Scarborough

There’s no Scarborough Fair, and historians are divided on whether there ever was one, but don't let that stop you from heading to this classic English seaside resort on the North Sea. The liveliest tourist action is on South Bay, a riot of tacky arcades, ice-cream stands, and stores selling "rock" (luridly colored hard candy). Above the former spa are the lemon-hued Victorian and Regency terraces of the genteel South Cliff Promenade, with its views across Cayton Bay and a Victorian funicular linking it to the South Sands below. The South Bay and quieter North Bay are divided by a rocky headland on which sits the ruins of an 11th-century castle. The huddle of streets, alleyways, and red-roof cottages around the harbor gives an idea of what the town was like before it became a resort.