St. Maarten to Lisbon

Philipsburg is the capital of Sint Maarten, the Dutch side of the Caribbean island Saint Martin. Beachfront bars line the boardwalk along Great Bay. Voorstraat, or Front Street, has duty-free shops and casinos. The St. Maarten Zoo is home to parrots, monkeys and a playground. Sint Maarten Museum displays artifacts from the indigenous Arawak people. The ruins of 17th-century Fort Amsterdam stand on a nearby peninsula.

St. John is the smallest of the 3 U.S. Virgin Islands, which are located in the Caribbean Sea. Virgin Islands National Park occupies more than half the island. Its forests shelter resident and migratory birds, including cuckoos, warblers and hummingbirds. The mangroves at Hurricane Hole, in the east, support corals and anemones. Dolphins inhabit the island’s waters, which also host hawksbill and green turtles.

Soper’s Hole Marina is arguably one of the most picturesque anchorage in the British Virgin Islands.

Inviting beaches and tiny shops selling local treasures welcome you to this quiet island haven. Don’t miss dining with your feet in the sand at Foxy’s on the beach-a perfect lunch stop!

Inviting beaches and tiny shops selling local treasures welcome you to this quiet island haven. Don’t miss dining with your feet in the sand at Foxy’s on the beach-a perfect lunch stop!

The most chic resorts of the British Virgin Isles are located on Virgin Gorda, an eight-square-mile island divided nearly in two, with settlements at each end. The south of the island is best known for the curious assembly of house- sized rocks called “the Baths,” which are jumbled together to form huge underground pools and caverns. The beach at the Baths is large, wide, and sandy – perfect for sunning and swimming.

Gustavia is the main town and capital of the island of Saint Barthélemy. Originally called Le Carénage, it was renamed in honor of King Gustav III of Sweden.

Philipsburg is the capital of Sint Maarten, the Dutch side of the Caribbean island Saint Martin. Beachfront bars line the boardwalk along Great Bay. Voorstraat, or Front Street, has duty-free shops and casinos. The St. Maarten Zoo is home to parrots, monkeys and a playground. Sint Maarten Museum displays artifacts from the indigenous Arawak people. The ruins of 17th-century Fort Amsterdam stand on a nearby peninsula.

Ponta Delgada, on São Miguel Island, is the capital of the Azores archipelago of Portugal. The striking, 3-arched city gates and the Gothic-style Church of St. Sebastian are near the harbor. The Convent and Chapel of Our Lady of Hope houses a revered image of Christ. The Carlos Machado Museum offers diverse artifacts of Azorean culture. The city is a gateway to the crater lakes of Sete Cidades, to the northwest.

One of Europe’s smallest capital cities, Lisbon is for many, one of it most beguiling – an easily accessible mix of new and old worlds. Elegant outdoor cafés line Lisbon’s mosaic cobblestone sidewalks along grand 18th-century boulevards. Turn-of-the-century funiculars dot its steep hills. Two-thirds of the city was leveled in a 1755 earthquake, but in its churches, peeling buildings, tiny alleyways, hidden squares, you can still feel the glorious past.