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The architecturally striking Jewish Museum is the best place in Berlin to get an overview of German-Jewish relations and to understand the nature of the integration of the two cultures before the Holocaust’s horrors. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the building is clad in polished silver metal and features severe angles and thin window slits that create a deliberately jarring impression. The interior is equally intriguing, especially the three long, intersecting corridors that lead to installations addressing aspects of the Holocaust: a garden of pillars meant to disorient; a windowless Holocaust Tower; and a space filled with thousands of grimacing iron masks that grind together as you walk on them. Across the street, the Jewish Academy (open to the public) has a related research center, library, and educational institution.

The Golden Gate Bridge is probably the most photographed site in California, but this vantage point never gets old. Explore the hollowed out fort, learn some history, and marvel at the view from the top floor.

In a city packed with new construction, this Art Deco landmark remains a fixture of the Huangpu River—just as it has for more than eight decades. A favorite of visiting celebs and dignitaries, the Fairmont Peace Hotel is divided into North and South buildings. Complete with a copper-sheathed roof, Italian marble floors, and Lalique glass artwork, the 1920s North building—known as Sassoon House for its British businessman owner Sir Victor Sassoon—was once home to the Cathay Hotel; guests included Charlie Chaplin, George Bernard Shaw, and Noël Coward, who completed Private Lives here. The 1850s Renaissance South Building, formerly the Palace Hotel and once the tallest structure on Nanjing Road, was occupied by the Japanese during World War II. The two buildings combined to become the Peace Hotel in 1965, operating continuously until closing in 2007 for an overhaul of the exterior, interiors, lobby, and guest rooms by Hirsch Bedner Associates.

Today, Art Deco influences and romantic flourishes are evident throughout the 270 rooms and suites, many of which boast Bund views. Fairmont Gold rooms come with private check-in and lounge access, while the each of the opulent Nine Nations Suites is named for a different country and features corresponding décor. The Dragon Phoenix and Cathay Room serve Shanghainese–Cantonese and European cuisine, respectively, and the legendary Jazz Bar takes you back to a 1920s-era private club. After a day spent exploring the city or shopping along nearby Nanjing Road, take refuge in the Willow Stream Spa, which has 11 treatment rooms and a skylight-lit pool.

Trafalgar Square dominates the landscape at Charring Cross. It was made to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar. At the centre is Nelson’s column, which includes a statue of Horatio Nelson, the vice admiral who commanded the British Fleet at Trafalgar. It is flanked by 4 majestic lions. Around the corner, the historic National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery occupy pride of place. They house masterpieces by famed artists including Leonardo Da Vinci, Claude Monet, and J.M.W. Turner. The area around the galleries is full of tourists and locals unwinding after a long day. It is crowded during the day but it is absolutely magical at night once the crowds disperse-perfect for a walk after dinner.

Located just off Main Street, the Washington School House Hotel eschews Park City’s typical rustic style for a pared-down, flea-market–chic aesthetic. Before being reimagined as a design-oriented inn in 2011, the 1889 building served as a schoolhouse for miners’ children and a dancehall for the local outpost of Veterans of Foreign Wars. Today, the interior is anything but traditional, from the whitewashed living room with 16-foot ceilings to the antique mirror and the white, lacquered antler chandelier. Outside, a heated pool sits on the hillside surrounded by aspens and boulders. There’s also a fire pit, fashioned from a steel Olympic torch from the 2002 Winter Games.

Each of the guestrooms and suites is unique, though all feature reclaimed wood floors, crystal chandeliers, and tall windows. An artful collection of European antiques and vintage paintings adds a bohemian vibe, while white marble bathrooms offer heated floors, walk-in showers, clawfoot tubs, and period fixtures. Guests can also look forward to plush hooded robes and top-notch toiletries from Molton Brown.

A must-stop on the traditional handicraft circuit, this massive market—stretching four city blocks in Miraflores!—is home to stall after stall of kitschy bric-a-brac, pre-Columbian–style pottery, alpaca everything and an endless array of Andes-inspired arts and crafts. Come and shop around.

Avenida Central was the city’s great commercial core in the first half of the 20th century; though its heyday has ended, the swarm of humanity packing into its various shops, bars, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses attest to ongoing vibrancy. The classic stretch extends from Plaza Santa Ana to Plaza 5 de Mayo, where art deco and streamlined moderne landmarks are still on view. El Banco Nacional, the former Kodak building, and “La Pollera”—thus nicknamed for the resemblance its balconies bear to the traditional full skirts of the Los Santos region—figure among them. These avenue blocks are pedestrian-only; peddlers and street vendors selling every imaginable snack and trinket abound.

There’s no better place in Bangkok to browse for books than Dasa Book Café. While Kinokinuya (deservedly) holds sway in the malls, this cute seller is the pick among the city’s independent book retailers. The shop itself boasts around 17,000 titles over three floors and the regularly updated ‘Dasabase’ list of stock makes it easy to find what you are looking for.

Eleanor Tinsley Park in Houston is a great place to spend time outdoors. There’s the Waugh Bridge Bat Colony, hiking and biking trails, and tons of green space to enjoy.

If rare antiques, exclusive ceramics, unique interior décor, and unusual souvenirs for home shelf display are your thing, and you have hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to spend, Stockholm’s antique scene certainly won’t disappoint. Modernity serves up pricey handmade jewelry, textiles, art, ceramics, lighting, and glassware.

Sound Table is a true food and beverage bar, rewarding members of the industry every Tuesday night with dinner and drink specials. For the rest of the working masses, the Sound Table is focused on cocktails and its award winning bar program with accompanying food menu. All drinks are sorted by flavor profile, whether you prefer sours and citrus or bright and dry.

Obladee is the only wine bar in downtown Halifax. The bar has a casual atmosphere with an ever changing wine menu and a few other select drinks like beer and cider if that is what you would prefer. They feature wine “flights” that pair three wines together for a reasonable price, as well as cheese and charcuterie that is locally sourced.

Pinotxo, which stands for Pinocchio in Catalan, is a longtime family-owned restaurant in the Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona‘s most important central market. Reasonable prices and fresh produce entice tourists and locals for breakfast, lunch, or a quick coffee and fried donut (called a xuxo). Look for Juanito in the bowtie.

Family style restaurant where you can sample virtually everything on the menu. Salad sampler, pasta sampler, meat sampler. GET IT ALL

Since few areas within the city of Venice afford high perspectives of the entire city, take the elevator (no stairs) to the top of San Marco’s Campanile in Piazza San Marco. You may have to put up with a few elbows to get a spot against the railing, but it is all worth it for the spectacular panoramic views of Venice and the lagoon. While here, contemplate the history of this spectacular bell tower and observe the view from the same spot where numerous doges have stood, as well as Galileo. It was here that he introduced his telescope to the doge!