Interested in exploring a city with a rich history, world-class museums, a vibrant culture and is less than two hours away? Than say “hola Mexico City’!

Mexico City is a colorful tapestry of art, food, modern architecture, abject poverty, clogged roadways and citizens with a passion for life. Visiting an unfamiliar city can be a little intimidating, but you might want to begin in the Centro Histórico district, which encompasses the historic downtown. There you can wander the Zócalo, the largest plaza in Latin American.

Metropolitan Cathedral

Looming over the Zócalo like a majestic patriarch is the grand Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest in the America’s. One cannot help but be reminded of the magnificent cathedrals in Europe when walking through its large doors. The Metropolitan Cathedral, which took 240 years to complete, features four facades that are flanked by enormous columns and religious artwork. The two giant bell towers contain 25 bells.

Also worth checking out nearby is the National Palace and the ruins of the Templo Mayor featuring a museum that houses artifacts recovered from the site. You’ll also discover roof top restaurants offering panoramic views of the city center to rest and refresh yourself before moving on to your next stop.

Palacio de las Bellas Artes

Taking a leisurely stroll down the Francisco l. Madero Avenue brings you to the Palacio de las Bellas Artes, a spectacular building and home to a collection of statues, paintings and murals from some of Mexico’s finest artists including Freda Kahlo, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros. The Palacio de las Bellas Artes is also home to the National Theatre, whose old world charm provide a perfect setting to see a performance by the Folklórico de México Compania Nacional.

Pyramid of the Sun

No trip to Mexico City would be complete without a visit to Teotihuacán, the ancient Mesoamerican city that was established around 100 B.C. There you will find the massive Pyramid of the Sun and slightly smaller Pyramid of the Moon. Found along the Avenue of the Dead, the Pyramid of the Sun is one of the largest structures of its kind in the Western Hemisphere and third largest in the world. Not much is known about the ancient city that covers 8 square miles and included temples and housing for nearly 200,000 citizens. The Aztecs who discovered it 600 years after the city was destroyed named it “the place where the gods were created”.

Climbing the 248 steps to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun can be challenging. Mexico City sits almost a mile and half above sea level, so the air is much thinner. Still the 360-degree views are spectacular and well worth a few moments of strained breathing and catching your breath.

There are several transportation options to visiting Teotihuacán. You can take public transportation, hire a cab or private car, or book one the many excursions offered by various tour companies. Consider getting there early in the day. It is less crowded, the temperature is cooler and you can observe the hot air balloons tours gentling floating overhead, offering tourists a unique view of this UNESCO site.

La Casa Azul

Mexico City may not have a Louvre or Rijksmuseum, but it does have a little blue house where tourists line-up around the block to enter. La Casa Azul was the home to Freda Kahlo, one of Mexico’s greatest artists. The Blue House rests in the quaint Coyoacán district and offers visitors the chance to walk about where she and husband Diego Rivera worked and lived. Be sure to purchase your tickets online before you go to avoid the inevitable long lines.

You won’t find a lot of her work there, but you do get insight into her life while strolling through the rooms and gardens that inspired her life. Kahlo suffered from several injuries that are evidenced by a collection of back braces, plastic corsets and a prosthetic leg. There are also dresses Kahlo designed which, instead of hiding her need for braces, highlighted them in a very forward fashion sense.

When you’re done visiting the La Casa Azul, it is worth taking a walk down the Ignacio Allende to the Mercado de Coyoacán. It is your typical Mexican market, crammed from floor to ceiling with goods ranging from souvenirs, housewares, a pet store and a florist shop. There is also a large food court offering many varieties of dishes, fruit drinks and candies. The aisles are tightly packed and making your way through the maze of vendors can be challenging, but there are bargains to be found with a little bit of haggling.

Continuing down Ignacio Allende, be sure to stop by the Café El Jarocho for a special cup of coffee. Opened in 1953, the traditional Mexican café offers various coffee drinks from the Jarocho bean that is grown in the northern mountains of Veracruz. The coffee features a nutty taste loved by locals and tourists alike, but you may need to be patient as lines can reach up to 30 minutes in wait time.

Just a few more blocks takes you to Plaza Hidalgo and Jardín Centenairo, two charming central plazas that sit side by side and allow you to sit and enjoy the tranquil fountains, lush gardens, the impressive Parroquia San Juan Bautista. There are also many restaurants offering local fair overlooking the plazas.

