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Tehran, Iran
National Garden Gate
Tehran's pre-Azadi icon: a gate to a garden that barely existed, where a bugler once announced dawn and dusk to the city.
From the CommunityBlue
Blue has been an important color since ancient times. Often associated with peace and harmony, explore our collection for calm vibes.
Kashan, Iran
Mahinestan Raheb Hotel
A Qajar mansion with three courtyards (one for family, one for guests, one for servants) now welcomes everyone equally.
From the Community
Wanaka, New Zealand
Wānaka Lavender Farm
A freestanding purple door in a lavender field frames nothing but mountains and has become irresistibly photogenic.
From the Community
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Haji Yaqub Mosque
Built for a mystic who mastered the art of disappearing.
From the Community
West Coast Region, New Zealand
Brewster Hut
At 1,460 metres in New Zealand's Southern Alps, this hut has no heating and a water tank that runs dry when you need it most.
From the Community
Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Cabo Pulmo EcoAdventures
This fishing village gave up fishing in 1995. Now it has the largest fish biomass recovery ever recorded in a marine reserve.
From the Community
Superior, Arizona, United States
Superior Climbing Shack
A former copper mining town reinvents itself one climbing route at a time, with 1,000 sport climbs replacing underground shafts.
From the Community
Shiraz, Iran
Nasir al-Mulk Mosque
This mosque's expensive gamble turns morning prayers into a daily light show.
From the Community
Brussels, Belgium
De Brouckere Metro Station
Belgium's first underground route opened in 1969- as a tramway, not a metro.
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Barcelona, Spain
Barceloneta Beach
A man made beach built from imported sand for the 1992 Olympics.
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Tabriz, Iran
Imam Khomeini Mosalla
Tabriz's forever-unfinished prayer hall has been accused of undermining its ancient neighbor.
From the Community
Nancy, France
Musée de l’École de Nancy
Nancy's Art Nouveau movement was born from displacement—refugees fleeing German annexation created 'art for all.'
From the Community
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Leknes, Norway
Haukland Beach Cafe
A beachside café in the Arctic Circle where the first 20 minutes of parking are free- just enough time to test the 9°C water.
From the Community
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Playa Grande
When Argentine aristocrats tired of crowds, they founded their own beach in 1912. With better waves.
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Paris, France
Eiffel Tower
The con man who sold the Eiffel Tower twice... because the first buyer was too embarrassed to call the cops.
Karkala, India
St. Lawrence Minor Basilica
A basilica in Karnataka that looks like a Disney castle, built on the spot where a wooden statue of St. Lawrence refused to be carried further.
From the Community
Naryn, Kyrgyzstan
Song Kol Lake
Song Kol sits under snow for 200 days each year. Families arrive in June, hang laundry from vans, graze herds, then vanish by October.
From the Community
Creemore, Ontario, Canada
Creemore Springs Brewery
Mauled by a tiger during the Depression, sold a brewery for $25 million at 74.
From the Community
Rheinfelden, Switzerland
Feldschlösschen Brewery
A warm winter nearly destroyed Switzerland's largest brewery before it began.
From the Community
Jaipur, India
Albert Hall
A town hall turned museum housing an Egyptian mummy, because Jaipur doesn't do anything halfway.
Kampar, Malaysia
Bandar Agacia
Once a pastel Disney-inspired township with cafés, themed streets, and dreams of a Cinderella castle didn't quite see a fairytale ending (yet!).
From the Community
Bucharest, Romania
Ateneo Rumeno
Ateneo Rumeno (The Romanian Athenaeum) is both music hall and time capsule, a space that preserves memory as carefully as sound.
From the Community
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague Castle
A carefully choreographed ceremony has been taking place at this impressive castle complex, protecting well-hidden crown jewels.
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Paris, France
Le Grand Mazarin
If a Wes Anderson film, Alice in Wonderland, and a Parisian salon joined forces to create a hotel, it might look like Le Grand Mazarin.
From the Community
McMurdo Station, Antarctica
Chapel of the Snows
The Chapel of the Snows is Antarctica’s southernmost interfaith church, offering reflection, community, and warmth at the coldest place on Earth.
From the Community
Danco Island, Antarctica
Danco Island
Unlike the massive Antarctic terrain or the enormous blue skies above, Danco Island is notably small—just 1 mile long.
AWA visted here
Port Foster, Deception Island
Deception Island / Whalers Bay
Shaped like a C, the island’s natural harbor, Whalers Bay, is actually the crater of a volcano that spends most of its time sleeping underwater.
AWA visted here
Point Wild, Elephant Island
Elephant Island / Point Wild
Four and a half months of survival against all odds: The harrowing story of Shackleton's men on Elephant Island.
AWA visted here
Longyearbyen, Svalbard
Svalbard Church
It is also always open, serving as a safe space to duck into if you happen to be chased by a polar bear.
Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard
Northernmost
Ny-Ålesund, populated by a few dozen people, is the world’s northernmost permanent settlement.
Svalbard, Svalbard
Wilderness Adventures
More inclined toward twenty-four hours of pitch darkness and temperatures that drop as low as −20°C? Visit in December or January!
Svalbard, Svalbard
Where Polar Bears Apply
Polar bears are collectively referred to as an “aurora” or as a “celebration”—until you find yourself face-to-face with one.
Sisimiut and Ilulissat, Greenland
Greenland Airports
Flights to Greenland are rarely taken on a whim, so visitors are likely aware that they’ve signed up to arrive at the edge of the world.
From the Community
Seoul, South Korea
Bongeunsa Temple
Entering feels like a gentle escape into an oasis with lanterns.
Sidhpur, India
Abandoned Mansions of Sidhpur
Whether you view Sidhpur as a place of splendor or desolation, few ghost towns exhibit such dramatic multicolored flair.