Fine dining downstairs, party upstairs. On the lower level of this Old Town restaurant, enjoy fine dining dishes. Upstairs, sip some of the best cocktails in the city with views of the Sandia Mountains and the city.

Try this bistro-style winstub for regional specialties. The decor, from tablecloths to curtains, are down-home Alsatian, and the food is authentic and well prepared. Located near the Strasbourg Cathedral, the place gets crowded, especially during high-tourist season, so make a reservation.

No doubt, you’ve seen photos of this 15th-century house, because it is one of the most famous and most-often-photographed buildings in Strasbourg. Today, the historic monument is a tourist attraction as well as a  luxury hotel, a splurge restaurant, and a cozy wine bar. Take time to appreciate the ornate Gothic architecture, and consider staying overnight in one of the renovated...

Riquewihr is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved villages in Alsace. Get acquainted with the town and its vineyards with a commentated ride on the open-air Little Train, which runs daily April-November from the town hall on  Grand Rue. You’ll want to come back after the train ride to explore the town, which is enclosed by fortification walls and surrounded...

For most the Ben Nevis Inn is the last building you pass on your way up Ben Nevis (Scotland’s highest mountain), and the last building you come to on your return, when it’s it an extremely enticing stop for a pint. Yet in other ways its location, at the end of a minor road some 3km outside Fort William, speaks...

Isolated and on the fringes of the empty wilds of Rannoch Moor, the Kingshouse Hotel may be a touch run-down, but has oodles of Highland atmosphere, good mid-range accommodate and a couple of bars with reasonable pub food. The Climber’s Bar at the back of the hotel is a particularly fine place for muddy boots to end up after a...

With its roaring log fire; cheerful atmosphere; regular live music; good regional food (mains £9–22); and a bar with a solid selection of malt whiskies, the Old Bridge Inn one of Aviemore’s best hangouts, day or night. It’s easy to spend a pleasant rainy day entertaining yourself with its musical instruments, books and games, while in summer the sociable Speyside...

A new housing development is eating up the farmland that once surrounded this stylish, out-in-the-sticks brewpub, but once you enter, the outside world is left far behind. There are a few tables inside by the stainless steel brew tanks, but most is outside under a massive retractable awning and close to the kids’ play area. For a decade Hallertau have...

This funky little cinder-block building in North Austin is one of the most lovable dive bars in town. Owned by local music legend Dale Watson (Ginny retired a few years back), it serves up live music and cold longnecks all week long. Oh, except for Sunday nights. That’s when everyone gathers for Chicken-Shit Bingo starting at 4:00—featuring actual live chickens...

For more than fifty years, country-music lovers have scooted down to South Austin to two-step their way around the well-worn dance floor of the Broken Spoke. (And by the way, if you’ve always wondered what a honky-tonk is, this is about as close as you can get.) The list of country stars who’ve played the spoke is an impressive who’s-who...

Friendly, chalet-style 216-bed hostel, that sprawls over several buildings among the woods of Tunnel Mountain, 3km from downtown. Lodgings range from basic shared dorms ($35–44) through private rooms ($102–133) to cabins; members get small discounts. Look out for good-value ski and rafting packages online. Facilities include large kitchen, laundry, lounges with fireplaces (& free wifi) and an inexpensive restaurant, Cougar...

This impressive Scottish Baronial flight of Victorian fancy is Banff’s greatest landmark. Work on the turrets and cornices and the thick nine-story granite walls below began in 1888, but things were massively rebuilt in the 1920s. All this resulted in a labyrinthine pile that both celebrates the bygone days of the genteel travel and somehow mirrors, maybe even enhances, the...

This imposing landmark hotel – whose interior is a bizarre fusion of alpine and neo-colonial furnishings – is famous above all for its commanding views over Lake Louise from its 511 suites. Rates are reduced significantly outside of holidays and weekends and in the off-season (Oct–Dec), and good value ski packages are offered too. The hotel’s battery of five-star facilities...

Victorian-style upstairs pub that’s often the most happening place in town. It’s hard to put your finger on why: there’s pool, regular live music, but mostly its just a really good vibe. There’s also a selection of fairly middling bar-food; though the hot wings ($11) are fantastic.

Dingy dark-wood pub, originally built in Ireland then reassembled here to become huge hit with locals and visitors alike. The thirty beers on tap naturally include Guinness, but so do many of the dishes on the satisfying bar menu: Guinness, crab and asparagus soup ($6) or Guinness, steak and mushroom pie ($15). Other menu items are just as earthy, for...

Replacing the popular Suan Lum Night Bazaar which closed down some years ago. Asiatique has a great location right alongside the Chao Phraya River, and while it isn’t centrally located, a free shuttle boat from the Saphan Taksin pier makes it easy to access, although if you come around dinnertime, the boat lines will be very long. Asiatique took over...

Having a drink in a sky bar has to be one of the top attractions in Bangkok. The views of the city are dazzling, and it’s a great way to relax, beat the heat, and escape the traffic, noise, and congestion below. The Moon Bar is probably the top pick of the litter, for several reasons. Sitting on the 68th...

This upscale jazz bar in the historic Oriental Hotel features international jazz musicians in its retro tropical cocktail room. Chairs are covered in tiger and leopard print fabrics and sections of the ceiling are painted trompe l’œil bamboo. The Thaijito is a mojito with lemon grass and ginger served with a sugar cane. There are fresh fruit margaritas, and other...

This is truly a hole in the wall, with the entire establishment outside on the pavement. Patrons belly up to the counter, sit at one of a dozen stools, or stand on the sidewalk, within the ropes and painted lines that create the invisible walls. Behind the counter, the bar’s design is driven by a horror vacui aesthetic. The place has...

With rotating art exhibitions curated by H Gallery in the sleek dining room and a creative menu that changes seasonally, Eat Me has earned a unique reputation and a lot of attention. The dishes on their menus incorporate a few different culinary traditions in eclectic ways. They offer small plates and large plates, so diners can order a few different ones to...