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The mesmerizing 360-degree panorama from atop Corcovado Mountain
showcases Rio de Janeiro’s beauty in all its heart-stopping glory. Its
unique, overpowering tableau of curving white beaches, skyscrapers,
gray granite mountains, and the island-studded Bay of Guanabara
encourages Rio’s nickname, Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City). |
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Sydney’s Opera House, initially reviled for its startlingly modern
design (resembling a cluster of billowing white sails), has come to be
as emblematic of the city as the Eiffel Tower is of Paris. Perfectly
situated on Sydney’s busy and picturesque harbor, it is the cultural
heartbeat of the cit |
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Bamburgh (Northern England)
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If you want to take off in a beautiful balloon, stop by Bamburgh Castle
in northern England (pictured) or visit one of these other ballooning
destinations: |
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Marlborough Sound, New Zealand
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The Marlborough region of the South Island offers two distinct reasons
to visit: the grandeur of the unspoiled Marlborough Sound, with dozens
of secluded bays and beaches and, to the south, the vineyards
encircling the town of Blenheim, for when you’ve had your fill of
beachcombing. |
Athens, Greece
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The Acropolis may be Athens’s most famous ancient site, but impressive
ruins can be found in other corners of the city, including the Temple
of Hephaestus located on the marketplace, or agora. |
Indonesia
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Is made up 18,100 islands, two-thirds of which are uninhabited. |
Santorini, Greece
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A blue-domed church in Fira, the capital of Santorini, overlooks the
Greek island’s caldera from its cliffside location hundreds of meters
above the collapsed volcano. |
Monaco
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The casual attire acceptable in Las Vegas does not go over so well in
some of the more serious gaming rooms of Monaco’s famous Casino. Men
should consider donning a sports jacket before their evening rendezvous
with Lady Luck. |
Cambodia
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Cambodia’s Angkor Wat took 25,000 workers over thirty-seven years to
complete, but after the fall of the Khmer Empire, the complex remained
unknown to the outside world until 1860, when French botanist Henri
Mouhot stumbled upon it deep in the jungle. |
Myanmar (Burma)
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While the well known Buddhist ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia and
Borobudur in Indonesia can be crowded, the hundreds of temples of Pagan
in Myanmar (Burma) largely remain off the beaten tourist path.
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Rotorua, New Zealand
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At steamy Rotorua, center of the intense thermal field of the Taupo
Volcanic Plateau, mud pools bubble and sulfurous fumaroles hiss up
through crevices in the earth’s surface, creating a bizarre geothermal
spectacle that George Bernard Shaw called “the most hellish scene” he
had ever witnessed. |
Palais Longchamp
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The Palais Longchamp was built to celebrate the completion of a viaduct
to bring fresh water to Marseille, France. Visit this and other
destinations, and reflect on the substance of life. |
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Galapagos Island, Ecuador
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While some of the most famous residents of the Galápagos Islands can be
found on dry land—tortoises, iguanas, bluefooted boobies, and
finches—others can only be viewed underwater. Scuba divers will
discover a wonderland full of manta rays, dolphins, and hundreds of
hammerheads. |
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Amazon Jungle, Brazil
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Waterfalls and rivers mark the landscape of the Amazon rain forest,
with more than 1,000 tributaries draining into an area nearly the size
of the contiguous United States. The Amazon’s volume is ten times
greater than that of the Mississippi. |
Seville, Spain
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Seville’s Plaza de España, like the city’s poshest hotel the Alfonso
XIII, was built for the World’s Fair of 1929. One activity that should
be on the itinerary of every traveler, however, is timeless: grazing on
Spain’s best olives and hams at the countless tapas bars open until the
wee hours |
The Hague, Netherlands
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The Binnenhof in the Hague was originally the administrative center of
the counts of Holland; today it is the home of the Netherlands’
Parliament |
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Glacier National Park, Montana
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Glacier National Park’s soul-inspiring landscape was carved by the
movement of massive glaciers millennia ago, and so awesome is the
beauty of this Montana national park that the Blackfoot Indians
consider the area sacred ground. “If it isn’t God’s backyard,”
commented comedian Robin Williams, “He certainly lives nearby.” |
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Sahara Desert Morocco
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No roads, no people, and total silence. Spending a few days in the
quiet expanse of the Sahara is a magical odyssey. Local Berber guides
bring alive the traditions, romance, and history of their extraordinary
environment. |
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Miramar Lagoon: Chiapas, Mexico
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The Miramar Lagoon, part of Mexico’s Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve,
sits within the Lacandon Rain Forest. Visitors to Miramar are limited
to small groups of eco-travelers on trips led by local guides. |
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Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Venice, Italy
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The first Orient-Express pulled out of Paris in 1883 for the 1,700-mile
trip across Europe to Istanbul. Suspended in 1977, it is on a roll
again as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, its legendary railcars of
inlaid marquetry and polished brass restored to their 19th-century
splendor |
