The gateway to the Loire Valley, Tours offers plenty to admire in its own right. Gothic architecture, café-lined squares, and manicured gardens conjure up a Parisian atmosphere without the crowds in this university town tucked between the banks of the Loire and Cher rivers.

Le Mans is famous as the setting for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the grueling round-the-clock car race. But it's also an ancient town, with Roman walls, a beautiful cathedral and plenty of museums to see. Car aficionados will especially like the Musée Automobile de la Sarthe, where there's a great collection of vehicles.

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.

Over the centuries, many cultures have added their mark to this prized piece of land. Today, you can experience those influences firsthand by exploring Istanbul’s mahalles (neighbourhoods). From the holy sites of Sultanahmet and the 19th-century European elegance of Beyoğlu to the high fashion of Nişantaşı, the vibrant café society of Kadıköy and the football-loving streets of Beşiktaş, it’s easy to see why travellers say that Istanbul isn’t just one city, but many cities within one.

Middletown, Rhode Island, is home to miles of wide sandy beaches, thousands of acres of unspoiled nature preserves, historic attractions, outdoor recreation and many restaurants. Bordering the popular resort city of Newport, this diverse coastal community is where you’ll find the Norman Bird Sanctuary, which encompasses more than 325 acres of diverse habitats and seven miles of marked trails, as well as the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, which offers a 2.5-mile trail with panoramic ocean views.