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Perhaps “boiled beef in broth” doesn’t sound quite as alluring as its German name of Tafelspitz. Yet Tafelspitz was the preferred meal of Emperor Franz Joseph, and it remains a favorite Viennese dish. There’s one establishment, Plachutta, that has cornered the market on fine Tafelspitz; the eponymous gastronome Mario Plachutta has raised his preparation of the modest rump cut served with roasted potatoes, minced apples, and horseradish to a gourmet level. The main restaurant sits on the popular Wollzeile shopping street just a block from the Ringstrasse, but the chef has also built a mini empire of jade-toned Plachutta restaurants—including one in a lovely Biedermeier cottage and another near the Schönbrunn Palace in Hietzing.

Don’t even think about leaving Vienna without having at least one schnitzel dinner. Sure, you can find the crispy breaded veal and pork cuts at restaurants all over town, but where you want to go is to Figlmüller, where the pork schnitzels are a good foot in diameter and spill over the edge of the plate. Just minutes from Stephansdom cathedral, the original, rustic Figlmüller is tucked into a narrow shopping gallery between streets. Just outside the passageway, the Figlmüller family’s sister restaurant Lugeck opened in 2014 with upscale cuisine served in a gorgeous art nouveau building. Its interior is done in a contemporary beechwood look, and its front terrace looks right at a towering statue of Gutenberg on Lugeck Square.

It’s the wine. It’s not just the small houses with baroque detailing, or the cobblestoned streets with old trams that wind their way up the Vienna Woods foothills, that make Grinzing the most popular of all of the former villages that have been absorbed into present-day Vienna. The city has by some counts more urban vineyards than anywhere else in the world, and Grinzing’s famous Heurige (wine taverns) draw big crowds. The proprietors of Zum Martin Sepp, across from the parish church, welcome visitors to their cozy courtyard and tavern rooms. Guests enjoy Austrian specialties such as the Kaiserschmarrn pancake dessert and drink house grüner veltliner and other wines, while swaying to musicians wielding the signature folk accordion and playing old Viennese drinking songs.

Sitting right next door to the Basilica of Notre-Dame in the heart of historic Montréal, St-Sulpice Seminary is the second-oldest building on the island. (The oldest is the 1671 LeBer-LeMoyne House, roughly six miles from the center of the city, which now houses the Musée Lachine.) The seminary dates from 1687, and remarkably it is still used for its original purpose: to house and train Sulpician priests. Sadly, this means the building is rarely open to the public. (Rarely is not an understatement here—apart from some tours in 2017, the last time the general public was allowed through its gates was in 1967 during the Expo.) Though you can’t tour the building, you can admire its gray stone architecture from the street. Especially noteworthy is the clock on the façade, built in Paris and installed in 1701, making it one of the oldest such clocks in North America.

Chef Normand Laprise’s impact on Montréal’s culinary scene starts with the dishes served at Toqué, but it extends to the many restaurants headed by young chefs who honed their skills in his kitchens. Among the most notable is Montréal Plaza, opened in 2015. Charles-Antoine Crête, who worked with Laprise for 14 years, presides over this contemporary brasserie along with Cheryl Johnson, a former sous-chef at Toqué. The choice of location—on the Plaza St-Hubert, an outdoor shopping street with 400 businesses linked by a trademark green canopy—surprised some given that it’s a high-end gourmet restaurant, but the 70-seat Montréal Plaza includes a number of small rooms that create a sense of intimacy in what could be a cavernous space. The menu consists of small plates intended to be shared, with dishes like baloney cannelloni and a Caesar salad with chicken livers embodying Crête’s approach to cooking: irreverent, fearless, and (almost) always surprisingly delicious.

We admit, it’s not the easiest place to find—the entrance is through an unmarked door on a bland residential street in Menilmontant. But once you do (hint: look for the velvet rope) and take the elevator seven floors up, you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree views of Paris from the sprawling rooftop. You can sit at communal picnic tables or lounge on comfy sofas, but get there early (it opens at 6 p.m. weekdays) or late to ensure a seat. Beer and wine are your best bets. There is also a restaurant one floor below.

The sheaves of wheat that decorate the interior of Emmer & Rye signal one of the staples of chef Kevin Fink’s kitchen: heritage grains. The restaurant mills its own flour to make ribbons of pappardelle and robust spaghetti into a creamy nest of cacio e pepe. Episodes of The Splendid Table radio show play over the restroom speakers—a charming and idiosyncratic touch that attests to the kitchen’s commitment to its work. A dedication to fermentation and scratch cooking makes this fine-dining restaurant an elevated retreat amid the boozy lineup along popular Rainey Street.

The National Museum of American Jewish History, a Smithsonian affiliate, features permanent and special collections that celebrate the story of Jews in America. Centrally located on Independence Mall at the corner of Fifth and Market streets, the modern and spacious building is home to a vast and well-organized collection of artifacts; the displays include a variety of multimedia exhibits that will appeal to all ages. Recent temporary shows have focused on topics ranging from baseball to photography to rock music. For visitors with time constraints, a free highlights tour takes about an hour and is offered on most days. Admission is free on the first Friday of each month from April through July.

