills for dear life, and enjoy a breather from the crowded streets of Barcelona. Foodies can shop in tiny artisan shops for charcuterie, cheeses and bread or eat traditional and nouvelle cuisine made from seasonal and locally sourced ingredients

Stockholmers love their coffee and don’t think twice about dropping kronor on expensive cups of latte—in a city where even eating out can often dent the wallet. The frequency with which Swedes seem to indulge in this tradition may perplex visitors, but the actual act of drinking coffee isn’t at its core. It is a long observed social custom called “fika,” which celebrates sharing with friends, colleagues, and family over cups of coffee.

Three days in San Sebastián leaves just enough time for the city’s essentials. Visit the hallowed bars of the town’s old part, eating, drinking, and repeating until you find your favorite pintxo, those small bites for which San Sebastián is known. Drink in the city’s views from the surrounding mountains, beaches, and islands. Whether hiking or splurging at the seaside spa, a visit to San Sebastián is a lesson in luxurious living.