Kuala Lumpur Travel Guide

The National Gallery of Art sits on the north side of the National Mall. Though part of the national collection, it is independent of the Smithsonian and, like it, free to enter. It comprises the West Building and the East Building: the West is a neoclassical structure holding European paintings and sculptures from the Renaissance to the 19th century, including Leonardo da Vinci's only painting in the Americas, "Ginevra de' Benci"; the East Building, designed by I. M. Pei, focuses on modern and contemporary art. The two are linked by an underground concourse, and outside lies a sculpture garden dotted with large works—strong on both art and architecture.

The National Theatre is San José's—and Costa Rica's—proudest architectural treasure. Opened in 1897 beside the downtown Cultural Plaza and hailed as the nation's cultural symbol and pride, it was built in the late 19th century with coffee-export wealth. Modeled on European opera houses (such as the Paris Opera), Costa Ricans hired European craftsmen and imported marble and materials to create this elegant neoclassical theatre. The exterior is stately; the interior is resplendent—grand marble foyers and staircases, a ceiling painted with murals and gilded with gold leaf, and an elegant auditorium, all exuding European refinement and craftsmanship. A famous ceiling mural depicting coffee and banana harvests once appeared on old banknotes. Still in use, the theatre hosts concerts, opera and drama year-round. Even without a show, daytime tours reveal the splendor of this century-old temple of art—San José's must-see cultural landmark.

The Putra Mosque (Masjid Putra) stands on the lakeshore of Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital, beside the Prime Minister's Office, and is one of the city's most iconic buildings. Clad in rose-pink granite with a vast blue dome, it is also called the 'Pink Mosque' and can host more than ten thousand worshippers. Built at the edge of a man-made lake, part of the structure extends over the water, its reflection merging with the surface in serene symmetry; the 116-metre minaret follows South Asian style. Dressed modestly and registered, visitors may enter; from the opposite lakeside promenade and square the building reveals the ordered beauty of this 'garden city' administrative centre.