Mardi Gras isn't just a single day — Fat Tuesday, the last day before Lent — but a nearly entire month of festivities. It all starts on Twelfth Night, January 6, when the city becomes obsessed with eating, costuming, bead-tossing and parading, which all increase in intensity as Ash Wednesday nears. All weekends leading up to Fat Tuesday see parades roll all over town. Bands, marching groups, boats, and costumed riders toss beads and other accessories to the crowds. The celebration is also child-friendly: the Uptown parade route and suburban parades are entirely family oriented.

Earl Anton Grassalkovich had this Rococo-late Baroque summer palace with a French garden built in 1760. In the 18th century, there was a lot of social activity in the palace and guests included the Austrian composer Joseph Haydn. After some reconstruction in 1996, the palace became the seat of the president of the Slovak Republic.

Temple Of Literature, built in 1070 under Lý Thánh Tông’s dynasty, can be found about ten minutes from Hoan Kiem Lake. The temple is one of the oldest sights in Hanoi and is dedicated to the Chinese philosopher Confucius (Khong Tu). Six years later, it was founded as Vietnam's first university. The building is extremely well preserved, with landscaped courtyards, several altars and shrines, and a beautiful example of traditional-style Vietnamese architecture.