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The Piazza Della Repubblica was the place to be in Florence in the evenings. Tourists and locals alike dined at the restaurants lining the square, student groups gathered, families enjoyed the Carousel, and gypsies and other migrants tried to sell everything from silk scarves to toys..right up until the police arrived and they all magically disappeared.

Winter snow can frost the tallest peak in Hawaii, technically measuring 13,800 feet. In fact, Mauna Kea holds the world record at 33,500 feet tall when measured from its submerged base to its summit (compared with Everest’s 29,000 feet)! The dormant volcano is home to the native gods and ideal for stargazing, either with the naked eye or the summit’s Subaru Telescope (book ahead). Go earlier and you’ll get an orange blaze—and maybe an elusive green flash—during sunset, too. Note that the high altitude poses serious health risks: Stop for a half hour at the visitor center to acclimate. Plan for steep, winding roads passable only via 4WD. Do not visit the mountaintop within 24 hours of scuba diving.

Parque de Oueste is a shady park toward the north of the city. The park is known for its rose gardens, as well as being home to the Temple of Debod, a gift for the Egyptian state in 1968. The overlook of the park offers beautiful views of the Royal Palace and the larger Casa Del Campo. It’s an ideal spot to split a bottle of wine with friends and watch the sunset after a long day of exploring Madrid.

Why We Love It It’s a stylish haven in the heart of Nashville’s entertainment center. Highlights -Cycling fiends will appreciate the Peloton bikes in the third-floor fitness center. -The Terrace Suite comes with its own outdoor grill; any cookout catastrophes can be ameliorated by an on-call Barbecue Butler. -Don’t miss the speakeasy-style entrance to the nightclub Dirty Little Secret, through an All Saints retail shop on Printer’s Alley. Nashville’s transformation from honky tonk dive to urban playground is complete with the latest outpost of the Dream brand. Housed in two historic buildings on Printer’s Alley, the 168 rooms are neither a little bit country nor rock and roll, but rather art deco–inspired with deep blue walls, burled-wood armoires, overdyed oushak rugs, and Japanese-style marbled wall coverings. The central location makes it an easy walk to Ryman Auditorium, the Broadway strip, and the Frist Art Museum, but do hurry back before dark. The hotel has six splashy dining and drinking options, including the brasserie-style Stateside Kitchen, a late-night sandwich shop, a DJ-fueled nightclub, and a dimly lit cocktail bar serving local craft beers and inventive libations into the wee hours.

When the Ritz-Carlton Dallas opened in 2007, it didn’t have to go far to find a star chef for its gourmet restaurant. Dubbed the father of Southwestern cuisine, and the author of notable cookbooks like The Texas Food Bible, Dean Fearing had helped earn the restaurant at the Mansion on Turtle Creek numerous awards during his two decades there—but was now up to the challenge of opening his own place. A decade-plus later, the James Beard Award–winning Fearing continues to be a favorite for its Southwestern-accented American menus crafted with regional products.

The Palatine Hill was home to an early Roman settlement and had major significance for the city’s history. Legend states that Romulus founded Rome on that hill in 753 B.C.E., and Romans even maintained a cult site sacred to the founding father for about 1,000 years. When the emperors rose to power, they chose the Palatine as the location for their sprawling villas and built enormous marble-clad structures to showcase their wealth and power. Today, the ruins of their majestic estates rise above the Forum and Circus Maximus, reminders of the grand imperial past. A visit is included in the price of a ticket to the Forum or Colosseum.

This restaurant is such an institution that it predates the city’s most iconic landmark—the Hollywood sign. In a way, Hollywood was born in Musso & Frank’s red booths, back when the famed boulevard was still a dirt road. The restaurant opened in 1919, and much of the menu remains from the first chef, Frenchman Jean La Rue, who used to specially prepare fettuccini alfredo for silent film stars Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. Only two executive chefs have held the job since. Dinner dishes such as lobster thermidor and grenadine of beef take you back half a century, while chicken pot pie (on Thursdays only) and steaks, cooked on L.A.’s oldest open-fire grill, taste comfortingly familiar. Don’t miss brunch, which features Greta Garbo’s favorite Flannel Cake, a cross between a pancake and crepe invented by chef La Rue in the 1920s. In keeping with the authentic vintage spirit, martinis are strictly stirred—never shaken—and served with a mini glass sidecar containing the rest of the drink in its own tiny ice bucket. Pro tip: Order the off-menu slow-roasted prime rib, finished on the mesquite grill and served rare.

Spanning a massive 129,166 square feet, the Pinakothek der Moderne is really four different museums: the Sammlung Moderne Kunst, the Design Museum, the State Graphic Collection, and the Architekturmuseum. As such, it’s one of Europe’s biggest institutions for modern and contemporary art, design, and architecture, offering a sweeping overview of 20th- and 21st-century culture, from avant-garde sculpture to digital installations. Notable for its 82-foot glass dome, the building is bright and airy, with plenty of room for walking around and experiencing all that’s on display. Tour the permanent collections on the upper floors, then head down to the ground floor to see the graphic, architectural, and temporary exhibitions.

