Angkor Thom was the last great capital of the Khmer Empire, established in the late 12th century under King Jayavarman VII in what is now northwestern Cambodia. Enclosed by massive stone walls and a wide moat, the city was designed as both a political center and a sacred landscape, symbolizing the cosmic order of the Khmer worldview.

This pleasant port town provides a nice, calmer contrast to bustling Rome, so travelers are advised to not simply pass through, but linger and discover more of Civitavecchia. Explore Forte Michelangelo, shop at Corso Centocelle, see the neoclassical Trajan Theatre, and delve into the therapeutic Taurine Baths of Civitavecchia.

Sagres sits at the southwestern edge of continental Europe in Portugal’s Algarve region, where the Atlantic’s wide horizon meets rugged cliffs and open skies. For centuries this point was linked to maritime adventure and visitors can still feel that sense of discovery in the air. Here, people like Prince Henry the Navigator gathered cartographers, shipbuilders and astronomers in the 1400s to push beyond maps of the known world and shape the early Age of Discovery from Sagres’ dramatic headlands.

Medieval city with walls, defense towers and several churches. Every August, a medieval week is held, with jousting, food and authentic wardrobes.

Plovdiv, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, carries over 8,000 years of history layered into its streets. The Roman Theater, still in use today, was discovered by accident in the 1970s and now hosts operas and concerts overlooking the Rhodope Mountains. Nearby, visitors can walk the remains of a Roman stadium buried beneath the main pedestrian street, where modern shops and cafés stand above ancient foundations.