Amsterdam combines the unrivaled beauty of the 17th-century Golden Age city center with plenty of museums and art of the highest order, not to mention a remarkably laid-back atmosphere. It all comes together to make this one of the world's most appealing and offbeat metropolises in the world. Built on a latticework of concentric canals like an aquatic rainbow, Amsterdam is known as the City of Canals—but it's no Venice, content to live on moonlight serenades and former glory. 

While you're at sea, enjoy wine tastings, designer boutiques, language and dance classes. Take in a matinee movie, check the market or your e-mail in the Internet Point, slip away with a novel from the library to a sunny chaise or with a movie to your suite. Or just take in the sun poolside. The choice is yours.

Cobblestone streets, blooming floral displays, and tiny churches welcome you to this picturesque harbor. The town of St Peter Port is as pretty as they come, with glowing flower displays painting practically every street corner and window-ledge with color. As the capital and main port of Guernsey, St Peter Port puts all of the island’s gorgeous beaches, wonderful history and inspiring stories at your fingertips. Feel the gut punch of the midday gun firing at Castle Cornet, which stands guard over one of the world's prettiest ports. 

For many visitors, Tresco is the most attractive of the Isles of Scilly. This is due to its Abbey Garden, which is home to thousands of exotic plant species from around 80 different countries. Plant collector Augustus Smith began the gardens in the 1830s on the site of an old Benedictine Abbey by channeling the weather up and over a network of walled enclosures built around the Priory ruins. He had three terraces carved from the rocky south slope and maximised Tresco’s mild Gulf Stream climate. Even in mid-winter there still are hundreds of plants flowering here.

St Mary’s is the Isle of Scilly’s largest island with a population of 1800 residents and an area of 6.58 square Kilometres; this is the gateway to the rest of the magnificent islands. Hugh town -a beautiful Old town with its own beach, nature reserve and the church is the main attractions of St Mary’s, with tiny streets brimming with shops to pick up the perfect souvenir. St Mary’s is a hidden gem, with long stretches of white sandy beaches and a breath-taking untouched landscape. The coastline holds many archaeological sites along with miles of splendid walks along the coastal and country paths.

Pembroke is located on the Pembroke Peninsula of Wales amidst long stretches of sandy beaches and stunning coastal scenery. This historic valley settlement features a number of timeless buildings centered along its quaint Main Street that runs inside the original walls of the town. The municipality itself is surrounded by residential estates, farmland, and woods along the estuary of the River Cleddau. Pembroke’s rich history dates back to the 11th century when the namesake was little more than a timber fortification on the banks of the Pembroke River. 

The cliffs of small Skomer Island off the southwest coast of Wales are accessible only by boat. Skomer has a large population of breeding seabirds that include Manx Shearwaters, Razorbills, Great Cormorants, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Atlantic Puffins, European Storm Petrels, Common Shags, Eurasian Oystercatchers, and gulls, as well as birds of prey including Short-eared Owls, Common Kestrels, and Peregrine Falcons. The island’s slopes are covered with bluebells and a variety of wildflowers. Grey seals and harbor porpoises can sometimes be seen in the surrounding waters.

The magnificent Skellig Islands lie 8 miles (12 km) off the coast of Portmagee in South West Kerry. Rising majestically from the sea, Skellig Michael towers 714ft. (218 meters) above sea level. On the summit of this awe-inspiring rock, you will find a remarkably well preserved sixth-century monastic settlement now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Small Skellig is equally renowned in matters of ornithology as the home of some 27,000 pairs of gannets – the second largest colony of such seabirds in the world. 

Knightstown is the largest settlement on Valentia Island, County Kerry, in Ireland and has a population of 156 people. Knightstown itself is one of the few ‘town-planned’ villages of Ireland. The village of Knightstown was laid out by Alexander Nimmo in 1830-31, but it wasn’t built until the early 1840’s when the local quarry was greatly expanded and the works were moved to Knightstown. 

Stretching for 8km (5 miles), as the crow flies, the Cliffs of Moher have long enjoyed the status of one of Ireland's most visited tourist attractions – and the visitor center provides the pivotal point to direct lovers of nature, geology and simple beauty in the right direction. The cliffs also form part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark. They are made up of various types of perpendicular or overhanging rocks including sandstone, siltstone, and shale. 

Galway is a city in the West of Ireland in the province of Connacht. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay and is surrounded by County Galway. It is the fourth most populous urban area in the Republic of Ireland and the sixth most populous city in the island of Ireland. It is both a picturesque and lively city with a wonderful avant-garde culture and a fascinating mixture of locally owned specialty shops, often featuring locally made crafts. Indeed local handicrafts are a feature of the entire region including hand knits, pottery, glass, jewelry, and woodwork. 

Kilronan is the principal town on the island of Inishmore (Inis Mór) in the Aran Islands located in Galway Bay and is one of the most picturesque spots in Ireland. Once for the sole purpose as a fishing port for the Aran fisherman, today it is the main port for the ferry companies and with its white sandy beach it has a wide selection of first-class restaurants serving seafood, and traditional Irish bars, buskers, and accommodation it is a splendid spot to people watch and a base yourself before exploring the island. 

Clare Island is a mountainous island guarding the entrance to Clew Bay located 3.5 miles off the west coast of County Mayo, Ireland. The ferry crossing from Roonagh Pier near Louisburg takes 25 minutes and it’s not unusual to encounter a school of dolphins and or a herd of seals. 

Killybegs The days start early in Killybegs, as this quiet fishing town rumbles to life, and ships with red and blue paint peeling from their hulls quietly depart, ready for a morning's hard work at sea. Located in a scenic part of County Donegal, Killybegs is Ireland's fishing capital, and the salty breeze and pretty streets serve as a revitalizing medicine for visitors. The town is also your gateway to some of the country's most majestic coastal scenery, which is dotted with flashing white lighthouses, keeping watch over invigorating seascapes. 

Portrush is adjacent to the stunning North Antrim coastline. Here lies the medieval Dunluce Castle ruins. Perched picturesquely at the edge of a rocky outcropping high above the sea, the castle is dramatically surrounded by terrifyingly steep drops, which the early Christians and Vikings would have considered a very important security feature. The castle and surrounding areas have been frequently used for the filming of “Game of Thrones”. Another attraction reached from Portrush is the Giant’s Causeway -40,000 hexagonal basalt columns that descend in a kind of pathway to the sea. 

Ask any Dubliner what's happening and you may hear echoes of one of W. B. Yeats's most-quoted lines: "All changed, changed utterly." No matter that the decade-long "Celtic Tiger" boom era has been quickly followed by the Great Recession—for visitors Dublin remains one of Western Europe's most popular and delightful urban destinations.