On Ireland’s central east coast along the banks of the Liffey River, where so many literary greats beyond James Joyce were born — including Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett, to name a few — these days Dublin is showing off trendy coffee houses, foodie-friendly restaurant stops, and smart boutiques filled with Burberry-clad shoppers combing the racks and shelves. However, there’s still much to see from days gone by in this historic city.

There is a fairy tale quality to the tree-lined canal streets of Amsterdam.

Boutiques, cafes and hotels may hide behind the facades of the gabled townhouses, but the look of this beautiful city hasn’t changed much since its 17th-century Golden Age. No matter how many times you walk along the canals, they are enchanting to see, even when traffic and whizzing bicycles dispel the Old World illusion.

Anne Frank House: Many decades after World War II, a line still forms almost every day with visitors waiting to view the small, hidden rooms where 13-year-old Anne Frank wrote her famous diary. Eight people, family and friends, lived in this space, hardly daring to speak aloud for more than two years, hoping in vain to escape the Nazis. The bare rooms have lost none of their impact or poignancy with the passage of time.

Between dips into artistic and historic treasures, take time to simply absorb the freewheeling spirit of this vibrant city.

From gorges of Kakadu National Park, to the white sails of the Sydney Opera House, Australia is a country as big your imagination. Kick back on the white beaches in Western Australia; lose yourself in Melbourne or view sunsets over Uluru. Visit Tasmania or explore Sydney, a mix of surf, sun and money and you’ll soon see Australia is a place to be discovered.

The people populate pubs with enormous beer gardens. Australia also offers glorious ways to wrap your head around the country’s culture in myriad museums, theatres, festivals and galleries. A solid study of the bars and restaurants will reveal the population’s helpless addiction to coffee, seafood, organics and global cuisine; and the wine industry delights discerning connoisseurs from around the world.

On Ireland’s central east coast along the banks of the Liffey River, where so many literary greats beyond James Joyce were born — including Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett, to name a few — these days Dublin is showing off trendy coffee houses, foodie-friendly restaurant stops, and smart boutiques filled with Burberry-clad shoppers combing the racks and shelves. However, there’s still much to see from days gone by in this historic city.

The upscale neighborhoods and the majority of hotels, restaurants, shops and sights are south of the river. The main shopping thoroughfare is Grafton Street, but you’ll find the more exclusive shops along the side streets. Dublin’s most beautiful squares — St. Stephen’s Green, Merrion Square and Fitzwilliam Square — are within 10 minutes’ walking distance of Grafton Street. Temple Bar lies along the Liffey near Ha’penny Bridge. North of the river is working-class Dublin, but you’ll also find Dublin’s most important theaters there — the Gate and the Abbey — as well as a pocket of fine Georgian townhouses on and around North Great George’s Street

Sprawling Munich, home to some 1.5 million people, is the capital of Bavaria and one of Germany’s major cultural centers. (Only Berlin outranks it in terms of museums and theaters.) It’s also one of Germany’s most festive cities, and its location, at the foot of the Alps, is idyllic.

Some of the sparkle comes from its vitality. With its busy factories, newspapers and television stations, and service and electronics industries, it’s one of Europe’s liveliest places. More subtle is Munich’s amazing ability to combine Hollywood-type glamour and stylish international allure with its folkloric connections. Few other large cities have been as successful as Munich in marketing folklore, rusticity, and nostalgia for the golden days of yesteryear. This rustic ambience coexists with the hip and the avant-garde, high-tech industries, and a sharp political sense, which is what lends the city such a distinctive flair.

When winter comes to the Northern Hemisphere, things are just heating up Down Under. Once you’ve checked out Sydney’s urban attractions, head an hour or two out of town to enjoy summer in the Blue Mountain region — home to densely forested peaks, lush gardens and dozens of hiking trails. The most famous attraction is the Three Sisters, a spectacular sandstone rock formation. If you’re not up for hiking, hop on the Katoomba Scenic Railway (one of the world’s steepest) or ride in the Scenic Skyway, a cable car that has a glass floor for dizzying panoramic views.

