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Are there any nobler or more beautiful horses in the world than the gray-white Lipizzans who wow audiences with their high stepping at the Spanish Riding School? In the 16th century, the Hapsburg empire used Andalusian horses to create the breed in Lipizza (located in Slovenia). As they have for centuries, the Lipizzans perform their acrobatic haute école dressage in the Hofburg Palace’s Winter Riding School arena, an all-white baroque hall designed by Fischer von Erlach. Riders still wear the traditional uniform of bicorne hats and tailcoats, part of the reason UNESCO granted the Riding School its Intangible Cultural Heritage status. In addition to watching the performances, visitors can also tour the stables and sit in on morning training sessions set to classical music.

Officially founded in 1865, Salento is one of Colombia’s quaintest, most traditional towns. Its main street, the cobblestoned Calle Real, is lined with handicraft shops and restaurants that serve delicious, locally farmed trout (among many other Andean favorites). The street ends at the foot of a hill with a staircase leading upward, interrupted at regular intervals by representations of the stations of the cross. A short Jeep ride from town leads to the enchanting Valle de Cocora, where you’ll find wax palms up to 195 feet in height (the tallest known palm species), as well as fantastic birdlife, including Andean condors and yellow-eared parrots, plus legions of adorable hummingbirds. Take a hike or horseback ride into the valley to get access to some of Colombia’s most awe-inspiring lookouts.

This two-auditorium space—with adjacent performance venues—is a lot more than simply a place to catch great concerts. Part of Parque de los Deseos and constructed opposite the city’s planetarium, it emerged from a citizen initiative meant to reanimate Medellín’s social and cultural life. The idea is to foment learning and create awareness about various musical disciplines. It offers a number of free musical and dance training programs; children’s orchestras from underserved neighborhoods also present memorable open-air recitals here. Casa de la Música is one part of an equation that, little by little, has allowed life to improve in complex and marvelous Medellín.

The historic kurazukuri district of Kawagoe, a short train ride north of Tokyo, is home to dozens of artisan shops, including Machikan, which has been making and selling knives and swords for generations. While in town, try the famous sweet-potato candy.

A-ji-shi is a stand-up sushi bar located in Taipei’s Shidong Market. There’s only a fixed menu and it is pricey by local standards. But the fish is fresh and the sushiman well-trained.

Kalk Bay Expresso is just one of several coffee shops in the quaint seaside town of Kalk Bay. The repurposed train car, which dates back to 1914, sets this restaurant apart. The cafe serves both sweet and savory crepes, making this the perfect stop for a mid-morning or afternoon snack en route while driving to see the sights on the rest of the Cape Peninsula.

Encompassing early 200 acres of rolling parkland, Villa Borghese is Rome’s verdant heart and everyone’s favorite place for an afternoon walk. The vast gardens are criss-crossed with picturesque paths, where visitors can meander past ancient statues and fountains, sit by a lake or caffè, and take in a film at one of two cinemas. For culture vultures, there is a Shakespearean Globe Theatre with a robust summer schedule, a historic puppet theater, and several world-renowned museums including Galleria Borghese with its enviable collection of Bernini sculptures and Caravaggio paintings. Younger kids enjoy playgrounds, electric train rides, and a kids museum, while children of all ages can get active with skate, bike, and paddleboat rentals.

While San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum dates back to 1994, it moved into its current location in 2008. The heart of the museum’s new home is a 1907 Pacific Gas & Electric power substation, with additions designed by one of architecture’s leading figures, Daniel Libeskind. The museum tends to take a thematic and often surprising approach to its subject with, for example, exhibitions of artists inspired by the biblical book of Genesis and others focused on the notable personalities of the Jewish life of California, America and beyond. If you are looking for some unexpected gifts, the museum’s store carries updated menorahs, humorous T-shirts and a large selection of books on Jewish culture and history.

