During the Late Middle Ages, before the start of the European Age of Exploration, Marco Polo traveled across all of Asia, while Zheng He led several expeditions in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. However, another explorer traveled more than both of them combined: Ibn Battuta. During the 14th century he crossed all of North…
The area along the west bank of the Rhine river in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany houses several large cities and historic sites. Among these is Cologne, the largest city in the region and one of the major cultural centers in the country. When visiting Cologne, it’s easy to take a day trip to…
Stretching for about 30,000 km and crossing the entire North American and South American continents, the Pan-American Highway is regarded as the longest road in the world. In reality, the Pan-American Highway is not a single road, but a network of roads that extends from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, with a single break along…
Between the 17th and the 19th century, it was a custom for wealthy Europeans to take a trip around Europe, usually in their early 20s. This trip, known as the Grand Tour, was a popular rite of passage during which travelers studied the culture and history of Europe, especially the heritage of classical antiquity and…
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia, hosting around a third of the entire population of the country. The city is located near the mouth of Daugava river, which flows into the Baltic Sea, and it is the main tourist destination of Latvia, as well as its most important economic and cultural center…
Sitting on the southern shores of the Gulf of Finland, Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. In fact, it houses a third of the country’s entire population, and it is also its main economic and cultural hub, as well as its main tourist destination. The city is known for its beautiful and…
Located at the southern tip of South America, Ushuaia is the capital of the Tierra del Fuego province, in Argentina. The city is located on a bay along the Beagle Channel, which separates Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, the largest island in the archipelago, from some minor islands to the south. With a population…
Prague is a popular tourist destination, with several historic attractions famous all over the world, like its 15th-century astronomical clock, the iconic Old Town Square, and the medieval Charles Bridge, just to name a few. However, while walking around the city, it’s impossible not to notice various peculiar landmarks. In fact, Prague is populated by…
Deep in the southern Pacific Ocean, hundreds of kilometers from the nearest inhabited land, are the tiny Pitcairn Islands. This is a group of four volcanic islands called Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno, which form a British Overseas Territory and have a total area of just 47 km2. Pitcairn Island is the only one that…
Just 28 kilometers west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, lies the small town of Trakai. The village, which only houses around 5,000 people, is located on a narrow strip of land surrounded by lakes, the largest of which is Lake Galvė. This lake is dotted with tiny islands, including the one that houses the…