BootsnAll Travel Community

quote:

Originally posted by Saricie K:
I actually just finished the ranking of my "Top 50 Favorite Cities" in the world and posted them on my website.

You can read it here...
My Favorite Cities in the World
Even my least favorite places are included (hopefully that will not bring too many hate mails along my way)

Yes, I really, really like Montreal and Quebec City as many posts here recommend. They are my No. 2 destinations in the world.

Have you been to all of these places? I'd love to travel as much as you!

Salta, Argentina.

Was just going to change busses there, but is was so nice I stayed for ages.

(sorry if someone already said that, havent read through every single post)

Two places that I loved were;

Brno in the Republic. Everyone goes to Prague when they visit the Czech Republic but when I went, I found Prague to be overrun by tourists. We decided to try somewhere else and landed in Brno. It was great and felt so authentic. It is also very close to Blansko and the Moravsky Kras which is this incredible park with a huge series of caves.

My other favorite was Kotor in Montenegro. What an interesting town...completely dead during the day and packed at night. We really had a lot of fun and the local people were all wonderful. Highly recommend going to Kotor and from what we heard, there is a lot to explore nearby; unfortunately were we only there for 2 days and couldn't keep going...

Venice - in the winter!

Most tourist visiting Venice in the Spring, Summer and Autumn. I went in December - yes it was cold, but without masses of tourists, you realise what a special and beautiful city Venice really is.

So my recommendation is to pack your wollies, take your umbrella and go to Venice in the off season. There are still a few tourist but not millons of them

oh and i agree with the poster who mentioned Salta. Scheduled a day, stayed a week. The other places that did this to me in South America were Sucre in Bolivia, Salvador in Brazil, Cartagena in Colombia and for some reason La Paz (must have been the thin air!)

At last, cheers soldier. I have saying how nice venice in winter is for ages. Much better than the summer and everywhere is open still. No crowds you can just wander around aimlessly in and out of museums without queueing, its sunny still and smells a lot less.

Elsewhere Koln is great for a quick break, especialy walking out of the station almost underneath the Dom, its like reverse vertago. Great beer to, comes in 0.2 ml glasses and gets you drunk quick if your not used to it.

I love going to Chicago. It's big but clean and there are so many cool big city things to do. It's certainly cleaner than Boston!

Quebec city is pretty neat, too.

i'll vote for west virginia, the entire state. it's normally associated with poverty, but there are some really incredible things there. it deserves much more than it's known for.


and also ruggell, liechtenstein. a very nice little village.

Doolin Ireland - near Galway (which, btw, is overrun by tourist - or at least I think so because my one night there hitting a pub I saw a group of football players from my very small very American college where very few people leave the country and when they do they go to well known places). But Doolin is much quieter and has a lovely walk along the ocean and is full of cows and beauty Although there are a few hostels so I guess it isn't too far off the beaten path.

Almost all of the Upper Peninsula of MI in the US - I might be from there but I can say there are no big cities and more beautiful scenery in every season than I have seen anywhere else in the world. Rather popular with "local" tourists, but no one else has ever really heard of it. Take a drive through if you ever have time - along Lake Superior and the Pictured Rocks National Lake shore!! Beautiful...I never thought I would miss it when I lived there, but I think of it every season and remember what it looks like and compare it to where I am and nothing ever measures up to the beautiful fall colours or the snow on my grandpa's cabin in the woods

quote:

i'll vote for west virginia, the entire state. it's normally associated with poverty, but there are some really incredible things there. it deserves much more than it's known for.

Feel free to write a bit more about this deserving State. I haven't been there in years, and remember nothing about it except for poverty. If there is another side to it, please let everyone know!

I was really surprised by Villnius Lithuania. Modern, clean, cheap by European comparison. Tons of history. I thought it would be the standard Soviet era fare with fresh paint, but it felt a little more like Vienna than Minsk.

I'd vote for Chicago. I've only spent a couple days there but loved it.

Agreed, angrylittle soldier and lets get out of this country.

