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Located in the Mouraria neighborhood—the birthplace of fado—this restaurant is a prime pick for sampling traditional Portuguese food. The codfish, or bacalhau, is a must here. It is served with plenty of bread to clean your plate.


In the style of a classic tasca (Portuguese tavern), the walls are adorned with blue tiles and many photos, paintings and drawings.

The plaza of Place Seffarine, dominated by the entrance to the al-Qarawiyin Library and a sturdy old tree, is one of the most pleasing areas in Fes. As you approach, you’ll hear the sound of the copper beaters tap, tap, tapping away. It’s well worth perusing the stalls to find high-quality cookware to take home, such as pixie pans for boiling milk for your coffee, copper tagines and teapots, and prettily etched bowls for use in the hammam. Stop at the café for seriously strong coffee and to watch the world go by, or scoot around the corner onto Derb Chouara for hot, sweet mint tea spiked with various other healing herbs at a hole-in-the-wall where you’ll rub shoulders with local craftspeople taking a break from their labors.

One of the most enjoyable things you can do in Munich is sit down at a bench in one of the many beautiful beer gardens, which serve as familiar gathering points for locals, friends, and visitors alike. The beer is top-notch, and the atmosphere warm and friendly—it’s impossible not to have a good time. The second largest beer garden in Munich is under a tall pagoda, the Chinesischer Turm, set against the beautiful backdrop of the Englisher Garten. Used under a [Creative Commons Attribution license|http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/].

The Rua Santa Caterina is the most important shopping street in Oporto. It is a pedestrian street which is closed to traffic. Along the Rua Caterina you will find the Mercado Bolhao which is a lively market with many shops to delight the market lover. There are many clothing stores, restaurants and cafes along the street. One of them is the elegant Majestic Cafe established in 1921. It was a favorite meeting place for artists and writers.For a time it was abandoned when tea rooms fell out of favor but was restored to its former glory and reopened in 1994. The pastries are excellent and will satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth. Take time out from your sightseeing and shopping to just sit with a cup of tea and a pastry, or, perhaps, a cool drink. Enjoy the surroundings and chill out.

Call it the magic of Hollywood: Since opening in 1964, this theme park has continued to reinvent itself, creating ever-more ambitious experiences inspired by blockbuster movies. For Harry Potter fans, a visit to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Hogsmeade is essential, while Peter Jackson’s King Kong 360 3-D, and the immersive Fast & Furious—Supercharged simulator ride will get the adrenaline going. To be truly swept up in the park, sign up for the VIP Experience. You’ll get a special escort to the front of the line for rides, along with breakfast, a private lunch prepared by the studio’s executive chef, valet parking, and backlot access, where you’ll see thousands of set pieces and props. (Production schedules can affect the availability of these tours.) The adjacent Universal CityWalk’s restaurants and massive movie theater make the destination worthy of even more time, especially if you visit around notable holidays, when themes take over in spectacular fashion, from “Grinchmas” to the Lunar New Year. Pro tip: Download the Universal Studios app, which you can set to send alerts when certain rides’ wait times reach five minutes.

The Golden Gate Bridge is probably the most photographed site in California, but this vantage point never gets old. Explore the hollowed out fort, learn some history, and marvel at the view from the top floor.

Smart tourists shamelessly copy locals. Westpunt, or Bándabou in Papiamento, is the Curaçao native’s go-to beach escape. Follow the road lined with giant cacti to the turquoise waters that are the turquoise-iest you have ever seen. (Beaches this beautiful warrant the making up of new words.) Playa Kenepa, also known as Kleine Knip, is probably the most stunning of the beaches: Its natural beauty is totally untouched, except for a few mobile vendors selling fried pastechi stuffed with Gouda cheese. Head to the cove at Playa Lagun to check out the coral reef, and get ready to don geeky snorkeling gear at Playa PortoMari.

Unlike most hard-to-navigate Norwegian cities, the streets of downtown Kristiansand form a grid pattern known as kvadraturen. At the northern end lies Posebyen, Kristiansand’s old town, whose interconnected wooden houses occupy fourteen blocks. The best preserved building is the old post office, which dates back to 1695. For a self-guided walking tour, pick up a copy of the Kristiansand Guide from the tourist office at Rådhusgata 18, just a few blocks to the south. The residents who occupy this former commercial area are proud of their homes, so expect well-tended flower boxes and friendly greetings.

