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A reservation is an absolute necessity at this very traditional and very popular Florentine trattoria. The white-tiled walls are hung with photographs and prints; hard wooden benches and tables run along the perimeter, and more tables are squeezed into the center. The menu is decidedly Tuscan with highlights like finocchiona (a fennel-flecked salami), slow-cooked beans, tortino di carciofi (artichoke in swirl of whipped eggs), and butter chicken, which is served sizzling in the pan. Save room for the house dessert: heaped layers of cream and meringue surrounded by tiny wild strawberries.

A quick bus ride from the city (or a refreshing end to the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk), Coogee Pavilion is one of the most happening beach bars in Sydney. The downstairs area is home to a wood-fired pizza oven, oyster bar, juice stall, and kids’ zone with giant Scrabble, pétanque, ping pong, and nautical books, while the breezy rooftop features four different bars, outfitted with love seats and wire-frame stools for taking in the breathtaking bay views. Aussie wines and beers plus fruity cocktails shaken with house-made juice pair with Mediterranean-themed tapas like chargrilled lamb chops and blistered Padrón peppers.

During the 18th century, Das Triest was a stable on the horse-drawn postal service line between Vienna and Trieste. In 1996, British designer Sir Terence Conran applied his aesthetic of simple elegance to the then decrepit Vienna building to create a clean, contemporary design that meshes well with a few traditional elements, such as the vaulted ceilings left from the original stables. Today this five-star hotel provides spacious rooms, large beds, attentive staff, and an excellent restaurant.

Its close proximity to the Naschmarkt, Opera House, MuseumsQuartier, and Belvedere Palace means these top-notch sights are within easy walking distance. Keep an eye out for celebrities who are drawn to its fashionable style and impeccable service.

Chef Bill Granger started his first restaurant in Darlinghurst at age 24. Since then, his sunny Aussie eatery (most famous for its creamy scrambled eggs, ricotta hotcakes, and crunchy corn fritters) has spread to Surry Hills as well as Honolulu, Seoul, London, and four locations in Japan. The newest Australian outpost of Bills in Bondi Beach is bright and communal, spilling out on to one of the area’s most lively streets. Arrive early to avoid the long queue for weekend brunch, and sample everything from house-cured gravlax to the fried rice bowl with kimchi. Dinner (at the Bondi and Surry Hills locations only) is a more intimate, candle-lit affair, with interesting Aussie-Asian plates like tea-smoked trout salad, fish curry, spicy pork belly, and Japanese-style steak.

A Swiss sojourn wouldn’t be complete with gorging on a plate, or five, of Raclette. For the best, head to the fairytale-esque Château de Villa, which sits on the mountainside in Sierre. Here, the house special consists of five cheeses from surrounding towns, each offering a subtly different flavor. Order it and you’ll get a map showing where each cheese is made, which you can study while your mustachioed waiter heats huge wheels of cheese until they bubble, then scrapes gooey portions onto your plate. Be sure to also order some wine, like the locally made La Petite Arvine, a gentle white that pairs perfectly with Raclette. Afterward, duck into the stunning wine cellar, where a local expert can guide you through Switzerland’s best bottles.

The original Jade Buddha Temple was built in the late-19th century to house two jade Buddha statues brought from Burma by a monk named Hui Gen. They remain the principal attractions of the temple, especially the larger of the two, a seated Buddha carved from a single piece of white jade and weighing 205 kilograms (452 pounds). This is an active Buddhist monastery, and you’ll see monks throughout the buildings and grounds, as well as locals who come here to worship. The complex has gone through cycles of destruction and repair, first during the uprising that led to the overthrow of the Qing dynasty, and later during the Cultural Revolution. There is also a popular vegetarian restaurant at the temple.

This comfortable neighborhood restaurant stays busy with regulars and newcomers alike, drawn by chef Hal Holden-Bache’s food and the welcoming vibe co-owner Cara Graham and staff foster at the front of the house. Arrive early for Community Hour—when a portion of the proceeds goes to the local parent-teacher organization—for snacks like Korean beef tacos and deviled eggs with chowchow. Dishes at dinner include stellar wood-fired pizzas and entrées like Porter Road Butcher dry-aged steaks with Chef Hal’s chimichurri, as well as seasonal pasta and fish options. Guests can finish on a sweet note with desserts like an old-fashioned sour-cream doughnut with Olive & Sinclair chocolate sauce, sorghum ice cream, and a crunch of popped caramel sorghum.

