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Before moving to Paris to train in prestigious restaurant kitchens, Chef Julien Bousseau grew up on a farm, so he brings an understanding of the value of fresh produce to his cuisine. Now living in the charming alpine village of Tourettes sur Loup, the chef’s quaint little restaurant, with stone walls and wooden beams, offers a surprisingly affordable Michelin-starred meal. He sources vegetables from local kitchen gardens in dishes like veal roasted with celery and coffee, smoked mackerel with dried fennel, or a risotto made with cèpe mushrooms harvested in the forest nearby. Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy the pistachio financier cookie with orange cream and quince sorbet dessert.

Leave it to Disney to give visitors the chance to travel the world without leaving a theme park. At Epcot’s World Showcase, you’ll find several countries re-created to surprisingly realistic effect, all surrounding a centerpiece lagoon. Experience the landscapes, food, and cultural performances of such diverse lands as China, Italy, Canada, and Morocco, or embark on a “drink around the world” journey by grabbing a Hefeweizen in Germany, a vin rouge in France, a margarita in Mexico, and so on. The staff working in each area are natives of the country, so you can expect an authentic experience wherever you stop. Also worth visiting in Epcot are the 3-D rides, the Frozen-themed attractions, and the underwater coral reef. In addition, the park hosts annual events like the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival in the late fall, and the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival each spring, making it more than worth a visit.

Chef Eduardo García (of Lalo and Máximo Bistrot fame) applies his exquisite taste to a more traditionally French bill of fare at Havre 77, a beautiful dining room on what may be the city’s hippest half-block. Just a smattering of tables (reservations are recommended) and a handsome old-style bar inhabit two rooms and a tiny terrace in a fabulous fin de siècle mansion whose feel is still contemporary; couples favor the restaurant for its romantic, indulgent atmosphere. A pared-down menu hints at the approach: quality over quantity in Gallic standards like onion soup, oysters, a buttery steak frites, duck confit; all ingredients are excellent, leveraging the best of Mexican farms and ranches. Near perfect yet never fussy.

The first Disney resort built inside one of its theme parks, the Grand Californian puts you in the epicenter of the happiest place on Earth. And being on the inside has its benefits: Hotel guests get extra time at Disneyland before normal visiting hours, as well as a special entrance for Disney California Adventure Park. The upscale hotel’s 948 rooms, which were redesigned in 2017, blend the park’s playful magic—you’ll find subtle murals of Disney characters throughout—with an authentic arts and crafts motif (for views of the park, choose a deluxe or premium room). At the Storytellers Café and Hearthstone Lounge, kids can hobnob with Mickey Mouse and friends. No less notable is Napa Rose executive chef Andrew Sutton, who connects with diners at his Chef’s Counter, where personalized menus are available alongside the seasonal prix-fixe selection. More than 50 servers with sommelier training can help you choose from the 17,000-bottle wine cellar. Pro tip: Recover from a long day at the park with the Zen Buddhist tea ceremony and Balinese massage at the Mandara Spa.

You want locally sourced? The sourdough starter at this East Austin restaurant was made using wild grapes foraged from a nearby alley and a recipe from the Chez Panisse cookbook. That should tell you almost all you need to know about Dai Due. A butcher shop and restaurant (may as well throw bakery in there as well), Dai Due was started by Jesse Griffiths, a chef who had previously run a supper club and a stand at a farmers’ market. The restaurant offers quintessential Texas food. All the ingredients are local, or only from about as far away as the Gulf of Mexico, and Griffiths has the sense to do just enough to let the ingredients shine while staying out of their way. Beet-cured onions add zing and earthiness to a killer pastrami sandwich, honey shines up a pork chop, and pickled cabbage enlivens the huge beef rib.

