A preposterously luxurious hotel with gold-plated iPads, Rolls Royce chauffeurs, and a staff that trains by watching "Downton Abbey."

After sunset the heart of Zanzibar's historic Stone Town neighborhood transforms into a culinary playground.

This rare volcano spews the strangest and (literally) coolest lava in the world.

The 19th-century vessel floats proudly on Lake Titicaca, but its journey from Britain to the Peruvian altiplano was far from smooth sailing.

The soaring gondola lines form the longest aerial cable car system in the world.

Bolivia's needle-like rock formations.

Sacked by Vikings, blessed by William the Conqueror, dealt a fatal blow during the French Revolution—these ruins have seen it all.

The opulent home that inspired Tintin's Marlinspike Hall and the adventures within.

The great Italian Renaissance painter was laid to rest here in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert.

A curious carving hides on a marble column in the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba.

Spain's unique Mosque-Cathedral has been a place of worship for both Muslims and Christians throughout its history.

In the fictional world of Kcymaerxthaere, celestial wonders marked a portal to a powerful route of travel at this site in Madrid, Spain.

The final resting place of the great navigator, or maybe his brother.

The secret medieval communication system will whisk your words above the noise of the crowd.

A 16th-century fountain marks the site of a lost medieval cemetery once filled with mass graves.

According to the Guanches, the aboriginal people of the Canary Islands, the king of evil lives inside this volcano.

A vista of the city and sea from atop the little-known viewing deck on an unassuming Columbus statue.

Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.

The oldest steel ship in Iceland has been beached for years and is now a rusting ruin.

This scenic Icelandic lava flow is named for a pair of Berserkers who were murdered, according to a famous Saga.

Outlaws, hot springs, and tragedy have all left their mark on this ancient road in the Icelandic highlands.

This tumultuous Icelandic lava field looks so alien European researchers want to use it as a stand-in for Mars.

The oldest church in Iceland is one of the few to feature ornate decoration.

These ominous lava formations were said to be an entrance to the netherworld so of course they inspired a famous metal band.