The city’s oldest tourist attraction, Zoo Atlanta actually started by accident. In 1889, a traveling circus went bankrupt and sold its animals to a local businessman, who decided to open a zoo in Grant Park to house his new pets. Over the years, he acquired more animals, including some from Cola-Cola heir Asa Candler Jr.’s private collection. Today, the zoo is home to such stars as Willie B. Jr. the silverback gorilla and Lun Lun the giant panda, who gave birth to twins in 2016.

The Grounds café—run out of a former pie factory in the warehouse district of Alexandria—makes coffee, juices, smoothies, baked goods, and rustic breakfast and lunch dishes with equal care. Order a flat white (a cross between a cappuccino and a latte) or a piccolo (a mini latte)—there’s also a coffee tasting board and a deconstructed iced coffee—to pair with your seasonal porridge or Big Brekkie (spicy chorizo and serrano ham with braised white beans, smoked peppers, halloumi, avocado, poached eggs, and thick slabs of house-baked toast). After brekkie, peek into the roastery and Potting Shed restaurant next door, and admire the enchanting garden and event space, complete with a coffee cart, barbecue joint, plant stall, and petting zoo.

To get to know the neighborhood and its daily life, nothing beats a stroll through Alfama’s streets. It is the oldest and one of the most typical neighborhoods in Lisbon. Here you might see two women chatting at the window (well, screaming) while hanging the laundry; people sitting outside on small wooden benches or the entrance steps to old houses; and, of course, people listening to fado. The sounds of fado can come from a fado restaurant or from an old tavern (here fado is called Fado Vadio since it is sung by nonprofessionals after drinking aguardiente). On the nights of June 12 and 13, Alfama celebrates Santos Populares, when the streets are adorned with colorful little flags, the air is aromatic with smoke and smell of sardines, the beer is flowing, and music is everywhere.

One block west of the Bund you can find the Rockbund Art Museum, housed in Shanghai’s former Royal Asiatic Society building (1932). Like many of the grande dame Bund buildings, RAS was dreamt up by British design firm Palmer and Turner and done to the nines in art deco style. The museum hosts its share of heavy hitters from the contemporary art world, such as Zhang Huan, Cai Guo-Qiang, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Rockbund is small but charming, especially the tranquil top-floor café and lounge, which give way to a small terrace overlooking the Pudong skyline.

Housed in Johannesburg’s historically significant University of Witwatersrand, the Origins Center details the history of humankind through displays, artwork, and more. Touring the interactive exhibits, either with a guide or a headset, will not only change the way you think about human existence, but also provide further insight into the way we’ve developed over the ages. While the museum focuses most on South African human development, there’s enough on offer to keep everyone engaged. Be sure to check out the 11 panels depicting the history of the San people in South Africa. Created by local women’s groups, the works serve as a timeline, covering everything from the distant past and the colonial period to issues affecting the San community today.

Commissioned as a public artwork for the Memorial Park Cemetery, Crystal Shine Grotto is the largest—and perhaps only—man-made quartz cavern in the country. In 1938, Mexican artist Dionicio Rodriguez had a 60-foot-deep cave dug into the hillside in the middle of the cemetery, then set to work creating a magical attraction out of sculpted cement and almost five tons of colorful quartz crystals. He even carved niches in the walls, which were later filled with biblical statues to complete an unusual but heartfelt religious shrine that now draws thousands of visitors each year. Accompanied by a loop of harp music, the Grotto can be a peaceful place to pray, though it’s also eminently Instagrammable and has become a favorite posing spot for special-occasion photos.

According to the Book of Deuteronomy, it was from Mount Nebo that Moses first saw the Promised Land. Today, the Moses Memorial Church sits next to a viewpoint offering a dramatic—and windy—opportunity to see for yourself what Moses saw. Information boards point you in the direction of Jericho, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem, and also remind you that you’re standing in the center of the Holy Land. After taking in the vistas, explore the church, which, though modern in style, was built over a 6th-century basilica and features some of the most charming and well-preserved mosaics in the country (the animals in the hunting and herding scenes are particularly delightful). Below the church, a small museum excellently describes the history of the surrounding site.

Named after the fast-flowing river that runs alongside it and located just an hour from Reykjavik in the middle of an isolated, windswept plain, Hotel Rangá is an immediately homey place. Built in a log-cabin style, the country lodge embraces its surroundings with neutral color schemes, comfy leather sofas, and natural textiles. Quirky extras include a 10-foot stuffed polar bear that greets guests in the reception area and stools with human-like legs in the bar. Standard and Deluxe rooms face either the East Rangá River or the famous Mount Hekla volcano, while suites are designed and themed around the seven continents. But right here is where you want to be. The hotel has an observatory with a retractable roof and high-powered telescope for stargazing, plus some of the darkest skies in Iceland.