I've been to Venice twice -- once in November and once in June -- and November was sublime. I think Venice is best in gloomier weather.

concerning west virginia:
there are quite a few nature hotspots...whitewater rafting is especially popular, and there are several ski resorts as well. there are particularly beautiful sections of the famed appalachian national scenic trail, too. other, smaller trails, such as the greenbrier river trail, are also good hikes.

in addition, there is quite a bit of history. harpers ferry is popular for civil war buffs (abolitionist john brown staged an infamous raid on the town) and george washington's heritage trail is popular for george washington fans.

and of course, there are a surprising amount of arts. elkins (randolph county) is a perennial favorite for "best small town/arts" lists, and charleston boasts several fine events, including symphony and theater.

i'm not saying west virginia is the number one place in the world to go, but should you happen to be driving the east coast or spending time in washington or philly, it's not a bad place to spend some time.

for more information, you can visit westvirginia.com, and you'll find much, much more than the stereotypical coal miner's poverty associated with this state.

Top cities I love :

San'a, Yemen; for architecture, the 1001 Arabian nights atmosphere, and amazingly hospitable people
Peshawar, Pakistan; for the edgy Afghan frontier atmosphere and diverse mix of peoples

Sana'a, yes, definately Sana'a.

Montevideo, Uruguay (the meat will turn a vegan into a carnivore; the clubs will keep you out all night, the pace will take that nagging little knot out of your shoulder)
Lviv, Ukraine (beautiful)
Le Garde Frinet, France (quaint and comfortable)
Bamberg, Germany (great keller beer)

Best city in the Pacific: Noumea, New Caledonia

It is like they dumped a city in southern France on a south pacific island.

Yay! I'm so glad that my hometown (Montreal) made the cut!
If anyone needs tips on where to visit, where to stay, etc. send me a message, I'd be glad to help.

That being said, I recently went on a small trip to Ontario with my boyfriend and had a great time in places I never would have thought to visit otherwise. We went down to Prince Edward County and camped at Sandbanks, which was absolutely beautiful. We spent a night in Niagara Falls (avoiding the super tacky Clifton Hill - I wanted to see the falls!), drove up to Niagara on the Lake and then we spent a night in Gananoque, which is dubbed the "gateway to the Thousand Islands" - also very beautiful. If you get a chance, go! I wouldn't recommend going in the winter ... and if you're into wine, both Prince Edward County and Niagara on the Lake are filled with wineries. Mmmm.

San Francisco & Montreal

Guadalajara needs to be on this list! It has awesome food - traditional and modern, great parks, tequila, colonial architecture, art, history, and nightclubs that go all night. There are surprisingly few non-Mexican tourists, and I can't explain why.

Well, this thread definitely made me want to go to Montreal!

I would have to say the area of Bacina Lakes in Croatia. It is located almost exactly in between Dubrovnik and Split along the coast. The lakes are beautiful and incredibly clear and there are adorable little villages scattered about. The beautiful beaches of Gradac are nearby as well.

I was also pleasantly surprised by Belgrade, Serbia. I was expecting a war-torn, poverty stricken city and while there is still evidence of the past bombings, it is an amazing city. The old town is just stunning and it has a great night life and the people there are so nice and welcoming.

Hmm... what happened to the "Not so visited" part? There are tons of tourists in Montreal and Chicago among others. Chicago, clean? Where were you, just in the Magnificent Mile?

Anyhow,
>Muenster, Germany: popular with German tourists, but so much otherwise, its a college town with a nice historic center and vibrant culture.
>Aarhus, Denmark: Everyone seems to go to Copenhagen, but the second largest city is also quite alive, yet very relaxing and quiet.
>Katowice, Poland: shows the capitalism catch-up monster that much of Poland has become. A crazy fusion of old factories, shiny western chain-stores, Soviet-style monumental projects and tons of normal friendly people.
>Shoobra, Cairo, Egypt: A neighborhood, Cairo is great as a whole but there are plenty of tourists in the center. Shoobra is amazing, there is a strong sense of community there even between the Christian and Islamic people.