Places escapementality Wants to Go

A cylinder monument with a spectacular vista commemorates a friendship that some say never existed.

The secret room where early Bolsheviks cranked out propaganda fliers on a smuggled printing press.

A small but hugely whimsical theater where marionettes play out the "The Battle of Stalingrad."

Luxury hotel turned into a refugee camp, then turned back into a luxury hotel.

These Stalin-era industrial 'death traps' hang lifeless above the city

The first skyscraper to include a Ferris wheel built into the facade.

Unusual building appears to be haphazardly built from randomly piled bricks.

The last standing example of an ancient district's teatime tradition.

The decaying remains of a once-luxurious Soviet spa town.

A cluster of historic bathhouses built on the famed hot springs that gave the Georgian capital its name.

A literally moving statue of stacked metal giants just continually trying (and failing) to find love.

You'll find just about anything in this funky Tbilisi flea market.

Fast food feels like fine dining at this award-winning modern Georgian building.

The charmingly disheveled clock tower of Tbilisi's puppet theater.

150 or so scrounged-up lamps, chandeliers, and lanterns light up this alley in central Athens.

Spring that emits water and fire at the same time is said to have remedial properties, and sparked its own religion.

This striking icon of the disputed Republic of Artsakh caused a stir at a Eurovision Song Contest.

In oil-rich Azerbaijan, people bathe in the black stuff.

A public park commemorating the iconic works of a satirist, with medieval ruins on the side.

Look up as you explore Baku’s old town to find a monument to the local feline population.

This mysterious but iconic tapered tower appears in many Azeri fairytales and legends.

Foreign invaders almost left this lovely Caucasus palace alone—almost.

A unique museum dedicated to culture and artistry of carpet weaving.

A gigantic collection of teeny, tiny books.