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If these walls could talk they’d recite plans for military campaigns and tales of love, lust and betrayal that make this former residence and imperial seat of the Ottoman Empire so intriguing. Walk the dazzling tile-and-mosaic-lined corridors, see the jewels the sultans wore, the baths where they washed, the rooms where they entertained, the quarters that housed their concubines, and the kitchens that created feasts for 5,000 residents.

A writer walks into a bar. It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but when it happened at the Buena Vista on November 10, 1952, a new drink was born. Stanton Delaplane, a longtime columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, walked in on that chilly November day and told the bar owner, Jack Koeppler, about a warm whiskey-and-coffee concoction he’d tasted in Shannon, Ireland. The oft-told story goes that the two men spent the evening measuring and mixing and testing in an effort to re-create the drink. Eventually, the recipe was mastered, and seven decades later, the Buena Vista’s Irish coffee is as legendary as San Francisco fog. Bartenders in crisp white jackets line up glass goblets on the bar and make up to 2,000 Irish coffees per day.

One of the biggest stars of the five museums on Museum Island, the Pergamon was the last to open, in 1930. Built to resemble a Babylonian temple, it houses a trove of ancient treasures from the Middle East, with highlights that include the enormous Pergamon Altar, dating from around 170 B.C.E. and featuring a dramatic frieze showing a battle between gods and giants; the two-story Market Gate of Miletus, built by the Romans in 120 C.E.; and the equally impressive Ishtar Gate, from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II in the 6th century B.C.E. Another poignant highlight, given the large influx of Syrian refugees into the city since 2015, is the 17th-century Aleppo Room, a reception chamber from a merchant’s house with exquisitely carved wall decorations.

The family-owned Yandup Island Lodge is located on a private island across from the remote Playon Chico community on the Caribbean coastline of San Blas, Panama. The eco-lodge offers two tours a day: a visit to a beach on one of the archipelago’s deserted islands and a cultural tour that connects guests to the local Kuna Yala indian community.

They’ve been popularized and commercialized in movies and may even seem to be a cultural stereotype of sorts, but visit Mexico City‘s Plaza Garibaldi on any given evening and you’ll soon see that the tradition of mariachis is alive and well and very much a part of modern culture. Mariachis gather at Plaza Garibaldi nightly, waiting to be hired for an off-site event or an impromptu in-the-plaza serenade. You can even negotiate for a few songs yourself, or, if you prefer, sit in the plaza and watch the action as mariachis in a variety of outfits wait for work. Although Plaza Garibaldi has spiffed up a bit in recent years (particularly with the opening of the Museum of Tequila and Mezcal a few years ago), it does have a seedy underbelly. It’s best not to bring your valuables, and if you enter one of the bars on the plaza’s periphery, stay sober enough to keep your wits about you. A popular Garibaldi scam is to invite unsuspecting tourists to several rounds of drinks and then stick them with an astronomical bill.

The Blind Rabbit’s name is a wink to the Prohibition era, when some venues operated as theaters, doling out adult beverages alongside a “show” consisting of a real animal or statue. But actually, the hidden-away Anaheim bar is a hideaway that books reservations for Friday and Saturday nights weeks in advance. Walk-ins are welcome Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m., and Monday nights are so mellow the bar feels like an friend’s place—albeit one with a dress code for men and women (no shorts, baseball caps, or rompers). Carefully acquired tchotchkes—including numerous rabbit figurines—put tipplers in a virtual time machine. At the copper bar, cocktails are served with care and plenty of pizzazz. The Drunk Night in Thailand, with a tamarind flavor and spicy finish thanks to Hellfire bitters and Sriracha, arrives in a plastic sandwich bag with straw, rubber-banded together. The fruity Wait For It cocktail is lit on fire. Don’t miss the popular Old Man & the Sea (bourbon, rum, Fernet, and cinnamon), which bartenders put into a custom-made cocktail smoker with applewood chips. And when you get hungry, don’t miss the fine bar bites, such as duck confit mac and cheese.

Calistoga’s most storied mineral baths are the centerpiece of what has become Dr. Wilkinson’s Hot Springs Resort, fittingly named after a chiropractor from San Francisco. Most visitors still come for the day spa, which is split into two sides, one for men and the other for women. Options for both include mud baths (in a mix of volcanic ash, hot spring water, and peat moss), mineral-water whirlpool tubs, mineral steam rooms, blanket wraps, and massages. Then, of course, there’s “the Works,” a signature treatment that combines all of these into one. This treatment used to cost less than $5 back in 1952, when Dr. John Wilkinson opened the place. Rumor has it that since then, all that’s changed is the price.