Just south of the historic center of Québec City, the Battlefields Park is one of the most important historic sites in Canada. Here, the dream of New France—a more than 200-year-long project by the French to colonize North America—was dealt a fatal blow. In 1759, during the Seven Years’ War, British forces under General Wolfe defeated the French troops led by General Montcalm. The battle on the Plains of Abraham lasted roughly 30 minutes. (The very biblical sounding name, by the way, comes from the fact that the land where the two armies clashed was owned by a farmer, Abraham Martin.) After defeating Montcalm (who died in the battle), the British took control of Québec City. By 1760, all of France’s territory in North America had fallen to the British, and in 1763, the French officially ceded their claims. History buffs make a beeline to this national historic site, but Québec residents mostly consider it a lovely urban oasis of 255 acres alongside the St. Lawrence River. In the summer, it’s the setting of outdoor concerts; in the winter, there’s an ice-skating rink (free of charge, and skates are available for rent) from mid-December to mid-March.

Iconic chef Roy Yamaguchi helped popularize Hawaiian-fusion food a generation ago, but at Eating House 1849 he takes a delicious detour with dishes inspired by Portuguese, Spanish, and Filipino flavors. This “plantation cuisine” evokes the immigrant dishes served in the mid-1800s, when the state’s first restaurant—a Honolulu establishment called Eating House—opened (according to legend). Yamaguchi brings some serious chops to the table: He trained at the Culinary Institute of America before serving as executive chef in Los Angeles‘s La Serene and winning a James Beard Award. The menu shifts seasonally, according to what farmers, foragers, ranchers, and fishermen produce. Expect delicacies like a beef-and-wild-boar burger and pork lumpia with green papaya. Cap it all off with cinnamon-dusted malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts) with Koloa Rum sauce!

A more casual alternative to El Tovar Dining Room, the Arizona Room sits directly on the rim of the Grand Canyon and the menu is all about Southwestern specialties: homemade tortilla soup, oven-roasted native squash and heirloom beans, and Arizona-raised prime cuts of meat. The drinks list features local wines from Carlson Creek and Arizona Stronghold Vineyards, as well as lesser-known Grand Canyon State liquors such as Copper City Bourbon (Tempe), Gold Miner Agave Rum (Kingman), and Thumb Butte Vodka (Prescott).

The Pacific Ocean is a force that calls to some to jump in and join the dolphins that frequent its waters. Temperatures are warmest in August and September, but wet suits are available to rent year-round. Go surfing or take a stand-up paddleboard lesson to more fully appreciate the SoCal spirit and connection to the waves. For a more passive yet still exhilarating way to enjoy the coast, you can parasail above the waves or join a sailing charter from Marina Del Rey.

Overlooking the San Miguel River and trail, Camel’s Garden sits right at the base of the gondola connecting Telluride with Mountain Village, just a few short blocks from Main Street. In addition to a convenient location, the hotel offers several complimentary niceties, including continental breakfast, wine and cheese in the winter, ski valet and storage, and heated underground parking—all of which make getting to the slopes easier, faster, and more pleasant. There’s also Oak, a full-service restaurant and bar beloved for its Southern-style ribs, and the award-winning Atmosphere Day Spa, which features a 25-foot hot tub with stunning mountain views.

Standard rooms are spacious at 385 square feet, while deluxe rooms include a sitting area and wet bar. No matter which you choose, you’ll enjoy a fireplace, balcony, and large soaking tub to soothe post-ski muscles. If you’re traveling with a large family or group, however, opt for one of the condos, which feature separate living areas, washers and dryers, and top-of-the-line kitchens with Sub Zero and Viking appliances.

Turning off the highway into Volcano Village, the one-street town leading into Volcanoes National Park, first-time visitors might think they just made a right turn into Oregon. Cool, misty, and thick with giant ferns, this corner of the Big Island is a small but serious rain forest, nourished mightily by eons of volcanic soil and abundant rainfall. Well concealed down one of the quiet side streets, in their rainforest property, are the four one-bedroom cottages that make up the Volcano Rainforest Retreat. Each is unique—one has a sleeping loft, another is a perfect hexagon, a third has a full kitchen. But with their cedar walls and ample windows and shoji screens, they bring to mind Japanese country houses.


