Architecture tips

This upcoming spring instead of just seeing historical sites in European cities, why not also stay in some cultural landmarks while you’re there. Major cities like Berlin, Zurich and Amsterdam have hotels in centuries-old buildings allowing you to immerse yourself in rich architectural details and notable surroundings. Here are four hotels to enjoy contemporary comforts and sleep in a piece of history:

The story of England stretches back more than 5000 years (and likely many more). Which means its impossible to escape the past here.

A distinct sense of place is one of the factors that separates a good hotel from a great one.

Northern India’s state of Rajasthan is the largest Indian state by area (and the seventh largest by population), covering 132,139 square miles — translating to roughly 10% of India’s total geographical area. The city is known for its tourist attractions like hill forts and palaces, having garnered the nickname “royal state of India” for its royal history. Here’s where to stay in this historic city.

For travelers with a love of history, there’s something truly special about staying in historic neighborhoods and preserved town centers surrounded by iconic monuments and story-filled city streets. A hotel redolent with the whispers of centuries past can be the ideal addition to an immersive journey, offering not just a place to rest, but a living testament to the captivating historic narratives of the region. From restored convents and department stores, to festival hot spots and hideaways for the elite, check out 6 incredible heritage hotels from around the world that are ideal for a March break getaway.

A hotel is coming to London's famed BT Tower, but you'll need to wait a few years to check in.

Close your eyes and picture Tuscany, and chances are hazy romantic landscapes, cloud-grazing cypress trees and billowing hills laced with endless grapevines will spring to mind. A haven for oenophiles, the region is renowned for its prestigious wines, from Chianti and Bolgheri to Brunello di Montalcino—travelers headed to the Tuscan territories are, more often than not, ready and willing to spend their holiday taste-testing their way through bottles (crates?) of the region’s finest.

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The landscape around Route A29, which connects Palermo and Mazara del Vallo, is a travel-brochure version of rural Sicily: rolling hills dotted with barley fields, olive groves, and vineyards, and the occasional cluster of ancient ruins. Exit at Salemi, however, and follow the signs for Gibellina Nuova, and a surprise awaits. Like a postmodern version of Roman era city gates, there stands a 70-foot-tall steel sculpture of a five-pointed star by Sicilian sculptor Pietro Consagra. Porta del Belice (Door of Belice) or the Star of Belice marks the entrance to Gibellina Nuova, a town that hosts one of the largest collections of contemporary art in the world and a reputation as a failed art utopia or a surreal, postmodern ghost town.

The hotel company that developed the retro-chic TWA Hotel at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport has bought London’s iconic BT Tower, one of London’s most conspicuous buildings, from British Telecoms Group for $347 million.

Québec City is known for its enchanting architecture and historic vibe – a French-Canadian city that feels European, with a side of deliciously gooey poutine.

For Andrea Kleinloog, an interiors whiz and the cofounder of Hesse Kleinloog Studio in South Africa, designing a sustainable hotel starts with the site. At the new Molori Mashuma in Zimbabwe, the walls are made with thatch and textile cladding; the decks are built of local wood; and the couch cushions are fashioned from waste fabric and embroidered as part of a community initiative in South Africa. Sustainability, Kleinloog says, requires a holistic approach that varies by location. “There is no blanket solution.”

One of South Africa’s pioneering eco-lodges, andBeyond Phinda Forest Lodge, has entered a new era as it emerges from a complete redesign.

Florence’s airport could soon be home to an unusual feature on its roof - a 7.7-hectare (19 acre) vineyard.

Coming second only to its northern neighbor as the most visited country in the world, Spain is packed with incredible places to visit and experiences to enjoy.

Often synonymous with glitz and glam, Abu Dhabi might seem like a destination tailored exclusively to upscale travelers. However, beneath its futuristic facade lies a treasure trove of free things to do, catering to even the most budget-conscious travelers.

The great Modernist designer Le Corbusier’s only architectural project in Africa was a seaside home for Belgian industrialist Lucien Baizeau who was based in Tunis. Built between 1928-1930, Villa Baizeau is on the ancient Roman site of Carthage. No one has lived there since the family left in 1961. The villa is currently in the hands of the Tunisian intelligence service and beside the Presidential palace so it is not open to the public. It's also not well known outside of Tunisia. The villa has never been featured in exhibitions about Le Corbusier’s many architectural accomplishments and it's not even in Le Corbusier’s list of works on Wikipedia.

Warsaw had never been on my travel radar. But when my friend asked me to join him on a birthday trip, I thought why not?

Finland’s biggest city is also its most stylish. Once the home of influential local architect and designer Alvar Aalto, the capital’s art nouveau core is today complemented by contemporary Nordic architecture and offbeat design hits, including clothing and home furnishings company Marimekko’s flagship store and the subterranean Amos Rex Art Museum. Adding another dimension to the city is the harbour district of Jätkäsaari, a former backwater that’s reinvented itself in the past two decades with sleek apartment blocks anchored by restaurants, cafes, shops and a new public sauna.

In the southwest corner of St. Lucia, tucked on a crescent of sand between the Pitons, Sugar Beach is the ultimate romantic retreat. The resort sits on the Caribbean, which in the sunlight is impossibly blue and crystal clear. The Pitons, volcanic spires, rise on either side of the beach, and it all sits on an 18th-century sugar plantation. The architecture and design nods to the past, while the amenities are firmly in the modern luxury realm, and even in the busy season it can feel like you’re on a private retreat. Here are five reasons it makes the perfect honeymoon destination:

Think of the word Portugal and, immediately, vibrant colors spring to mind: the gorgeous tones of terracotta roofs set against paper-white façades; marigold yellow cable cars and warm gray cobblestone streets; the Atlantic glittering on the horizon of coastal cities. The country offers scenes and vistas for every kind of traveler, but there's something special about having the beauty of such a place captured and curated by an expert artist with a trained eye—and that's exactly what the photographer, writer, and Condé Nast Traveler contributor Christine Chitnis has done in her new book Patterns of Portugal: A Journey Through Colors, History, Tiles & Architecture, out February 6.