Playa del Carmen’s 10th Avenue runs parallel to the city’s famous 5th Avenue but has a more low-key vibe, a relief when you tire of crowds, malls, and big-name brands. This bustling one-way street does allow cars, but it’s also lined by a sidewalk and a nice restricted-lane bike path. And despite the central location just a block from the town’s most touristy area, the storefronts here are largely locally owned restaurants, ranging from cheap taco joints and Mexican bars to eclectic gourmet cuisine and smoothie stands, as well as various convenience stores, pharmacies, banks, and small hotels.

This picturesque street in one of Paris’s poshest quartiers is dotted with gourmet sweet shops. Beginning at the eponymous Rue du Bac metro station, Chapon offers decadent taste-tests of single-estate chocolate mousses. On the next corner, Jacques Genin sells mouthwateringly good caramels along with his famous chocolate treats. The shops Des Gâteaux et du Pain and La Pâtisserie des Rêves also sell sweets, but this time they’re enveloped in a pastry delivery system. Le Bac à Glaces tries another sugary route: It scoops out the city’s most infamous dark chocolate sorbet. End the stroll at the gourmet temple La Grande Epicerie de Paris, a grocery store filled with more unforgettable tastes of Paris to tuck in your bag and take home.

It’s not often that one comes across a double-decker theater. In fact, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre is the only still-active stacked theater, and has been designated a National Historic Site. Built in 1913 by American architect Thomas W. Lamb for the Loews theater group, the two venues were meant to serve two separate markets. Today, they frequently host live performances, musicals, and films. The Winter Garden is especially unique, featuring a decorative ceiling hung with dried leaves, a touch that transforms the room into a magical land.

Plan on spending the better part of a day at the National World War II Museum, even if you profess limited interest in history. This fine, sprawling museum—formerly the D-Day Museum—is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, and was established here because of the role the locally made Higgins landing craft played on D-day. Don’t expect the usual repository of static artifacts, like machine guns and airplanes—although you will find those on display. It’s more about gathering stories, from film and oral histories, and from all sides of the conflict. The museum was the idea of Stephen Ambrose, noted author of books about WWII, who wanted to share with the public the interviews that didn’t make it into his books. It’s grown massively since its humble beginnings, and does a remarkable job of capturing the era through both a microscope and wide-angle lens.

In a city where gold-spired temples are much more ubiquitous than green space, Lumphini Park is a veritable oasis in the heart of Bangkok. Established by King Rama VI in the 1920s and completed after his death, the 142-acre chunk of tropical greenery is a treasured spot. One of the few parks of any size in central Bangkok, Lumphini is well used: In the morning, tai chi practicers arrive, while in the early evening, joggers monopolize the main path that runs around its perimeter. Even so, there’s ample room to get away from the crowds here. More than 30 species of birds flit among the park’s giant trees, and monitor lizards and turtles inhabit its waterways. Other attractions within the park include a public library, a youth sports center, and swan paddleboats in the man-made lake.

Launched in 1929 with a glamorous opening party attended by royalty, this grande dame has long been the most elegant hotel in the Cambodian capital, hosting everyone from Charlie Chaplin to foreign journalists covering the civil war. Part of the Raffles group since 1997, the meticulously restored building—a mix of Art Deco, French Colonial, and Khmer styles—is replete with artisan-crafted decorative touches. Outside, tropical gardens, courtyards, and striking sculptures surround two swimming pools. Hand-woven carpets, polished wood floors, claw-foot tubs, and silk accents—from the throws to the robes—set the scene in the 175 rooms, suites, and apartments.

Khmer culture comes alive at fine-dining restaurant Le Royal (serving Royal Khmer cuisine) and the Apsara dinner-dance show (offered weekly from November–March in the gardens), while international dishes are on the menu at the indoor-outdoor Café Monivong and poolside terrace. The retro-chic Elephant Bar—a city institution, like its counterpart at the Raffles in Siem Reap—is a favorite for afternoon tea and evening cocktails; don’t miss the “Femme Fatale,” created in honor of Jackie O’s visit in 1967. Signature massages using local herbs and traditional healing techniques can be enjoyed at the boutique spa.

Presiding over Stanley Park, Canada’s largest aquarium houses more than 50,000 creatures, from penguins to sea otters to three-toed sloths. Don’t miss the star turns from the rescued Steller sea lions Izzy and Rogue, who swoop gracefully under the water and bask on sun-warmed rocks. Afterward, be sure to visit the theater, which goes beyond 3-D with mist, scents, wind, and even lightning. Adding substance to style, the aquarium is also the headquarters of Ocean Wise, a global conservation initiative dedicated to increasing the understanding, wonder, and appreciation of our seas.