After starting as a whimsical tourist attraction that eventually found its way to ruin, these renovated canals offer a lush and exotic locale on the Pacific Coast.

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.

The possible imprisonment of Vlad the Impaler here earned the medieval castle its nickname, "Dracula's Castle."

The preserved arm of a third-century sorcerer is believed to have the power to lift curses and spells.

This once-derelict building is now one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.

An abandoned pasta factory in the centre of Bucharest, once home to Bulgarian revolutionaries and a hub of crime.

Nine centuries-old fortresses guard the walls of this medieval Romanian city.

The world’s oldest and biggest bookstore stocking only mystery, crime fiction, espionage, and thrillers.

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

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 cemetery where the elite and artistic are interred beneath an eccentric collection of tombs.

A tribute shrine where the Space Invasion street art movement started.

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

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.

An "inside out" building in the historical center of Paris, featuring Europe’s largest modern art museum.

A series of abstract, silly sculptures represent the works of a great modern classical composer.

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

One of Jeff Koons’s largest sculptures and his first commemorative work.

If you look closely at the oldest bridge in Paris, you might notice hundreds of ugly faces leering from its sides.

The tradition of open-air secondhand and antiquarian bookselling in Paris dates back to the Renaissance.

France's Lilliputian park displays over 100 of the country's monuments for visitor perusal.

A total of 22 tiny bridges cross this canal of the Yvette River, forming a unique trail.

Established in 1638 to battle the Black Death, Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is a treasure trove of rare flora.

The hidden ruins of an old hydroelectric plant reclaimed by nature.