Located on Mount Desert Island, home of the spectacular Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor is a historic tourist town, offering salty sea air, soft sandy beaches, granite cliffs and a slew of activities for the outdoor enthusiast. A 19th-century resort for the wealthy, the town has several mansions, old majestic hotels and other vestiges of its heyday. Stop by the Hulls Cove Visitor Center to stock up on information about Acadia National Park. Then pick from a wealth of activities: swimming, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, climbing mountains, bird or whale watching, cycling and horse riding. If kayaking is your sport, or you're itching to learn, Coastal Kayaking Tours offers trips for beginner to expert paddlers. Golfers can tee off at the scenic Kebo Golf Club, one of the oldest courses in the US. For a unique adventure, go on a boat excursion with Diver Ed, where you can watch Ed diving 50 feet below on the deck monitor and then learn about the starfish, sea urchins and other sea creatures he retrieves and then returns to their home.

Camden, Maine is proud to call itself the "Jewel of the Coast." A beautiful seaport town with a harbor full of sail boats, Camden has been used as the setting for so many movies, from Carousel to Peyton Place, that it is what many people think of when they think of New England. With a series of annual festivals running all year round, including the US Toboggan Championships, the Summer HarborArts Juried Arts & Craft Show and Windjammer Weekend, there is always something to do in Camden.

Originally an English trading post on the Kennebec River, Augusta has since grown to be the capital of Maine, and is focused on preserving and celebrating the state’s history. Visit the magnificent Maine State House or Old Fort Western, the oldest surviving wooden fort in the United States. The city is also the home of the Pine Tree State Arboretum, a 224-acre park and botanic garden, with six miles of hiking, biking and cross-country skiing trails, open for free, all year round.

The first time you go to New York, go ahead and be a sight-seer—everyone should visit the Statue of Liberty, the Met, Times Square, etc. But on a return trip, pick a neighbourhood and go deep. You’ll find hole-in-the-wall bars, great delis, quirky shops… exploring the non-touristy side of New York is an incredibly rewarding experience for a traveller.

Is there any possible way Las Vegas could not be on our "best nightlife" list? The only way we could possibly omit it is on a technicality—since you can do pretty much anything 24/7 in Vegas, it might be wrong to call it "nightlife."

Everyone who visits Paris for the first time probably has the same punchlist of major attractions to hit: The Louvre, Notre Dame, The Eiffel Tower, etc. Just make sure you leave some time to wander the city’s grand boulevards and eat in as many cafes, bistros and brasseries as possible. And don’t forget the shopping—whether your tastes run to Louis Vuitton or Les Puces (the flea market), you can find it here.

Amsterdam is truly a biker’s city, although pedaling along the labyrinthine streets can get a little chaotic. Stick to walking and you won’t be disappointed. The gentle canals make a perfect backdrop for exploring the Jordaan and Rembrandtplein square. Pop into the Red Light District if you must—if only so you can say you’ve been there. The Anne Frank House is one of the most moving experiences a traveller can have, and the Van Gogh Museum boasts a sensational collection of works.

It’s nicknamed the Eternal City for a reason. In Rome, you can drink from a street fountain fed by an ancient aqueduct. Or see the same profile on a statue in the Capitoline Museum and the guy making your cappuccino. (Which, of course, you know never to order after 11 am.) Rome is also a city of contrasts—what other place on earth could be home to both the Vatican and La Dolce Vita?

The bubbling, turquoise crystalline pools of Plitvice Lakes National Park comprise one of Croatia's most popular tourist destinations. Just a two-hour drive from Zagreb, the national park offers 50 acres of forest and lake. In winter, it's a wonderland of frozen waterfalls. In summer, the park is lush with greenery. Wooden walkways and hiking trails traverse the porous karst limestone. This World Heritage Site is a veritable wildlife haven, home to everything from birds to boars and even bears.