The 2.5-km-long Margaret Island between Buda and Pest makes for a perfect lazy day outside the bustling city centre. The island is home to a small zoo, an art nouveau water tower, medieval ruins, and a beloved musical fountain. It also offers an array of outdoor activities with jogging tracks, thermal spas, and swimming pools. During the summer, Margaret Island comes alive with bars, restaurants, and live music.

Staten Island might be the city’s quietest borough, but it’s full of character and history. The free Staten Island Ferry runs all day and night, offering great views of the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan before docking in St. George, where 19th-century architecture meets local culture. Stop by the restored St. George Theatre, the National Lighthouse Museum, or the Staten Island Museum, which mixes natural history, art, and local exhibits. Green space is everywhere here. The Staten Island Greenbelt offers miles of trails and woodlands, and in summer, the island’s beaches are popular for kayaking and relaxing by the water. For a closer look at local history, visit the Alice Austen House, once home to one of America’s first female photographers, or explore Historic Richmond Town, a preserved village with buildings and artifacts that trace island life back to the 1600s. Staten Island also has a growing food scene, especially around St. George and Stapleton, where you’ll find local breweries and waterfront restaurants worth discovering.

Inspired by the award-winning Sinai Trail and founded by the local Kushmaan Bedouin tribe, the Red Sea Mountain Trail spans 170 km, taking you into less explored territory and wild landscapes that were once part of trade, shepherd and smuggling routes. A Bedouin guide will accompany you through the entire 10-day-long hike, but there are easier alternative routes that can be taken anytime.

Visitors and locals can feel like Paleontologists at the Naco Paleo Site. Invertebrate fossils remain from the days in which Arizona lay beneath shallow seas some 40-50 feet deep—300 million years ago. Find fossils of the ancestors of modern-day fish, reptiles, and insects.