Once one of the largest rooms full of books in the world, this bookstore basement is still a treat for bibliophiles.

One of Europe's oldest libraries.

A plaque marks the humble origins of an artistic muse who embodied the ideals of Pre-Raphaelite beauty.

The fantastic charm of England's oldest botanical garden has made it a place of writerly inspiration for centuries.

The shop where the girl who inspired the beloved character once bought sweets is now a book-themed commercial curiosity.

This preserved puppy was an adorable beacon of charity.

In the northernmost city in the world, it's illegal to be buried because it’s too cold for bodies to decompose.

An ancient fortified mound raised over the millennia from settlements built one on top of the other.

A Turkish monastery tucked into a cliff wall.

Ottoman-era houses lovingly preserved.

Beggars were miraculously "cured" of their fake ailments when they returned home to this 17th century Paris slum each night.

A horde of stray cats rule in this secluded Parisian cemetery under a bridge.

Claude Monet was baptized in this lavishly ornate Paris church.

BDSM, 1930s Style.

Down a cobblestone alleyway is a museum dedicated to Romanticism, with a secret garden.

Paris' linguistic guide to the international language of, yes, love.

This surreal statue brings a famous French novel about a supernatural cad to arresting life.

Original cabaret handbills, posters, and feline artwork are a purrfect highlight of the Museum of Montmartre.

The oldest and smallest cemetery in Paris is only open to the public twice a year.

The water-powered carriages are long gone, but for over a century this funicular railway has been the fastest route to the highest point in Paris.

A Parisian boutique devoted to la Sape, the elegant Congolese fashion subculture rooted in European colonization.

Egyptian Revival movie palace abandoned for decades and restored in 2013.

What looks like a normal building is really a hollow facade hiding a subway vent.

The Voodoo Superstore of the world.