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Standing in the Piazza Santa Croce, a statue of Dante looms over the square from the corner. Florence, where Durante degli Alighieri’s journey through hell, purgatory, and paradise was to begin but not end. In 1829 a tomb was built for him in the Basilica of Santa Croce—the largest Franciscan church in the world. The tomb has remained empty ever since as Dante’s body lies in Ravenna.

Though primarily known as a family-friendly resort, this beachside getaway is equally popular with kid-free travelers who love the location, service, and long list of amenities. Tucked among the hills of the Son Tra Peninsula, overlooking the East Sea, the resort is home to 197 guest rooms and 22 suites, each with modern Vietnamese-inspired decor, an oversize bed, and a rain shower; suites and villas also have indoor/outdoor lounge spaces, butler service, and in some, private pools. (Another reason to upgrade: Suite and villa guests have access to a dedicated airport lounge, complete with mini-spa.) If you do have little ones in your party, drop them off at Planet Trekkers, the signature children’s club, where activities encourage cultural connection through workshops, arts and crafts, and outdoor playtime. Adult fun can be found by the pool, in daily diversions like tai chi classes, and at the award-winning Harnn Heritage Spa, where holistic treatments complement the Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio, created by French celebrity pedicurist Bastien Gonzalez. The resort’s dining and drinking spots include La Maison 1888, the domain of Michelin-darling chef Pierre Gagnaire, and Buffalo Bar, where you can top off a perfect day with vintage bubbles and hand-rolled cigars. Three UNESCO World Heritage Sites are located a day trip’s ride from the resort—that is, if you can tear yourself away.

This is the oldest and grandest art institute in a city that’s long captivated artists. The Neoclassical building sits amid the greenery of massive City Park (conveniently at the end of the Canal Streetcar Line). It’s an especially good destination for admirers of Edgar Degas, who spent an extended vacation in New Orleans visiting relatives in 1872; a number of his works are displayed here. Just outside the museum is the beautifully landscaped and well-curated five-acre Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, which perfectly melds the old and new. Some 60 sculptures are arrayed amid reflecting lagoons and 200-year-old live oaks.

A devastating fire on April 15, 2019, has closed the interior of the cathedral to visitors. Plans to rebuild and reopen the structure are being made, but at present, visitors are not allowed near the site.
For a first-time visitor to Notre Dame, investing in the audio guide is essential to understand this overwhelmingly significant Paris icon. There’s a lot to see and absorb—history, architecture, artifacts, theology—and the audio guide gives a much-needed sense of direction and context. Even without spiritual ties, the awe-inspiring grandeur of the cathedral is not to be missed from every angle—tour the naves, stroll around the entirety of the exterior, take in the city from the top of the towers, walk along Quai de Montebello to view it from across the water, or admire it from a river cruise down the Seine. The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris is everything everyone says it is and more.

Located in Old Québec, not far from the St. Lawrence River, the Musée de la Civilisation (Museum of Civilization) is an enormous (for Québec City, at least) museum with lofty ambitions. Exhibits cover just about every culture imaginable—at any given time you might find Greek sculptures displayed alongside totem poles, or an inquiry into Egyptian ideas of the afterlife juxtaposed with Australian Aboriginal artworks. Most of the time you can count on at least one exhibition focusing on some aspect of Québecois or Canadian culture, from the history of trapping to spotlights on individual Québecois artists and designers. Many of the exhibits, like a recent one focused on cats and dogs, are designed with kids in mind, with engaging, interactive installations. Even if you’ve been here before, every visit to the museum is, by design, a new experience.

Springs Preserve presents visitors with a sort of crash course in the story of the Las Vegas Valley. The facility is many attractions in one: the Origen Museum, which chronicles early geology and anthropology of the region; the Nevada State Museum, which covers the history, prehistory, and natural history of Nevada; DesertSol, a solar-powered home designed to showcase sustainable living; the NV Energy Foundation Sustainability Gallery, which teaches visitors about a more ecofriendly lifestyle; and Boomtown 1905, a re-created streetscape. There is also an enclosed butterfly habitat, a botanical garden, and 3.6 miles of trails that crisscross the preserve’s 110 acres, winding past rare plants, archaeology, artifacts, and more. This remarkable resource has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The oldest public building in Montevideo, located on Constitution Square, is the city’s Roman Catholic cathedral. Built in 1804 on the site of an earlier church from 1740, it is commonly referred to as la Iglesia Matriz, or “mother church,” acknowledging it as the first church in the region. Its lavish interior is rich in marble and it’s also the final resting place of many of Uruguay’s most important political figures.

