Venice, Italy
Here's a general rule to abide by in Venice: If you don't get lost, you're not doing it right. Even visitors with a GPS-like sense of direction will likely be bested by the meandering streets of the city. There's no better way to explore the lovely maze than in a haze of mild confusion.
Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong is impressive from many angles—beneath the towering skyscrapers, or from a ferry crossing Victoria Harbour—but you can see its finest side from the air. As your flight approaches the city, it feels like the mist parts and reveals Shangri-La, where hilly, verdant islands surround a concrete jungle. —Laura Dannen Redman
Istanbul, Turkey
A historic crossroads of culture and design, Istanbul's landscape provides a prominent display of its two conquering empires. Travelers needn't look farther than the Blue Mosque or Hagia Sophia for the aesthetics central to both: the Byzantine dome and colored mosaics, and the Ottoman minarets and Islamic calligraphy.
New York, NY
New York's beauty is multi-sensory: It's the sight of historic architecture, from the Flatiron Building to One World Trade Center, dwarfing the 8.4 million humans below; the feel of the grass beneath your feet in the great green oases of Central and Prospect Park; the smell of roasted nuts on street corners; the sound of jazz pouring out of Smalls in the Greenwich Village. It's the art of the Frick and the Met, MoMA and the Museum of the Moving Image; and the beautiful, diverse people walking the city streets with heads held high. —L.D.R.
London, U.K.
London is one of the most vibrant cities in the world, with history (Westminster Abbey) and models of modernity (London Eye, The Gherkin) mingling on the Thames. Art and literature seem to seep out of the city's walls—and in recent years, London has glammed up even more, with contemporary art galleries and boutique retailers adding some glimmer to formerly seedy areas.
Chefchaouen, Morocco
Tucked high in Morocco’s Rif Mountains, the all-blue town of Chefchaouen is a calming respite from the overwhelming frenzy of Marrakech and Fez. The Jewish refugees from Europe who lived there during the 1930s first painted the city (either to symbolize heaven or as a mosquito repellent, depending on who you ask), and now the town is known as "The Blue Pearl." The town still keeps the tradition alive: Each year, the houses are washed with new coats of paint.
Paris, France
We're trying not to play favorites, but really, is there a city more dramatic than Paris? It's a place where romance and history play side by side, cafes line cobblestone streets, beautiful people stroll the Seine at all hours, and every neighborhood seems to have its own iconic landmark, be it Notre Dame, Sacre-Coeur, or the Eiffel Tower.
Cape Town, South Africa
The whole world witnessed Cape Town's beauty first hand during the 2010 World Cup: its penguin-populated, white-sand beaches within a few short miles of majestic Table Mountain, and rolling winelands just outside the city center. Coastal highways compare to the finest in the world, from the Amalfi Coast to the Pacific Coast Highway, and the gardens—notably Kirstenbosch National Botanic Gardens—are rich with king protea, a crowned flower that seems to (rightly) rule the floral kingdom. —L.D.R.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Dutch capital's central Canal District was crowned a World Heritage Site in 2010, helping draw the gaze away from the red lights and the smoke houses and onto one of Europe’s most gorgeous cultural epicenters. Add windmills, cycling, cheese, storied facades, and Van Goghs to the city's storied charm.
St. Petersburg, Russia
Fyodor Dostoyevsky called his adopted metropolis “the most intentional and abstract city in the world.” Built in a short, fevered period of time based on one man’s—Peter the Great’s—vision, Russia’s second-largest city is a sort of work of art in and of itself, evoking comparisons to Florence, Italy.
