High atop the Eiffel Tower is a small apartment built exclusively to entertain the science elite and make the rest of Paris jealous.

This lower Manhattan bar is set up in an old bank vault that rests beneath a skyscraper that hides even more historic splendor.

The "mysteries" of this quintessential roadside oddity were almost destroyed by neglect but were saved by fans of kitschy wonder.

This WWII aircraft museum presents its wrecks like taxidermy, complete with recreations of the crash sites.

This restored opera house is named after a soprano known for tragic romance, exile, and a truly uncomfortable wedding.

Built by the inventor of the radio, this abandoned hotel has housed early radio employees, military men, and a dangerous cult.

This jaw-dropping 19th-century bridge uses its reflection to form what appears to be a perfect circle.

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.

A book collector's dream, this Toronto bookstore has the world's first "Biblio-Mat," a random book vending machine.

A shape-shifting buy-sell-trade bookstore, born to Beatnik Era spirit.

The beautiful baroque library of the Hapsburg empire.

A library built during San Francisco's pioneer times is a student's retreat, bibliophile's sanctuary, and chess player's delight.

An ancient monastery, a locked room, and a mysterious book heist.

The curios of pharmacist and collector Henry Wellcome.

Always a new use for this old building.

Architecturally stunning library serves as the hub of Finnish scholarly life and culture.

"All Mountains - All The Time."

This massive library holds what was once the largest book collection in the world.

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.

Walk upon the mementos of the dead in this Parisian courtyard paved with medieval tombstones.

France's national museum of scientific and industrial instruments.

The very center of Paris is surrounded by a bevy of strange good luck rituals.

This former “ante-chamber to the guillotine” has been refurbished to illustrate the brutal history of French justice.

The oldest stone house in Paris was built by its most famous alchemist.