Compare 576 Travel Destinations

Taiwan's oldest city, founded by the Dutch East India Company in 1624 and the island's capital for two centuries before Taipei was built. Locals say there are more temples per capita here than anywhere else in Asia — over 1,600 inside the city limits — and the food canon (danzai noodles, milkfish congee, coffin bread, beef soup) was largely invented within a few blocks of the old Anping Harbour. An hour and a half south of Taipei by High Speed Rail; quieter, slower, and unmistakably more historic than anywhere else on the island.

Taipei is Asia's most underrated capital — legendary night markets (Shilin, Raohe), world-class museums (National Palace Museum), stunning mountain hikes (Elephant Mountain, Yangmingshan), and some of the friendliest locals you'll meet anywhere. The MRT is spotless and efficient, bubble tea was invented here, and the food scene is extraordinary.

Estonia's medieval Old Town has the best-preserved 14th-century walls in Northern Europe — cobblestone, guild halls, and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral staring down from Toompea. Digital-republic Estonia birthed Skype and Wise here; Telliskivi Creative City balances the medieval with craft cocktails. 2-hour ferry across to Helsinki.

Tamarindo is the unofficial capital of Costa Rica's Pacific surf coast — a former fishing village transformed by The Endless Summer II in 1994 into a 7,000-person beach town stacked with surf schools, smoothie bars, and sunset-bar circuits. Playa Tamarindo's mile-long beach break works for total beginners; the more powerful Playa Grande across the estuary is the protected nesting beach for endangered leatherback turtles in Las Baulas National Marine Park. The Liberia airport (LIR) is just 75 km north, putting Tamarindo within five hours of Miami and making it the easiest beach landing in the country.

Florida’s Gulf-coast counterweight to Miami — a working city of 395K (3.4M metro) wrapped around the largest open-water estuary in Florida. Ybor City, the 1885-founded Cuban-Spanish-Italian cigar district, is where the Tampa Cuban sandwich was invented (the official sandwich of Tampa by city ordinance) and where wild chickens still roam between the brick streets descended from cigar-rollers’ birds. Add Busch Gardens (the densest concentration of major rollercoasters in the southern US), the 4-km waterfront Riverwalk, the Florida Aquarium’s 500,000-gallon coral reef tank, and the legendary Bern’s Steak House (largest restaurant wine collection on Earth, 500,000 bottles). Tampa International Airport regularly tops US traveller-satisfaction rankings; Clearwater Beach (regularly named America’s best beach) is 40 minutes west.

Northern Morocco's port city stares across the Strait of Gibraltar to Spain (14km away). The medina + Kasbah climb the hill above the harbor; Cap Spartel marks where the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet, with the Caves of Hercules just below. International Zone era (1923-56) and a literary bohemian past — Bowles, Burroughs, Kerouac, Ginsberg all lived here. The Al Boraq high-speed train (Africa's only) connects to Casablanca in 2h10m. Easier ferry hop to Tarifa than most realize.

A 19-kilometre marble canyon on Taiwan's east coast where the Liwu River has cut through 1,000-metre cliffs of polished white and grey marble. Eternal Spring Shrine clings to a waterfall, the Tunnel of Nine Turns weaves through the narrowest neck of the gorge, and the Swallow Grotto wall is pocked with caves carved by river spray. The 2024 magnitude 7.4 earthquake closed the central highway and most signature trails, so check current trail status before going.

Uzbekistan's modern capital is a gateway to the Silk Road, with Soviet-era metro stations that rival Moscow's, bustling Chorsu Bazaar, and increasingly excellent restaurants. The high-speed Afrosiyob train connects to Samarkand in just 2 hours.

Australia's island state and one of the world's last great wildernesses — the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area covers 20% of the island. Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair frames the Overland Track (the country's premier long-distance hike), Wineglass Bay's perfect crescent in Freycinet is the headline beach, and the Bay of Fires lights up orange-lichened granite at sunrise. Hobart's MONA is the most provocative private museum in the southern hemisphere; the Port Arthur penal colony (UNESCO) is Australia's most powerful convict-history site. The air here is among the cleanest measured anywhere on Earth.

Georgia's captivating capital tumbles down hillsides along the Mtkvari River with colorful leaning houses, sulfur baths, ancient churches, and one of the world's oldest wine traditions.

Israel's Mediterranean coastal city pulses with Bauhaus architecture, world-class beaches, a legendary food scene, thriving nightlife, and a startup culture rivaling Silicon Valley.

A 2,600-person Victorian town wedged into a box canyon at 8,750 ft, walled in on three sides by 13,000-ft San Juan peaks — the most dramatic setting of any ski town in the Lower 48. The free public gondola, the only one of its kind in North America, connects historic Telluride to Mountain Village at 9,500 ft in 13 minutes, running 7am-midnight in ski and summer seasons. Bridal Veil Falls plunges 365 ft at the canyon's eastern dead-end, the tallest free-falling waterfall in Colorado. The whole town is a National Historic Landmark District. Bluegrass Festival in June and Telluride Film Festival each Labor Day weekend draw devoted national crowds.

The largest of the Canary Islands and a Spanish autonomous community sitting 300 km off Western Sahara — geologically African, politically Spanish. Mt Teide (3,718 m) is the highest peak in Spain and the world's third-tallest volcano measured from its oceanic base; the entire island is essentially the volcano's above-water portion. The summit cable car climbs to 3,555 m in 8 minutes (Mirador Las Cañadas), with the final 200 m to the crater requiring a free permit booked weeks ahead. The southern resort strip — Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas — concentrates 85% of the 6 million annual tourists; the greener, wetter northern half stays comparatively quiet around the colonial capital of Santa Cruz, the Anaga laurel forest, and the cliffs of Los Gigantes. The IGIC tax regime (7% versus mainland Spain's 21% VAT) makes electronics, alcohol, and luxury goods notably cheaper. Two airports — Tenerife South (TFS) for international charter, Tenerife North (TFN) for inter-island and Iberia.