The 17th century mansion that houses Oaxaca‘s contemporary art museum is commonly referred to as “La Casa de Cortes,” although it was in fact built over a century after the death of Hernan Cortes, it is certainly lavish enough to have been worthy of the great conquistador. The front of the building has the family seal of the Lazo de la Vega and Pinelo families, who were the home’s original inhabitants. The state government acquired the building in 1986 and it housed a different museum prior to the opening of the MACO (Museo de Arte Contemporareo de Oaxaca) in 1992. The museum has 13 exhibit rooms, with the permanent collection on the second floor, and downstairs areas are used for temporary exhibits, which change frequently.

If Torre Latinoamericana, whose construction was completed in 1956, looks familiar, it shouldn’t be hard to place the resemblance: this skyscraper, once Mexico City‘s tallest at just under 600 feet, looks quite a bit like New York City‘s Empire State Building. What makes the torre significant, other than that fun historical fact, is this: It has survived many earthquakes, including the devastating 1985 earthquake. As such, it is widely considered to be the first major skyscraper in the world to be built on active seismic land. From its mirador, or observatory, you can see for miles and miles, getting a true appreciation of the city’s vast expanse. You can also take some excellent photos of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, which is just across the street.

The fact that Oaxaca is a hub of art and creativity is evident almost everywhere you look. Besides the abundance of beautiful architecture and colorful folk art and handicrafts, several important contemporary artists hail from Oaxaca, including three internationally renowned painters: Rufino Tamayo, Rodolfo Morales and Francisco Toledo. The Oaxacan painters museum is a space that celebrates the art and creativity of these, and other less well-known but also extremely talented artists from this southern Mexican state. The two-story restored colonial mansion that houses the Oaxacan painters museum has elegant arches surrounding a central courtyard, and rooms with pristine white walls that form the backdrop to paintings and other artwork. There’s no permanent collection here, but temporary exhibits run throughout the year, and the space is also used for workshops and courses.

Bangkok is well known for being a party town, but not everyone is aware of how nuanced its nightlife scene actually is. The city’s naughty reputation is alive and well in notorious red-light districts such as Patpong, Soi Cowboy and Nana Plaza, but there’s a whole lot of life beyond the go-go bars. Well-heeled Thais and expats alike flock to the Thong Lor area where high-concept bars such as the fairytale-themed Iron Fairies rub shoulders with state-of-the-art techno clubs such as Demo. For James Bond-meets-Shanghai bordello flamboyance, try Maggie Choos in Silom, one of the city’s new buzz bars. Another nightlife favorite is RCA, a long strip of nightspots, which encompasses everything from cavernous clubs to intimate, grungy venues such as Cosmic Café.

This royal palace was probably much-visited this year, due to an exhibition of Joana Vasconcelos, a very important Portuguese artist. The palace was built on a hill, after being destroyed at its the previous location (in front of the river) in the 1755 earthquake. But it wasn’t finished, because the royal family fled to Brazil during the French invasion. In 1968, it opened as a museum, with important collections of decorative arts of the 18th and 19th centuries, such as furniture, jewelry, textiles, painting, ceramics, photography, and sculpture. Many important state ceremonies take place here as well.

On first glance, it would be easy to dismiss the 101 Hotel as merely a functional option. Stepping inside the austere five-story concrete building on Hverfisgata, however, guests discover an ultra-modern boutique lodging with minimal black-and-white decor—the work of owner-designer Ingibjörg S. Pálmadóttir—that gives it the feel of a chic downtown gallery. Contemporary paintings, photography, and sculptures by local artists appear througout the property, complementing the oak floors and wood-heavy Nordic furniture in the 38 rooms. Queen and king-size beds (there are no twin rooms) come topped with fine Italian linens, entertainment systems are state of the art, and open-plan bathrooms make extensive use of glass and offer Aveda bath products; deluxe rooms and suites up the ante with with claw-foot tubs. The hotel also has a moody restaurant and bar, a gym and spa, and a comfortable lounge area where you can put your feet up by the fire.

Saddle-shaped Cradle Mountain is the state’s most popular peak and the starting point for the 64-kilometer (40-mile), six-day Overland Track. For day-trippers, there are quicker walks, including the Dove Lake Loop, which traverses temperate rain forest on the slopes of the park’s namesake peak, as well as rafting and rappelling adventures run by outfitters such as Cradle Mountain Canyons Tours. Other highlights include Waldheim Chalet, a replica of the home of Gustav Weindorfer, the park’s founding father.