Places istnbl Wants to Go

Skulls from the plague of 1656 and World War II bombings are united by a cult dedicated to caring for the ancient dead.

The once forbidden "secret cabinet" of erotic art from excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

A labyrinth of ancient tunnels hidden below the city holds the ruins of 2,500 years of history.

This equestrian statue of Constantine the Great has been the subject of criticism for centuries.

A hidden workshop for creating and restoring Papal mosaic masterpieces.

The Vatican's secret porn-festooned bathroom was painted in erotic murals by one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance.

If you want to talk to the Pope you will have to stare down this surreal vision of Jesus rising from a nuclear hell.

Hidden beneath the famous St. Peter's Basilica is a veritable city of the dead that may hold the remains of St. Peter himself.

This 18th-century sundial was designed to calculate the date of Easter each year.

A short distance from the Eiffel Tower is the final resting place of several of the city’s more well-known and interesting characters.

Dedicated to the history and culture of smoking, this small museum now includes a vape lounge.

The remaining relics of the patroness of Paris lie in a chapel under a striking double spiral staircase.

A simple plaque on the facade is the only reminder that the treaty ending the American Revolution was signed inside.

Collection of antique taxidermy and natural specimens, near one of Paris's oldest flea markets.

A magical, macabre wax museum, beloved by locals, uses real artifacts to depict an assassination from the French Revolution.

The Sun King's military models, saved from the Louvre.

A museum dedicated to linguistics, from how babies learn to talk to endangered and extinct languages.

This lesser-known Frank Gehry building houses a treasure trove of cinema history.

This emotive sculpture was originally created for the 1878 World's Fair.

This Parisian café is dedicated to great tea and the art of knitting.

A museum dedicated to one of Paris’s most famous residents, tucked into a corner of one of the city’s most famous squares.

The macabre collection of Jacques Sirgent, an expert scholar on the undead and all of their trappings.

The site where two doves fell in love.

The oldest continuously operating mint in the world that has been making coins since the 9th-century.