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If you’re planning to stay in Beijing, you’ll have your pick of both international hotel chains and a growing number of boutique properties, many within walking distance of major sights. Choose a spot in a central location, near the Summer Palace or an important shopping street, or base your decision on perks like room service and free Wi-Fi. Either way, you can expect to find a great home base for getting to the heart of Beijing.

A visit to Dubrovnik can give you a glimpse of an older Europe, one with ancient Roman sites and medieval stone walls, with charming cobbled streets and sunny market squares and the blue Adriatic Sea glittering beyond. Savor your time here by walking the city walls, toasting the sunset from a terrace bar, shopping for local crafts and delicacies, and falling in love with the “Pearl of the Adriatic.”

Philadelphia, famous as a historic city, is more than a dusty archive of Americana. World-class museums, thriving markets, busy streets full of shops and terrific restaurants: Visitors may come to see the Liberty Bell, but they’ll fall for Philly.

From the cool cafés on Bree Street to the refined dining rooms along the V&A Waterfront, you’ll find Cape Town’s food scene almost as thrilling as its dramatic setting. The freshest ingredients—harvested from surrounding farms and wine estates and from the Atlantic itself—give every tasting menu or just-baked croissant an almost unfair advantage. With every bite, you’re tasting South Africa.

Culture lovers won’t have time to sleep once they hit the Toronto pavement. Not only are institutes like the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) filled with major works of art, street art is everywhere—take a guided tour of Toronto’s colorful back alleys. Toronto is known, too, for its arts, music, dance, and film festivals. For an authentic taste of a city so rich in culture, check the calendar and catch whatever’s playing in town.

From street food to white-tablecloth restaurants, Mexico City has a meal for every palate and budget. Plus, local, fresh, and heritage aren’t just buzzwords here—they’re a way of life. Come taste for yourself.

Some of New Zealand’s best souvenir shopping is found at art and craft galleries around the country. Locally-made crafts include Maori woven pieces and wood carvings. One color you’re sure to see all over the place: green, the color of pounamu, the Maori name for greenstone. But the country’s shops don’t just stop at souvenirs, of course. You’ll find local designer labels at shopping centers, including Auckland’s High Street. Watch for pieces by Karen Walker, one of the country’s best-known designers. Living in a camper van during your stay? Stop at the many farmers markets around the country to restock your cooler.

Featured in countless films, novels, and TV shows, Venice can evoke a sense of deja vu in travelers who have never previously experienced the Grand Canal, Bridge of Sighs, and gondola rides. Those are worthy experiences, yet Venice also rewards those who seek out its small islands and give in to getting lost down quaint neighborhood side streets. Museums and a local’s cooking class round out the mix of must-do activities.

In this modest Asian city, a vast galaxy of street food, night markets, and closet-sized seafood restaurants awaits. Don’t forget that small can be mightily good.

Today’s cosmopolitan, cool Berlin is a global dining city with top places to eat that range from casual street stands selling affordable snacks to elegant restaurants offering Michelin-star fine dining and local ingredients. Sample everything from falafel to Jamaican specialties—and some surprisingly good Tex-Mex burritos. But even modern-day Berlin does classic German fare very well so get in on all the currywurst you can handle. If you just have time to eat around one neighborhood, head straight to Prenzlauer Berg for top-notch brunch spots and some of the city’s best people watching.

Norwegians supposedly drink the most coffee in the world. It’s easy to believe. Stroll the streets of Oslo, and you’ll find coffee shops on every corner.

A Sunset Strip retreat that blends high design with sustainable practices

• A sustainable design that employs reclaimed timber, recycled carpeting, and lush native greenery
• Healthy extras like yoga mats, kombucha, and local snacks in every room
• Four separate dining options serving California cuisine and craft cocktails, plus a lobby farm stand with fresh fruits

After a brief stint as The Jeremy, this Sunset Strip property opened as L.A.’s first 1 Hotel in May 2019 with a strong focus on sustainability. As soon as you drive up to the valet (which offers electric charging stations), you’ll be enveloped by a biophilic world of plants, reclaimed wood, and rough-hewn granite. The reception desk is made from a massive tree that fell in Mendocino, while the cozy lobby is filled with wood and linen-covered furniture made locally by J. Alexander. Also on the ground floor is a farm stand with fresh produce for the taking; 1 Kitchen, which serves sustainably sourced California cuisine among tables that resemble sliced trees; and Goodthings, a retail shop selling Earth + Element pottery, organic cotton clothing, and a selection of all-natural face serums and tonics.

The 285 rooms feature earth tones, floor-to-ceiling windows, multiple plants in volcanic rock planters, and unfinished wooden wardrobes filled with hangers made from recycled paper. Guests can also look forward to extras like yoga mats, comfy cotton robes, and minibars stocked with kombucha and local snacks like Fat Uncle Farms Cajun-Flavored California Almonds, plus all-natural dog bones and candles with the hotel’s signature scent. Bathrooms have deep marble tubs and full-size bath products—no single-use plastics here. Elsewhere in the hotel, the heated pool features a plant-filled deck with plenty of loungers and views of downtown, while a fitness center by Performix, a rooftop bar, and an organic garden with a beehive offer more places for guests to gather. From $518

Housed in side-by-side 19th-century townhouses amid the gas streetlights and cobblestoned streets of Boston‘s Beacon Hill, the high-end Beacon Hill Hotel retains a distinctly European feel. The original owners and neighborhood residents Peter and Cecilia Rait bought the properties with the intent of opening a hotel and bistro. Nowadays, the property is managed by Saunders Hotel Group, but the who’s-who clientele hasn’t changed. Since the hotel opened in 2000, the intimate property has hosted innumerable A-listers seeking a lower profile, including Todd English.

Each of the 13 rooms has plantation shutters, pedestal sinks, flat-panel TVs with DirecTV, and windows that actually open for fresh air. The second-floor common area invites guests to meet and mingle. Plus, the hotel has a private, residential-feeling roof terrace overlooking Charles Street, perfect for morning coffee or afternoon reading.

Live music is the heart of Austin. The city has launched the careers of legendary musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughn and Willie Nelson. Austin has always been a destination for struggling artists looking to hone their skills performing at local venues to receptive audiences. In the 70s, the television show “Austin City Limits” debuted, putting the city’s prolific music scene on the map. Music lovers will be in heaven at small to large venues that feature everything from Cojunto to punk rock.

To the west of Santiago’s historic heart of downtown, here the Chilean capital was founded at present day Cerro Santa Lucía with its lush garden. Now a trendy neighborhood, here top restaurants, bars, cafés, boutiques, parks, and stately apartment buildings make up this happening area around Lastarria street.