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With divine pasta and funny putti, the handsome Duomo and the dreamy young Lotharios leaning on Vespas, with leather workshops and nonnas doing the weekly shopping, Florence offers visitors an urban experience that is equally rich in historic romance and everyday modern life. Join the parade of visitors to worship in the galleries of the Uffizi or watch the parade from a café table beside a busy piazza, but head to this Renaissance stronghold and make your own history.

Shimmering canals, world-class museums, a potpourri of cultures, an eclectic shopping scene, and a raging nightlife are just a few of Amsterdam’s must-do experiences. Use your time wisely and you can experience it all. Or just roam freely, letting Amsterdam lead you through its 400-year-old grachtengordel (canal ring), lined with must-do experiences and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While the rum-soaked baba au rhum cake originated at Stohrer pâtisserie and is a classic, it’s the éclair au chocolat and the seasonal flavors (this winter’s include both salted caramel and chestnut cream) that deserve special attention. So do the majestic frescoes by artist Paul Baudry (famed for his décor in the Palais Garnier opera house) that adorn the shop’s walls and ceiling.

It also happens to be one of the oldest patisseries in Paris, and is absolutely worth dropping by on your next trip to the city for one of their delicious sweets.

There are hundreds of things to see, attractions to enjoy, and places to eat in Las Vegas, but there are some must-do experiences that every traveler must have when they visit. This Las Vegas bucket list includes entertainment, restaurants, spas, and shops that can only be experienced in a uniquely Las Vegas way. For those who are visiting Las Vegas for the first time, and for those who are returning again, add these must-do experiences to your list.

The dyeing vats at Chouara—as well as at the city’s other tanneries—are among the Fes medina’s most iconic sights. The ancient craft of tanning and dyeing, in all its visceral authenticity (cow urine and pigeon poop are still key components in the process), plays out much as it always has. Chouara has been around since the 11th century. The dyes used in the tannery pits are natural: Blue comes from indigo; red, from poppy or paprika; yellow, from saffron, pomegranate, or even a mix of turmeric and mimosa flowers. The best vantage point for observation is from one of the roof terraces. Leather shops hawking everything from butter-soft leather babouches (iconic Moroccan backless slippers) and poufs, to copies of designer jackets and handbags. (That Hermès Birkin bag, or a facsimile of it, could finally be yours at a fraction of the price.) Although the guides around here are a tenacious lot, don your best smile, carry a posy of mint to hold beneath your nostrils, and settle in for a long chat with the shopkeepers to learn about fascinating process. Expect prices in the shops to vary wildly—much depends on your haggling prowess. A favorite store is the aptly named La Belle Vue de la Tannerie, off the main drag. The shop has sought out skilled tailors with European know-how to create items of better quality using all Moroccan hides, which results in better leather goods. The tailors can copy a motorcycle jacket for you in three or four hours from goat or lambskin, the softest of the hides.

Flamant is a refined Belgian homeware and furniture brand that brings understated elegance to the heart of Paris. Tucked away in a beautifully designed boutique, the shop features a curated selection of timeless pieces—from clean-lined sofas and rustic dining tables to elegant tableware and home accessories. Every item reflects a dedication to quality and quiet sophistication. It’s no surprise that Flamant is often praised by design lovers and tastemakers, including Ina Garten.

Restaurateur Brooks Reitz built his name with this chicken-and-oyster joint that feels old-school despite its carefully crafted ambiance. On a first visit, it’s sinful not to order the perfectly salted, crispy/juicy fried chicken amalgam shellacked with a glaze of Old Bay and cayenne suspended in melted lard. That necessitates a second visit to gorge on the poached char-grilled lobster and sausage, or the Leon’s Fish Fry, a platter of shrimp, oysters and catfish. Leon’s was the first to open way-Upper King, now the restaurant hotbed, and it’s held onto its cool status thanks to its thoughtful buildout in a restored auto body shop, retaining the exposed rafters and a rollup garage door that opens to a patio out front.

Famous for its long history of handblown glassmaking, Murano sits just a few minutes’ ferry ride offshore in the Venetian Lagoon. The main attraction is the Glass Museum (Museo del Vetro), which recounts the history of glass through the centuries, with the largest focus on important pieces of Murano glass produced between the 15th and 20th centuries. You can also join a guided tour and catch a glassmaking demonstration here. When finished, do a bit of shopping for locally produced glass at some of the boutique shops. Also check out the Romanesque-style Church of Santa Maria and San Donato, which may or may not house the bones of a slain dragon under its boldly hued mosaic floor.

