Though Agrigento is a modern city of about 60,000 on Sicily’s southwest coast, the majority of visitors come to experience the past just outside of town. At the Valley of the Temples (Valle dei Templi), citizens of the then-major Greek colony of Akragras began building seven Doric style holy monuments in the sixth century BC. The nearby Archaeological Museum helps put everything into context. Agrigento also has some fascinating sights in its old town, like the medieval Norman cathedral.

The Mediterranean's biggest island is separated from the mainland by the Strait of Messina. A mountainous spot, Sicily's coast and its small islands sit at the foot of volcanoes, including Etna, Stromboli and Vulcano. The Greeks, Romans, Normans and Catalans all left their mark on the island in the form of Byzantine palaces, Gothic castles and Baroque flourishes in capital Palermo. Most larger towns offer interesting museums, but Etna and the Hellenic temples in Agrigento offer particularly unique sights.

One of southeastern Sicily’s UNESCO-listed baroque cities, Noto is famed for its opulent architecture and surfeit of beauty. Its 18th-century cathedral is a local highlight, as is Caffe Sicilia, which is rumored to make some of the best gelato in all of Italy.

Though Cefalu is considered one of Italy’s finest resort towns, there’s more to do than just swim and sunbathe. The seaside spot, poised on Sicily northeastern coast, is equally celebrated for its Norman cathedral, medieval old town, archaeology museum, and seafood-heavy fare.

Once one of ancient Greece’s most important cities, today Syracuse (Siracusa in Italian) is a lively town of about 125,000 on Sicily’s southeast coast. The city overflows with amazing remnants from its long history. Romans, Vandals and Normans are but a few of those who ruled here after the Greeks. In Syracuse’s harbor, Ortygia Island (also called Città Vecchia or Old City) is the site of many of the main attractions, including the seventh-century cathedral and the Fountain of Arethusa.

If the mention of Mykonos doesn’t immediately bring to mind bright white buildings, turquoise skies and tanned bodies lining golden sandy beaches, you’ve been living under a rock. The most popular Greek Island in the Aegean Sea is all about energy and attracts a diverse and upscale crowd that thrives on its stylish nightlife. During the day some privacy can be had in the more secluded north beaches, but the south beaches are all party. Ski, jet-ski, windsurf, horseback ride, parasail or just save up your energy for the evening ahead, like most of your fellow travellers in Mykonos.

For wine lovers, Reims is an essential stop on France’s Champagne trail, with big-name bubbly houses headquartered here among wide boulevards and well-preserved medieval churches. There’s plenty to toast to at Reims Cathedral, a coronation site for centuries of French monarchs.

Perched on Sri Lanka’s southwest coast, Galle wears its history on its sleeve. Windswept beaches and nodding palms surround its colonial-era showpiece, a 16th-century Portuguese-built fort, while the rest of the city is trimmed with Dutch-style houses, quirky shops, whitewashed mansions, and heritage museums.

Lush and luxuriant, the exotic tropical island nation of St Kitts and Nevis is a romantic paradise. St Kitts' wonderful beaches remain relatively crowd-free, and nature lovers delight in seeing lava formations, tropical forest and lagoons and underwater marvels while snorkelling or diving. Among more than 200 historical sites, former plantation homes now offer elegant accommodation. Eco-rambles, bio-tours and climbing are Nevis attractions. Hire cars or mopeds on-island and catch ferries between the two.