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Travel

Stately palms and winding walks imbue the Castleton Gardens with an aura of refinement.

Captain Bligh’s Cursed Breadfruit

The biographer of William Bligh—he of the infamous mutiny on the Bounty—tracks him to Jamaica, still home to the versatile plant

India's Golden Temple at Amritsar—destroyed and rebuilt over centuries of strife—is to Sikhs what Mecca is to Muslims.

Saving Punjab

A Sikh architect is helping to preserve cultural sites in the north Indian state still haunted by 1947’s heart-wrenching Partition

All that remains of Hagi Castle are its ruins. Built in 1604, the castle is located in the peaceful Shizuki Park at the northwestern tip of the city.

Finding Serenity on Japan’s San-in Coast

Far from bustling Tokyo, tradition can be found in contemplative gardens, quiet inns and old temples

Working like "little pistons," donkeys keep the medina humming. An estimated 100,000 people in the Fez area depend on the animals for their livelihood.

Morocco’s Extraordinary Donkeys

The author returns to Fez to explore the stubborn animal’s central role in the life of this desert kingdom

On their first July 4 in America, Andrej (left) and Alec took in the horse races at the Gillespie County Fair.

Escaping the Iron Curtain

Photographer Sean Kernan followed Polish immigrants Andrej and Alec Bozek from an Austrian refugee camp to Texas

St. Mark’s Square charms most visitors to Venice. Napoleon once called it “the most beautiful drawing room in Europe.”

St. Mark’s Square Walking Tour

For an overview of this grand square and the buildings that surround it, start from the west end of the square and follow along with this guide

A Venetian tradition is munching cicchetti—local appetizers that line the counters of little pubs all over town at the end of each workday.

Crawling Through Venice’s Cicchetti Pubs

A trip to Venice would not be complete without a giro d’ombra, or a tour through the city’s many small wine bars

While gondolas are romantic, to get around Venice quickly and cheaply, you’ll need to take motorized bus-boats called vaporetti.

Getting Around Venice by Vaporetto

Forget the gondola, the quickest and most convenient way to see Venice is via the public-transit vaporetti

When horses were banned in Venice in the 14th century, gondolas took over. They’ve been a Venice trademark ever since.

Seeing Venice Via Gondola

Used mainly by tourists, the gondolas carry a history of craftsmanship that is as interesting as the city itself

The show still goes on in ancient Ostia’s theater.

Ostia Antica: Rome’s Ancient Port

The ruins of this one-time commercial center takes visitors back to the time when the Roman Empire ruled the seas

You can easily spend hours observing the teen scene in Naples.

Naples: Italy in the Extreme

The unpredictable Italian city always has a secret or quirky attraction hidden among its many ancient streets

Established in 954 near the Italian Riviera, Seborga managed to maintain its independence because it was overlooked by the succession of rulers who took over this part of the world.

Micronations of the World

Explore these mock sovereign states fueled by local disputes, utopian idealism and the imaginations of a few eccentric individuals

Torun's many intact medieval buildings have earned it a World Heritage site designation.

The Sights and Smells of Torun

Memoirist Frances Mayes samples freshly baked gingerbread while exploring Copernicus’ hometown on a trip through Poland

Nearly 2.5 million people come each year to Varanasi which sits on the banks of the most sacred Indian river.

The Holy City of Varanasi

Tourists and pilgrims flock to Varanasi, a sacred Hindu city on the banks of the Ganges River

Telluride, Colorado is Aspen's younger, less glamorous, not so naughty sister.

Telluride Thinks Out of the Box

The fiction writer cherishes her mountain town’s anti-commercialism, as epitomized by the local swap stop, a regional landmark

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Reno, Nevada

An ideal (and scenic) location to raise a family

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Ormond By The Sea, Florida

Sleepy beach town filled with exotic wild life

Dover, Ohio

Dover, Ohio

Dover was and still is a quiet pond in a seething ocean

Though it’s one of the oldest subway systems in Europe, the Paris Métro has some sleek, 21st-century stations.

Navigating the Paris Metro

With nearly 300 stops in the underground system, the Metro takes Parisians and tourists alike from neighborhood to neighborhood

Traffic whips around Paris' grandest arch while tourists savor the view from the top.

Circling in on Paris’ Arc d’Triomphe

On the eastern end of the Champs-Elysees, the iconic memorial arch is a traffic nightmare but a tourist’s lesson in French history

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