A stone pathway even leads to a Japanese soaking tub sitting outdoors beneath a moss-covered pergola. Interiors have eclectic, tasteful furnishings (leather club chairs, farmhouse-style quilts, handmade ceramics) that make each one feel like the guesthouse of a good friend. Though kids are allowed, and futons are available for extra guests, the setting is best for quiet twosomes, rather than families or boisterous groups of friends, as guest quarters are fairly close to one another. That, and in the hush of the rain forest, loud voices just won’t do.

The friendly vibe at Delly Deck makes island eatery an ideal spot for celebrating special occasions or just grabbing breakfast or lunch with friends and family. Considered by locals to be a landmark (it’s been around for 40 years!), Delly Deck has a solid breakfast menu, with a range of omelet choices and standard but tasty lunch selections such as sandwiches, wraps, salads, and burgers. Cocktails—frozen and not—as well as beer and wine are on offer, though you probably can’t get into too much trouble before the 4 p.m. closing time.

Home to warehouses and bustling trolley stops in the 1920s and ’30s (with the warehouses becoming artists’ studios and storage facilities in the ’70s), these few blocks in South Dallas’s Oak Cliff neighborhood were designated a National Historic Landmark in 199O—right around the time the area was experiencing a decline. In the new millennium, however, there’s been a revival: Today the area’s brick buildings and charming former homes hold over 60 independent shops, restaurants, bars, cafés, and galleries. Grab a coffee or glass of wine and browse the tomes at the Wild Detectives bookstore, shop for furniture and local artwork at Neighborhood, and find unique gifts and design items at Bishop Street Market and We Are 1976. Foodies also flock to top spots like Hattie’s for Southern low-country–inspired fare; the much-acclaimed (and often hard to reserve) Lucia for Italian fine dining; Eno’s Pizza Tavern for thin-crust pies; Tillman’s Roadhouse for Texas- and Southwest-flavored favorites; and the legendary Lockhart Smokehouse for pit BBQ. Save room for artisan sweets from Dude, Sweet Chocolate (which has garnered national acclaim) and a slice of fresh-from-the-oven pie from Emporium, where the menu changes seasonally. With the area now firmly enjoying “features on travel TV shows” status, and private residences still lining the side streets, parking here can be tricky—especially on the weekends, or during a festival or one of the regular wine, art, or jazz nights.

The name of this restaurant gives a fairly big clue as to its culinary specialty—i.e., fish. But the market part of the name is equally important, since the kitchen espouses a commitment to fresh ingredients, which are usually purchased from local farmers and fishermen. Spread across two floors inside one of central Reykjavík’s oldest buildings, this smartly decorated spot is run by head chef Hrefna Rósa Sætran (part of the Icelandic National Culinary team), and serves not just fish and seafood but also meat and vegetarian dishes, all prepared in an open kitchen that boasts the country’s only robata grill. There is a separate raw bar serving up sushi and sashimi, and a surprisingly funky cocktail and craft beer menu.

One of the most famous sights in Germany, the Cologne Cathedral (known locally as the Kölner Dom) lives up to the hype. Its Gothic exterior, and especially its soaring twin spires, can be seen from all over the city, and its immense interior—measuring a whopping 66,370 square feet—brims with religious and cultural treasures. While its first stone was laid in 1248, the cathedral wasn’t finished until 1880. Today, its highlights include the Altar of the Patron Saints of Cologne by Stefan Lochner, the carved oak choir stalls, and the stained glass windows, which range from 13th-century examples to a more recent (and striking) addition by contemporary artist Gerhard Richter. The real treasure, however, is the Shrine of the Three Kings—an impressive work of medieval gold craftsmanship that’s bigger and grander than any other in Europe. Take it all in, then climb the 533 steps to the viewing platform on the south tower for a look over the city and, on a clear day, out to the Siebengebirge. Also be sure to visit the treasury, which holds artworks made from gold, silver, bronze, and ivory, as well as holy relics and sculptures from the Middle Ages.