Simple seaside pleasures – a waterfront promenade, open-air cafés and some gorgeous beaches – are the focus of life in the resort town of Kuşadası. This modern port is the gateway to Ephesus, one of the great cities of antiquity, which lies just 10 miles inland. Founded by the Ionian Greeks, Ephesus flourished as a provincial capital of Imperial Rome. Wandering around its agoras, baths, libraries and mosaic-adorned houses is an experience you’ll never forget.
Thanks to its sheltered bay, Deshaies is a popular pitstop for yachters from across the globe, which gives this pretty little fishing village a surprisingly chic, cosmopolitan air. The city is home to the wonderful Jardin Botanique, a tranquil showcase of tropical flora. It’s also just minutes from the soft sands of the Grande Anse and Plage de la Perle. The Caribbean coastline is dotted with glorious beaches, as well as world class diving and snorkeling spots, such as the renowned Cousteau Reserve.
Settled right at the Atlantic entrance to the Panamá Canal, Colón is Panama’s gateway to the Caribbean, where the culture is shaped by its history. The ruins of Fort San Lorenzo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, tells stories of over 400 years of military history. From the Agua Clara Visitor Center, learn all about the canal from the technology to the history and how the canal unites the world. Opportunities for outdoor adventures are plenty at La Granja Campo y Aventura, the adventure park through the rainforest, featuring canopy ziplines, horseback rides and kayaking tours.
Surrounded by rugged terrain and lush vegetation, La Romana is home to crystalline waters, white sand beaches and impressive coral reef life. It's a gateway to charming villages such as Bayahibe, ecological trails and numerous golf resorts. In the town center is El Obelisco, painted with images of local Dominican life. Nearby Altos de Chavon is a replica 16th-century village and cultural center featuring artist studios, galleries, an archaeological museum and sweeping views of the Chavon River.
Rouen is the capital of Normandy, a cultural, gastronomic and historic center set along the river Seine’s winding route between Paris and the Channel. The Gothic Cathedral of Notre Dame is the city’s signature landmark, soaring high over the restored medieval quarter, a delightful pedestrian district of cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses, and many old churches. A stroll along the Rue du Gros Horloge takes you under a Renaissance archway adorned with a gilded medieval clock for which this central street is named.
Just off England’s Hampshire Coast, the Isle of Wight has been welcoming holiday makers to its miles of beaches and pastoral landscapes since the mid-19th century. The bustling port of Cowes is the island’s yachting center, famous for its annual regatta. Queen Victoria summered, and later died, here at Osborne House, her lemony Italianate palazzo, and Victorian style endures, especially in south coast resort towns and seaside promenades. The west coast is less developed, extending out to the landmark chalk stacks called the Needles.
The island of Gotland is an unhurried, quiet counterpoint to modern Sweden, home to prehistoric mysteries, Viking treasures and a rich medieval heritage as well as outdoors activities. Visby is the lone town, surrounded by 13th-century defenses of walls, towers and moats, all easy to explore by foot. Warehouses, guild houses, and merchant homes reflect Visby’s heyday as the center of Hanseatic trade. Flower-bedecked cottages, quaint shops and charming cafes, along with some rose-covered ruins, add to ambience.
Military-maritime heritage, friendly ambience and easy access to outdoor adventures are all part of the urban fabric in Karlskrona. In 1680, King Karl XI chose Sweden’s most southern archipelago for a new base for his Royal Navy. The 17th-century grid design on the island of Trossö remains the Baroque heart of the city, which today covers 33 islands. On Trossö's highest point, the elegant and expansive town square is a civic and cultural hub, with such landmarks as the Town Hall, an old water tower-turned-exhibition space, and Fredrik's Church.
The seaside resort of Travemünde sits at the meeting point of the Trave river and the Baltic. A holiday destination since the early 19th century, it offers the timeless pleasures of sun, sand and simple fare like fischbrötchen along broad beaches dotted with giant wicker chairs called strandkörbe. Watersports, including a July regatta, are also major draw. The riverfront Vorderreihe, lined with restaurants, cafes and boutiques, is lovely to stroll, as is the charming Old Town.
The smallest of the three main U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John was an early pioneer in Caribbean eco-tourism. More than half of its 20 square miles are undeveloped — and will stay that way — as they constitute Virgin Islands National Park, created in 1956 from holdings donated by U.S. philanthropist and conservationist Laurance Rockefeller. Much of St. John’s glorious white-sand beaches, coastline and surrounding seas are also protected, either through the park or the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument.
