Articles

The show still goes on in ancient Ostia’s theater.

Ostia Antica: Rome’s Ancient Port

The ruins of this one-time commercial center takes visitors back to the time when the Roman Empire ruled the seas

When horses were banned in Venice in the 14th century, gondolas took over. They’ve been a Venice trademark ever since.

Seeing Venice Via Gondola

Used mainly by tourists, the gondolas carry a history of craftsmanship that is as interesting as the city itself

While gondolas are romantic, to get around Venice quickly and cheaply, you’ll need to take motorized bus-boats called vaporetti.

Getting Around Venice by Vaporetto

Forget the gondola, the quickest and most convenient way to see Venice is via the public-transit vaporetti

A Venetian tradition is munching cicchetti—local appetizers that line the counters of little pubs all over town at the end of each workday.

Crawling Through Venice’s Cicchetti Pubs

A trip to Venice would not be complete without a giro d’ombra, or a tour through the city’s many small wine bars

St. Mark’s Square charms most visitors to Venice. Napoleon once called it “the most beautiful drawing room in Europe.”

St. Mark’s Square Walking Tour

For an overview of this grand square and the buildings that surround it, start from the west end of the square and follow along with this guide

On their first July 4 in America, Andrej (left) and Alec took in the horse races at the Gillespie County Fair.

Escaping the Iron Curtain

Photographer Sean Kernan followed Polish immigrants Andrej and Alec Bozek from an Austrian refugee camp to Texas

Working like "little pistons," donkeys keep the medina humming. An estimated 100,000 people in the Fez area depend on the animals for their livelihood.

Morocco's Extraordinary Donkeys

The author returns to Fez to explore the stubborn animal's central role in the life of this desert kingdom

All that remains of Hagi Castle are its ruins. Built in 1604, the castle is located in the peaceful Shizuki Park at the northwestern tip of the city.

Finding Serenity on Japan's San-in Coast

Far from bustling Tokyo, tradition can be found in contemplative gardens, quiet inns and old temples

India's Golden Temple at Amritsar—destroyed and rebuilt over centuries of strife—is to Sikhs what Mecca is to Muslims.

Saving Punjab

A Sikh architect is helping to preserve cultural sites in the north Indian state still haunted by 1947’s heart-wrenching Partition

Stately palms and winding walks imbue the Castleton Gardens with an aura of refinement.

Captain Bligh's Cursed Breadfruit

The biographer of William Bligh—he of the infamous mutiny on the Bounty—tracks him to Jamaica, still home to the versatile plant

Krakow possesses a wealth of cultural treasures such as Wawel Royal Castle where the country's kings lived.

A Whirlwind Tour Around Poland

The memoirist trades Tuscany for the northern light and unexpected pleasures of Krakow and Gdansk

Fleeing the clogged freeways of Los Angeles, Paul Theroux set forth into an America both lonelier and lovelier than the one he expected to find.

Taking the Great American Roadtrip

In the spirit of Kerouac and Steinbeck, the celebrated travel writer fulfills a childhood fantasy: to drive across his native land

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The Allure of Travel Writing

Jan Morris, one of the world's leading travel writers, introduces six essays and describes the challenges of modern travel writing

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Hurricane Katrina: The Recovery of Artifacts and History

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Food Tattoos

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Overheard at the Natural History Museum

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Fun with Science Games

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Smithsonian Events for the Week of August 31-September 4: Dig It!, The Scurlock Studio, Asia After Dark and More!

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Weekend Events: Dance Festival, Forensics and the Scurlock Studio

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Dinosaur Sighting: A Dinosaur in the Woods

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