Aegina, one of the Saronic Islands of Greece, is a short ferry ride from Athens yet feels far removed from the capital’s energy. Known since antiquity as a thriving maritime and cultural center, the island still preserves echoes of its past in archaeological sites and traditional villages.

This is a city one could get lost in for days, exploring the old Ming Dynasty walls and wandering through its superb museum. If time permits, you should also take a walk through Linggu Park, home of the Linggu Pagoda and other items of Buddhist interest. Even just a casual walk through the streets-replete with food vendors and baskets of live geese-will help convey the unique flavor of this city.

Arrawarra is a small coastal community on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, located north of Coffs Harbour. Its landscape centres on Arrawarra Headland, where a sandy beach meets rocky shoreline, coastal vegetation, and waters protected within the Solitary Islands Marine Park. The area is known for surfing, fishing, swimming, beach walking, and exploring rock pools.

Located in the Normandy region of France, Cherbourg is an historic port city and ferry terminal situated on the English Channel. Cherbourg is best known for its maritime museum, Cite de la Mer, which includes tours inside Le Redoutable, a nonfunctional nuclear submarine, and exhibits on the Titanic and European emigration to the Americas.

Galle, a coastal city in southern Sri Lanka, is a place where history and the sea are inseparably linked. Once a vital port on the spice trade routes, Galle reached its peak under Dutch colonial rule in the 17th century, when the massive Galle Fort was built.