Strolling through Madrid is a great way to see the lavish Royal Palace, the 16th-century Puerta del Sol (Sun's Gate) marking the center of Spain, the old Moorish quarter of Moreria and much more.

If watching the sunrise from atop a 10,000-foot volcano, swimming under waterfalls, hiking through craters and luxuriating on white-, red- and even black-sand beaches sounds like paradise, then Maui awaits.

Venice makes you a believer in fairy tales. Cars are banned, so the only way to get around the 1,500-year-old city is by foot or by water.

Coveted by empires and republics throughout its history, Innsbruck was the seat of the imperial court of Maximilian I by the end of the 15th century.