Read about all the cities, gardens, and dungeons in the game, and how they fit into the story. While writing this, I realized I hardly remember anything about the game -_-. Please tell me if something’s wrong.
Nowhere in particular
Fisherman’s Horizon
Description: A quiet, peaceful fishing town built on the hopes and dreams of former Esthar residents.
Story: After talking with Mayor Dobe and Flo, battling Galbadian troops, and reuniting with the other party, you get to talk with Rinoa during Selphie’s “concert”.
Side: Reunite the long-lost son with his mom (who’s working in Balamb Garden), talk with the Master Fisherman, and play cards with Martine, Dobe and Flo.
Deep Sea Research Center
Description: An abandoned laboratory that was used to conduct experiments similar to GF junctioning.
Side: After searching for about an hour to find the place (-_-), you can defeat and acquire Bahamut, and defeat Ultima Weapon and draw Eden.
Ultimecia’s Castle
Description: The home of the final boss and the person behind all the insanity. A medieval - Gothic castle with all the usual trappings: switches, morbid paintings (at least in my opinion), winding staircases, and ferocious guards.
Story: Duh. Defeat Ultimecia's 'minions' to regain abilities, and fight the sorceress herself.
Side: Fight Omega Weapon, the hardest "boss" in the game, and jump through the portals outside the castle to get to the fields. Once you're there, get a chocobo and find the Ragnarok, where you can play card games with the CC Group and win rare cards.
West Continent
Balamb Garden
Description: The first garden, home of the SeeD mercenary force, and Squall's home. Has a cafeteria, infirmary, quad, library, parking garage, and training center, as well as a dormitory. Also has a basement, where Garden Master NORG resides (or used to reside...), classrooms on the second level, and Headmaster Cid's office on the third floor.
Story: This is where the story starts and ends - Squall leaves here to take his SeeD exam, and it's where he is assigned his first mission. He takes charge of it in the battle against Galbadia Garden, and carries a comatose Rinoa out of it. Finally, it's where he and his friends celebrate their victory, and where Squall finally tells (or rather, shows) Rinoa how he feels about her.
Side: I think this is where you can do the Card Quest. I don't know o_o.
Fire Cavern
Description: A cave engulfed in flames and lava, with a flowing river.
Story: You come here with Quistis to beat Ifrit and pass part of the SeeD test.
Side: The Official Strategy Guide says you can come later and convert Bombs into pretty good cards.
Balamb
Description: Zell's beloved hometown. Has everything a normal city does: a train station, item and junk shops, a hotel, and a car-rental place. Being a port city it also has a dock for ships to load, ect.
Story: Rest here after the field exam; battle Fujin and Raijin.
Side: Play cards with the Queen of Cards and Zell’s mom
Dollet
Description: A city by the sea. Its notable buildings are the Communications Tower and the bar (it’s really big…o_O). When you go there for the field exam, it’s a ghost town – aside from the scattered SeeD candidates, there’s not a soul around. Once it’s cleared out, though, it goes back to normal.
Story: You come here to take the field exam. You fight the “spider robot” (can’t remember its name), and get Siren by drawing from it.
Side: Through a series of small tasks, you can get items from a homeless dog. In the bar, you can play cards with an old guy and win some, and find some magazines.
Timber
Description: A pretty normal city, except for the fact that it’s filled with Galbadian soldiers.
Story: Squall, Zell and Selphie are sent here for their first mission – to help the Forest Owls “liberate” Timber. But they encounter a fake president, and witness the first television broadcast in 17 years, which is interrupted by Seifer, who tries to kill the president. Because of Zell, the president finds out they’re from Balamb Garden and promises revenge. Sorceress Edea puts Seifer under a spell and he becomes her “lap dog”. Basically, they fail the mission, and have to go to Galbadia Garden – the closest garden - for assistance.
Side: Buy magazines from the pet shop, and find them in the Timber Maniacs building. Save a girl from an oncoming train and you can get a free stay in the hotel (and another Timber Maniacs).
Galbadia Garden
Description: The biggest Garden out of the three.
Story: You come here to regroup after the failure in Timber, and find out that Seifer is supposedly executed. You meet Fuijin and Raijin and tell them about Seifer’s execution, which prompts them to go and find him. Later, you come after another attack on Balamb Garden, and have to find keys to certain doors (grrr), eventually leading to Seifer and Edea. After being defeated, Edea passes her powers on to Rinoa, who goes into a coma.
Deling City
Description: A large city with public transportation, where it’s always nighttime. The center of the Galbadian “empire”.
Story: You come here in Squall’s first dream. Laguna, Kiros and Ward go to the bar in the hotel to listen to Julia, a popular pianist – and who Laguna has a big crush on, play. She invites Laguna back to her room to talk, but Laguna is soon called away.
When Squall actually goes there, it’s to assassinate the sorceress. General Caraway tells the gang what to do, and they separate into the Sniper Team and the Gateway Team (one traps the sorceress, another one kills her). However, the Gateway Team traps itself in Caraway’s house, and has to go through the sewer, Rinoa is attacked by giant lizards (hehe…Iguions?), and Squall and Irvine have to save her, and Irvine has a nervous breakdown. He tries to shoot Edea, but she blocks the shot with a spell and he, Squall and Rinoa battle Seifer and Edea. When it looks like they’ve defeated her, she stabs Squall with an ice staff, and sends the others to jail.
Side: Win Rinoa's card from General Caraway.
