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Nicknamed the Silver Queen of the Rockies, 40 mi/65 km west of Denver, Georgetown has more than 200 restored Victorian buildings painted in such colors as hot pink, lemon and purple. Of particular interest are the Hamill House (a lavish Victorian home with a six-seat outhouse), the Hotel de Paris Museum (the building dates to 1875) and the antique firehouse.

The scenic Georgetown Loop Railroad, a narrow-gauge steam train, is based in Georgetown and makes its scenic run late May to early October. Passengers have the chance to tour the old Lebanon Silver Mine as part of the train excursion. If you're in Georgetown during the winter holidays, be sure to attend the annual Christmas Market.

Founded in 1823, this decaying African town is built on a European-style street plan. Georgetown's heyday was during the steamship era, when it was a trading center. It has a famous boys school and the country's main prison (they are not related). Though this may not sound particularly attractive, we liked the town's languid atmosphere.

About 20 mi/32 km northwest of Georgetown is Wassu, the site of 11 stone pillars thought to date from the eighth century. These stones vary from tiny stumps to 10-ft-/3-m-high monoliths, and very little is known about their origin. Georgetown is 125 mi/200 km east of Banjul.

Georgetown, Guyana's capital city, is very small but densely populated (237,000). It lies on a coastal belt 6 ft/2 m below sea level, at the mouth of the Demerara River. Georgetown has charm and a faded Victorian elegance with wide tree-lined avenues, canals covered in lilies and many 18th- and 19th-century buildings, harking back to its colonial past.

Architecture is the highlight of the city, although it has suffered from a lack of investment in its infrastructure over the years, resulting in an increasingly decrepit look. The most impressive building is St. George's Cathedral (North Road), built in the 1890s. Reportedly, it is South America's largest freestanding Gothic cathedral made of wood. Designed by architect Sir Arthur Bloomfield, it stands at 143 ft/43 m, and inside its gorgeous interior the story of the cathedral is told on tablets and memorials.

The Umana Yana, near the Seawall, was constructed by the Wai Wai Amerindian community in 1972 and is a conical palm-thatched building, built along the lines of a traditional Amerindian benab. Many ceremonial and cultural events take place there, and it is well worth a look. Umana Yana is Wai Wai for "meeting place for people."

The Guyana Museum (North Road) has miniature displays of gold and diamond mines and a broad selection of Guyana's animal life and heritage. The Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology (Main Street) describes Amerindian history, lifestyle and folklore. Castellani House (Vlissengen Road and Homestretch Avenue ) is home to the National Gallery of Art.

Take a trip across the Demerara Harbour Bridge, the fourth-longest (more than a mile/kilometer) floating bridge in the world, which connects the east and west banks of the Demerara River.

Other places to see and visit include the State House (president's house); the prime minister's house (the Residence); City Hall (Regent and Avenue of the Republic); St. Andrew's Kirk, the oldest church in Georgetown (Brickdam and Avenue of the Republic); parliament building (Brickdam); and Stabroek Market (a red, lacy cast-iron building with a four-faced clock tower), which is extremely lively and stocked with juicy fruit, vegetables and all manner of goods.

The Square of the Revolution (at the top of Brickdam) is home to the 1763 monument to Cuffy, one of Guyana's national heroes. Cuffy was the leader of the unsuccessful 1763 slave rebellion that kept Dutch landowners out of the Berbice region for 10 months.

The Cenotaph (southern end of Main Street) is a funerary monument raised to the memory of all the Guyanese soldiers who died in service during the two world wars.

The 200-acre/80-hectare botanical garden has a phenomenal display of palms and Amazonia regia, a gigantic water lily and Guyana's national flower. Steal a kiss on the Kissing Bridge; visit the old-style zoo and feed the shy manatees. Across the palm-fringed roadway is the mausoleum of former president Forbes Burnham.

Housed in the compound of the Promenade Gardens (Middle Street) are several monuments, such as the oldest bandstand in the city and the statue of Mahatma Ghandi. Unbelievably, this lovely garden was the site of the public hanging of slaves involved in the 1823 East Coast Rebellion.

After you've seen the sights, join the locals walking along the seawall. The seawall was erected by the Dutch to protect Guyana from the whims of the Atlantic Ocean; as in the Netherlands, Guyana's coastal area is below sea level. They also built kokers (floodgates) to help with drainage. In the early morning and late afternoon, walkers, joggers and romantic couples congregate along the wall. However, it is not safe at night.

Cricket is the national sport and Georgetown is also home of the Bourda Cricket Ground, so you can attend a match at Bourda if one is scheduled during your stay.

Note: Be sure to ask your hotel's concierge for advice about the safety of all areas you plan to visit. Georgetown's crime rate is high, and places such as Stabroek Market and the seawall may be too risky, even during the day.

Located 180 mi/290 km northwest of Kuala Lumpur and the largest city on Penang Island, George Town is a wonderful blend of cultures. The diverse Chinese, Indian and Malay population is fitting of an exotic Southeast Asian seaport.

In 2008, George Town was accorded a listing as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site because of its unique mixture of British-colonial-era architecture, townscape and culture, which is considered without parallel in Southeast Asia. Today, the center of the old town area retains most of its colonial charm, its narrow streets flanked by charming yet crumbling prewar shop houses in which local artisans still carry on decades-old trades. In fact, thanks to its UNESCO status, renewed interest and restoration of buildings attracts businesses, coffee shops, restaurants and boutique-hotels back into the old town.

George Town itself is a large, sprawling town, but the historic district can easily be explored on foot or by bicycle rickshaw, called trishaws. Local maps featuring the area's many highlights are available for free at most hotels and guesthouses.

Take the funicular railway up Penang Hill for the excellent view (there's also a small cafe, hotel and Hindu temple on top). Visit some of the city's other sights in the British colonial part of town: St. George's Church, Fort Cornwallis and the Clock Tower (built in honor of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee). Walking along the Espalande, a popular waterfront promenade with hawker food stalls at one end, the town green in the middle and the clock tower at the far end are also worth your time.

Make sure you have time to see the Penang State Museum and Art Gallery, the Kapitan Keling Mosque and the Khoo Kongsi (an elaborately decorated Chinese clan house). Tour the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, the fabulously gaudy former home of one of the country's richest men. Also worth discovering is Little India, a vibrant area with temples, shops, restaurants, florists, astrologers, money changers and clothing shops selling colorful ladies' saris.

You could spend a few days visiting all of George Town's temples: Among the best are the Hindu Sri Mariamman Temple (carvings of gods and goddesses), the Buddhist Kek Lok Si Temple (a pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas) and the Taoist Snake Temple, where poisonous snakes are worshipped—you can have the snakes placed on you for an unusual photo opportunity. Allow at least an hour for each temple.

Penang is famous for its unique local cuisine (considered some of the world's best hawker/street food and one of the most affordable). Diners can enjoy a wide selection of good food at the local restaurants—everything from Malay satay to Chinese stir-fry. Try cheap delicacies at the Gurney Drive food stalls, where row after row of hawkers tempt you with smells of fresh traditional favorites cooked to order and enjoyed at streetside tables.

Penang has become known for its engaging and often witty street art. While exploring the historic downtown area, look out for welded ironwork caricatures and murals on walls.