One of the top restaurants in Namibia is located in the tiny shipping industry town of Walvis Bay. Lyon des Sables is located on the upstairs level of a small oceanfront shopping complex and boardwalk. The restaurant is run by two French men, so you can expect dishes like chanterelle mushroom and parmesan risotto and apple tart. Game meats are particularly popular in Namibia, so this is also a great place to try oryx steak.

Blue Nankeen Exhibition Hall’s name is a bit misleading. There’s a display upstairs explaining how nankeen cloth is starched and hand-dyed a rich shade of indigo, but this is primarily a place to pick up beautiful textiles, clothing, and accessories. Nankeen, also known as blue calico, originates from Nanjing, China’s onetime capital (nanjing means “southern capital”). You’ll find it used here in mandarin-collar shirts for both men and women, pint-size tea dresses for little girls, soft-soled slip-on shoes, hats, and bags. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, you can even buy fabric by the meter. No discounts.

The Four Seasons earns its five stars for everything from its location—smack in the middle of Seoul’s most-visited palaces and landmarks—to its detailed amenities, such as customizable mattresses. Rooms overlook Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest and arguably most beautiful of the royal residences, or Cheonggyecheon stream, each a few minutes’ walk from the hotel. Its seven restaurants and lounges include a two-level sushi and sake bar, a Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant, and an exotic cocktail bar hidden speakeasy-style in the basement. The massive wellness center combines traditional Korean spa rituals with personalized beauty treatments and a 24-hour gym with panoramic views. An indoor pool and saunas, a virtual golf simulator, and a Lego kids’ lounge provide something for every guest.

This complex of Taoist religious buildings was constructed in the early 15th century under the Yongle Emperor, who also commissioned the Forbidden City, just to the north. The temple’s central building is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a 38-meter-high (125-foot), three-tiered structure atop a three-tiered marble base. The wooden hall was built entirely without nails. Inside, the beautifully painted walls and ceiling make it a riot of color. On spring and summer mornings and on sunny winter afternoons, locals gather here to sing, dance, play games such as mah-jongg, and sip tea while catching up on neighborhood gossip.

Japan has some of the fastest, most reliable trains in the world. One measure of how much locals appreciate them is the glee in kids’ faces when a Shinkansen glides past their commuter train. Or they line up in front of the sloped nose of a parked bullet train for a photo before taking off on a trip. That excitement has naturally created a market for train souvenirs. You can find socks, shoes, even chopsticks shaped like any number of specific Shinkansen trains. Local train lines also sell their own branded train gear across Japan. The Shinkansen souvenirs are all over Tokyo Station, but a big cluster of them can be found near the underground Yaesu central exit. Leave the turnstiles, and the omiyage shop is immediately on the left.

Fancy yourself a brave one, do ye? Aye, aye, then the Cliffs of Moher are right up your alley. Ireland‘s most popular tourist destination does not disappoint, though visiting during the middle of the day means you’re going to have to share the walking paths with plenty of other folk - most of them American visitors in their finest Notre Dame Fighting Irish t-shirts. Come early in the morning or late in the afternoon and you’ll have the cliffs, beautiful light, and ancient rock monsters all to yourself. That’s right; rock monsters. That’s one giving tourists the finger right there in the ocean.

The most famous remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall gets its name from its location on the east side of the Spree River, as well as from its collection of political and satirical murals. Originally painted just after the wall fell, the murals were repainted (or in some cases painted over) in 2009 as a way of cleaning up the increasingly decayed originals and in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall. Today, a fence partly protects the gallery to prevent vandalism of the murals, but people throng here nonetheless, especially in summer. A museum at the site tells the fascinating story of the structure through interactive displays, original newsreel footage, and filmed interviews with Berliners who lived on both sides.

The Roman Forum is where ancient Rome began. The sprawling archaeological park gives us just a hint of what the Roman Empire once was—a dominant and diverse society. The Forum itself was the political, social, religious, and commercial focal point for the Roman Republic and eventually the whole Empire—for the most elite members of society as well as the common plebs. Walking through the Forum is a walk through history, from its beginning as a valley with small hilltop communities (8th century B.C.E.) to its rise as the capital of an empire. The ruins of basilicas, temples, public forum spaces, and shops can be explored, and the adventure leads to Palatine Hill, an area of high-society patrician homes including the house of Caesar Augustus.