Summer (winter in the Northern Hemisphere) is the most popular time to visit, when the weather is warm, outdoor activities are in full swing, and huge events like the Sydney Festival create a buzz around the city. Because the temperature never really gets cold, you’ll be able to see and do most activities year-round

The east coast of Australia is home to some of the country’s most popular destinations, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns.

Sunny, sexy, and sophisticated, Sydney (pop. 4.1 million) basks in its worldwide recognition as the shining star of the Southern Hemisphere. The “Emerald City” is one of the most attractive on earth. History is enshrined in its many museums and art galleries, while modern Sydney comes alive in the more recent developments around Darling Harbour and the restaurant and entertainment area nearby at Cockle Bay and King Street Wharf. At Darling Harbour you’ll find the world-class Sydney Aquarium. You can also start your gourmet tour of Sydney’s Contemporary cooking style, which encompasses the best of freshness with spices from Asia and flavors from the Mediterranean.

Add to this the side trips to the gorges and cliffs of the Blue Mountains, the wineries of the Hunter Valley, and the dolphin- and whale-watching around Port Stephens, and you’ll see why Sydney gets so much praise.

Auckland, known as the City of Sails, is as big, as cosmopolitan, as hedonistic, as subtropical, and as congested as any New Zealand city gets. If you’re starting here, you’re starting at the top. And if you haven’t visited Auckland in the last 5 years, you’re in for a major surprise — it has slipped into a new stylish skin that is leaving the rest of New Zealand in its wake.

Along with its much-touted 48 dead volcanoes, Auckland is home to more than 1.3 million people. It has the largest Polynesian population in the world; more boats per capita than any other city; 22 regional parks covering 37,038 hectares (91,484 acres); 50 islands; and more than 500km (310 miles) of walking and hiking tracks. It also has the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere, which attracts the most lightning, and if a daily shower is no longer enough, Auckland, surrounded on all sides by water, offers more ways of getting wet than just about anywhere.

One of the most striking characteristics of Hong Kong is the interweaving of seeming contradictions and the interplay of the exotic and the technically advanced. There are as many skyscrapers here as you’re likely to see anywhere, but they’re built with bamboo scaffolding. Historic trams rumble through Central, while below ground is one of the most efficient subways in the world, complete with the world’s first “contactless” tickets, cards that can be waved over a scanner without even taking them out of your purse or wallet. The city has what are arguably some of the best and most sophisticated restaurants in the world, but it also has dai pai dong, street-side food stalls. Hong Kong is home to one of the world’s largest shopping malls, but there are also lively street markets virtually everywhere.

Because of these dazzling contrasts, Hong Kong offers visitors something unique — the chance to experience a vibrant Chinese city without sacrificing the comforts of home. To be sure, much of Hong Kong’s Western fabric comes from the legacy left by the British, who ruled the colony until 1997, when it was handed back to China as a Special Administrative Region (thus the SAR abbreviation you’ll see there and throughout this book). British influence is still evident everywhere, from Hong Kong’s school system to its free-market economy, from its rugby teams to its double-decker buses, and from English pubs and tea in the afternoon to (my favorite) orderly queues. But though the city was molded by the British, it has always been, at heart, Chinese, with Chinese medicine shops, street vendors, lively dim sum restaurants, old men taking their caged birds for walks, and colorful festivals. Indeed, for the casual visitor, Hong Kong seems little changed since the 1997 handover. No doubt some visitors remain oblivious to even the most visible sign of that change: the replacement of the Union Jack and old flag of the Crown Colony of Hong Kong with the red, starred flag of China and the new red Hong Kong flag with its emblem of the bauhinia flower.

Whether you are lured by fascinating old cities, beautiful countryside, rich traditions, architectural wonders, or enjoy art and shopping. Holland offers all of this and more. Centrally located in the heart of Europe, Holland is an affordable, compact and progressive country where nearly everyone speaks English.

The capital Amsterdam has Europe’s largest and best-preserved historic center. It is truly one of the world’s most alluring cities, with hundreds of 17th century houses, canals and museums where masters such as Van Gogh and Rembrandt are on permanent display. The tiny towns and villages just outside Amsterdam offer a rich tradition with locals sometimes still wearing traditional garb and wooden shoes.