The medieval network of canals hidden underneath the city is opened to explorers each year.

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

This effigy of Peter the Great is greatly disproportionate.

A city block packed with whimsical sculptures that seem to be plucked from a tiled fantasy world.

Perhaps the tiniest sculpture in Saint Petersburg is a little bronze finch inspired by a song.

A small and surprising passageway in Saint Petersburg devoted to the Beatles.

Once frequented by heavyweights of the Russian arts scene, this café is stuck in the 1800s.

Mostly underground in the old days Back in the USSR, today the Beatles beckon to tourists from a wall sculpture out in the open in central Russia.

Monastery complex at the location where bodies of the executed Romanov royal family were discovered.

This Russian locomotive museum was once devoted just to Lenin's funeral before expanding to encompass Moscow's entire train history.

Immortal combat in a Moscow museum.

The Victorian-era greenhouse is stuffed with tropical plants, and open 365 days a year.

Armenia's premier center of astrophysical research was established during the Soviet era.

She asked for a potato cellar and over the next 23 years he gave her a network of holy caves.

This medieval manuscript collection has some of the most obscure and ancient texts in the world.

One man’s collection of photography books has transformed into a charming exhibition space.

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

A lovingly curated curio shop in which the taxidermy wear newspaper party hats, and peanut shells are spread across every surface.

Villas that once served as playgrounds for the rich now fall away in decay.

This insurance company building reminds customers that witches, bears, and gnomes are out there, best be insured.