A city of red-tiled rooftops, pine- and cypress-shaded hills, and sparkling turquoise waters, the Old Town of Dubrovnik stuns with both its architecture and scenery. Its surrounding stone walls, built between the 11th and 13th centuries to protect the city from war and epidemics, stretch for a full 1.3 miles, comprising an immense system of forts, bastions, and walkways that offer breathtaking views. Hike along them, then be sure to check out the Lovrijenac Fortress, built atop a 100-foot rock looking out toward Venice (Dubrovnik’s historic rival). The Old Town’s main street of Stradun, known locally as Placa, is also worth exploring. It’s especially nice in the late afternoon, when the sun shines off the historic buildings and swallows soar in the blue sky above.

Also called the Party Zone, this block along Cancún’s main boulevard pulsates with lights, music, and gaudy signs inviting partyers into nightclubs lining the street. From smaller open-air clubs like La Vaquita and Congo, to internationally renowned nightspots such as Dady’O and Coco Bongo, this strip was once just for spring breakers but now features shopping centers, restaurants, and markets that draw in locals and low-key tourists for walks on the not-so-wild side, too. For late-night snacks before or after the clubs, peek into El Callejón de los Milagros, an alley behind Dady’O, once seedy, now replete with souvenir shops and restaurants serving up authentic tacos and other Mexican favorites.

One of the oldest buildings on the Royal Mile, Gladstone’s Land stands as a tribute to tenement life in Edinburgh’s Old Town. It was once owned by merchant Thomas Gladstone, who extended and remodeled it to include opulently decorated apartments, attracting wealthy tenants like Lord Crichton and the minister of St Giles’ Cathedral. By the mid-1800s, however, only the city’s poorest residents remained in the Old Town, and the building fell into disrepair. It was rescued from demolition in 1934 by the National Trust for Scotland and today serves as a tourist attraction where visitors can learn about the fascinating—and sometimes scandalous—lives of the people who lived on property. Guests can also view rare, hand-painted Renaissance interiors dating from the 1620s; seek shelter under Edinburgh’s only surviving 17th-century arched store frontage (designed to protect shoppers from the weather); and admire the gilded bird of prey that hangs outside the house.

Only in Rio can you happen onto a tropical paradise without leaving city limits. About 22 miles west of Copacabana lies Prainha. The name calls up a small beach that’s in fact a sand formation in an ecological reserve surrounded by the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica), with its complete variety of plant and animal life. Known as one of the city’s surfing meccas, it’s a gem for anyone keen on sun and waves. Eat fresh seafood right on the beach, and if you brought your board, take the surf-bus that connects to the city’s most popular tourist areas.

With more than 250 acres of grounds, the New York Botanical Garden manages to fit a number of different landscapes and experiences into its garden walls. The garden was established in 1891, the inspiration of Nathaniel Lord Britton and his wife, Elizabeth, who returned from a trip to England determined that New York should have its own equivalent to London‘s Kew Gardens. They found backing among New York society and created one of the country’s leading research institutions that also happens to be an ideal place to commune with nature right in the city. The rose garden designed by Beatrix Farrand is a highlight, while an abundance of azaleas reaches their peak in May. In all there are some 20 different gardens, including one dedicated to native plants, a rock garden, and a wetlands trail. The conservatory, constructed in 1902, is the largest in the country and includes 11 different climatic zones. When the last of the fall foliage has fallen from the trees, the conservatory hosts the popular annual Holiday Train Show (from the end of November to mid-January).

What began as a recreation area for immigrants from Brazil’s northeast is now a destination for visitors looking to get off the beaten tourist path. The densely populated São Cristóvão quarter is home to this enormous complex, open seven days a week, to which visitors may arrive at a reasonable hour and not get out before dawn. Afternoons are for shopping and noshing; but after dark, the volume goes up, and the marketplace becomes a scene for partying, pop-up karaokes, and live-music performances that are 100-proof Brazil. Authentic northeastern music known as forró plays until sunup.

Owners Bryan Lewis and Eric Gaspard recently opened the Twisted Cork Café, a wine-focused restaurant located in the historic Frenchtown district of Charlotte Amalie. The neighborhood, which is busy with cruise passengers during the day, slows down to a more mellow island speed in the evenings. Daily specials, which often feature just-caught fish and produce from an on-site garden, are recommended.