Places thepackedlife Wants to Go

Ancient traditions and surreal birdwatching come into sharp relief along one of the world's most polluted rivers.

The roof of one of the world’s largest spice markets provides a grand view over the neighborhood's glorious bustle.

Nestled among the artifacts of the National Crafts Museum, this hidden gem offers hard-to-find regional foods from all over India.

India's first open-air public art district sits in the heart of the country's capital.

A blooming house of worship for the masses.

This ruined relic of the medieval city of Jahanpanah is a quiet oasis in the middle of New Delhi.

The place of worship for Zoroastrians, Mumbai's Parsi fire temples use fire and ash for purification.

This entire town moved to a safe location after it was devastated by an earthquake, but the remains of the original town are still around.

"Stairs of the Turks", a chalky white cliff eroded conveniently into stairs, allowing for easy pillaging.

This constantly evolving art space saved an Italian town from its own crippling reputation.

Countless grotesque faces stare out from this eerie Prague art wall.

A series of playful yellow penguins share a serious message about the environment.

Walk through Czech history in Prague's largest graveyard.

Straight out of a nightmare, barcode-faced babies climb up and down Prague's television tower.

A bust of Franz Kafka spins in pieces, reflecting the writer's inner torment.

Looming communist pillar with a Czech twist.

The palace window through which Protestant nobles flung two Catholic regents, thus sparking the Thirty Years' War.

A meditative space out of a fantasy story.

Canyon walls shrouded in ferns.

Carved by a waterfall in a hard-to-reach rock formation, this heart-shaped rock has inspired romantics for decades.

Scores of vintage street lamps shine along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.

These delicate buggers are some of the rarest fossils that have bubbled up from the Tar Pits.

Behind this beachfront shop lies a spectacular, colorful sea cave with an equally colorful past.

An underground mansion with fruit-bearing trees and grapes growing beneath the surface of central California.