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With four different languages and cultures, and historic sites that date back to 500 B.C.E., Switzerland is filled with monuments, museums, and natural wonders. Here’s our guide to some of the many highlights of this country at the heart of Europe.

Traditional Chilean dishes like pastel de choclo are still served everywhere, but expect culinary fireworks when you hit the cities. You’ll find bars devoted to video games and cafés carved out of churches, Thai food, as well as lots of wine and ice cream. Bring your appetite.

Any visit to Copenhagen will keep you busy and full—the Danish capital boasts 22 Michelin stars in 17 restaurants. Supplement feasting on Nordic cuisine with exploring the city’s modern architecture, like the Black Diamond, which has stunning views of the river. It’s an extension of the Royal Library and named for the black granite cladding and irregular angles. The Copenhagen Opera House is another landmark worth checking it: It’s one of the most modern (and expensive) opera houses in the world. The limestone structure is surrounded by canals, giving the impression that the building is situated on an island.

No matter your passion, Portland has you covered. The tax-free shopping wonderland is loaded with stores to tickle the fancy of shoppers both casual and obsessed. From Powell’s City of Books—easily one of the best bookstores in the United States—to Wildfang, where the coolest patriarchy smashers hang, and, yes, all the chain stores, Portland’s got the goods. Some of the city’s shopping hubs include downtown Portland, Pioneer Place, 23rd Avenue, and the Pearl District. Fuel up with some java at the coffee shop of your choice because there is serious shopping to be done.

Everyday Universal Experiences: Audrey Scott and Dan Noll, Uncornered Market

Local flavors, stunning views, and fine wines: Cape Town has far more than these great experiences, but start here. Active travelers will delight in the number of outdoor experiences by land and sea. Travelers focused on culture will enjoy the variety of local markets and dining options. These are the activities you can’t miss before departing Cape Town.

From hipster to haute couture and small palazzo to skyrises, Milan’s unique neighborhoods have unforgettable personalities that make the city an incredible adventure at every metro stop. One-of-a-kind shops, fabulous street art, clever galleries, trendy restaurants, and vibrant nightlife are the essential characters that define Milan’s neighborhoods and contribute to the overall vibe of Milan as a city not to be overlooked.

Whether for leather goods, curios, bath and beauty products, or hand-painted ceramics, shopping is a pleasure in this compact city. Artisans have been part of the city’s fabric for centuries so expect the best and most interesting pieces on sale in the shops and boutiques of Florence.

Spend the day indulging your senses with experiences as diverse as this vast and wondrous city. Wake up early to wonder at the Christian and Islamic architecture then cross the Galata Bridge for modern art, a baklava break, and an indulgent soak at a hammam. Later, relax on a popular rooftop restaurant and hear the call to prayer echo throughout the city. Just one perfect day in Istanbul will leave you craving more.

Istanbul is a city where the past collides with the present. The Raffles Istanbul, connected to the high-end retail hub of the Zorlu Center, beautifully exemplifies the contrasts. To get a taste of the Ottoman empire, book a room at the Four Seasons Bosporus, set in the restored Atik Pasha Palace. Modernists should stay at the Marti Hotel, located in the heart of the city’s business district. For the cool kids, there’s the House Hotel, which oozes urban Bauhaus style. And no matter where you stay, the hotel concierges will be more than happy to direct you to the city’s biggest sites, from the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace to the Hagia Sophia.

AFAR chose a destination at random—by literally spinning a globe—and sent comedian Jorma Taccone on a spontaneous journey to Nairobi, Kenya.

Casual meals like tacos and pizza reign in San Diego, but chefs are getting more creative with the city’s unparalleled produce and easy access to fresh seafood and fish.

Blessed by an abundance of seafood as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, culinary influences brought by generations of immigrants, and no shortage of forward-looking chefs, Lima has emerged as one of the most important food cities in the world — the city is home to three of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World. From humble cevicherias to Michelin-star restaurants, Lima’s food scene alone is worth a trip.

Montréal’s culinary scene includes chefs who represent the best of Québecois cuisine, marrying Old World techniques and New World ingredients—the bounty of the province’s farms, game from its forests, and fish from the Atlantic. What may come as a surprise, however, is the global diversity of the restaurants in this decidedly cosmopolitan city.

This hotel is on our list of The 11 Best Hotels in Chicago.

Set directly across from the Art Institute of Chicago, this former members-only men’s gymnasium is now the Chicago Athletic Association, which is part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection. Enter at street level off Michigan Avenue and walk toward the back to find a staircase that leads to the old swimming pool, now a venue for parties and pop-up concepts. Take the nearby elevator to the restaurant, Cindy’s, easily the best rooftop scene in the city, with highly Instagrammable terrace views overlooking Millennium Park, the swooping Frank Gehry–designed bandshell, and Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate (aka the Bean).

Park yourself in the second-floor lobby and hang with locals as they tap away on their laptops and sip lattes by the two oversize fireplaces. Walk through that expansive by Roman & Williams–designed room, where light beams in through ornate stained-glass windows, and you enter a warren of table games and darts, all festive and typically open to the public. There’s also the secret six-seat bar, the Milk Room, a relic of Prohibition, and the James Beard Award–winning Cherry Circle Room—a sexy, dark restaurant with a circulating martini cart and a meat-centric menu.

Upstairs in the 1893 landmark, 240 guest rooms reflect the building’s former life, with gym horses as foot beds, working fireplaces in some rooms, plasterwork ceilings, ornate carved wood wainscotting, and a clubby vibe. Some of the rooms are rather small, but the location is hard to beat, and the cozy, wintry ambiance makes it a popular (and fun) place to spend a weekend. And because the CAA keeps an eye on its water conservation, sources its food locally, and adheres to strict recycling standards, eco-conscious travelers can feel good sleeping here.