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Within the 18th arrondissement in Paris France, high atop the city, resides the wonderfully beautiful, hilly neighborhood of Montmartre. This diverse and eclectic section of the city can be a bit busy with tourists, but the views of Paris and the splendor of the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur are certainly worth it. Riding the funicular is rather novel, but not necessary if you’re willing to climb the 300+ steps to the summit. This is an area to be explored on foot, as is nearly all of Paris. The shops, theaters, and forever famous Moulin Rouge should not be missed. The streets are intimate, the shops unique, and the overall feel of this place speaks of a youthful, colorful Paris.

This “boutique coffee house” offers various pastries, macarons and croissants with wide selection of teas and coffees. It is a romantic place for coffee!

Why we love it: A charming European-style inn right in downtown Clayton

The Highlights:
- The kind of friendly service you only get at small hotels
- Complimentary breakfast with farm-fresh eggs and country bacon
- An outdoor patio with fire pits and heat lamps for colder weather

The Review:
Housed in a Tudor Revival–style building from 1926, the Seven Gables Inn sits in the heart of downtown Clayton, surrounded by quaint boutiques, galleries, and restaurants. It stands out among the surrounding buildings, however, for its sloped roofs, large chimney, narrow windows, and decorative half-timbering. Developer Restoration St. Louis recently bought the property and set about revamping the interiors, so now all 32 guest rooms and suites merge historic charm with modern luxuries (think hardwood floors and stately wall coverings complemented by Bissinger’s chocolates, Jonathan Adler bath amenities, and plush robes).

Mornings here start with a complimentary breakfast of homemade pastries, farm-fresh eggs, and country bacon—a nice touch, as are the warm cookies at check-in and the evening cocktail reception, held Monday through Thursday. The charming courtyard is the perfect place to enjoy an afternoon break, while the Restaurant at Seven Gables is ideal for when you’re craving a cozy setting and upscale pub fare like chicken pot pie and filet mignon.

Live out your Swiss Family Robinson dreams at this small resort, where rope bridges and jungle paths connect 22 treehouses to a main lodge and restaurant serving fresh, organic produce harvested nearby. The treehouses are all set above the tree line; three VIP units feature king-size beds, outdoor showers, and the best views. There’s no Internet, cell service, or TV here, but there is a zip line that starts in the mountains and ends at a waterfall, and a rope swing near the resort’s back entrance. If you desperately need to check your email, there’s Wi-Fi just outside the property at Emma’s Café, where the staff will also teach you to dance merengue, bachata, or salsa.

Since opening in 2001, the Frist Art Museum has hosted an inspiring—and continuous—slate of exhibitions from both nearby and around the world in its Art Deco digs. Visit on a Thursday or Friday night to catch “Music at the Frist,” when a wide range of musicians perform live in the museum café. The shows are free to attend with the purchase of admission.

Set on the western side of Circular Quay, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) is the country’s leading institution for modern art. While access to touring international exhibitions from the likes of Tatsuo Miyajima and Annie Leibovitz incurs an entrance fee, the permanent collection of more than 4,000 contemporary works by Australian and Torres Strait Islanders, from Gary Carsley to Lena Yarinkura—plus a rare collection of artist notebooks, music, letters, and sketches—is always free. Come on Wednesday night when the gallery is open until 9 p.m., or for the adults-only Art Bar on the last Friday of the month. The rooftop café offers occasional live music and DJs plus glittering views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge after dark.

On the Asian side, south of the First Bosphorus Bridge, Kuzguncuk is a charming detour from the well-worn tourist trail and easily combined with a visit to nearby Beylerbeyi Palace. The neighborhood’s multicultural past is very much present, with synagogues, Armenian and Greek churches, and mosques located side by side. You can also expect to find cafes, art galleries, and fresh produce shops. Venture off the leafy main street (Icediye Caddesi) to admire the pretty facades of narrow townhouses and decorative wooden Ottoman abodes, many dating back to the 19th century. To find Kuzguncuk, take the ferry or Marmaray Rail to Üsküdar and follow the Bosphorus shoreline about a mile north (by foot or blue minibus) to Icediye Caddesi.

