Every major community in Bhutan has its own dzong, a centre for religious, civic and administrative life, but none is quite as magnificent as Thimphu's Tashichho Dzong. Though this iteration was built in the 18th century, there has been a dzong at this site since 1216, making it one of the most important religious and political places in the country.

The Utah Olympic Park hosted the 2002 Olympic Winter Games as a prime competition venue. It held Nordic jumping, bobsled, luge, and skeleton. Now there are nearly 400 acres of sporting facilities and visitor areas that can accommodate over 300,000 people. Watch athletes in training, explore the Alf Engen Ski History Museum and the 2002 Eccles Winter Olympic Museum. There are daily guided tours of the Olympic competition sites, public bobsled rides, starting in December, and chair lifts to the K120 Ski Jump’s summit.

Plaça de la Independència is the elegant neoclassical heart of Girona, designed by Martí Sureda in the 19th century on the site of a former Augustine convent. Its porticoed arches frame a lively scene of locals and visitors dining or sipping coffee under the shade. The square’s name honours Girona’s defenders during the 1808–1809 siege by Napoleonic forces, a struggle memorialised by Antoni Parera’s central monument in 1894. By day, it’s a prime spot for people-watching; by night, the terraces fill with revellers enjoying tapas and evening drinks. An essential stop for both history and atmosphere.