Tourist Destinations & Museums, Travel Writing, Pictorial 

Spanning the globe with dozens of top places to go each season, National Geographic's expert travel writers and photographers invite you to experience the world's most tempting locales. Covering festivals, foliage displays, harvest celebrations, summer and winter sports and activities, local markets, animal migrations, and more, this lavish, beautifully photographed book is both inspiring and useful. In-depth site descriptions, illuminating sidebars, and tons of insider tips will inspire you to plan your next getaway during a destination's showcase period—whether it's Christmas in New York, complete with ice-skating at Rockefeller Center and neighborhood holiday markets; springtime in Japan, when cherry blossoms create clouds of pink around picture-perfect medieval castles; summer’s midnight sun in St. Petersburg, Russia, during the city’s annual White Night festivities; or autumn in Maine, when the highlight of Acadia National Park’s Night Sky Festival takes you atop Cadillac Mountain to gaze up at a universe of sparkling stars.   In addition, a dozen famed authors, actors, athletes, journalists, and others—including Alec Baldwin, Christopher Buckley, Cokie Roberts, R. A. Dickey, and Andrew McCarthy—offer personal reflections on some of their favorites places in the world during the best times to visit.   Divided into chapters by season, each entry features authentic experiences recommended by locals and resident experts, showcased with stunning photography, evocative text, and detailed visitor information. Eclectic sidebars highlight entertaining snippets on the local culture and history, don't-miss experiences, great places to stay and food to eat, as well as other sights to see. This gorgeous book is rounded out with a series of "top ten" lists in a wide variety of themed categories, including the editors’ picks of the world’s most colorful spring markets, best places to get summer ice cream, scariest Halloween haunted houses, most glittering winter holiday lights, and more. - from Amzon