Exclusive: the travel guide publisher gives us a definitive list of must-visit places

30 years of Rough Guides: the best bitsExclusive: which 30 places in the world does the travel guide publisher consider to be a must-visit? Poorna Belleditor, MSN Travel2012-05-21T14:58:00trueExclusive: the travel guide publisher gives us a definitive list of must-visit placesStuck for where to go? From off-the-beaten track to rediscovered cities, travel guide publisher Rough Guides has decided to celebrate its 30th birthday by asking some of their elite writers, editors and staff members to nominate their favourite destinations. Remember, you read it here first...topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Naples, ItalyNatasha Foges, senior travel editor, Rough GuidesNaples is a raucous, chaotic city that's brimming with rough-and-ready charm. Wander its ancient streets, dotted with Madonna shrines and buzzing with scooters, explore its beautiful Baroque churches and top-class museums - and be sure to stop at one of its hole-in-the-wall pizzerias for a world-class margherita. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Svalbard, NorwayRoger Norum, author, The Rough Guide to DenmarkThis Arctic archipelago is about as end-of-the-world as you're ever going to get, but Svalbard's Bergmanesque landscape, gorgeous light and opportunity for outdoor adventure make it a real bucket list of a place to visit.topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2New Orleans, USSamantha Cook, author, The Rough Guide to New OrleansForget what you think you know about Katrina, Southern Comfort, or Bourbon Street - New Orleans is a place unlike any other, from its noisy brass band buskers and exhilarating street parades to its elegant Creole dining rooms and hole-in-the-wall jambalaya shops. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2St Ives, Cornwall, EnglandHelena Smith, author, The Rough Guide to Walks in London and Southeast EnglandSt Ives has all the traditional bucket-and-spade pleasures, plus the cutting-edge Tate, intriguing painting studios and the acclaimed Porthminster Café and Restaurant, which sits right on the beach.topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Tsavo West national park, KenyaRichard Trillo, author, the Rough Guide to KenyaIt sometimes seems every turn in the winding tracks through this 8,000-square-kilometre sanctuary yields a new discovery - fat-rumped zebras, a herd of wrinkled elephants like a mountain range in motion or impossibly tall, prehistoric-looking giraffes. In the region's volcanic landscapes, bare lava fields are interspersed with sparkling, spring-fed lakes and thick stands of fig trees and acacias topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Battle Harbour, Labrador, CanadaStephen Keeling, author, The Rough Guide to New EnglandShimmering blue-white icebergs, humpbacks and killer whales glide beneath the pier - and the friendly folks here still talk as if they're in Moby Dick. A sense of utter isolation.topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Luang Prabang, LaosEmma Gibbs, travel editor, Rough GuidesNestled in mountainous northern Laos, the Unesco World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang is famed for its glittering temples. It's especially beguiling at dusk, when the melodic chanting of the monks rings out across the dusty side streets. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Curonian spit, LithuaniaJames Rice, analytics and SEO executive, Roughguides.com and Traveldk.comA 98km-long sliver of land, covered with sand, straddling Lithuania and Russia. To explore, cycle across the dunes, past fishing villages and through forest trails. Then picnic on the beach. Perfect.topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Potosí, BoliviaShafik Meghji, author, The Rough Guide to BoliviaAt 4,090m above sea level, Potosí is the highest city in the world, and was once one of the wealthiest. There's a treasure trove of colonial art and architecture, and the legendary Cerro Rico silver mines - just make sure you acclimatise first.topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Palm Springs, California, USTim Chester, web editor, Roughguides.com and Traveldk.comThe sprawling desert city is growing increasingly popular with LA urbanites keen for the same sun, spas and mountain views that attracted the 1950s entertainers in its heyday. A hot tub under the stars with a margarita in hand isn't a bad way to end a day. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Berlin, GermanyAlice Park, senior travel editor, Rough GuidesA vital, hedonistic and still ever-changing city, with a fantastically shabby-chic bar on every corner, a world-class club scene (check out Rosi's), and a laid-back, counter-cultural vibe that makes it worth returning to again and again.topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Tasmania, AustraliaJames Stewart, author, The Rough Guide to TasmaniaOver the last decade Tasmania has ditched the heritage cliches and nowadays Tassie features the most adventurous gallery in Oz, MONA, yet retains stupendous scenery that is wilder than Loony Tunes' Tasmanian Devil.topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Beng Mealea, CambodiaKia Abdullah, web operations executive, Roughguides.com and Traveldk.comFrom the relentless buzz of Phnom Penh to the breathtaking beauty of Siem Reap, Cambodia has everything a traveller could want. Angkor Wat is beautiful, of course, but I was more blown away by Beng Mealea, a secluded set of ruins straight out of Indiana Jones. