Taormina, with its hilltop location above the Ionian Sea, is easily one of Italy's most beautiful places. As it's packed with people in the summertime, recommended months to visit include April and September.

ABERDEEN -- Scotland's third-largest city (pop. 187,000) is characterized by buildings of beautiful white granite. Set beside the North Sea, Aberdeen is both a university town and the capital of the Scottish oil boom. It is also one of Scotland's largest seaside resorts (though its appeal is confined to those who like their water well-chilled).

Kouklia is a village in the Pafos district of southwestern Cyprus, located inland from the coast on the site of ancient Palaipafos, or Old Pafos. The village is surrounded by cultivated fields, orchards, and low hills, with the Mediterranean coast nearby. Its main distinction is its connection with the ancient Sanctuary of Aphrodite, one of the most important archaeological sites associated with the goddess in the ancient Greek world.

Also known as Limnos, Lemnos is the 8th-largest island of Greece, located in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Turkey. Its capital and main port is Myrina, a village stretched along two picturesque bays and overlooked by the ruins of an imposing Byzantine castle.

Copper River, Alaska's fourth largest river travels from the dry interior climate to the temperate rainforest along Prince William Sound.