Canada

Although the usually cheery Canadians are famed for their prickliness about any comparisons with their American neighbours, Vancouver can be fairly regarded as Canada's San Francisco. Cuddled between the Strait of Georgia and the Coast Mountains on Canada's eastern shores, it's a cosmopolitan, trendy and laid-back city that not only looks good, but feels good. Canadians and foreigners alike love it for its atmosphere, scenery and outdoorsy charisma and in the winter months, its proximity to Whistler, one of the most fabulous ski areas on Earth.

Canada itself is a country of immense proportions. Second in size only to Russia, it's the guardian of one fifth of the world's wilderness areas. Ninety per cent of the country's population lives within around 150km of the US border, leaving vast expanses of mountains, prairies, forests and lake lands totally unspoiled.

All that terrain to cover presents a challenge to travellers. If you've got a fair bit of time on your hands, there could hardly be a better use for it than an exploration of Canada by train. The rail network is vast, its tentacles reaching from major cities, through towns and villages, into wild, remote corners of the country.

For shorter stays, take your pick from Vancouver, Toronto (gateway to the mighty Niagara Falls), Montreal, or the deliciously French Quebec. You could even combine a Canadian city break with a sojourn across the border in Seattle, Chicago, New York or Boston.