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From Soho’s buzz and Mayfair’s boutiques to Covent Garden’s theatres, there is no denying that London is one of the greatest cities on earth. Admire the masterpiece-strewn walls of the Tate Modern, enjoy the pageantry of the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, or pop into Shakespeare’s Globe to see a play performed in iambic pentameter. At just 25 miles east, Tilbury serves as a gateway to it all—but for those who prefer to stay closer to port, the town has stories of its own to tell as the place where Elizabeth I rallied her troops against the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Loved by Italian urbanites yet little known outside Rome, this insider escape on the Monte Argentario peninsula is a harbor of bobbing megayachts and restaurants that rival the mainland. Steep cliffs tumble into crystalline seas and secret coves, all presided over by the 17th-century Spanish-built Fortezza Spagnola. Venture out to explore Argentario’s hidden bays and headlands, looking for Roman-built villas as you take in the view to islands in the distance, the start of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park.

Lipari, the largest of the seven Aeolian Islands, tempts with simple pleasures: a sun-soaked afternoon at Ponente Beach channeling the country’s famous dolce far niente, or a stroll along the harborfront, gelato in hand. Settled since 5,000 BC for its gleaming black obsidian, it later became a Carthaginian naval base, fell to the Romans in 252 BC, and then withstood centuries of pirate raids that left the acropolis crowned with towering walls.

Despite being forged by shipyards, textiles, and fishing from the Middle Ages onwards, coastal A Coruña (or La Coruña in Castellano) has always kept its heart in Plaza de María Pita. Named for the woman who famously rallied the city against a siege in 1589, the square remains the city’s proud center stage. Domed city hall presides over arcades of glass-fronted galleries that sparkle in Galician light, while nearby lanes tempt hungry travelers with empanadas and pulpo a la gallega paired with crisp Albariño.

In the early 20th century, King Alfonso XIII built his summer palace in Santander, and the royal spirit still lingers in pastel villas, sweeping promenades, and the golden crescent of El Sardinero Beach. In 1941 a devastating fire erased much of the medieval heart, forcing the city to reinvent itself. What remains today are two distinct identities: a graceful seaside escape with lively beaches and fine dining, and a place whose roots reach back 15,000 years, visible in the prehistoric cave art of Altamira and Puente Viesgo.

There are cities where you eat well, and then there’s San Sebastián. With more Michelin-starred restaurants per square meter than almost anywhere else in the world, this jewel of Spain’s Basque Country is its undisputed culinary heartland. Pintxo bars crowd the Old Town, their counters overflowing with anchovies, peppers, and jamón, while elegant dining rooms reinterpret centuries of gastronomic tradition with modern flair.

La Ràpita is a town of plates, promenades, and plunges into the deep, blue Mediterranean. At its edge lies the Ebro Delta, where vast rice fields shimmer in the sun, salt flats stretch to the sea, and flocks of flamingos turn the lagoons pink. Rice from these paddies fills steaming paellas, often paired with the prized tuna landed in local waters. The town’s story is written in chapters: Moorish origins, a medieval monastic community, and Bourbon-era redesigns that influenced squares, churches, and viewpoints, leaving one of the most distinctive corners of Catalonia.

Located on Germany’s Baltic shore at the mouth of the Trave River, this seaside resort town feels charmingly nostalgic with rows of striped wicker beach chairs, wide sands, and a breezy promenade lined with ice cream stalls and cafés. Maritime history is close at hand; the Passat, a four-masted barque from 1911, is moored as a floating museum. Travemünde also serves as a gateway to Lübeck, just 30 minutes inland, whose red-brick Gothic gables and spires earned UNESCO World Heritage status.

This former European Capital of Culture’s waterfront entices with art galleries and a buzzing food market, while a short stroll inland brings you to cobbled streets, half-timbered houses, and cottages draped in bright hollyhocks. Pause for a plate of smørrebrød topped with herring or shrimp, then bite into a still-warm, crisp and buttery Danish pastry. Walk through ARoS’s rainbow-colored skywalk or explore Den Gamle By, where costumed residents go about 18th-century routines as if the present never arrived.

Life in La Rochelle overflows with energy as fishing boats unload their catch and cafés fill with the clatter of plates piled high with the area’s famed oysters and mussels. Order up your own plate and soak in the scene with a glass of pineau. Above it all rise the 14th-century Saint-Nicolas and Chain Towers, reminders of a city that once withstood the great siege of 1627. Climb the 147 steps of the 15th-century Lantern Tower for sweeping views over the city’s limestone roofs and the Atlantic beyond.