The Hague is the Netherlands' political capital, the seat of parliament, and home to the International Court of Justice at the Peace Palace. The 13th-century Binnenhof courtyard sits at the city's core, the Mauritshuis around the corner holds Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring and Fabritius's Goldfinch, and Madurodam shrinks the entire country into a one-twenty-fifth scale model park. A short tram ride later you are on Scheveningen beach with the pier and a North Sea promenade. Less postcard than Amsterdam, more institutional, with serious museums and easy access to the coast.

Greece's vibrant second city has a legendary food scene, Byzantine churches, Ottoman-era markets, and a stunning waterfront promenade. More laid-back than Athens with excellent nightlife and easy access to Halkidiki beaches and Mount Olympus.

Albania's capital spent 45 years as Europe's most isolated country (1944–1992); today Tirana is one of the continent's most energetic up-and-coming cities. Former mayor Edi Rama — now Prime Minister — painted communist-era grey apartment blocks in psychedelic colors, transforming the city's identity. Bunk'Art 1 and 2 repurpose Hoxha's nuclear bunkers (there were 750,000 — one per four Albanians) as extraordinary art museums. Blloku, once the exclusive communist party quarter, is now packed with cafes and bars. Ridiculously affordable.

Tokyo is a city of striking contrasts where ultramodern skyscrapers stand alongside ancient temples. The world's largest metropolitan area pulses with energy across its distinct neighborhoods — from the neon-lit streets of Shinjuku and Shibuya to the serene gardens of the Imperial Palace. Expect world-class food at every price point, efficient transit that runs like clockwork, and a culture that seamlessly weaves tradition into daily life.

Toledo sits on a granite hill nearly encircled by a hairpin bend of the Tagus — the entire walled old city is UNESCO-listed and looks essentially as El Greco painted it in 1600. For five centuries it was Spain's capital and the meeting point of three faiths: the Gothic cathedral (one of the great cathedrals of Christendom) stands a few minutes' walk from the Sinagoga del Tránsito and the converted-mosque Cristo de la Luz. Marzipan workshops, Damascene-steel sword-makers, and El Greco's restored house round it out. The AVE high-speed train from Madrid Atocha takes 33 minutes — making Toledo the easiest serious day trip in Spain, though staying overnight is the way to see it without the day-tripper rush.

Canada's largest city holds the CN Tower (553m), the world's most multicultural population (200 languages spoken), and St. Lawrence Market (National Geographic's #1 food market in the world). The Distillery District is the largest collection of Victorian industrial architecture in North America. From Kensington Market's bohemian stalls to the waterfront Islands ferry and the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto delivers a world-class city without the pretension — and Niagara Falls is 90 minutes away.

1,810 km² of Chilean Patagonia named for its three granite spires (Torres) rising 2,500m straight from the steppe. The W Trek (4-5 days, 80km) is the iconic route; the O Circuit (8-10 days, 130km) loops the entire massif. Grey Glacier (30km arm of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field) is accessible by catamaran or kayak. Wildlife includes guanaco herds and rare pumas with specialised tracker tours. Famously violent winds (100+ km/h common in summer) and rapidly shifting weather demand serious gear. Park entry $32-45 USD; refugios on the W Trek require booking 6-12 months in advance via Vertice or Las Torres Patagonia.

UNESCO-listed colonial city frozen in the 18th century — founded in 1514, Trinidad's pastel-painted houses and cobblestone streets have barely changed since sugar wealth peaked. Plaza Mayor is the finest colonial square in Cuba. Valle de los Ingenios preserves the sugar-plantation landscape that made the city rich and enslaved thousands.

The "Gateway to the Arctic" — Norway's largest city above the Arctic Circle sits on an island connected by the iconic Tromsø Bridge. Sitting directly under the auroral oval gives it roughly 240 aurora-visible nights a year; Fjellheisen cable car, the Arctic Cathedral, Polar Museum, and Mack Brewery (the world's northernmost) define the city. Surprisingly mild winters (−5°C average) thanks to the North Atlantic Current — dog sledding at Camp Tamok and Sami reindeer experiences round out the Arctic week.

Tucson sits in a Sonoran Desert basin ringed by five mountain ranges and saguaro forests so dense they got their own national park (split into east and west units that bracket the city). It's the oldest continuously inhabited place in the US — 4,000+ years of history layered through the Tohono O'odham, the Spanish mission of San Xavier del Bac (1797), Mexican rule, and the Wild West railroad town. The food scene is the only UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the US, built on Sonoran-Mexican traditions with chimichangas (invented here), sonoran hot dogs, and fresh tortillas at decades-old neighborhood spots.

Riviera Maya's boho-chic capital — the only walled coastal Mayan ruins, perched on a cliff above turquoise Caribbean. Two Tulums coexist: the Pueblo (taco stands, hostels, real prices) and the Beach Hotel Zone (Instagram-famous palapa resorts at eye-watering rates). Cenotes everywhere — Gran Cenote, Dos Ojos, Sac Actun. Sian Ka'an Biosphere south, Coba Ruins inland. The new Maya Train and a brand-new Tulum airport opened late 2023.