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Rio newcomers have a hard time believing you can swim beneath a jungle waterfall without leaving the city. But it’s a thing, and the ones who love it most are the Cariocas themselves, who know just how and when to hit the swimming holes called cachoeiras in Horto, itself a marvelous little neighborhood. Nestled between the Jardim Botânico and the Tijuca woods, a lane whose contours offer glimpses of brightly painted houses leads to a larger road and the Estrada Dona Castorina exit. The first of several falls is there, and you can successively reach the rest as you move deeper into the rain forest. Smart swimmers go at midday; since the area lies in shadow, temperatures are pleasant even in summer.

This group of more than 30 cafés across Denmark are open early, so they’re great for breakfast. The tea, coffee, and sandwiches are all very nice, but what really sets Lagkagehuset apart is the quality of the cakes. It would take an iron will to resist one of their strawberry tarts or a slice of Christianshavnerkage, a hazelnut torte topped with strawberry-vanilla cream and berries. The café in Copenhagen overlooks the lakes, and when the water glitters on a sunny day, there are few places more pleasant for an impromptu afternoon tea.

Tucked away on Dowanside and Ruthven Lanes, a retro haven awaits in the form of several independent vintage stores showcasing garments from the 1920s onwards. One favorite choice is Relics, Glasgow’s “junk” store. The living embodiment of the idea that one person’s clutter is another’s treasure, it is teeming with antique typewriters, watches, clocks, and a plethora of instruments from mandolins to harmonicas.

Tori Tori is a higher-end but not unaffordable Japanese food restaurant in Mexico City. The chain maintains three locations: one in the Condesa neighborhood and two in Polanco. The most recent of the three features a visually striking space hidden behind a simple black door. The restaurant was designed by architect Michel Rojkind, with interiors by Héctor Esrawe.

Opened in 2011, Reykjavík’s Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre is not only the most significant classical music venue in Iceland (home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera), but also one of the country’s most striking examples of modern architecture. Located close to the old harbor, the building was part of a larger development meant to breathe life into the downtown district (the plan was abandoned due to the subsequent economic crash, but funds to complete Harpa were found). The coruscating, eye-catching facade was designed by Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, and the spacious interior has four handsome halls, the largest of which can accommodate up to 1,800 seated guests. There are also smaller conference rooms dotted throughout the building, and the ground floor hosts a record shop, café and restaurant, and other public areas. In addition to classical concerts, the venue holds music festivals, pop shows, art exhibitions, and more.

You might not think of Vienna as a very Greek city, but guess what: The oldest restaurant in town is the Griechenbeisl, the Greek Tavern. Back in the late 15th century, Levantine traders lodged in this building on Fleischmarkt street, and its hodgepodge of rooms in which many a historic figure have dined hasn’t changed much since. The walls of the Mark Twain Room are decorated with autographs by the great scribe and many other notable figures. Despite its name, the Greek Tavern specializes in schnitzel and other dishes that are as pure Austrian as can be. And the live music you enjoy while dining won’t be made by a bouzouki, but by a Viennese zither. Out front there is a plaque commemorating the 17th-century minstrel Marx Augustin, famous as the subject of the song “Oh Du Lieber Augustin.”

The Celts were in Austria long before the Romans were, but it was the latter who left a more lasting imprint. With a population of 30,000 at its peak, the Roman legion camp of Vindobona was considered the edge of the world. As old as the Roman presence in Vienna is, the Römermuseum only dates back to 2008. On the Hoher Markt, one of the oldest squares in the city (and one with a fabulous gilded baroque fountain), the museum lies right over the Roman officers’ compound. Displays on everything from cooking utensils to toys are enhanced with a 3-D film on life at the time. Across the square, the Ankeruhr, an intricate and gorgeous art nouveau mechanical clock, was erected in 1914 on a bridge joining two sections of the Anker insurance building.

Out of the tragedy of the plague arose the Karlskirche, perhaps the most magnificent of Vienna’s baroque churches. One of the final designs by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, the genius behind the Schönbrunn Palace, Karlskirche commemorates the outbreak of 1713. The Karl who gave the church its name was the Counter-Reformation’s Saint Charles Borromeo, who cared for plague victims in 16th-century Milan. The church dome, rising above two columns inspired by Trajan’s Column, is illuminated at night and is a prominent Vienna landmark which be seen from many points in the city. A vibrant fresco in the cupola by Johann Michael Rottmayr glorifies Saint Charles. On Karlsplatz, in front of the church, two of the legendary architect Otto Wagner’s finest art nouveau metro stations remain; one of them now houses a café.

