Athens, Greece

 Experience international theater, opera, classical music, and dance performances in a variety of magnificent modern and ancient spaces. Venues for the 60th Athens and Epidaurus Festival range from the industrial Peiraios 260 (housed in a former Athens furniture factory) to the ancient theater of Epidaurus, built in 340 B.C., buried for nearly 1,500 years, and renowned for its preserved limestone tiers and near perfect acoustics. The festival program includes Greek productions (ancient tragedies and new plays), a Greco-Japanese co-production of Homer'sNekyia, and new interpretations of European classics.

Konstanz, Germany

Pedal at your own pace through three countries and around Germany's largest lake on the Lake Constance (or Bodensee) cycle route. Located in the northern foothills of the Alps, the 40-mile-long lake—essentially a bulge in the Rhine River—is "narrow enough to see across," says Jim Johnson, president of BikeToursDirect. The asphalt Bodensee-Radweg bike path covers nearly the entire 170-mile circumference of the lake, adds Johnson, who

Arizona

By day, Sedona’s dramatically sculpted red rock backcountry is the main draw for hikers, mountain bikers, rock climbers, and off-road “Jeepers.” But, at night, all eyes are on the skies. Named the world’s eighth International Dark Sky Community in 2014, Sedona (elevation 4,600 feet) is one of the best places in the world to witness celestial wonders such as a blue moon.

“Don’t think for a second that outdoor adventures end when the sun goes down in Sedona,” says Jennifer Wesselhoff of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau. “That azure sky—so pure, perfect, and devastatingly blue all day—turns into a glittering blanket of heavenly bodies at night. Lack of light pollution combined with haze-free, low humidity desert skies make Sedona a paradise for stargazers.”

How to Get Around: Sedona is located in north-central Arizona two hours north of Phoenix

Machu Picchu, Peru

Make this the summer you take, or plan, that bucket-list trip through the Sacred Valley of the Inca to the ancient city of Machu Picchu. Get inspired closer to home at two Washington, D.C., events: the Peru-focused Smithsonian Folklife Festival (June 24-28 and July 1-5) and the National Museum of the American Indian exhibition "The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire" (June 26, 2015, through June 1, 2018). Then, book a group tour such as National Geographic Expeditions' Peru: Land of the Inca, or a classic, four-day hiking trek to Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail.