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It’s impossible to ignore the hulking 1950s architecture of the Tate Modern, slap-bang in the middle of the most-walked part of the South Bank. A visionary refurb of this former power station has resulted in an artistic behemoth with multiple gallery spaces (containing both free exhibitions and ticketed exhibitions), including the fantastic Turbine Hall for oversize installations. Outside, the Millennium Bridge leads over the Thames to the City and the great domed St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The Eastern Market, now a National Historic Landmark, opened in 1873 to serve the Capitol Hill neighborhood (an 1805 version, located down by the Navy Yard, was a casualty of the War of 1812). The brick market hall, packed with butchers, bakers, vegetable markets, cheese vendors, flower kiosks, and a lunch counter, is bright and charming. Under the shed roof outside, additional local produce is displayed and sold. On weekends, booths selling vintage goods and handmade jewelry, housewares, and clothing do a brisk business down the center of 7th Street. Crowds spill out of the cafés, taco joints, and bagel shops occupying the first floors of the row houses along the block, adding to the lively mix at the market.

The natives that guide you through Canyon De Chelly are very passionate about their historical heritage: the battles that their people have survived, the ceremonies they live by, and the dwellings that they carved out of the massive cliff sides. The Navajo people had to hide in the mountains, and for extended times they weren’t even able to come down for food or water. The Human Chain is the story of how they created a chain by climbing down each other in the night to bring up baskets of water while their enemy slept. Many survived because of that daring task.

This being a former English colony, St. Kitts is centered around the Circus, a small roundabout modeled after London’s famed Piccadilly and set in the middle of buzzy Basseterre. Preserved Georgian-style buildings line its edges, while the Berkeley Memorial stands in the middle. Built in 1883 to honor a local legislator and landowner, the memorial features an imposing green clock with four faces, each looking out toward one of the city’s main streets.

Dining venues that really scale the highest of international standards are few and far between in Yangon. One such options, however, is the long-standing Le Planteur. Set in a mansion with a lovely garden, the restaurant specialises in intricate fusion creations with dishes running the gamut from foie gras to prime rib.

Colorado has more “fourteeners”—mountain peaks higher than 14,000 feet—than any other state (53, compared to No. 2, Alaska, with 29). The northernmost of those Rocky Mountains giants is also one of the most popular, mostly since it’s so easy to see from the lowlands. A prominent diamond shape sits below the summit and is a favorite rock-climbing wall. But those keen to hike it usually start in the dark hours of the early morning to tackle the standard 8.4-mile Keyhole route. The trail starts at 9,400 feet and gains more than 5,000 feet. Around 11,000 feet, the trees thin out and the view down the slope appears, as does a nice look at the distinctive diamond face. The trail continues around a subpeak called Mount Lady Washington, and into the boulder field that leads up to the namesake Keyhole—the gateway to the last push to the summit.

Specializing in fine art, this bright, beautiful gallery shows works that range from Shirley Marais’s playful ceramics to the misty, impressionistic beach paintings of David Chen. Standouts include the exuberant mixed-media pieces of Australian artist Anthony Breslin. He often mounts objects like darts, pencil sharpeners and toothpaste tubes onto his cartoony canvases, which are a hit with kids and collectors alike.

A Cape Town favorite Italian restaurant that is always packed, with families, lovers on a special date, friends, even though it’s not cheap Italian food by any means. The pastas are divided into long and short varieties – corta and lunga – and you will find the standard dishes plus many variations. Take a table on the verandah on balmy summer evenings.

A 1,200-acre green space filled with museums, theaters, and gardens, Balboa Park is the center of art and culture in San Diego. It’s also one of the city’s most historic sites, built for the Panama–California exhibition in 1915. While the museums are definitely worth seeing, there are also a number of free attractions, including the photogenic Botanical Building, which houses more than 2,100 plants (including Venus flytraps); the Desert Garden, filled with succulents from around the world; and a sculpture court with works by Miró and Rodin. For one of the area’s best views, purchase a timed ticket to climb the California Tower in the Museum of Man. The ornate structure reopened to the public in 2015 after being closed for nearly 80 years and features a spiral staircase to the eighth floor, where you can catch a glimpse of the Cuyamaca Mountains, the Cabrillo Bridge, and even Mexico’s Coronado Islands.

