Enchanting Upolu may be small in size, but it’s huge on options. Beach-bumming or bushwalking? Resort cocktails or billiard-hall beers? Diving or do-nothing? Whatever floats your holiday boat, odds are you’ll find it here. Home to the international airport, the capital city and the bulk of the country’s population, Upolu is where nearly all travellers begin their Samoan sojourn. The majority get their first glimpse of local life on the 35km drive from the airport to Apia, where a procession of tidy villages, incongruously large churches and rickety fruit stalls line perhaps the slowest highway in the world (the speed limit is 40km/h). Most visitors devote themselves to the dazzling strips of sand skirting Upolu’s southern shoreline, with forays into pristine offshore lagoons that shelter colourful coral groves and schools of fish; the ethereal To Sua Ocean Trench attracts those keen on the surreal swim of a lifetime. But Upolu also has its fair share of terra firma treasures: the tangled rainforest of the interior, rough coastal cliffs formed by the cooling of lava rivers and fascinating craters and caves. The urban delights of Apia shouldn’t be neglected either, not if you fancy the odd boogie, movie, or the country’s best eating and drinking establishments.

'Upolu

A Coruña (Castilian: La Coruña) is a port city and beachy hot spot; a cultural hub and a busy commercial centre; a historic city and a proud modern metropolis with a fine food scene and buzzing nightlife – all in all, an intriguing place to discover that is too often overlooked by travellers. The city occupies a particularly contorted corner of the Galician coast. The centre sits on an isthmus straddled by the port on its southeast side and the main ocean beaches on the northwest. An irregularly shaped peninsula extends 2km north out to the city's World Heritage–listed Roman lighthouse, the Torre de Hércules. The Paseo Marítimo, a wonderful 13km walkway and bike path, runs all the way from the port, around the peninsula, along the ocean beaches and on out to the west.

A Coruña

Aachen has been around for millennia. The Romans nursed their war wounds and stiff joints in the steaming waters of its mineral springs, but it was Charlemagne who put the city firmly on the European map. The emperor, too, enjoyed a dip now and then, but it was more for strategic reasons that he made Aachen the geographical and political capital of his vast Frankish Empire in 974 – arguably the first empire with European dimensions. Today, Aachen is still a quintessentially international city that has a unique appeal because of its location in the border triangle with the Netherlands and Belgium. Charlemagne’s legacy lives on in the stunning Dom, which in 1978 became Germany’s first Unesco World Heritage Site, as well as in the new Centre Charlemagne and the Route Charlemagne walking trail. Aachen has a lively vibe that's further enhanced by a large student population.

Aachen

Things are on the way up for Aalborg, Denmark’s fourth-largest city. It sits at the narrowest point of the Limfjord (the long body of water that slices Jutland in two), and recent developments have seen the waterfront become the focal point of the town. A concerted effort is being made to rejuvenate the central industrial areas and turn neglected spaces into something far more appealing. Traditionally, Aalborg has flown under the traveller’s radar, but that could easily change. There are enough low-key diversions here to occupy a few days for most visitors, from architecture fans to families, and party animals to history boffins.

Aalborg

Aarhus ( oar -hus) has long laboured in the shadow of consummate capital Copenhagen, but transformation is afoot. Denmark's second-largest city is busy staking a claim for visitor attention, and building a reputation as an emerging European destination for savvy city-breakers, festival-goers, art and food fans, and those looking beyond the capital-city conga. This Viking-founded, student-filled hub has accrued some weighty accolades to shore up its appeal, too: in 2017 its titles included European Capital of Culture and European Region of Gastronomy (the latter was awarded to Aarhus and the larger central Denmark region). The ever-expanding menu of architectural landmarks, lauded restaurants, bars, festivals and boutiques is a mark of a vibrant city on the rise. It's a great place to explore – compact, photogenic and friendly (its local nickname is 'the city of smiles'). Here you'll be left in little doubt why Denmark scores so highly in those liveability lists.