Switzerland only exports 1 to 2 percent of its wine production, so few know of its stony whites, which pair ideally with raw hard and melted Swiss cheeses. While most cantons make wine, there are few places better to sip Swiss wines than the UNESCO-listed Lavaux, dangling on the banks of Lake Geneva and 90 minutes north of the city in Canton Vaud. An e-bike is the best way to explore the steep hilly region peppered with slate-roofed chapels and chocolate-box villages. The grapes here were planted by 9th-century monks; the terraces they built for them are lined with stone walls that retain the sun’s heat, extending the grape-growing season. Unique varietals like ermitage, doral, and gamay, and ancient Lémanic reds like the Plant-Robert varietal, are grown only here. E-bike rentals can be picked up from most Swiss railway stations; Lausanne, 20 minutes away, is the closest. As with all wineries in Switzerland, calling ahead to arrange a visit is essential.

An hour outside of Zurich is Mount Rigi, one of the most stunning places I’ve ever seen. Departing from Zurich on a day tour, we drove by bus to Lucerne where we were lead to a cable car depot at the foothill of the mountain before continuing uphill by train. This took us close to the summit where we carried on by foot. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. The air was fresh, the lake crystal clear, the sky blue, the sun bright and the experience priceless. Once atop the mountain within the Alps, we were in awe of the spectacular panoramic views, we contemplated life and took time out for lunch at the hilltop restaurant before heading back to Lucerne by ferry before dusk. As you see here, it was a joyful day. We did flips and cartwheels amid the Alps to mark the success of our accomplished journey. It’s most definitely a day I won’t forget.

Having trained in Germany at the Goldsmithing School Pforzheim, Balaclava Jewellers proprietor Philip Cadien curates a collection with a refined, distinctly European feel. From precious metals, to exquisitely cut stones, to South Sea pearls, a visit is a feast for the eyes.

XBB, as locals call it, occupies a remodeled and brightly furnished former gas station in the Elliotborough neighborhood. Catering to its surfer clientele with Nicaraguan beer, the spot also offers a constantly changing menu of authentic Asian fare. Order the Vietnamese-style shrimp toast, a purée of local shrimp, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, lime leaf, and chilies spread on baguette slices, then pan-fried—crispy and satisfying.

While living in Berlin, I stayed on Warschauer Strasse, on the end closest to the U-Bahn station of the same name. On an evening walk before dinner, I took a walk down the street to explore my new surroundings. This particular set of doors is the epitome of the neighborhood, to me.

Philippe Starck’s design firm, Yoo, transformed an 1872 dowager hotel into the 63-room Hotel Sans Souci Wien. Expect oversize Starck and Arne Jacobsen furnishings, four-poster beds, parquet floors, pillows made with Fornasetti fabrics, and pieces from the owner’s art collection (Picassos among them) that contrast with a soft color scheme. Downstairs in the spa, you’ll find a true Viennese rarity: a 65-foot indoor pool.

More than four decades after Walt Disney World welcomed its first guests, the Four Seasons opened on 26 acres a few miles south of the Magic Kingdom, finally giving parents a true luxury resort option within the park. Well-sized and well-appointed rooms are typical of the brand’s understated elegance, but expect to pay a premium for a room with a balcony overlooking Disney’s nightly fireworks (or just reserve a table at the top-floor Capa steakhouse). Kids get the luxury treatment, too. The resort makes it easy for guests to organize park visits right on site: The Disney Planning Center helps with tickets, handles extended Magic Hours and Fast Pass requests, and books restaurant reservations and transportation to the monorail station and the rest of Disney World. Serious fans can also have a photo op with Goofy and friends at the resort’s character breakfast. A giant pool with a lazy river and two waterslides beckon on days when you’d rather not brave the park crowds, and children get dedicated welcome amenities, toys, and costumes during their stay. The extensive menu of spa services even includes a princess-themed mommy-and-me makeover treatment, including a tiara and wand.