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From cooking classes to high tea, and from pedicab tours to sidecar excursions, some experiences just shouldn’t be missed in China’s capital city.

Provence may be known for its sleepy villages, Roman ruins, and endless fields of lavender, but it’s also home to Europe’s Grand Canyon, a famed antique market, and a moving Holocaust memorial. Come for the impressive restaurants and delightful hotels, stay for the truffle hunts, cooking classes, and small-but-mighty museums.

How do you make sense of diverse, dizzying São Paolo? Talk to the people who make the sushi, spray the graffiti, and build the giant watermelons.

Food-lovers and chefs flock to Charleston and many limit their visits to the dining rooms of the latest thing, the just-minted award-winners, but locals (and regulars to town) know that the true taste of Charleston can be found in restaurants that cook from old recipes, making dishes from memories of hot nights, small kitchens, and big flavor.

Three days will give you a taste of Siem Reap and its archaeological sites with time for a handful of other engaging experiences. Spend the first day focused on the star sights at Angkor Archaeological Park, like Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, home to Bayon and Ta Prohm. On day two venture out to lesser visited temple ruins such as Koh Ker and Beng Mealea. On day three, do a cooking class and walking tour or floating village cruise. Spend your evenings seeing cultural shows, shopping and dining.

Salzburg has no shortage of atmospheric restaurants and shady beer gardens serving hearty sausages, schnitzels, dumplings, and potato dishes. Don’t skip these classics, but do save room for new arrivals that offer more creative and modern cuisine.

The main challenge when visiting Berlin’s hippest vegetarian restaurant is finding the place—it’s hidden in an unglamorous backyard behind the Westin Grand Hotel, and a nondescript door lit by a telltale bulb marks the entrance. Once inside, though, guests are greeted by a chic, loftlike interior with exposed brick walls, gentle lighting, and low ceilings, and simple white tablecloths contrast with dark red chairs and banquettes. The trendy staff are both efficient and attentive in serving food that takes vegetarian dining up a notch: Gone are the usual staples of pasta, tofu, and rice, replaced by sumptuous, imaginative ingredients such as beluga lentils, Parmesan dumplings, and wild herb salads. The wine list is also excellent, or you can head next door for a cocktail at Crackers, a restaurant and bar.

AFAR chose a destination at random—by literally spinning a globe—and sent Chris Colin on a spontaneous journey to Iceland.

Dining in one of Zurich’s classic restaurants is not only a treat for the taste buds, but also a step back into Switzerland’s past. The almost 100-year-old Kronenhalle is among the most esteemed of Zurich’s restaurants, with its fabulous food matched by the expensive decor. Alfresco dining doesn’t get better than snuggling under a blanket outside the Zunfthaus zur Zimmerleuten and indulging in an all-you-can-eat fondue session. Zurich is also home to the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant.

The comforting taste of familiar Italian food is transformed into a different cuisine in Venice, where the cooking is influenced by spices like saffron brought by traders and by its proximity to both the Alps and the sea. Fresh fish dominates menus, turning up in seafood risotto and pasta as well as in spreads for cicchetti, tapas-like snacks. Sample typically Venetian dishes at family-run trattorie or dine at a fancy restaurant with a view with these top restaurants in Venice.

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.

It’s easy to fill a long weekend with Orlando fun. Spend one day at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot (with some Morimoto and tequila, to insert some adult-pleasing activities to the classic theme park day), of course. Engage in some other local magic, too, like the wildlife of Central Florida with a kayak exploration of the headwaters of the Everglades, or an afternoon viewing the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany at the Hosmer Museum in Winter Park. Try some of Orlando’s food truck fare and sip international vintages at a wine bar. And, if you have some time, get out and explore the charming neighborhoods, up-and-coming restaurants, and boutique shopping in this sprawling and modern metropolis.

You know you’ve always wanted a cuckoo clock, lederhosen, and a 34-ounce beer mug—or maybe just a bag of German cookies—so check out these shops, and take a little piece of hofbräu home with you.

On a trip with a young traveler in tow, a writer reflects on her first Venice adventure—and how it changed her life.

Uncorking Switzerland’s Secret