According to a local legend, this old castle could only be built after a woman was immured in the walls.

The elliptical citadel resisted the advance of the mighty Ottomans several times, thanks to the military prowess of the "Dragon of Albania."

What happens when you cross a mayor and a painter?

Once the fallout shelter of a dictator, this sprawling bunker is now a combined history museum and contemporary art gallery.

Bronzes and busts that once stood in the city's main squares are now relegated to a small hidden courtyard.

Hundreds of thousands of concrete bunkers crowd Albania long after the fall of Communism.

This ominous Albanian fortress houses tanks and downed planes as a reminder of their victories over Western imperialism.

A medieval bridge stretches over a sulfur-rich river that leads to year-round natural hot springs.

A naturally beautiful, seemingly bottomless deep blue spring.

The oldest colonial fortress in the Americas was once the home and later prison of Christopher Columbus.

Built in 1512, the oldest cathedral in the Americas.

A collection cataloguing one of the most brutal dictatorships in modern history.

This trio of Dominican cave lakes comprise a colorful biosphere of natural life.

This dazzling Buddhist temple was constructed from over one million ceramic tiles salvaged from a British shipwreck.

Thailand's distressed elephants find peace at this Chiang Mai sanctuary.

A tall karst islet popularized by 007.

Designed to honor the birthplace of Buddha.

A brick building in Kathmandu's Durbar Square is home to Nepal's most prominent living goddess.

This religious site features Nepal’s largest statue of Buddha.

The oldest Hindu temple complex in Nepal serves as the seat of Nepal’s national deity, Lord Pashupatinath.

Everything from a plane to your own two feet are needed to reach this jungle resort.

This historic square in Nepal is home to temples dating back to the third century.

The former stronghold of the Malla Dynasty has remained virtually unchanged since the 17th century.

One of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world keeps an eye out in every direction.