The Pearl of the South: a French-founded city of neoclassical squares on a bay, and the Tomas Terry theatre.
Tobacco farms among limestone mogotes, horse rides and the Mural of Prehistory.
Geisha coffee farms, the Quetzal trail and the Baru volcano where you can see both oceans.
Guanacaste's surf town, with leatherback turtles nesting at Playa Grande next door.
The cloud forest reserve, resplendent quetzals and the first canopy ziplines.
The gateway to Manuel Antonio: sloths and capuchins on the beach in the smallest national park.
The Arenal volcano, hot springs and hanging bridges through the rainforest.
The black-sand surf village of the Surf City coast, named for the pig-shaped rock offshore.
The port of Ometepe, an island of two volcanoes in Lake Nicaragua.
The Mesoamerican reef a swim from shore, West End dive shops and whale sharks.
The Maya city of sculptors: the hieroglyphic stairway and scarlet macaws in the ruins.
The base for the ATM cave with its Maya skeletons, Xunantunich and jungle lodges.
The Thursday and Sunday market, the biggest in Central America, and incense on the steps of Santo Tomas.
A pastel walled city built against pirates, the quietest colonial capital in the Yucatan.
A highland colonial town of Tzotzil markets, amber and the Sumidero canyon nearby.
A cathedral lit up every Saturday, an aqueduct and the monarch butterfly forests two hours away.
A silver-mining city of pink cantera stone with a cable car over the centre and a mine to walk through.
A colonial centre of pink stone and an 18th-century aqueduct of 74 arches, the safest big city in Mexico.
Talavera tiles, 70 churches, mole poblano and the Popocatepetl volcano on the horizon.
One of the best aurora spots on Earth, on Great Slave Lake, with an ice road in winter.
The Yukon capital: northern lights, the SS Klondike sternwheeler and the road to Dawson City.
Jellybean row houses, Signal Hill where Marconi received the first transatlantic signal, and icebergs in June.
The heart of America's wine country: 400 wineries, the Wine Train and hot-air balloons at dawn.
Moose in the suburbs, the Tony Knowles trail along the inlet and the road to Denali.
The Inner Harbor, Fort McHenry where the anthem was written and Chesapeake blue crabs.
Adobe architecture, the Georgia O’Keeffe museum and the oldest state capital, at 2,100 metres.
Spanish moss over 22 squares, antebellum mansions and the Bonaventure cemetery.
Barbecue burnt ends, the jazz district at 18th and Vine and 200 fountains.
The Gateway Arch, 192 metres of stainless steel over the Mississippi, and the free zoo in Forest Park.
The Walker sculpture garden, the Mississippi falls and lakes inside the city limits.
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