St-Tropez, France

Characterised by sunset-hued pink, orange and deep red townhouses framing its flotilla-filled port, St-Tropez is, effectively, two different towns, depending on the season. If you visit during the madness that is midsummer, when the population increases tenfold, you’ll tear your hair out looking for a parking space or a seat at a quay-side café, and be hard pressed to squeeze past the tourist throngs clogging the cobblestone streets. But if you visit in spring, autumn, or even the mild winter, when the central square transforms into a fairy-lit forest complete with an ice rink, you’ll instantly appreciate what lured artists, writers and film makers to this picturesque village.

Outside peak summer, you’ll probably still see celebs hiding behind designer sunglasses. But you’ll also see locals playing pétanquein the shade of age-old plane trees, spirited market stallholders selling handmade products, and have the wildflower-lined coastal walking paths pretty much to yourself.