How do you make sense of diverse, dizzying São Paolo? Talk to the people who make the sushi, spray the graffiti, and build the giant watermelons.

In an area rife with traditional, minimalist ryokans, the Four Seasons Kyoto is a spectacle of grandeur. The opulence is subtle, however, camouflaged by clean, Zen-like style. At the hotel’s heart is a beautiful, 800-year-old pond garden, which features a picturesque teahouse surrounded by cherry, maple, and willow trees. Inside, luxurious details abound, from the seasonal floral arrangements, to the iPads and in-mirror TVs in the guest rooms, to the plush cabanas and atmospheric lighting at the underground pool. For even greater indulgence, guests can head to the spa for such treatments as sake baths, bamboo-and-green-tea scrubs, and jade-stone massages, as well as facials from cult French brand Biologique Recherche. When hunger strikes, the Michelin-starred Sushi Wakon is waiting. Helmed by master chef Rei Masuda, the 10-seat restaurant serves fresh fish, flown in daily from Tokyo’s Tsukiji market.

With just 57 rooms, the smallest Four Seasons in the world offers outsize luxury on arrival. Guests approaching by rail at nearby Tokyo Station—the terminal for Shinkansen, Narita Express, and all major bullet trains—can expect a memorable welcome: staff greet visitors on the platform and personally escort them to the property, on seven floors of the 31-story Pacific Century Place Marunouchi Tower. Rooms are outfitted in the modern, minimalist decor the brand is known for and mix wood, stone, and contemporary features like 3-D televisions and floor-to-ceiling windows. Head to MOTIF for French-Japanese fusion cuisine overlooking the city’s neon skyscrapers. If you prefer one-of-a-kind experiences, soak in the spa’s traditional onsen bath, hop on a chef-led tour of the Tsukiji Fish Market at dawn, or make your own piece of Japanese lacquer art in nearby Ginza.

Nakameguro is a hip and trendy area with many restaurants and shops, especially under the train tracks in a complex called Kokashita. The Meguro River that runs through the residential area is lined with cherry trees for sakura-viewing in the spring. Small boutiques featuring local designers as well as imported clothes are concentrated in the Aobadai area between Nakameguro and Daikanyama. Nakameguro is also home to two of the city’s best pizza shops, Seirinkan and da ISA, and yakitori restaurants Iguchi and Toriyoshi. Popular coffee shops in the area include Onibus, Streamer, and Artless Craft Tea & Coffee.

Whatever your tastes, we bet you won’t head home empty-handed from Nanjing Road, one of the world’s busiest shopping promenades. Stores along the tree-lined, pedestrian-only section stock everything from state-of-the-art electronics to silk scarves at a fraction of Western prices. But it’s also worth detouring into the side streets, where you may stumble upon market stalls of fresh fish and produce, teahouses doling out dumplings and hot cups of oolong, and cats lazing in slices of sunlight. Photo by Vikkies//Flicker.

Soon after conquering Constantinople and defeating the Byzantines in 1453, Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II commissioned the beginnings of the Grand Bazaar to reinvigorate trade with the city. More than 550 years later, the bazaar is one of the oldest covered markets in the world, with a labyrinth of 61 streets connecting over 4,000 shops selling all manner of treasures and souvenirs, from jewelry to silk carpets. Make a beeline for Sivasli Istanbul Yazmacisi, whose quality textiles are popular with interior decorators. Looking for currency exchange shops? You’ll find the best rates in Istanbul here.

The story of the Emperor Qin reads something like Game of Thrones, with hostages, feuding brothers, wars, and the ultimate unification and creation of what we know as China today. Wanting to protect himself in the afterlife, Emperor Qin created an army of 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses made of terra-cotta. The first lineup of soldiers were said to be the “Dare to Die” soldiers as they were quick and sharp like a knife. They wore less armor than the rest of the warriors. This is one of the most massive archaeological finds on the planet and is found an hour outside of Xi’an China. Restoring the warriors was like putting together a complex puzzle— it’s really amazing to see how meticulously everything was recreated.