Deep history, great food and enough to see that a weekend never feels like enough.
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Kyoto
Kyoto was Japan's imperial capital for more than a millennium and preserves an exceptional density of temples, shrines, wooden townhouses and traditional gardens. Many of its sites are UNESCO World Heritage listed, and entire districts retain a historic streetscape.
The city's landmarks range from the gold-leafed Kinkaku-ji pavilion reflected in its pond to the thousands of vermilion torii gates winding up the hillside at Fushimi Inari Shrine. The eastern Higashiyama district preserves stepped lanes of wooden machiya houses leading to the hillside Kiyomizu-dera temple, whose large wooden terrace overlooks the city.
Explore Kyoto →02 / 05
Istanbul
Istanbul spans the Bosphorus strait that divides Europe from Asia, the only major city set across two continents. Once capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, it layers monumental mosques, palaces, churches and covered markets across its hills.
The historic peninsula holds the city's grandest monuments: the great domed Hagia Sophia, built as a Byzantine church and later a mosque; the six-minareted Blue Mosque facing it across a garden; and the sprawling Topkapı Palace overlooking the water. The covered Grand Bazaar and the aromatic Spice Bazaar fill nearby streets with one of the world's oldest market traditions.
Explore Istanbul →03 / 05
Prague
The capital of Czechia, Prague sits on the Vltava River and is renowned for one of Europe's largest and best-preserved historic centers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site spanning Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture.
The city is organized around the river, crossed by the 14th-century Charles Bridge, a pedestrian span lined with Baroque statues that connects the Old Town to the Lesser Town below the castle. On the Old Town Square stand the Gothic Church of Our Lady before Týn and the medieval Astronomical Clock, which draws crowds on the hour.
Explore Prague →04 / 05
Seoul
Seoul, the capital, is a vast metropolis of more than nine million people set along the Han River and ringed by mountains. It juxtaposes grand Joseon-dynasty palaces and traditional hanok quarters with neon-lit shopping districts and futuristic architecture.
At the city's historic heart stand five Joseon-era palaces, of which Gyeongbokgung is the largest and grandest, its throne hall framed by the peak of Bugaksan behind. Nearby, the Bukchon Hanok Village preserves narrow lanes of traditional tile-roofed houses between the palaces, and the changing of the royal guard is staged daily at the main gates. Many visitors rent hanbok, traditional dress, to wander these sites.
Explore Seoul →05 / 05
Madrid
The high, sunlit capital of grand plazas, world-class art and late-night energy.
Madrid sits on a plateau near the geographic center of Spain, the highest capital city in Europe, which gives it bright, clear light and big skies. Its core is a walkable grid of grand squares, including the arcaded Plaza Mayor and the fountain-ringed Puerta del Sol, threaded with elegant 19th-century boulevards. The city is known for a famously late rhythm of dining and nightlife.
Explore Madrid →
