The legendary luxury train passage is commemorated with a charming museum inside its former eastern terminus.

One of the largest wooden constructions in Europe was meant to be a casino, but soon became an orphanage.

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.

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

A fountain standing as a testament to a doomed alliance.

Large miniature theme park with 100-plus models.

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

This museum was invented in a novel before being made real by the author.

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

An Art Nouveau gem hides beneath the layers of city grime obscuring this once-magnificent building.

The most metal church of all time was built in record time because of an international, pious pissing contest.

A sixth-century Byzantine cistern hidden below a modern carpet store.

Have tea in a cemetery with a dazzling view of Istanbul.

This crucial gathering spot along the "hippie trail" still displays old notes between traveling beatniks and backpackers.

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

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.

This faded sign to nowhere is a beloved icon in New Zealand.

Taihape's claim to fame is a fictional Kiwi farmer wearing gumboots.

What began as a makeshift lost and found, now exists as a unique art installation.

This mechanical clock performs "Romeo and Juliet" in a Shakespeare-themed New Zealand town.

New Zealand's oldest prison holds a dark history and the scars of a deadly earthquake.

A charmingly old-fashioned reminder of the historic building's former life.

A hidden gem of a museum that lets you search for your own fossils.

A strange machine made to evaluate the world economy using water and lots of tubes.