Once-abandoned railway sheds have been repurposed to create an open-air outlet mall in Palermo, one of the city’s buzziest neighborhoods. Clothes are expensive in Argentina so don’t expect rock-bottom prices, but you’ll appreciate discounts on local brands like Las Pepas. In addition to clothing retailers, there are several food carts, plus pop-up restaurants, here and there beneath a redbrick viaduct that supports the General San Martín commuter train. Large flowerbeds and the trains’ overhead comings and goings make Distrito Arcos a pretty spot for snacks or browsing the racks.

On sunny days, Parisians head for the Luxembourg Garden, built by Marie de’ Medici in 1611 and modeled after the Boboli Gardens in her native Florence. In addition to the magnificent Medici Fountain, there are more than 100 statues arranged around the garden’s 20 hectares (50 acres), which encompass both formal French and English gardens. Here you’ll find chess players, puppeteers, children sailing tiny boats on the octagonal pool and sometimes a free concert in the gazebo.

Della’s, the breakfast-and-lunch-only restaurant at the Delano Las Vegas, prides itself on sourcing ingredients from local farmers and growers—yes, they really exist in the middle of the Nevada desert. The menu has options that can satisfy diners with all sorts of dietary restrictions: vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, and more. For breakfast, you can taste the difference that comes with farm-fresh produce, especially in the egg dishes. At lunchtime, the off-menu ramen bowl features a savory mushroom broth with a pork shank, house-fermented cabbage, and a slow-poached egg. Della’s is also one of the only places on the Strip where you can get cold-pressed juice made to order. The overarching commitment to sustainability extends beyond the menu: Glasses here are created from recycled liquor bottles from Vegas clubs.

Forever on the verge of being the next big target of gentrification, the district known as Santa María la Ribera—northwest of downtown—retains its neighborhoody, down-at-the-heels charms. Its streets are home to a mix of old-school cantinas (all perfectly visitor-friendly) and mom-and-pop restaurants, alongside some neglected architectural gems, hipster coffeehouses, and standard-issue, sometimes grimy local businesses—in short, it’s still real. The district’s centerpiece is its central plaza, known as the Alameda, and its exuberant Moorish-style gazebo (it started life as the Mexico Pavilion at a long-forgotten world’s fair). Recently restored and awash in color, the kiosk is a gem—and the proud emblem of the barrio. Note some amazing old mansions and the spooky Institute of Geology lining the plaza. The nearby Museo Universitario del Chopo—housed in a glass-and-cast-iron former natural-history museum—is a renowned center for avant-garde art that leaves no viewer less than provoked.

Located on the second floor of the Fretheim Hotel, Arven has grand views of the mountains and the fjord. The emphasis here is on quality meat and produce sourced from nearby farms. In addition to the à la carte menu, there’s also a buffet that serves an assortment of salads, meat and fish. Expect dishes such as roasted veal served with cabbage, roast parsnip and beer sauce and rhubarb soup with sour cream sorbet.

Given its prime La Jolla location—with a Pacific panorama to match—this stylish, modern bar could get away with serving almost anything. But lucky for spirits enthusiasts, George’s Level2 (one of three venues that make up George’s at the Cove) literally wrote the book on San Diego’s craft cocktail scene: Stephen Kurpinsky, head barman and director of spirits and beer, collaborated with his staff to produce Neighborhoods of San Diego, a beautifully bound compendium of drinks, each representative of—and photographed in—a distinct corner of the city. As you flip through the book, which doubles as the bar’s menu, you’ll get the local lowdown—learning, for example, that around 25,000 pedestrians enter the United States via the San Ysidro border crossing daily. But mostly, you’ll learn that choosing a drink here is nearly impossible. The most popular option is the La Jolla: tequila infused with mango, lime zest, and chili blended with fresh lime juice, agave syrup, and a saline-and-suspended-seaweed ice cube. If you’re looking for something with fizz, the Little Italy—with prosecco and balsamic strawberry shrub, among other treats—is the way to go.

San Miguel is known as a community of artists, but to fully appreciate that understatement, every traveler should get closer to the city’s arts community. This village is a place where many have reinvented themselves as the next Picasso or Basquiat. First stop? The art galleries at Fábrica la Aurora, where visitors browse, shopping to add to their collections, with choices from the genres of painting, drawing, and sculpture. Longtime local favorites include Peter Leventhal—whose Rubenesque nudes adorn many a wall across the globe—and his wife, multimedia artist Terra Mizwa; abstract artist Merry Calderoni; and Annie Evans, whose sculptures of devilish women are mesmerizing. Art galleries also abound in the Centro and nearby San Antonio district. Events calendars detail monthly art walks.

The same people who brought you the parrilla at La Carnicería are bringing you Chori. This restaurant, named after the term for choripán, which is essentially an Argentinean hot dog, is located in Palermo Soho in Buenos Aires. There’s no table service at this casual order-at-the-bar spot, instead, the attention is on the choripán, with five different chorizo sandwiches, one morcipán (blood sausage), and a vegetarian sandwich with eggplant.