This maximum-security prison was abandoned to make way for a national park.

A self-taught astronomer fell in love with the stars and built his own observatory in Colombia.

This dramatic monument in Colombia honors a little-known indigenous fighter for independence.

A museum dedicated to one of Portugal's most celebrated writers.

After the owner of this Art Nouveau home died, it was turned into a museum displaying a lifetime dedicated to art.

This unique architectural wonder is also tied to one of the 20th-century's most renowned writers.

This little-known national museum houses over 40,000 works of art from across the world.

One man's remarkable private collection of art from around the world.

Located in the thermoelectric factory that once powered the entire city, this Portuguese museum is shockingly fascinating.

Portugal's National Pantheon has a history of curses, collapses and financial problems.

A garden in Lisbon filled with giant porcelain creatures.

This once-forgotten oasis in the middle of Lisbon was first created over a century ago quite by accident.

A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.

A must for film lovers in Madrid and home to the Spanish Film Library's projection space.

This Art Nouveau gate still stands at the former entrance of a 20th-century Spanish writer's colony.

This unassuming bookstore in the heart of Madrid is one of the oldest in Spain.

A reproduction of the famous prehistoric cave paintings is hidden underground at the National Archaeological Museum.

An iconic and controversial ancient Iberian funerary urn with a hauntingly penetrating gaze.

This fascinating and poignant museum chronicles every imaginable aspect of Spanish colonialism in the Americas.

This small and often-overlooked museum holds some of Spain's finest artistic treasures.

One of the world's oldest universities houses an incredible collection of anatomical models, mummified body parts, and human bones.

The earliest known map to show America, discovered by accident at a Paris bookshop.

Over two centuries old and counting, Madrid's massive botanical garden contains one of Europe's only desert environments.

A lush indoor jungle fills this bustling Madrid transportation hub.