Cairns is the relaxed tropical capital of Far North Queensland, a low-rise city wedged between rainforest-clad mountains and the warm Coral Sea. It exists for one reason above all: it is the easiest launchpad on Earth for the Great Barrier Reef, with dozens of dive boats and catamarans leaving the marina each morning. But the city has its own loose, sun-soaked rhythm too, built around the saltwater Esplanade Lagoon, a string of open-air restaurants, and an excellent weekend market scene.

Beyond the reef, Cairns sits at the doorstep of two UNESCO World Heritage areas at once. The Daintree, the oldest surviving tropical rainforest on the planet, runs north toward Cape Tribulation, while the cooler Atherton Tablelands roll inland past waterfalls, crater lakes, and platypus-filled streams. Few cities let you snorkel a coral garden one day and swim under a rainforest waterfall the next.

It is also a genuinely easygoing place to spend time. There is no surf beach in the city itself (the man-made Lagoon does the job), evenings are warm and casual, and the local food scene punches above its size, from barramundi and Coral Sea seafood to a surprisingly strong specialty coffee culture. Cairns rewards travelers who slow down and use it as a base.