Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations

The definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders.

A young woman stands near the barricades of the U.N. buffer zone in the Greek-Cypriot part of Nicosia.

Life Along the Border That Cuts Cyprus in Two

In Nicosia, physical barriers separate the Greek and Turkish communities—but many residents don't seem to mind.

by Rachel Button

Place of the Day

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

The World’s Largest Bottle of Wine Just Spilled in Austria

We're gonna need a bigger napkin.

February 20, 2020

For One Photographer, Reptiles Rule the Galápagos

For Sale: Royally Minted Coins, Decorated With Dinosaurs

Early Chinese Trick Photography Sent Chubby Babies Into Space

For Sale: A Sprawling Carriage Factory and the House on Its Roof

Top Countries

Top Cities

Macquarie Island

The only place where Earth’s mantle lies above water.

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Montreal, Quebec

Fletchers Espace Culinaire

The Jewish diaspora shares a menu at this museum café.

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Seattle, Washington

Big Top Curiosity Shop

Inside this curiosity shop, visitors can peruse the clown collection or purchase a molar from the mouth of Bigfoot.

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County Durham, England

Palace Green Library

This library dates back to the late 17th century and was one of the first public lending libraries in England.

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Added by Dr Alan P Newman

Oxfordshire, England

Bate Collection of Musical Instruments

Over a thousand musical instruments are on display, from bagpipes and harpsichords to drums and the sinuous serpent.

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Top Place Tags

art & performance

Extraordinary Island: Puerto Rico's Hidden Wonders

From $1,970 USD

art & performance

Beyond the Quarter: Music and Reinvention in New Orleans

From $1,415 USD

Explore the rich soundscape of New Orleans, tracing the social, political, and spiritual roles these traditions have played throughout history and in contemporary culture.

art & performance

Santa Fe Weekend: New Art, Ancient Traditions

From $1,280 USD

Spend a weekend immersed in the rich history, deeply rooted tradition, and constantly evolving art-scape of northern New Mexico.

art & performance

Vienna: Salon Sonatas and Klimt Up Close

From $2,625 USD

Immerse yourself in Vienna’s rich artistic culture of past and present—from the historic coffee houses that have hosted creative salons for centuries to world-renowned musical venues.

Walking the Hidden Wonders of Midtown

New York, New York

The Art of Solving a Cold Case

Boulder, Colorado

Inside Look at The Bunny Museum

Altadena, California

Inside the Holographer's Laboratory

New York, New York

Tour of a Shoemaker's Workshop

Seattle, Washington

The Spies of Georgetown

Washington, D.C.

Explore The US Lunar Space Program

Downey, California

Stargaze through an Apollo 11 Telescope

Berthoud, Colorado

Lost and Long-Gone Graveyards of L.A.

Los Angeles, California

New York City Clock Walk

New York, New York

Atlas Obscura's Wonders of FiDi

New York, New York

Behind the Scenes at the City Reliquary

Brooklyn, New York

View All Experiences

For These Young Street Artists, Amman Is a Beige Canvas

Color, community, and empowerment are enlivening Jordan's capital.

Jason Ruffin February 18, 2020

A Fossilized Skull May Solve the Mystery of a Chameleon Migration

A raft very likely carried chameleons between Madagascar and mainland Africa—but in which direction?

Sabrina Imbler February 18, 2020

What Is the Hardest Language in the World to Lipread?

There's a whole lot we don't know about vision and speech perception.

Dan Nosowitz February 18, 2020

See 500 Years of Artful Nature Illustrations

Over 57 million pages of wildlife are catalogued.

Isaac Schultz February 17, 2020

17 Jaw-Dropping Cliffhangers

Precarious observatories, windswept lighthouses, remote monasteries, and other places that are literally on the edge.

How Ancient Tooth Plaque Solved the Mystery of the Banana's Trans-Pacific Journey

3,000-year-old microparticles prove the fruit traveled across the ocean with early Pacific Islanders.

Reina Gattuso February 17, 2020

The Man Who Turned His Home Into a ‘Mosaic Palace’

Yossi Lugasi spent decades making portraits of famous people out of smashed ceramics.

Gitit Ginat February 17, 2020

This 6-Foot Brachiosaurus Fossil Hitched a Ride With Two Clydesdale Horses

Their names are Molly and Darla.

Sabrina Imbler February 17, 2020

objects of intrigue

How a Trashed Italian Manuscript Got Sewn Into a Sweet Silk Purse

Book waste can be beautiful.

Jessica Leigh Hester February 14, 2020

The Legend of a Cave and the Traces of the Underground Railroad in Ohio

In 1892, a newspaper described a cave that sheltered 21 formerly enslaved people. Ohioans are still looking for it.

Kevin Williams February 14, 2020

The Carolinas' Mysterious Great White Shark Cluster Is Not Mysterious, Not a Cluster

They're just doing what sharks do.

Sabrina Imbler February 14, 2020

What Tiny Snail Poop Could Mean For Latin America's Coffee Farms

“I just followed a trail of excrement.”

Luke Fater February 13, 2020

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