If you want a break from the city’s streets, the Boboli Gardens offer plenty of green space along with a good dose of history. Spread out behind the Pitti Palace, the gardens are filled with sculptures from the 16th to 18th centuries—and a few pieces dating back to Roman times. While you’re there, don’t miss the Porta Romana nearby, an old city gate with its own story.

Over a century old, the Speicherstadt is the world's largest integrated complex of warehouses. Visitors to Hamburg will discover a picturesque setting of Wilhelmine era Gothic architecture rendered in red brick, featuring unusual gables and towers. Precious commodities are stored at controlled temperatures behind the massive walls: coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, tobacco, and the world's largest collection of Oriental rugs. If you're pressed for time or wish to give your feet a rest after exploring the city, consider taking a one-hour evening boat tour. The Speicherstadt looks particularly enchanting at sunset.

Florence wasn’t just the Medici’s playground—the Strozzi family had their own share of power, and this palace was built to prove it. Filippo Strozzi the Elder commissioned it to show up the Medici and make a statement about his family’s status. These days, the Renaissance palace hosts rotating international art exhibitions and cultural events, and it’s one of the city’s top spots for contemporary shows in a historic setting.

In 1864, when Timisoara was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the Jews of the empire were emancipated and in the same year, they were granted the right to build this impressive synagogue. It was turned into the Romanian Jewish History Museum years later.