Eastern Europe has experienced more change in the last generation than any other corner of Europe. With war-era grandpas now gone, across the former Warsaw Pact zone new museums and memorials deal candidly with the dark side of communism… and fascism before that. And now that the economy is perking up (with European Union help), impressive renovations and infrastructure improvements are springing up across the region. Here’s the latest.

• In Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC,...

Way back in my student travel days, I discovered a handful of completely offbeat sights that remain among my favorite places in Europe. From sculptures of salt to sculptures of marzipan, from a wall dedicated to love and freedom to chapels decorated with bones, a carefully balanced tour of Europe mixes famous must-see sights with quirky, less familiar places like these.

At the remarkable Wieliczka Salt Mine, just outside Krakow, Poland, there are sculptures...

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 469th issue of your monthly foreign travel magazine. With this issue, ITN begins its 40th year of publication!

When the late Armond Noble conceived of and first published this magazine, it was unique in at least two ways: (1) it was largely written by its subscribers, international travelers, and (2) it printed their candid appraisals — both positive and negative comments — of tours, flights, cruises, etc. All other travel...