August 2016

Situated deep in a natural limestone cave near the center of Helsinki, Caverna Restaurant (Yliopistonkatu 5, 00120 Helsinki, Finland; phone +358 50 555 9325, www.caverna.fi [prices on Finnish version only]) opened on June 22, 2016.

Visitors to Tokyo, Japan, can spend an hour or more playing with harinezumi (hedgehogs) at the pet store Harry (Harinezumi) Café (Tokyo, Minato-ku, Roppongi 6-7-2 IWAHORI Building 2F; phone +81 03 3404 8100, www.harinezumi-cafe.com/cafe-english). Up to 30 hedgehogs of multiple species call the café home at any given time. 

Travelers to Cancún can snorkel among sailfish in the wild, between Jan. 1 and March 31, with Cancun SailFish Tours (Cancun, Mexico; phone, in the US, 888/209-5583, http://cancunsailfishtours.com). 

If whale sharks or manta rays are spotted, guests may swim with them. Tours typically take two hours from departure to return, including about an hour of swimming time. A private tour, departing earlier, offers two hours of swimming time. 

For travelers who have the need to charge both an Android device (cell phone or tablet) AND an Apple product, the portable myCharge HUB series has both Apple Lightning and micro-USB charging cables integrated into its powerbank. Devices can be used and recharged while the hub, itself, is being recharged. 

Mobility-impaired travelers to Italy can plan trips that meet their needs with Accessible Italy (Via C. Manetti 34, 47891 Dogana, San Marino; phone +378 0549 941111, www.accessibleitaly.com).

The company assists in finding accessible hotel rooms and also will transfer travelers to and from airports, train stations and ports or to their destination of choice in a wheelchair-compliant van with English-speaking driver. Manual and motorized wheelchairs can be rented.

On the island of Heimaey in Iceland, after a volcanic eruption on Jan. 23, 1973, one family’s home that was preserved under ash and volcanic debris was made the centerpiece of the museum Eldheim­ar (Sudurvegur/Gerdisbraut 10, 900 Vestmannaeyjar, Heimaey, Iceland; phone +354 4882700, http://eldheimar.is/en).

London’s Tate Modern Museum (Bankside, London, England, SE1 9TG, UK; phone +44 20 7887 8888, www.tate.org.uk) opened its new, twisting-pyramid-shaped tower, the Switch House, on June 17. The 200-foot-tall, 10-story building, with a top-floor observation deck, increases by 60% the amount of art that can be displayed. 

In the “Fashioning a Reign” exhibit, some of the dresses and outfits England’s Queen Elizabeth II has worn are being shown in three of her official residences.

• Until Oct. 2, the largest exhibit is in the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace (London; www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckingham palace), open daily, £21.50 (near $29).

• Until Oct. 16 at Palace of Holyroodhouse (Edinburgh, Scotland; www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse), open daily, £12.

Art, historical documents and other memorabilia highlighting the centuries of cooperation and friendship between France and the US are displayed in a salvaged, 17th-century château that was damaged during World War I in the city of Blérancourt, now the Franco-American Museum (Château de Blérancourt, 02300 Blérancourt, France; phone + 33 [0] 3 23 39 14 71, http://en.museefrancoamericain.fr).

The museum is scheduled to reopen in late September 2016 after a lengthy renovation and expansion. Open hours and entry fees have not been set yet.