World-renowned architects are adding 21st-century design to the medieval landscapes of Portugal's second largest city-the Casa da Musica theater by Rem Koolhaas and the Serralves Contemporary Art Museum by Pritzker Prize-winning Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza.
This under-the-radar province is emerging as Eastern Europe's newest wine region. Ninety-four percent of the Czech Republic's burgeoning wine production (Gruner Veltliner and Cabernet Moravia) comes from its rolling vineyards and castle-topped towns. The regional capital, Brno, in the center of Moravia, is dotted with Modernist houses designed by Adolf Loos and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (the creator of the famous Brno chair) and is perfect jumping-off point for exploring the area.
The collapse of Iceland's financial system last year has made Reykjavik's cafes, industrial-chic nightspots, and restaurants more affordable than ever.
Once known as a gritty seaport, this coastal city has recently spruced up its waterfront and is attracting a more sophisticated crowd from Paris.
The southwestern coast of Sicily-just 1.5 hours outside of Palermo-remains relatively undiscovered, but a host of new hotels is putting this region on the global travelers' map.
Affordable inns and restaurants, plus world-class diving, snorkeling, and windsurfing are making this 112-square-mile island one of the Caribbean's best spots.
One of the largest islands in the French West Indies, Martinique attracts Francophiles looking for affordable, alternative to St. Bart's.
This cluster of 99 islands off Malaysia's northwestern coast is a relative neophyte when it comes to tourism. Most of the main island remains a nature-lover's paradise, swathed in mangrove and tropical rain forests, and it was recently designated a UNESCO Geopark-the first in Southeast Asia.
A mere eight years ago, Ko Lanta was an isolated jungle on an inaccessible island. Since then, a handful of resorts have settled in along its palm-lined coves.
While this ancient capital of China is slowly modernizing, it remains staunchly loyal to its past. Witness new restaurants, hotels, and the Nanjing Museum of Art & Architecture-set to open next summer-all juxtaposed with centuries-old monuments and traditions.
This archipelago in northern Panama is experiencing a mini boom in lodges, where travelers can escape the crowds of the more popular Bocas del Toro.
The city's Old Town-a restored UNESCO World Heritage site-is a window into the country's colonial past, full of painstakingly renovated mansions and churches, new restaurants and hotels, and recently opened museums. This year, the city celebrates 200 years of independence from Spain with hundreds of cultural performances.
This 112-mile coastline isn't just about Sayulita anymore. From San Blas to Punta Mita, new hotels and restaurants have begun to pop up.
A formerly rough-and-tumble wool-trading outpost in southern Patagonia, tiny El Calafate has now been discovered by adventure junkies and celebrities such as Francis Ford Coppola, who scouted the area for an upcoming film.
No, the surf-and-turf dives and bush food-themed tourist joints haven't been replaced by haute cafes. But a culinary flux is under way in Far North Queensland.
With a handful of low-key resorts, this island group is an affordable alternative to its affluent neighbors Tahiti & Bora-Bora.
This yachting-obsessed city has more than its share of sophisticated food and art. Best of all, the exchange rate turns the city's hotels, restaurants, and boutiques into affordable indulgences.
Just off the eastern shore of Lake Victoria, Rusinga Island is blissfully laid-back. The arrival of a new Micato Safaris lodge probably won't change that, but is giving travelers a stylish place to unplug.
This city has one of the world's most exciting music scenes-from reggae, rap, and hip-hop to traditional tribal drum, string, flute, and xylophone. Indeed, Dakar is a nonstop concert, as CD's blare in the streets and markets and live musicians and bands hold forth in any number of cool clubs, cafes, and dance boites.
