Housed in an old British jail, this spot serves up Georgian, Russian, and Ukrainian specialities with a side of Turkish history.

The only Roman honorific column in Istanbul.

This shuttered power plant is now Turkey's first industrial archaeology museum.

Ancient serpentine sacrifice holder that has stood the test of time.

No one is sure if the world's fourth-largest diamond had been found in a rubbish heap or was pawned by Napoleon's mom.

Climb a steep hill in 90 seconds on the second-oldest urban subway in the world.

Large miniature theme park with 100-plus models.

A gorgeous, Gaudí-esque stairway constructed in the city of Istanbul by a prominent Jewish family.

Legend says if you stick your thumb in the hole and it gets wet your wish will be granted.

1513 Turkish world map, full of European state secrets and snarky commentary.

This remarkably well-preserved Egyptian plinth is pretty well traveled for a giant piece of stone.

Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.

A meow-velous tribute to a beloved street cat, made famous on the internet.

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.

The ornate miniature mansions were built for Istanbul's feathered residents.

A section of the long chain that blocked enemy ships from entering Constantinople.

This column celebrates Rome's victory over the Goths, and may be the oldest Roman monument in Istanbul.

For more than a century, Parisians have come for affordable dishes in a grand converted train station.

Despite being considered a thoroughly American sport, basketball's oldest surviving playing field is found in the basement of a Paris YMCA.

Charles Dickens described the concert room in this amazing Victorian hall as "the most perfect room in the world."

A model train wonderland hidden beneath Gare de l'Est station.

A giant silver apple a day keeps the perils of capitalism away.

This small, ingenious cannon once helped regulate Parisian life.

A beautiful Victorian statue shows France's enduring love of the rhinoceros.