Places escapementality Wants to Go

A sixth-century Byzantine cistern hidden below a modern carpet store.

The most metal church of all time was built in record time because of an international, pious pissing contest.

Turkish adventurer antiques in the heart of the Grand Bazaar.

A gorgeous, Gaudí-esque stairway constructed in the city of Istanbul by a prominent Jewish family.

Legend says if you stick your thumb in the hole and it gets wet, your wish will be granted.

This remarkably well-preserved Egyptian plinth is pretty well traveled for a giant piece of stone.

Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.

A small etching on the white marble parapet was written in runic script by a Viking mercenary.

A meow-velous tribute to a beloved street cat, made famous on the internet.

The ornate miniature mansions were built for Istanbul's feathered residents.

Every inch of this chapel is covered in craftsmanship from across the world.

Behind medieval walls in a corner of bustling Palermo is a breathtaking former mosque once inhabited by a wolf-taming hermit.

This mosaic-lined medieval church was built by the world's first admiral and still holds mass in ancient Greek.

Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.

This bazaar is one of the oldest in the Arabian world.

This spectacular mosque houses the second-largest chandelier in the world.

This statue of the great Argentinian car driver is located near a famous curve of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Learn about the indigenous people of Japan's northernmost islands.

Hokkaido's largest music box museum, featuring music boxes that are unique in Japan and the world.

One of the only two archaeological sites in Japan to feature petroglyphs, which some believe to be a long-lost writing system of the gods.

The climactic location of the 1977 film 'The Yellow Handkerchief' commemorates its concept of happiness.

Inaccessible by foot, Japan's most secluded train station sits in the middle of nowhere.

A semi-abandoned replica of Prince Edward Island's Avonlea—in Japan.

A steaming, boiling hellscape sources Hokkaido's thermal baths.