Drop anchor in Karlskrona, the city founded in 1680, when Charles XI decided to build the country's new naval base here. 340 years later, the naval base remains, and the well-preserved architecture and city plan impressed Unesco, which gave Karlskrona World Heritage status in 1998. Wherever you go, you can see magnificent churches and squares, parade streets and fortifications that attract visitors from all over the world. All this on several islands in an archipelago that Unesco has designated as one of seven biosphere reserves in Sweden.

Linz an der Donau is a cultural metropolis, and an oasis of green. It is a place where nature, culture and business come together to form a harmonious whole. The 2009 European Capital of Culture sports the slogan 'Linz, verändert' ('Linz, changes'), and lives up to the slogan in full. A successful location for business, the city has emerged as an outstanding destination for culture, offering dynamism and high quality of life. The capital city of Upper Austria is a showcase for theatre and music, contemporary art, history and science.

The Island of Hawaii is known colloquially as the Big Island — a fitting nickname for an island twice the combined size of its neighboring counterparts! Big Island flaunts its colors like the plumes of a peacock: fierce reds of magma from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park contrast spectacularly with the bright white snow of Maunakea, while the electric black sands of Punaluu Beach stream into the emerald green of the Hamakua Coast’s rainforests.

The city and the countryside, the old and the new, high culture and the downright gritty — whatever you are looking for, Taipei has everything today’s discerning traveller could wish for. Set in a natural basin amongst lush green mountains, the city is just a stone's throw away from unspoiled beaches and wild coastline, and boasts all the distractions a modern metropolis can offer while at the same time providing a glimpse into its ancient past.