We’d heard that Blé Sucré makes the best croissants in Paris; so, of course, we had to check it out. They were absolute magic heaven: a bit crackly on the outside, with moist, delicate wisps of buttery pastry on the inside. The chocolate croissant was equally amazing. We ate it outside with an espresso. Go on a weekday at lunchtime when there’s virtually no line. Be prepared to wait during the weekends.

In response to the popularity of a large chain of coffee shops in Mexico selling “Italian” coffee, this family of coffee producers set up a little shop near Santo Domingo church and called it The Oaxacan Coffee Company. Here they proudly serve organic coffee that is exclusively from the area of San Miguel Talea de Castro, Oaxaca. It’s a small cafe with wooden benches and stools, and they serve the coffee in handmade pottery cups. The owner is friendly, the coffee is strong, and they also serve fresh pastries. You can get some coffee beans to go, as well as Oaxacan chocolate. If you like chocolate-covered coffee beans, stock up here!

Established in 1837, Nasjonalgalleriet (The National Gallery) houses the country’s largest public collection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures. The focus is mainly on Norwegian art, featuring works by Munch (his perhaps most famous work, The Scream, is on display here), but the museum also displays works by international artists, such as several French Impressionists. There’s also a completely charming café and small gift shop inside. P.S. Nasjonalgalleriet is connected to several other museums and galleries in Oslo (like The Museum of Contemporary Art, The National Museum of Architecture, and The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design) and your entry ticket gives you access to all of them – not a bad deal at all!

Bangkok, of course, is very much its own city. But New York districts, specifically Brooklyn, are exerting a strong influence in certain quarters. These Williamsburg stylings are, for the most part, mercifully unaffected with little of the self-consciousness often associated with hipster culture. One such vibrant enclave is located on Sukhumvit Soi 51 near the Thong Lor skytrain where ZudRangMa Records and WTF sit cheek by jowl up a small side alley. ZudRangMa specializes in retro Thai sounds and releases excellent compilations on its own imprint. Next door, WTF Gallery and Café has a winning combination of potent cocktails, eclectic sounds and occasional art happenings and events.

A few stops up the metro from Windows of the World and OCT, you’ll find Chegongmiao. Get off at exit A, and walk away from the busy street (Shennan Road). Suddenly you’ll find this little oasis in Shenzhen. It’s like a small town neighborhood. There’s a big plaza in the middle where vendors sell snacks and kids chase each other. There’s coffee shops and bakeries. Walk all the way to the end of the plaza and on the left you’ll see a giraffe. That’s Zoo Cafe, which has great waffles and smoothies. A lot of Koreans live here, and so there are good Korean restaurants in Chegongmiao. Just pick the busiest one; they are all pretty tasty.

To see life in Taipei at its fastest pace, be sure to spend some time walking through the always pulsing Ximending Pedestrian Zone. This famous part of town is the center of Taipei’s pop, fashion, and alternative cultures. You will see everything—trust me—from goth ‘Lolitas’ walking down the street to weird cafes, like the bathroom-themed Modern Toilet. Similar to New York’s Times Square or Tokyo’s Shibuya, Ximending both overloads the senses and entertains endlessly at the same time. This is also the heart of the city’s always-growing LGBT community, and most of the popular clubs and bars can be found here.

Parque Forestal is Santiago’s lung and central park. Created for the first centennial celebration in 1910, the park has become an iconic area of the city with elegant residential apartment buildings along the perimeter. One of the most enjoyable ways to spend an afternoon is walking under the century-old trees and then strolling the cobblestoned streets of the adjoining Lastarria area. Parisian-style facades, cafés full of intellectual life, boutiques, museums like Bellas Artes (a copy of the Petit Palais in Paris), restaurants, and bars all bring this neighborhood to life.

It really doesn’t get more eco-friendly and organic than dining on freshly baked bread and pastries at Rosendals Trädgård Kafé and Bageri. Their breads are baked with biodynamic flour from the Saltå Kvarn mill in nearby Järna, and their dishes are cooked using seasonal ingredients and organic produce from KRAV-certified farms and growers. Don’t be surprised by long lunch queues. It’s extremely popular with locals who wait in line to dig into its minimal yet tasty rotating menu such as pan-seared Pike perch or Arctic char with roasted root vegetables or couscous. The café itself is inside an ambient glass greenhouse surrounded by flower gardens and fruit orchards.