There are some 70 million specimens in the Natural History Museum’s fascinating collections. Originally the repository for items brought home by Charles Darwin and Captain Cook’s botanist, Joseph Banks, among others, the museum combines traditional displays with innovative, hands-on exhibits. With kid-pleasers such as the impressive dinosaur collection, it remains one of London’s most popular … Read more

One of the most photographed images of the city, the spectacular white outline of Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart) watches over Paris from its highest point. The basilica was built as a memorial to the 58,000 French soldiers killed during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) and took 46 years to build, finally completed in 1923 at a cost … Read more

The best day to visit the world’s most familiar triumphal arch is 2 December, the date that marks Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, when the sun sets in line with the Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe, creating a spectacular halo around the building. Work began on the 50-m (164-ft) arch … Read more

Known as the “Crossroads of the World,” Times Square is New York’s most famous intersection and the symbol of the lively surrounding theater district that includes Broadway. It was called Longacre Square until 1904, when the New York Times built a 25-story tower on the site. Its occupancy on New Year’s Eve was marked with … Read more

Theaters Lyceum The oldest playhouse boasts a vaulted ceiling, murals, and elaborate plasterwork. Often used as an auxiliary for Lincoln Center. 149–157 West 45th St Lyceum New Victory Theater Built for Oscar Hammerstein in 1900, this had resorted to X-rated films until restored in 1995 to present family entertainment. 209 West 42nd St New Victory … Read more

Don’t let the profusion of Prada-clad shoppers fool you: there’s more to Newbury Street than world-class retail, people watching, and al fresco dining. One of the first streets created on the marshland known as Back Bay, Newbury has seen a myriad of tenants and uses over the past 150 years. Look closely and you’ll glimpse … Read more

Over its 130 year-plus history, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) has collected some 350,000 pieces from an array of cultures and civilizations, ranging from ancient Egyptian tomb treasures to stylish modern artworks. The museum is currently undergoing major expansion with the addition of a new American Wing, and more. Be sure to request a … Read more

Walking the pedestrian-only cobblestone streets past the best preserved Victorian industrial architecture in North America, you’ll feel as if you’ve stumbled into another century. The 44 buildings of this 13-acre (5-ha) site were, until the mid-1900s, part of Gooderham and Worts, once the world’s largest distillery. The distillery evolved from a grist mill founded here … Read more

This internationally acclaimed cultural, leisure, and entertainment complex, designed by Eb Zeidler and opened in 1971, is centered on three man-made islands along the Lake Ontario waterfront. The park is filled with family attractions, from rides to concert venues; snack bars and restaurants are dotted throughout the complex. Taking full advantage of its lakeside setting, … Read more

Completed in 1910, this fantastic, undulating apartment block, with its out-of-this-world roof and delicate wrought ironwork, is one of the most emblematic of all Gaudí’s works. La Pedrera (the Stone Quarry), also known as Casa Milà, was Gaudí’s last great civic work before he dedicated the rest of his life to the Sagrada Família. Restored … Read more

This superb tribute to a man whose legacy as an artist and as a Catalan is visible city-wide was founded in 1975 by Joan Miró himself, who wanted it to be a contemporary arts centre. The museum holds more than 11,000 examples of the artist’s colourful paintings, sketches and sculptures. The 400 or so on … Read more

What began in Montlake as a tiny log flume is now an 8-mile (13-km) urban waterway for sailboats, kayakers, and an impressive fleet of industrial vessels heading to sea. In 1854, pioneer Thomas Mercer recognized the need for a passage to the ocean from Seattle’s two landlocked water bodies, Lake Washington and Lake Union, to … Read more

Founded in November 1861, just 10 years after the creation of Washington Territory, the prestigious UW now occupies 693 hilly acres that were originally cleared for the festival grounds of Seattle’s Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909. Supporting a 40,000-member student body that’s as eclectic as the architectural mix on campus, the institution has garnered a reputation … Read more

In summer, Bavaria’s “liquid food” is served in beer gardens. And summer unofficially begins during Lent in March, when the breweries market their bock beers such as Salvator, Maximator, or Triumphator. No matter what you drink – ale, light beer, or Weißbier (wheat beer) from Augustiner, Löwenbräu, or Paulaner – if you haven’t sat on … Read more

Henry the Lion transformed Marienplatz into the centre of Munich – and it remains the heart of the city today. This is where the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) stands, major public transit lines meet, and locals and visitors alike stroll past street entertainers, or sit at the restaurant and café patios lining the square. … Read more

Chicago’s second most popular attraction after Navy Pier, this menagerie is not only one of the oldest zoos in the country but also one of the last not to charge admission. Established in 1868 with just a pair of swans, its age helps to account for how well integrated it is with the surrounding North … Read more

This glitzy strip of stores and striking buildings runs for, you guessed it, about a mile (1.6 km), along North Michigan Avenue. A sharp developer came up with the “magnificent” moniker in 1947, and it has stuck ever since. Often known as the Mag Mile, it is home to big-guns department stores like Neiman Marcus, … Read more

The area around the joined lakes of Qian Hai and Hou Hai has traditionally been home to nobles and wealthy merchants. Several grand homes survive, hidden in the labyrinthine old lanes known as hutongs. This is a rare quarter of Beijing where the 21st century is kept at bay, and these back alleys represent one … Read more

A sprawling landscaped park on the edge of the city, this seasonal imperial retreat from the stifling confines of the Forbidden City was the favored haunt of Empress Cixi. She had it rebuilt twice: once after its destruction by French and English troops in 1860, and again in 1902, after it was plundered during the … Read more

This colourful street market in one of the city’s oldest working class neighbourhoods has been going for well over 100 years. The word rastro means “trail” and refers to the animal innards that were dragged through the streets in the days when this was the site of the main abattoir. The artist Francisco de Goya … Read more