This abandoned five-star hotel is now a five-star urban exploration destination.

A stunning 18th-century site where pilgrims ascend by a series of punishing stairs only to return via funicular.

This restored Portuguese cafe may well be the most beautiful place in the world to grab a Big Mac.

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

This Industrial Age architectural and engineering gem helps visitors and residents alike traverse Lisbon, “The City of Seven Hills.”

A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.

This unreal Portuguese palace looks as though it's made from a pile of different castles.

Legacy of the earthquake that nearly wiped Lisbon off the face of the Earth.

This eccentrically decorated palace is replete with grottoes, fountains, tunnels, and caves.

This vast masterpiece of Moroccan architecture spreads across 20 acres.

Numerous impressive carvings are embedded in the trees lining this street in Marrakech.

Traditional 11th-century outdoor tannery.

Fortune tellers, snake charmers, poets, and storytellers all gather on this historic square in Morocco.

Thousands of narrow alleyways in an ancient medieval city make up what's believed to be the world's largest car-free urban zone.

A fortified city, home to a remaining population of five families

World's largest film studio, where visitors tour the decaying sets that litter the harsh desert environment.

The other side is actually green.

The ancient heart of Tunis is an enormous maze of narrow streets and alleyways.

This ship carrying cargo and four church bells for the Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida ran aground in 1968.

Known as the Sistine Chapel of Egypt, this tomb houses some of the most well-preserved paintings in Egypt.

These Egyptian statues have survived for 3,400 years and were an acoustic wonder of the ancient world.

Underwater restaurant at the coral reefs of Eilat.

Tel Aviv's popular neighborhood went though endless waves of transformation.

The only quarter of the Old City not dedicated to a major world religion.