Aarhus

When the glaciers receded at the end of the last Ice Age, the crescent-shaped Abava Valley was born. Gnarled oaks and idyllic villages dot the gushing stream, luring city slickers away for a day of unhurried scenery. Most people come here to see Kurzeme's gem, Kuldīga, but the other two towns on the way to it are worth at a least a short stopover. This area is best explored by private vehicle. Canoeing down the Abava is another option.

Abava River Valley

Coastal Abel Tasman National Park blankets the northern end of a range of marble and limestone hills that extend from Kahurangi National Park. Various tracks in the park include an inland route, although the Coast Track is what everyone is here for – it's New Zealand's most popular Great Walk. Even if you're not keen on tackling the walk, kayaking or cruising amid Abel Tasman's hidden coves and beaches is accessible to all visitors.

Abel Tasman National Park

Aberdeen is northeast Scotland's powerhouse, fuelled by the North Sea petroleum industry. Oil money made the city as expensive as London, with prices charged to match the depth of oil-wealthy pockets, though regular downturns in the industry see prices fall. Fortunately, most cultural attractions, such as the Maritime Museum and Aberdeen Art Gallery, are free. Known throughout Scotland as the granite city, much of the town was built using silvery-grey granite hewn from the now-abandoned Rubislaw Quarry, at one time the biggest artificial hole in the ground in Europe. On a sunny day the granite lends an attractive glitter to the city, but when low, grey rain clouds scud in off the North Sea it can be hard to tell where the buildings stop and the sky begins. Royal Deeside is easily accessible to the west, Dunnottar Castle to the south, sandy beaches to the north and whisky country northwest.

Aberdeen

The southern district is not only a showcase of history – Pok Fu Lam has the island's last surviving village alongside vestiges of a Victorian dairy – but Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau are also the homes of Hong Kong's fisherfolk, and as such, offer wonderful seafood and boat rides. In addition, Ap Lei Chau has great shopping, and Wong Chuk Hang, contemporary art. The south is also Hong Kong Island's backyard playground, from beaches and seaside dining, to a waterfront bazaar and an amusement park.

Aberdeen & South Hong Kong Island

Since medieval times Aberdeenshire and its northwestern neighbour Moray have been the richest and most fertile regions of the Highlands. Aberdeenshire is famed for its Aberdeen Angus beef cattle, its many fine castles and the prosperous 'granite city' of Aberdeen. North of Aberdeen, the Grampian Mountains fall away to rolling agricultural plains pocked with small, craggy volcanic hills. This fertile lowland corner of northeastern Scotland is known as Buchan; the old Scots dialect, the Doric, is in everyday use here (if you think the Glaswegian accent is difficult to understand, just try listening in on a conversation in Fraserburgh). The Buchan coast alternates between rugged cliffs and long, long stretches of sand, dotted with picturesque little fishing villages such as Pennan, where parts of the film Local Hero were shot.

Aberdeenshire

Côte d'Ivoire's economic engine is strapped between lagoons and waterways, overlooking the crested waves of the Atlantic. At first glimpse, you wonder if these shiny skyscrapers can really be West Africa, but once you walk around Abidjan's neighborhoods, local life comes alive and the city's vibrant tropical mood is revealed.

Abidjan is a challenging city to move around – it's vast and connected by mini-motorways – and you'll have to get in the swing of hailing taxis, negotiating fares and buzzing down the busy roads in order to get from one spot to another. But each neighborhood's distinct feel gives you an insight into the vast scope of Abidjan's character and contradiction; it's quite common for sharp luxury to exist right next to painful poverty.

Make sure to dip into the markets, street-food stops, art galleries and a sleek bar or two.

Abidjan

Easy access to spectacular scenery makes Abisko (Ábeskovvu in Sami) one of the highlights of any trip to Lappland. The 75-sq-km Abisko National Park spreads out from the southern shore of scenic lake Torneträsk. It’s framed by the striking profile of Lapporten, a ‘gate’ formed by neighbouring hills that serves as the legendary gate to Lappland. This is also the driest part of Sweden and consequently has a relatively long hiking season. In winter, people come to see the northern lights; in summer they come to hike and to see the midnight sun.