Just a few miles off the western coast of Ireland lies an isle steeped in Irish literary history.

The ruins of this gorgeous clifftop castle look like something from a fantasy novel.

The gloomy ruins that inspired Bram Stoker to bring Dracula to life.

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.

These tombs were built into the side of a mountain so that ancient angels could reach the dead.

An abandoned relic of the city's failed experiment with below ground transit.

Each spring, a dreamlike carpet of bluebells overtakes the forest floor.

Venice's "Island of the Mad."

Perfectly preserved ancient monastery in an impossibly dramatic location on a rocky island in the Atlantic.

This South London cemetery holds the remains of more than 15,000 people.

Ruined 11th century abbey built by King David I in Edinburgh, Scotland.

A church that bred legends, and served as an inspiration for the Da Vinci Code.

Below a historic English market town lies a secret underground city complete with kitchens, laundries, storerooms, and an underground lake.

A sprawling Baroque park with 300-year-old hydro-pneumatic waterworks.

The hallucinogenic center of the ancient world.

The only remaining collection of flayed figures made by French "madman" Honoré Fragonard.

This French ghost town from World War II has been left as a memorial to German atrocities during World War II.

This classic restaurant features a gorgeous mirror-clad room.

A museum of carnival attractions where you are invited to ride the rides.

A 200-year-old prison that now houses a peculiar crime museum.

Abandoned medieval hill town.

Winding paths and ramshackle mausoleums in the oldest "park cemetery" in London.

The largest catacomb system in the world.

One of the few remaining casualties of the London Blitz, this destroyed church has become an enchanting public garden.