Vienna’s architecturally rich Inner City can lead to a visual overdose on baroque wonders. Those who venture to districts beyond its historic heart will find a great little discovery in the Hermesvilla in the Lainzer Tiergarten, a nine-square-mile wooded landscape and former imperial hunting grounds with resident boar and deer. The smaller of Franz Joseph’s retreats, the Hermesvilla was a gift to his beloved, quirky wife Sisi, who called it her “palace of dreams.” It is said that Franz Joseph built it to keep her from running all around Europe as she was wont to do. The interior still holds many original furnishings, and the small statue of Hermes in front of the villa inspired its name. (Note that the villa is closed in the winter, roughly from early November to late March/early April.)

Seclusion and tranquility are the new forms of luxury in a world that is so accessible and plugged in. Aqua Wellness Resort successfully marries contemporary luxury accommodations with serene surroundings, providing a memorable and rejuvenating experience for travelers. Accessible by a two-and-a-half-hour drive or 40-minute helicopter ride from Nicaragua’s international airport in Managua, Aqua offers peace and privacy so that you can enjoy the beautifully wild landscape of Nicaragua’s Pacific “Emerald Coast.” 24 Tree Houses accommodating 50 luxurious villas and suites dot Aqua’s forested hillside, which overlooks a private, white sandy beach.

A Philly must-do list should include a stop at the bronze Rocky statue (commissioned by Sylvester Stallone for Rocky III and reluctantly erected in its current place by the Philadelphia Museum of Art), a Rocky-inspired run (or walk) up the steps, and, of course, a visit inside the legendary institution itself. The impressive collection includes holdings from the medieval period to the present, with art and sculpture dating back as far as the Renaissance, and one of the finest collections of American art in the country. Popular galleries include ones devoted to Asian works, Impressionism, photography, and costumes and textiles. Not interested in art? You’ll still want to see the arms-and-armor rooms, which display the second-largest collection in the U.S. Devote some time to strolling through the outdoor sculpture garden, or take a shuttle to the nearby Perelman Building galleries. On the first Sunday of each month, the admission fee is pay-what-you-wish.

A true feast for the eyes, this Belle Époque brasserie inside a century-old former bank building (now part of the W Amsterdam) is one of the loveliest dining spaces in the city. Beneath a soaring, stained-glass ceiling, immense circular lighting fixtures hang over sleek black-marble tables; an intricate tiled floor, gold accents, and a mirrored bar round out the glamorous vibe. The sophisticated French and Italian dishes are beautifully executed, and don’t miss the cocktails—especially the selection of classic punches. High tea is served in the elegant adjacent tearoom every afternoon.

Dalian was under Russian rule from 1898 to 1905, and even though Russia’s occupation of Dalian was relatively short, it still managed to erect several grand buildings on what was then called Engineer Street, and today Russian (or sometimes, Russia Customs) Street. The street is bookended by the Beaux-Arts Dalniy City Hall and the Russian Library, now a museum, in a fanciful Victorian brick building. Between them stand eight colorful restored Russian-era buildings and a handful of late 1990s ones with Russian-inspired designs that were constructed to complement the earlier buildings.

Set in a row of shophouses—traditional double-use structures with a storefront on the street level, the owner’s residence on the floors above—the New Majestic Hotel is a small gem in Chinatown filled with quirks and contrasts. Colonial design is plentiful, from the vintage Compton fans in the lobby to furniture from the 1920s–1960s throughout. The rooms are a little more free-form. They range from suites with their own urban gardens to attic-style spaces with loft beds and 20-foot ceilings. Then there are the five rooms in which Singapore artists were told to unleash their creativity (Work, one of these rooms, looks like temporary housing, with plywood sections everywhere). Pieces by local emerging artists include murals with hidden messages or displaying pop art influences. The bottom of the rooftop pool has small portholes that look down onto the Majestic Restaurant, one floor down.

Located beneath the San Diego–Coronado Bridge, this public space might not be green and tranquil, but it tells a story of perseverance. In 1970, residents of the predominantly Latino Barrio Logan neighborhood staged a nonviolent takeover when the state attempted to build a California Highway Patrol station on land the city had promised would be a community park. Their protests were ultimately successful; the area was designated a park shortly thereafter. In 1973, brightly hued murals touching on Chicano identity and struggles began appearing on the concrete pillars surrounding the space. Today, visitors can see more than 50, which are considered so culturally significant that they earned the park National Historic Landmark status in 2016.