Leave town to discover five stunning, colorful cliffside towns on the coast. Hike the trail linking them or take a boat tour to see them from the water. Go ashore to explore a picturesque town and its castle, or visit Porto Venere, a colorful harbor town with breathtaking views and the Church of San Pietro. Once a playground and inspiration for poets from Dante to Byron and Shelley.

Located in southeastern France, today's Marseille is a far cry from the sleepy villages it once inspired in Cézanne's paintings. With more than a million people, the city remains the cosmopolitan and exuberant capital of southern Europe, with its picturesque Old Quarter, lively sidewalk cafes and shops, and Romanesque-Byzantine Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica, overlooking the steep cliffs and offering a bird's eye view of the city's colorful "quartiers" stretching down toward the sea.

Experience Costa Brava and understand why Salvador Dalí and others have long been inspired by its beaches and coves. Spend a day in the warm sand of La Fosca or learning about the history of this fishing village in Museu de la Pesca or simply taking in the Mediterranean air while walking down the promenade. Just an hour north of the city, you can visit the extraordinary Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres. The museum holds works done from his adolescence to the last years of his life.

Málaga, on Spain's Costa del Sol, is the region's capital and a popular holiday base. It is Picasso's birthplace, and his works are displayed in the Museo Picasso in the Palacio de Buenavista. Visitors can also sample sweet Málaga dessert wines from nearby hillside vineyards. The city is a pleasant place to explore and a common starting point for trips to Granada and the Alhambra in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Gibraltar, located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula, overlooks the Strait of Gibraltar, known to ancient mariners as the Pillars of Hercules. Historically, Gibraltar has been an important base for the British Royal Navy. It is most famous for the geological formation, the Rock of Gibraltar and its tribe of Barbary Apes. Despite long sieges throughout its history, it seemed nothing could destroy the Rock or its people, leading to the phrase "solid as the Rock of Gibraltar."

Lisbon, said to have been founded by Ulysses as Olisipo, is one of Europe's most fascinating cities. A devastating 1755 earthquake destroyed much of it, and the Baixa was rebuilt in neo-classical style, now the city's heart. Overlooking the Tagus, the "City of Explorers" offers districts like Alfama, with Moorish lanes, and Bairro Alto, where you can hear Fado. Nearby are the palaces of Queluz and Sintra.

Portimão offers a relaxing beach getaway framed by golden sands and impressive cliffs. History and architecture lovers can visit the medieval Castle of Alvor and the 14th-century Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Conceição, restored after a devastating earthquake with a walnut-wood altar and azulejo religious scenes. Nature brings cultivated fields, pine-covered slopes, and wildflowers. Take home traditional lace, ceramics, leather goods, and baskets.

Set along the southern edge of Andalusia, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic, Algeciras is a port city shaped by contrasts. Beneath the constant movement of ferries and cargo ships lies a slower rhythm of palm-lined plazas, beachside cafés and hillside roads winding into the surrounding countryside. Beyond the center, the ascent to nearby Castellar de la Frontera reveals a whitewashed hilltop village tucked among the Algeciras hills, where quiet streets and traditional flamenco peñas capture the enduring spirit of the region.

Casablanca is Morocco's largest city and industrial center. Its renaissance came with the French protectorate under its first resident general, Lyautey. It was largely his ideas on public works and the layout of the new city which gave Casablanca its wide boulevards, public parks and fountains, and imposing Moresque civic buildings.

Explore the Mendoubia Gardens which contain a fascinating banyan tree that is more than 800 years old. The Caves of Hercules are 9 miles west of Tangier in the Cap Spartel area; it is a place of great beauty and archeological significance.

You wouldn't expect to find a Spanish city in African territory with a historic military fortress, modernist architecture and a fusion of Mediterranean, European and African cuisine - but that's exactly what you'll find in Melilla. One of two autonomous Spanish cities on the Moroccan coast (the other is Ceuta, near Gibraltar), the enclave boasts a staggering architectural heritage. The preserved Citadel, also known as Melilla la Vieja, is a monumental complex consisting of four enclosures separated by a moat. A Gaudi apprentice named Enrique Nieto is credited with inspiring the city's collection of modernist buildings, a legacy of curved buildings with natural motifs you'll appreciate in the city's Golden Triangle.

One of Europe's most visually stunning cities, Barcelona balances the medieval intimacy of its Gothic Quarter with the grace and distinction of the wide boulevards in the Moderniste Eixample. It was the home of architect Antoni Gaudí, whose Sagrada Familia Cathedral, Park Güell and Casa Milà are the most profound statements of Modernisme. View the splendid works at the Picasso Museum and the Miro Foundation, or discover Barcelona's passionate ambiance at a flamenco show.