From Kinkaku-ji's gold-leaf pavilion reflected in still water to a rock garden whose 15 stones have inspired contemplation for five centuries

From a Swiss alpine crossing at nearly 7,000 feet to a Mexican canyon four times deeper than the Grand Canyon, the world's most scenic train rides

From Boldt Castle's tragic love story on a Saint Lawrence River island to a ruined Hudson River warehouse that hosts movie nights in the dark

From Cascais surf breaks a half-hour from Lisbon to a Michelin-recognized restaurant in a tiny cliff-top village near the Spanish border

From Cahir Castle's river island where Excalibur was filmed to a Galway tower that drew Yeats and Shaw to its literary banquets