What are fun, yet beautiful places to visit around the world?

Question:

i want to go somewhere that has many people but the 'country' is kind of close (max. 2 hours away from the city), has lots of sights, has friendly people, and good food.

i would like to visit and would like to know what cities to visit there:
California
New York
Michigan
Greece
England
Spain
Italy
Florida

Answer:

California -- I used to live there. Of course do San Francisco, you'll be close to Napa/Sonoma, but San Diego is really nice, too. Santa Barbara is very pretty. Monterey is nice. You can also go to Lake Tahoe for some fun.

New York -- NYC is fun and lots to do there. You can also go upstate NY for some beautiful "country."

Michigan -- no offense to Michigan, but I don't think of it when I think "destination.' Maybe someone from Michigan can fill in for me here.

Greece --the best way to see what to do is to look on a tour book itinerary and use that as a guideline. Then when you get there, ask the locals what THEY think you should see -- then you'll get to see things off the beaten path. You could also take a cruise -- then you'd get to see several different islands.

England -- the Lake Country, London, Stonehenge, Canterbury, the Cotswolds, and then up to Edinburgh if you have time.

Spain -- See advice for Greece.

Italy -- I was just there in last year. Rome, of course, but we also went to Assisi, and Florence is a treasure. Off the beaten path there, we went up to the shrine of San Miniatus and heard monks singing vespers just as they have done for 1500 years. We skipped Venice because we were driving around and didn't want to take the time to drive up there. Outside of Rome is Ostia Antica, which is worth a visit. Pompeii is fascinating. There are lots of great towns to visit in Tuscany -- you can literally just drive around and make stops and everything is very interesting. In Italy, don't forget that cathedrals and the Vatican are places of worship, and they have a conservative dress code -- no short shorts, and no tank tops. They will either not let you in, or make you wear a paper gown or cape. And talk about good food!

Florida -- Anything along the coast is great -- the panhandle has its own feel and it's different than say, the FL Keys. The Atlantic coast is beautiful and the water is warm. Cape Canaveral national seashore is very clean and the water was like a bath, with nice waves.

There is a website called "Off the Beaten Path" or something similar, and it gives good tips about seeing things that most tourists won't see. For example in Rome, right around the corner from the Trevi Fountain, is the Citta del Acqua, which is an excavation of a 1st century Roman apartment building, and we were the only ones in there while there were hundreds of people trying to get a photo at the Trevi fountain. And that's how I found out about the monks singing.

On your bucket list of travels -- don't forget Ireland, Germany, Scotland, Japan, China, the Holy Land, and France -- the world is getting smaller and it's easier to get to many remote places, as well. Ooh -- Bora Bora and Moorea are absolutely stunning with good snorkeling. Everyone speaks French. Some people I know have said India is amazing, but I have no desire to go there.