Founded as a fortress in 1030 at the confluence of two rivers, Kaunas, in the heart of Lithuania, is a city full of history, culture, and natural beauty. Start your trip by walking through its main artery, Laisvės Alėja, while you admire its beautiful architecture, and make sure you get familiar with the delicious Lithuanian dishes and the ancient bath traditions in a city that was once the admired place of Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz.

The narrow, cobbled streets of Alghero’s medieval citadel, packed with boutiques, bars and restaurants, slope towards the harbour and sweeping bay. Built in a buttery sandstone that glows a soft apricot shade in the setting sun, it’s Sardinia’s most picturesque Old Town. Spanish-style palazzos and street signs in Italian and Catalan reflect its proud heritage: 300 years of Aragon rule. Fringed by pine forests, long sandy beaches, hotels and bars curve away towards green headlands. It’s an idyllic setting.

Coffs Harbour is a paradise of attractions, from thrilling skydives and underwater adventures to dolphin shows and waterfront dining. Nearby you can walk above a rainforest canopy in a World Heritage wilderness. Famous for its bananas, fish and surf, this coastal city on the NSW North Coast is at the southern edge of the Solitary Islands Marine Park, a haven for turtles and great for diving. And relax on beautiful beaches in Coffs, as the locals call this much-loved destination halfway between Sydney and Brisbane and easy to get to by air, road or rail.

The site of former Indian, Portuguese and Dutch settlements, today’s Chennai was established by the British in the 17th century as a trading port. This colonial town, formerly known as Madras, has since grown into India’s fourth-largest city and the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This bustling and colorful Indian city is bound to have something on offer for everyone.

Kerala’s first city, with its knotty official name of Thiruvananthapuram (often substituted by the shorter, more manageable Trivandrum), is an exhaustive introduction to southern India's urban and cultural life. Trivandrum tends to be unjustly overlooked en route to the state's beachside settlements, but easily warrants a few days of its own.