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Perhaps the most inviting cafe to spend time at in Abu Dhabi is The Third Place. With furnished alcoves, window seats, and patio tables, it’s a great place to meet a friend, settle in with a book, or get some work done over wifi. The food is terrific—fresh, well-prepared, and good for you. Servers cheerfully welcome their patrons with a smile and offer recommendations from the large menu written on the wall. When your meal is finished, they move things away quickly so you can continue conversing or working. Started by architects, the business showcases an appreciation for art and design, in a second-floor gallery.

When in Lisbon, most tourists make a beeline to Antiga Confeitaria to try its world-famous pastel de Belém. The legendary custard tart is indeed delicious, especially when dusted with a healthy dose of cinnamon, but what these travelers don’t know is that is that the ones at Manteigaria are just as good—if not better. Plus, Manteigaria features an open kitchen, where you can watch the creamy treats make their way from dough to delivery. Avoid the crowds in Belém and get your pastel de nata here instead, then ride out your sugar rush nearby on the atmospheric Praça Luís de Camões in Chiado.

The Taj Mahal is referred to as “the jewel of Muslim art in India,” by UNESCO in its listing on the World Heritage Site registry. The Mughal ruler Shah Jahan had the truly magnificent white marble mausoleum built in 1632–1648, in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. For its construction, artisans from all over the empire, Central Asia, Iran, were summoned and the final result of their stonework, calligraphy, carvings, gardening, woodwork, and soaring domes remains one of the universally admired masterpieces of world heritage. Allot ample time to tour the site—besides the mausoleum, there is a mosque, a guest house, cloisters, courtyards, gates, and vast gardens. In addition to being stunningly beautiful from afar, the iconic site is evocatively romantic and up-close, the intricate details in its architecture, ornamentation, and history, are revealed.

The design of Ferrari World corresponds with my inclination that architecture should be inspirational from all angles. From the air, the structure is distinctly Ferrari red and undeniably represents the sleek brand. From the ground, its curves invite guests to enjoy the entertainment within. In a country where high end fast automobiles are prized, it’s fitting that Abu Dhabi has a luxury sports car theme park with the world’s fastest roller coaster, a tour of Italy, and kids zone all packed under the red roof.

On this episode of Unpacked: Where to Go, Aislyn Greene talks Adelaide. A city that punches above its weight. Unpack why South Australia’s capital is a must‑visit: from Barossa and McLaren Vale wines to fresh Eyre Peninsula seafood, the newly opened Aboriginal cultural center, and festivals that transform the city.

While it can get busy, Chileno Bay and its beach of the same name—considered by many repeat visitors to be the best all-around beach in the area—offer a calmer vibe than the party-hearty Medano Beach. Those who want to experience Los Cabos underwater should head here for snorkeling or scuba sessions. Expect to see colorful fish, sea turtles, manta rays and sea fans.


There’s a lot to recommend the tourist-corridor beach known as Chileno Bay, or Playa el Chileno. It’s consistently ranked as one of the cleanest beaches in all of Mexico and has earned coveted Blue Flag status multiple times (the award goes to sand stretches that boast excellent water quality, safety, and services). Here you’ll find ample parking, handicap access, restrooms with showers, and nice palapas for free shade. It’s easy to understand why it’s one of the most popular weekend escapes for locals. The swimming and snorkeling conditions are great, especially the farther out you go. During the winter, take a moment to hold your head underwater. You might hear gray whales’ melodic songs in the distance.

Read articles from this print issue of Afar Magazine.

The system of canals and chinampas (cultivated artificial islands fashioned from the area’s swampy soils) that has survived in the far-south neighborhood known as Xochilmilco once stretched all the way to the Centro. To this day, the community is known for its plant nurseries and vegetable gardens. These ancient landscapes now contribute to what has become one of the most singular pleasure gardens in the world, where visitors hire “gondoliers” to propel boats known as trajineras as they sail these channels in the company of floating mariachis and food vendors, partying teens, and extended families out for a picnic lunch. Since a tour is usually a four-hour-plus investment (it flies by), ask your oarsman to take you to Xochimilco’s more-rural precincts, where you’ll enjoy marvelous quiet, far from the madding crowd, in the company of cranes, curs, and picturesque cornfields.

Iceland’s largest and most famous geothermal spa lies around an hour outside Reykjavik, quite close to Keflavik Airport. With a dramatic setting amidst large black lava boulders, the steam-filled, creamy-blue pool area is a striking and surreal sight. The Blue Lagoon has been open since the 1980s and today draws some 700,000 visitors a year. The pools are actually created by heated seawater that flows from the adjacent geothermal power station. The waters allegedly cure all manner of skin-related ailments (eczema, psoriasis), but whether these claims are true or not, it’s certainly an atmospheric place to unwind, with very comfortable (99 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures. The complex includes a small bar that dispenses healthy juices and beer, as well as a spa area for massages andbeauty treatments, and a very good restaurant; there’s also an upscale hotel if you wish to stay overnight.

Welcome to Middle Earth in the South Pacific, and an ideal stop for traveling fans of the author J.R.R. Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie trilogies. Near the rural town of Matamata—itself a destination for its LOTR-inspired visitor center and a selfie-ready statue of Gollum along the main street—the re-created sets of Hobbiton offer a detailed and fascinating glimpse of the hobbit holes, meadows, and gardens of Bilbo and Frodo. An essential conclusion to the tour is quaffing an only-available-in-Hobbiton Oatbarton Ale at the leafy lakeside Green Dragon Inn.

In this episode of Unpacked, we go inside the movement to return national park land to its original stewards: Native Americans.

On this episode of Unpacked, host Aislyn Greene sets off on an eight-day Oregon coast road trip in a Rivian hauling an Airstream and discovers that the hardest part isn’t the miles—it’s the parking.