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Lapa, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilRob Coates, author, the Rough Guide to the CaribbeanThe city exudes an infectious arrogance as it parties, and Lapa's raucous street life and trendy samba clubs always leave my senses dazzled and feet jittering in rhythm.topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Havasupai Indian Reservation, Arizona, USGreg Ward, author, The Rough Guide to the Grand CanyonDeep in the dry-as-bone Grand Canyon lies an utterly beautiful oasis that has been home to the Havusupai for at least a thousand years. Travellers prepared to hike 10 switchbacking miles from the nearest road are welcome to camp overnight.topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2The Somerset Levels, EnglandKeith Drew, executive editor, Rough GuidesA curious patchwork of rivers, rhynes, drains and ditches, the Somerset Levels provide some of the best inland birdwatching in the UK. Old peat workings in the mist-draped Avalon Marshes are home to hobby, marsh harrier and the rare bittern. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Dana, JordanMatthew Teller, author, The Rough Guide to JordanA tiny cliff-side village in southern Jordan's craggy mountains, it has views to inspire, little locally run guesthouses, hidden campsites, lonesome trails and incredible hospitality. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Nicaragua's Caribbean CoastJames Smart, senior travel editor, Rough GuidesFrom the sandy, snorkel-friendly Corn Islands - essentially the Caribbean with fewer tourists and lower prices - to Pearl Lagoon or Puerto Cabezas on the east coast, there's no better place to get off the beaten track and tune into some reggae. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2The Salar de Uyuni, BoliviaClaire Saunders, ex-managing editor, Rough GuidesIt's an otherworldly and stupendously beautiful landscape of blinding white salt flats stretching for as far as the eye can see, broken only by bizarre islands covered in giant cacti. In the wet season it is transformed into a giant mirror. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Jim Corbett national park, IndiaAlison Roberts, travel editor, Rough GuidesAn elephant ride by the misty Ramganga river with your toes dangling feet away from a snarling tiger is an experience that is hard to beat. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Soho, London, EnglandAnnie Shaw, editor, Rough GuidesLouche, occasionally lairy and always alive, Soho never fails to thrill. A mix of old-school glamour and lingering sleaze, this central pocket of the capital, with its drop-dead cool and drop-down drunks, celebrates diversity and tolerance like nowhere else. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Marrakech, MoroccoEleanor Aldridge, travel editor, Rough GuidesMarrakesh is hard to beat for an exotic weekend break with its alluring mix of modern and traditional culture, from the sprawling souks and tranquil riads of the medina to the nouvelle ville's hedonistic nightlife. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Belfast, Northern IrelandLucy White, travel editor, Rough GuidesNewly rejuvenated, with a tempting array of shops, bars and restaurants - try the friendly and bohemian Ginger Bistro - the city has a tangibly enthusiastic and forward-thinking attitude. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Borrowdale, Cumbria, EnglandJules Brown, author, The Rough Guide to The Lake DistrictHop on the bus from Keswick into the heart of some of Britain's most stunning scenery, from the lapping shores of Derwent Water to the crags of Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk, EnglandMartin Dunford, author, The Rough Guide to BelgiumMy children love to run around in the dunes here, the beach is huge and sandy. There's a great cafe to warm up (or cool off) in afterwards. Oh, and the village has a great pub too. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Tokyo, JapanMark Thomas, senior picture editor, Rough GuidesAs a photographer, Tokyo is the perfect sci-fi background to thousands of my shots. I've visited Tokyo on four occasions and produced some of my best photography there. Its futuristic vision is still etched on my mind.topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Solu-Khumbu, NepalJames McConnachie, author, The Rough Guide to NepalPeople come to this still-remote region of Nepal for one reason: to see Mount Everest. But Solu-Khumbu offers more than mere mountains. It plunges from snowy ridges occupied by Sherpa Buddhist monasteries to lush, steaming valleys creaking with bamboo. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Si Phan Don, LaosSteve Vickers, author, The Rough Guide to LaosLandlocked Laos isn't known for its beaches but in the luscious southern part of the country, the Mekong splits into a spectacular web of channels, creating thousands of sand-fringed river islands. Si Phan Don's natural beauty is staggering (if you're lucky you'll spot highly endangered Irrawaddy dolphins).topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Yucatán Peninsula, MexicoZora O'Neill, author, The Rough Guide to MexicoThe diversity and depth of traditional (and modern) culture here is a treasure. I spend most of my time in the Yucatán, which I love for its mellow attitude and strong Maya traditions. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2Darwin, AustraliaAndy Turner, senior travel editor, Rough GuidesYoung, vibrant and cosmopolitan, Darwin has transformed itself over the last decade to become one of Australia's most liveable cities. Today you're just as likely to meet young locals out for sushi and cocktails as you are a Crocodile Dundee stumbling out of a pub. topThis field has been disabled for Gallery V2