A sacred mountaintop temple offers a fine cup of tea to visitors who can survive the journey.

Perched on a spindly rock spire in a Greek archipelago, this lighthouse would make a perfect wizard's tower.

This domed temple was built in a hidden cave mouth as a refuge for sinners seeking absolution.

An abused and forgotten metropolis, abandoned for centuries.

This innocent-looking townhome is actually a subway exit.

A prized globe signed by Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh sits in the Brooklyn office of the American Geographical Society.

Isolated atop this Balinese sea crag is a lovely Hindu temple that is said to be guarded by sea snakes.

The massive gardens and office of a Brazilian sculptor.

Graffiti covers the walls of a room where university students through the centuries have waited nervously to defend their theses.

The shortest in the world, this landing strip stretches a mere 1,312 feet before steep cliffs on either end plunge into the Caribbean.

A series of five defunct panopticon prisons in Cuba.

One of the world's southernmost bars.

The abandoned mine where American troops discovered a treasure trove of art and artifacts hidden by the Nazis.

An architect transformed this abandoned cement factory into his castle-like workshop.

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient cult.

Hundreds of lucky felines haunt the ruins where Caesar was murdered.

A 16th-century horror show built in a lovely Italian garden.

An ancient city exhumed from the depths of the ocean.

In this small Phoenix taxidermy emporium, you can find everything from a squid in a jar to a freeze-dried toad.

This statue commemorates one of medieval England’s most courageous heroes.

The medieval ferry service has been going strong since the 14th century.

Travel back in time at a Moroccan-inspired restaurant that was the height of glamor in the 1970s.

A symbol of friendship between the mountainous regions of Switzerland and Bhutan.

The idyllic island where the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau spent “the happiest time of his life.”