Birthplace of poet Dylan Thomas, and the second-largest city in Wales, resilient Swansea offers a slew of leafy parks and some impressive cultural centers, including the new National Waterfront Museum and the renowned Dylan Thomas Centre. Rebuilt after WWII, the modern city of 230,000 has a charming outlook over Swansea Bay and the picturesque, unspoiled 16-mile-long Gower Peninsula, home to rich wildlife, prehistoric standing stones, dramatic cliffs and lovely beaches.