Queso fundido con chapulines y mezal

Food in Mexico City is rich in tradition. There are tortillas, tacos, tostada, quesadillas, enchiladas and antojitos that are comprised of small dishes served as appetizers or snacks. There’s also central Mexican cuisine made with spices blended from the Aztec, Spanish, African and European cultures. Don’t have time to sit and eat? No problem. Food vendors seem to be on every street corner and locals swear by them.

For something outside the box, consider enjoying a quick lunch at the El Catamarán just off the Centenario Garden. The queso fundido con chapulines (grasshoppers) y mezal, served with warm corn and flour tortillas with a cold cerveza and view of the Fuente de Los Coyotes is a wonderful way to experience México auténtico.

Every great city features a magnificent park and Mexico City is no exception. The Bosque de Chapultepec offers vast green space, miles of paved walked ways leading through woods, charming gardens and lakes. The remarkable hilltop Castillo de Chapultepec, which houses the Museo Nactional de Historio, offers stunning views of the city and worth the climb even if you don’t take time to enter the museum.

The Bosque de Chapultepec is also home to the internationally celebrated Museo Nacional de Antropologia. This massive museum offers a stunning collection original artifacts and walks visitors through a very organized and complete history of the country from prehistoric Mexico to today. Be sure to arrive early and plan on spending much of the day if you wish to visit all the halls in this museum has to offer.

While there, you can make a quick visit to the Mueso de Arte Mederno that houses collections from Frida Kahlo, José Luis Cuevas, Manuel Felguérez and of course, Diego Rivera. There are also temporary exhibitions on display.

Sunday is a special day of the week in Mexico City. One resident explained ‘Monday through Friday is for business, but Sunday is for pleasure’ and its people take full advantage of it. Museums like Palacio de las Bellas Artes and the Museo Nacional de Antropologia offer free admission to its citizens. The massive Paseo de La Reforma (Mexico City’s version of the Champs-Élysées) is literally shut down and taken over by thousands of bicyclists. Couples of all ages can be found dancing to music ranging from crooners belting out soulful ballads to Chuck Berry cd’s all dressed in their finest Sunday clothes in the many small city squares that dot the city.

There is so much to see and do in the city of palaces that it can be impossible to get it all done in a single trip, but being just a two hour flight away means multiple trips to Ciudad de México just might be in order.

You’ll find magnificent views in many areas of Lisbon.

Sitting on Europe’s western shore, the city of Lisbon blends panoramic views, a storied history and wonderful food with an unpretentious charm that welcomes even the most cantankerous traveler. You won’t find a Big Ben or Eiffel Tower, but you will discover a city that finds itself quite content with who they are.

It can be a little daunting to figure out where to start, but a good jumping off point would be jumping on the Number 28 Tram. The tram transports one back in time, traveling into a bygone era. You might expect to find the classic Remodelado trams in a museum, but instead it’s used to travel through many of Lisbon’s finest districts including Baixa, Graca, Alfama and Estrela.

Tram 28 adds to the charm of Lisbon while carrying passengers through its winding streets.

Tickets can be purchased on board the tram, but smart travelers purchase a 24 hour metro pass which can be used on all the tram lines, the metro, buses, funiculars and a very funky street elevator. Tram 28 can get crowded during peak travel times, so it’s best to board near the beginning of the line.

Many visitors also use Tram 28 to climb the steep hill into the Alfama district, visit the Castelo de São Jorge and then take a leisurely stroll back down into the city center which allows one to duck into the shops and cafes which litter the area. One stop worth making on the way down is Gelato Therapy where one can enjoy a tasty treat of inventive flavors that are sure to revitalize and delight.

Azulegos tiles decorate everything from the walls of churches and monasteries to ordinary homes.

Another treat of walking back into the city center is that it allows you to enjoy the numerous beautiful tiles (called azulegos) which decorate everything from the walls of churches and monasteries to ordinary homes. The tiles can feature geometrical shapes on building facades or portray scenes from the history of the country.

Once back down into the city center, make your way over to the Elevador de Santa Justa, a neo-Gothic elevator which may just be, the most unusual means of public transportation anywhere in the world. The elevator was designed by Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard, an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel and was built to help connect the Baixa with the Largo do Carmo neighborhood. You can use your metro pass on the lift and once at the top, be sure to plunk down the small fee to snake your way up a narrow staircase and experience a breathtaking 360 degree view of the city.

The Elevador de Santa Justa may just be the most unusual means of public transportation anywhere in the world.

Portugal is a country steeped with a deep history and it is well worth checking out. A quick tram ride to Belém will lead you to the Tower of Belém, the Monument to the Discoveries and the spectacular Jerónimos Monastery which is a classic example of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style of architecture. And, no trip to Belém would be complete without a quick stop at the famous pastry shop Fábrica de Pasteis de Belém, known for a special Portuguese confectionery treat called pastel de Belém, an egg tart made with flaky pastry.