Two architectural wonders helped put Dubai on the map: the Burj Al Arab hotel, which resembles the sail of a ship out on the gulf waters, and the Palm Jumeirah, a residential development on a manmade archipelago that fans out in the shape of a huge palm tree. But in 2010, the sleek Burj Khalifa stole their thunder. Now the world’s tallest structure, the tower soars 830 meters (2,722 feet) into the sky. Visitors can zoom by elevator up to the 124th floor to experience incredible views and explore interactive displays on Dubai’s history and the tale behind the building of this futuristic marvel. Another observation deck is even higher, on the 148th floor.

Often described as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, this 10-mile-long Kauai valley is a kaleidoscopic array of scarlet earth, verdant valleys, and raw volcanic crags. Bands of color streak the corrugated landscape, each representing a different eruption and layer of lava. Waimea Canyon Drive has a series of lookouts; among the most popular is Waimea Canyon (past the Mile 10 marker on Highway 550), where a number of rivers once cascaded down the gently sloping shield volcano. When part of its flank collapsed, the rivers combined with dramatic results. Continue into the mountains to explore Koke’e State Park beyond. Its small, free museum contains a 3-D map, which sheds light on the canyon’s wild beauty, while the gift shop specializes in local art, crafts, and Niihau shell jewelry.

A symbol of Rio itself, it’s been called one of the seven wonders of the modern world, but it’s only when you visit that you really cop to its true dimensions. Designed in 1931 to crown Corcovado Peak, the monument is accessed by a cog railway. The statue and its pedestal, 98 feet tall, stands 2,340 feet above sea level, with the entire city at its feet. Cristo Redentor isn’t just a sculpture—it’s also Rio’s most famous postcard view. Go weekdays and early, with the sun to your back and reduced tourist hordes.

Clearly not designed by, or for, shrinking violets, Klapsons is as bold in its decor and colors as in its ambition to stand out among the buttoned-down business district hotels. The hotel’s moniker might sound futuristic but is based on names of the owner’s family. Furnishings by Zaha Hadid (the lobby’s Moraine sofa) and Marcel Wanders (polycarbonate stools) keep the interiors lively and au courant. The street-level lobby, visible through a facade of glass, is all bright furniture and curvilinear forms, with pops of white, orange, red, neon blue, and off-kilter lampshades. Reception sits in an elevated, stair-accessed pod of highly polished stainless steel that looks primed for blast-off. A wall of wire mesh in the lobby adds an industrial element to the otherwise retro-future montage. Rooms continue the provocative vein with punches of brightness—on a bed throw, a Plexiglas table, a plush carpet—and kooky showers, some of them glass-enclosed stalls in the middle of the living space, others open-cube-shaped with color-changing LED lights.

Adjacent to the restaurant is a cheery boutique filled with gourmet products from all over Tuscany. Thanks to the restaurant’s long-standing relationships with many of the region’s top purveyors, you’ll find high-quality olive oil (tastings can also be arranged), cheeses, cured meat, preserves, breads, and more. Not all of it will make it through customs, but you can savor any perishables on a picnic to the Tuscan countryside.

Cruising down the Garonne river onboard the AmaDolce, the first port we called on was Cadillac, located about 19 miles from the city of Bordeaux. Cadillac, founded in 1280, is a small fortified town, and I bet their charming Sunday market is probably just as old. The market occupies a number of streets in the town center–you won’t miss it. It’s a great place to try all sorts of local specialties (seafood, breads, cheese, sausages), and of course to people watch. The locals not only do their weekly grocery shopping here, markets are also a real social event in France. Friends catch up, stories are exchanged, laughter rings through the streets. Stock up on your picnic needs, as you’ll have no challenge finding a picturesque spot to sit down and snack along the Garonne.

No worries about the little goose pictured here, it already had a name by the time the buyer walked away from the stand. Definitely pet, not food.