Paro sits nestled in the heart of a wide valley at the western end of the Bhutanese Himalaya. A handsome place whose paved roads and neatly-painted, half-timbered cottages belie its modern construction (Paro was largely rebuilt in the 1980s, with all the work adhering to the traditional architecture of the region), it’s home to the whitewashed rises of the great Rinpung Dzong. Part monastery, part fortress, this great citadel of timber-topped walls is one of the finest examples of military-religious architecture in the country. Above it is where travelers will find the National Museum of Bhutan, hidden in an old watchtower on a hill.