Puerto Varas
The imposing and colorful 1915 Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón, overlooking downtown from a promontory, is based on the Marienkirche of the Black Forest,…
Puerto Varas
The imposing and colorful 1915 Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón, overlooking downtown from a promontory, is based on the Marienkirche of the Black Forest,…
Córdoba & the Central Sierras
For an overview of the town and its surroundings, make your way up to the lookout tower attached to the tourist office.
Minas Gerais
Spanning three centuries, this museum's collection includes vestments, ex votos and hundreds of other historical liturgical objects from Tiradentes'…
La Paz
La Paz’s city park has interesting skyways and the Mirador Laikakota. Traveling circuses will often set up here, too.
Museo de Arte Moderno de Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga
A bright little museum with two exhibition rooms with rotating exhibits of modern paintings and sculptures. There's also a garden with sculptures and a…
Bariloche & the Lake District
Small but beautifully formed, this 'hidden' waterfall lies several kilometers north of El Bolsón, reachable via a gravel road or a walking trail from town.
Lençóis
The lovely Prefeitura Municipal, built in 1860, was the mansion of Colonel César Sá – the Neoclassical details were reportedly added to please his wife.
Coastal Patagonia
An attractive, imported, prefabricated wooden house. Once a customs office, it now hosts cultural activities as well as a salón de té (teahouse).
Uruguay
In the hills north of Piriápolis, Francisco Piria’s opulent and castle-like former residence has Spanish-language displays on the history of Piriápolis.
Montevideo
This gallery makes thought-provoking use of the cells of a 19th-century prison, creating an avant-garde space for revolving exhibitions of contemporary…
Medellín
Overlooking Parque de Bolívar, Medellín's neo-Romanesque cathedral was completed in 1931. Its spacious but dim interior has Spanish stained-glass windows.
Minas Gerais
Marked with a plaque, this 18th-century building is the spot where Gonzaga and the other Inconfidentes conspired to put an end to Portuguese rule in…
Middle Chile
The small Museo Arqueológico contains some interesting pre-Columbian pottery displayed in dusty exhibit cases. Much of it comes from the Aconcagua Valley.
Jorge Luis Borges’ Last Residence in Argentina
Buenos Aires
Near the corner of Florida and Santa Fe is a private apartment building that was author Jorge Luis Borges’ last residence; look for a plaque on the wall.
Iglesia Parroquial Nuestra Señora de la Merced
Córdoba & the Central Sierras
From 1643 to 1762, Jesuit fathers built the Iglesia Parroquial Nuestra Señora de la Merced, the most impressive building on the estancia (ranch).
Isla San Cristóbal (Chatham)
You can see flamingos, turtles and other wildlife here; both Turtle Bay and Cerro Brujo can be visited as part of a trip to Punta Pitt and Los Galápagos.
Northern Patagonia
This glacier descending from the southeast flanks of Monte San Lorenzo has only recently become a tourist attraction. It requires boat access and a guide.
Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
For a little dip, the tiny beach at Playa Pea, on the south side of Caleta Hanga Roa, fits the bill (though it's more of a rocky cove than a sandy oasis).
Quito
The museum at the Convento Santo Domingo de Guzmán in Plaza Santo Domingo has a pretty garden cloister and a fine assortment of colonial religious art.
Minas Gerais
In a building that served as the public jail between 1737 and 1850, this museum has a small but impressive collection of art from the city’s churches.
The Amazon
Guajará-Mirim's main cathedral is oddly huge, with twin bell towers rising high above the stark flat street level. It's muscular rather than beautiful.
Machu Picchu
At the lower end of this area is the Prison Group, a labyrinthine complex of cells, niches and passageways, positioned both under and above the ground.
Museo y Archivo Histórico Municipal
Montevideo
This free historical museum on Ciudad Vieja's main square displays 18th-century paintings of Montevideo and other artifacts from the city's early days.
Middle Chile
Commemorating the battle between the British naval vessels Glasgow, Kent and Orama, and the German cruiser Dresden.
Museo de Bellas Artes y Artes Decorativas
Uruguay
Displays a nice collection of Uruguayan painting and sculpture in a historic two-story mansion with a grand staircase, stained glass and a back garden.
Puerto Nariño
Located in the Alcaldía (town hall building), this mini museum has a small display of artifacts from the region’s indigenous populations.
Uyuni
This European-style clock tower was built in 1930 with a clock mechanism that was imported from Germany. You can find the tourist police office here.
Lençóis
Honors the patron saint of miners – and was built by slaves. The church is open occasionally to visitors during festivals and other special events.
Quito
A fabulous neo-Gothic altar dominates the inside of the Iglesia de Santo Domingo. Construction of the church began in 1581 and continued until 1650.
Museo Histórico Arqueológico Municipal
Sur Chico
Mapuche artifacts (including jewelry, musical instruments and rough-hewn wooden masks) are the focus of this small museum behind the tourist office.
South Coast
It’s a five-minute walk from the main plaza up to a scenic mirador (lookout) with great views of the town and its surrounding mountains.
Georgetown
An old-fashioned institution documenting the nation's cultural, social and political history via some odd artifacts and very old stuffed critters.
French Guiana
This breezy old house holds a very interesting history display (in French and English), including some old photographs from the penal colony days.
Igreja do Bom Jesus do Matozinhos
Minas Gerais
Dating to 1781, this church at the foot of town is adorned with frescoes and woodwork beautifully painted in shades of red, blue, white and pink.
French Guiana
The sizable Botanical Gardens, built in 1879 and renovated in 2009, today flourish with tropical Guianese flora, including many species of palms.
The Amazon
This squat yellow church is one of the oldest structures in Boa Vista, beginning as a modest oratory in 1725, and renovated and expanded in 1917.
The Pampas & the Atlantic Coast
The Museo y Archivo Dardo Rocha was the vacation home of the city’s creator and contains period furniture and many of his personal knickknacks.
Puerto Montt
Built entirely of alerce in 1856, this church, located on the Plaza de Armas, is the town's oldest building and one of its few attractive ones.
The Pampas & the Atlantic Coast
The Teatro Argentino is a fantastically ugly concrete monolith, but boasts great acoustics and quality ballet, symphony and opera performances.
The Amazon
Rio Branco's main cathedral, built in 1959, has a single soaring bell tower and three long, spacious naves lined with 36 stained-glass windows.