Devious political maneuvering and four ancient, working telescopes are central to the world's second-oldest observatory.

Pull up and have a drink at a museum filled with hundreds of years worth of shipwreck artifacts.

The tallest waterfall in the Netherlands is a lovely, stepped feature that is only 50 feet tall.

Rich with fauna and flora, nature-lovers can walk across the sea at this UNESCO World Heritage spot.

A true Valhalla for cactus and succulent lovers.

A market built atop boats is one of the few floating holiday markets in Europe.

Go inside a revolutionary, cage-less zoo where 70 species of monkeys roam free alongside their human visitors.

A rare tour of an aristocrat's private home reveals valuable 17th-century paintings from artists like Rembrandt.

A 'living museum' in Leiden, the oldest of its kind in the Netherlands.

Oldest Museum of the Netherlands is a true cabinet of curiosities.

Unsurprisingly, Holland is home to one of the most magnificent flower gardens in the world.

The Bloemen Route, or “Flower Route”, stretches 25 miles through prime Dutch tulip country as a result of “tulip mania,” the world’s first economic bubble.

This impressive collection of rare books on ancient mysticism inspired author Dan Brown.

An ancient passage filled with stalls selling used books, once frequented by Vincent Van Gogh.

This small town in the Netherlands has no roads but instead, miles of canals and over 100 bridges.

This historic Amsterdam bar used to accept sailor's monkeys as payment.

A floating cat sanctuary on an Amsterdam canal.

An Amsterdam street lined with antique shops each one dedicated to a different obscure collection.

The world's only museum devoted to the wonders of fluorescence.

150 or so scrounged-up lamps, chandeliers, and lanterns light up this alley in central Athens.

These abandoned salt flats are now a haven for wildlife.

Overlooking the harbor is a beautiful neglected mansion guarded by two Egyptian sphinxes.

A small island with shimmering pink sands, home to loggerhead turtles and rare plants.

A miniature desert appears out of nowhere on the lush isle of Lemnos, like something out of a Greek myth.