Florida and Georgia along the Atlantic coast

Miami stretches along the south-eastern coast of Florida, overlooking turquoise waters and blessed by a subtropical climate that makes it one of the most beloved seaside destinations in the United States. A glamorous and deeply Latin city, it blends the energy of its beaches with an effervescent cultural and nightlife scene. Its emblem is Miami Beach, the barrier island linked to the mainland by scenic causeways, home to the historic district of South Beach. Here, along Ocean Drive, the famous pastel-coloured Art Déco buildings line up beside open-air restaurants and white-sand beaches dotted with brightly painted lifeguard cabins. The neighbourhood of Little Havana, heart of the Cuban community, offers the city's most authentic flavour: along Calle Ocho the air fills with salsa music, the scent of coffee and cigars, while the cafés serve traditional Caribbean dishes. Further north, the Design District and Wynwood reign as the realm of contemporary art and street art, with spectacular murals and avant-garde galleries. Modern Downtown, with its mirror-clad skyscrapers, looks out over Biscayne Bay, from where boat excursions set off towards exclusive islands and floating residential enclaves. Miami is also a gateway to extraordinary natural wonders: a short distance away lie the Everglades, a boundless park of marshes and mangroves teeming with alligators, and the Florida Keys, the coral archipelago reaching south along a scenic overseas highway. Between beaches, luxury shopping, fusion cuisine and an atmosphere that pulses day and night, Miami invites you to live the very best of the American tropical lifestyle.

Orlando, in the heart of central Florida, is the world capital of theme-park entertainment, a garden city dotted with lakes that has transformed its marshy lowlands into a universe of parks and attractions beloved by families from every continent. It is here that the Walt Disney World Resort spreads out, the complex that made the city famous, with its four theme parks — from the Magic Kingdom to EPCOT, from Hollywood Studios to Animal Kingdom — joined by Universal Studios and the magical world of Harry Potter, from the Wizarding World to the thrills of Islands of Adventure. For those seeking nature and wildlife, SeaWorld tells the story of the marine world, while numerous water parks offer cool relief under the subtropical sun. But Orlando is more than its parks: the historic downtown, gathered around Lake Eola with its iconic fountain and the swans that glide across its waters, holds a more intimate soul, made of neighbourhoods such as Thornton Park and Winter Park, where art galleries, cafés and tree-lined avenues invite a slower pace. Its cuisine ranges from the international kitchens of International Drive to the flavours of the American South, while Florida's eternal spring makes every season ideal for a visit. All around, wild nature reasserts itself: a short distance away lie the reserves of the Everglades, the crystalline springs where manatees swim, and the beaches of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, with Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center just down the road toward the coast. A city of dreams and imagination, Orlando promises intense days and shared wonder, in the gentle, sunlit climate that Florida offers all year round.

Founded by the Spanish in 1565, St Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited city of European origin in the United States, set on Florida's Atlantic coast. Its historic heart unfolds along St. George Street, a pedestrian artery lined with colonial buildings, shops and cafés, leading to the massive Castillo de San Marcos, a coquina-stone fortress that has guarded Matanzas Bay for more than three centuries. Among the must-sees are the sumptuous Lightner Museum, housed in a former Gilded Age hotel, and the Cathedral Basilica, a symbol of the city's long Hispanic heritage. Just minutes from the centre stretch the broad beaches of Anastasia Island, perfect for ending the day by the ocean. St Augustine blends colonial history, elegant architecture and a maritime atmosphere into a city of timeless charm.

Savannah holds, in the heart of Georgia, one of the most enchanting historic centers in the American South, laid out around a sequence of twenty-two tree-lined squares shaded by centuries-old oaks draped in Spanish moss. Along the streets of the Historic District stand elegant antebellum mansions, churches and flowering gardens, while Forsyth Park with its nineteenth-century fountain offers a corner of romantic calm. River Street, along the Savannah River, preserves cotton warehouses transformed into restaurants, galleries and shops where you can savor Lowcountry cuisine based on shrimp and grits. From here Tybee Island, with its Atlantic beaches, is reached in no time. Savannah seduces with its decadent elegance, Southern hospitality and an atmosphere suspended in time.

A jewel of the Deep South, Charleston enchants with its pastel-coloured houses, shady porches and cobbled streets where time seems to stand still. Along the famous Rainbow Row stand colourful façades overlooking the harbour, while the French Quarter and the area around Battery Park reveal historic mansions, blooming gardens and churches with soaring steeples. The city preserves the memory of its colonial past and the surrounding plantations, now open to visitors among centuries-old oaks draped in Spanish moss. Renowned for its warm hospitality and refined Lowcountry cuisine — from shrimp and grits to she-crab soup — Charleston also tempts with the nearby beaches of Sullivan's Island and Folly Beach. Romantic and elegant, it is the sweetest essence of the American South.

Macon stretches across the heart of Georgia, a historic Southern city famous for its music and for its cherry-tree avenues that bloom by the thousands each spring. The centre preserves splendid antebellum mansions, while the musical legacy of Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers lives in its venues and museums. Ancient Native mounds dot the surroundings. Macon is the ideal destination for those seeking Southern architecture, musical roots and the authentic atmosphere of Georgia.

Atlanta rises among the wooded hills of Georgia, the dynamic capital of the New South and a symbol city of the civil rights movement. Here Martin Luther King Jr. lived and preached: his memorial, birthplace and the Ebenezer Baptist Church form an intense and moving trail. Downtown pulses around the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, while the Midtown district hosts museums and the lush Piedmont Park. The BeltLine, a former railway turned green walkway, links lively neighbourhoods such as Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park, full of street art, breweries and markets. Southern cuisine reigns supreme, from fried chicken to soul food specialities. The economic and cultural heart of the Southeast, Atlanta welcomes visitors with energy, history and warmth.