The delightfully quirky Pena National Palace provides a glimpse into how the monarchs of Portugal lived during the 18th-19th century.

Any trip to Lisbon has to include a day trip to Sintra. Here you can visit many intriguing architectural wonders including the wonderfully whimsical Pena National Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which served as a summer residence of the monarchs of Portugal during the 18th-19th century. There is also a Castle of the Moors nestled into the top of the mountain, the Sintra national Palace which faces the central square of São Martinho and the Quinta da Regaleira palace where you can find the Initiation Wells that resemble underground towers lined with stairs.

Like most European cities, there is no shortage of good places to eat in Lisbon. You can find a wide variety of dishes, but its fish that is the main staple of Portuguese cuisine. You’ll find cod served in a variety of styles at many restaurants including shredded and sautéed in a pan with of onions and straw fried potatoes, or oven-cooked salted cod fillet with hot olive oil and baked potatoes.

Mercado Da Ribeira offers the freshest fish and vegetables of the day and is a great place to go if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat.

Mercado Da Ribeira, Lisbon’s main food market filled with stalls offering the freshest fish and vegetables of the day is a great place to go if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat. Here you’ll find everything from seafood to steak sandwiches, burgers and of course, Vinho Verde, a light and fresh Portuguese wine that goes well with just about everything.

If you’re looking to step out of the ordinary for a different kind of culinary experience, check out Minibar, a restaurant from award winning Chief Jose Avillez, where diners are offered an incredible gastronomic experience that merge flavors in with a whimsical attitude at very reasonable prices.

The 25 de Abril Bridge with the Christo Reo statue at sunset.

Visiting Lisbon with its hilly terrains, spectacular vistas, trams that whisk people around in Old World charm and the 25 de Abril Bridge that is a dead ringer for the Golden Gate Bridge, you might think it’s a lot like San Francisco, but don’t be fooled, Lisbon’s charm puts it in a class all its own.

Exploring Tuscany is like searching for that perfect plate of pasta. You can become overwhelmed by so many places that you worry you missed something along the way. From Florence, to Sienna, to Pisa, the Old World charm and rustic countryside provides ample locations to eat; drink and soak up some incredible history. But, if you are interested in a one special place off the beaten path, go visit San Gimignano.

San Gimignano is a historic town that dates back to 63 B.C. Known as “The Manhattan of Italy,” San Gimignano boasted 72 towers in the 14th century when families displayed their power and wealth. When a family lost its influence, their towers would be removed by rivals. Today, only 13 towers remain, but that does not lessen the charm.

The town became important for its location for pilgrims who traveled to Rome, mainly from France. The detour to the port of Pisa made San Gimignano one of the most important transit and stopping sites for all travelers. Today San Gimignano is not an easy place to get to. There is no train station or major highway nearby. One must depend on the local bus service, or participate in an excursion. While I normally prefer to travel outside of groups, my excursion allowed for us to wander freely around the town with no guide or group to follow.

Entering the enormous Porta San Giovanni instantly takes one back in time. Streets made of brick house little shops that sell everything from a wide assortment of Tuscany food including wild boar, fine works of art and the ever prevalent tacky magnets. One can’t help but feel the aura of a fairy-tale town that has been witness to much over its history.

Every step you take in San Gimignano affords a brilliant photo opportunity. Whether it’s looking up at one its majestic towers, admiring a tiny church or gazing across the Tuscany landscape, one is grateful for the world of digital cameras and very large memory discs.

Thankfully, there is also plenty to eat and drink including a special local wine called Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The wine was first cited back in 1276, when the Commune of San Gimignano instilled a duty tax for imports and exports. Vernaccia has been enjoyed by many over the years including Pope Martin IV, Dante Alighieri as well as powerful governors like Ludovico il Moro and Lorenzo il Magnifico.

If your feet get tired, try resting in the Piazza della Cisterna and indulge in some Italian ice cream from Gelateria Dondoli (who boasts winning the Ice Cream World Championships in 2006-07 and 2008-09). You can enjoy your gelato while sitting on the cistern admiring the Torre del Diavolo, (the Devil’s Tower) whose story is that its owner, returning from a long journey, found it unexplainably higher which he ascribed as the work to the Devil.

Tuscany seems to be one of those places where one can never get enough, but if you are up for a little adventure, try spending some time in San Gimignano. You may just find it has the right ingredients to make your visit to Tuscany picture perfect.