Tomb of the Unknown King
Description: A mysterious cave-tomb in which you can get lost in – literally – forever (-_-;).
Story: When you first try to get into General Caraway's mansion, the guard in front will ask for a password - the ID number of a missing student. You can find it as soon as you enter the cave, on the blueish sword.
Side: The Brothers, another GF, inhabit the cave. Make sure you draw a lot of Float spells from Thrustaevis (outside of the entrance) before you battle them.
Winhill
Description: A sleepy town. The target of two attacks ordered by Sorceress Adel during the First Sorceress War.
Story: You first visit Winhill in Squall's dream at the beginning of disk two. You find out what happened to Laguna after he had to jump off the cliff (^_^), you meet Kiros, and you are introduced to Ellone and Raine. With Kiros, you scout Winhill for monsters (you have to go through the ENTIRE town to move the story along), listen in on a conversation between Ellone and Raine after...and take a nap.
Side: You can come back later as Squall to find pieces of a missing vase. It's pretty easy to find two of them, but you can only find the piece in the suit of armor if you have the right character in your party. Irvine's always worked for me ^_^.
D-District (Desert) Prison
Description: A tower in which dissenters of the Galbadian government are kept as prisoners.
Story: When Laguna's segment ends, you find yourself as Zell in a jail cell with Quistis, Selphie, and Rinoa. You don't have any of your weapons, and the characters can't use magic. Squall is apart from everyone else - on the top floor, being “interrogated” by Seifer. Zell assumes control for a while and helps get everybody out, and you get to battle Biggs and Wedge again.
Side: Beat some guys at cards to get an upgrade to the Battle Meter and another item (I’m not a fan of the card game, so I don’t know o_o).
Missile Base
Description: The place where Galbadian missiles are launched (duh).
Story: You come here as Selphie to stop the missile launch. And you kind of succeed…
Island Closest to Hell
Description: A small, grassy island.
Side: Battle the monsters to get a LOT of exp.; get good spells from the invisible draw points.
Northern Region
Trabia Garden
Description: The remains of the third garden. The school is in chaos: many people have died, and the surviving students and faculty alike are confused and beside themselves with grief.
Story: Go to the basketball court to hear about the gang's past - it seems as if they all lived in the same orphanage, and Edea was the surrogate mother! This, of course, is one of the biggest twists in the story, and makes it a lot harder for the characters to fight.
Side: Get Selphie's card from her friend, and find an issue of Weapons Monthly by the statue.
Shumi Village
Description: A little sanctuary for NORG's race, buried in snow at the top of the world.
Side: Find five elemental stones for a Phoenix Pinion, and do a lot of running through the village and traveling to Fisherman's Horizon for a Status Guard. The rewards are good, but the sidequest is really tedious -_-.
Chocobo Forests
Description: Dome shaped forests where, with the help of a weird little boy, you can catch chocobos!
Side: Solve puzzles to lure out the mother chocobos, and when you've gotten all six, you can go to the Chocobo Sanctuary and watch then dance. To make them "trust you" and not run away (forcing you to have to solve the puzzle again), you must get them to find items, which you get to keep. In the PC version, you can raise your own chicobo in the game "Chocobo World".
East Continent
Great Salt Lake
Description: An icy-looking path (which I assume is actually dried salt), with undead creatures.
Story: You pass through here to get to Esthar, and have to fight one of the easiest bosses in the game ^_^.
Esthar
Description: A futuristic, cosmopolitan city hidden away from the rest of the world. Has a shopping mall, with items you can't find anywhere else, multiple levels, and floating things that take you anywhere you want.
Story: The gang brings Edea here to see Odine, and to ask him to help Rinoa. A little later, you have to board the Lunatic Pandora as Zell.
Side: Try to get the gifts from the stores, and find some magazines.
Esthar Sorceress Memorial
Description: More like a prison than a memorial, it's the place where threatening sorceresses are kept.
Story: Rescue Rinoa!
Lunatic Pandora
Description: A black, rectangular prismatic object that connects with Tears Point to make the Lunar Cry. You fist travel through it as Laguna, when it is still on the ground, and just wreak havoc on unsuspecting Estharian soldiers. Next, you come here as Squall.
Story: Er, it connects with Tears Point to make the Lunar Cry. As Squall, you get on board to get rid of Adel (I think o_o).
Island Closest to Heaven
See Island Closest to Hell
Southern Region
Cactuar Island
Description: A small, diamond-shaped island with lots of Cactuars, as well as the Cactuar King.
Side: Kill Cactuars for 20 AP each, and get the Cactuar King GF.
Centra Ruins
Description: Ancient ruins of a village that was destroyed by a Lunar Cry.
Side: Get the Odin and Tonberry King GFs.
White SeeD Ship
Description: Another home for Edea and Cid's orphans, who now protect Ellone.
Story: Squall comes here to find Ellone, who's not with them.
Edea's House
Description: A little stone cottage by the sea - where Edea and Cid raised Squall, Zell, Quistis, Seifer, Irvine, Selphie, and Ellone. Leads out onto the beach, and has a garden in the front.
Story: You first come here just to see it, before going into Galbadia Garden to fight; after Rinoa goes into a coma you come here to talk with Edea. After going through time compression, it is the place (or the ruins thereof) where you arrive after battling sorceresses. Squall and Rinoa also make their promise, and meet in the ending, in the flower field.
Side: Get the Seifer card from Cid.