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Travel
A Look at Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2016
Recently, Lonely Planet came up with their ‘Best in Travel 2016’ list. The results were pretty remarkable.
As 2015 is coming to an end, I’m sure many of you are already looking forward to what other exotic destinations you might explore next. You probably want them to be fresh, unique and have a wow factor. Well, there’s plenty to choose from this list and many of them you’ve probably never taken into consideration before.
The top 10 cities
Kotor, Quinto, Dublin, George Town, Rotterdam, Mumbai, Fremantle, Manchester, Nashville, Rome
What I love: The top 10 cities list is a breath of fresh air. Apart from Rome on #10, all the other locations are pretty much new to this top 10 game. Heck, I even had to look up Fremantle! While some of these cities are not new to me, I’ll definitely have to add George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed streetscape from Malaysia, to my bucket list. This urban cocktail with an interesting architecture looks like somebody played mix and match while totally ignoring the rules.
What I love: The top 10 cities list is a breath of fresh air. Apart from Rome on #10, all the other locations are pretty much new to this top 10 game. Heck, I even had to look up Fremantle! While some of these cities are not new to me, I’ll definitely have to add George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed streetscape from Malaysia, to my bucket list. This urban cocktail with an interesting architecture looks like somebody played mix and match while totally ignoring the rules.
What surprised me: To be completely honest with you, Montenegro never got under my radar before. But this small country with medieval villages, rugged mountains and narrow beaches along the Adriatic coastline is apparently quite something. And Kotor, ranked by Lonely Planet at #1, is the jewel in the crown. Built along the southern-most fjord in Europe and surrounded by fortifications dating back to the city’s Venetian period, it is one photogenic spot that my camera begs to snap. Not to mention, it seems budget friendly too, which is definitely a big plus.
What’s missing: In the past few years, Budapest was rejuvenated and shines with splendor. I haven’t seen any other city to get such a radical facelift in such a short time and it’s a pity it didn’t make the list.
The top 10 regions
Transylvania, West Iceland, Valle de Viñales, Friuli's Wine Regions, Waiheke Island, Auvergne Region, Hawaii, Bavaria, Costa Verde, St Helena
What I love: Obviously I’m delighted that Transylvania made it to #1. This is amazing news! I’ve been advocating for this part of Romania for a long time now, as it was impossible for me to understand why it was so largely ignored. There’s a rich history and unspoiled corners of nature to be discovered here, and rarely anything is ever about Count Dracula – Romanians don’t like to talk about him all that much anyways, and they eat garlic for its healing properties rather than out of superstition.
What surprised me: On #10, the volcanic island of St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean doesn’t seem to have neither the potential, not the inclination for mass tourism. This is one of the remotest places on earth, which has the potential to make my radar go beep. It was also the place where Napoleon was exiled by the British and eventually found his death. He was not the only prisoner. So, um, this makes the island’s aura lose a shade of cool. But hey, the inhabitants of St Helena are forever optimists and they are finally opening an airport in 2016, and even a hotel with a whopping number of 32 rooms, just in case. If Darwin paid it a visit, maybe so should we.
What’s missing: Andalucía is my favorite part of Spain, plus it's home to some of the friendliest people on earth. I am biased, I know, but a little bit of flamenco spice never did harm to anyone.
The top 10 countries
Botswana, Japan, USA, Palau, Latvia, Australia, Poland, Uruguay, Greenland, Fiji
What I love: First of all, Japan is one of my favorite countries in the world, so I am really happy it made it to the second place – although I totally believe it should have been on the first. Second, it’s time Eastern Europe grabbed people’s attention, so Poland’s presence is quite welcome. Wroclaw, my favorite Polish city is going to be European Capital of Culture in 2016, so it looks like a really important year for the country. But it’s not only Wroclaw. Cities like Gdansk, Krakow, and Poznan are also characterized by an unexpected cuteness and elegance, accompanied by an incredible attention paid to the smallest of details, which makes them quite charming. So Poland definitely deserves more visitors.
What surprised me: Seeing Botswana stealing the limelight is a total surprise. The country will celebrate 50 years of independence in 2016 and Lonely Planet describes it as ‘democratic, progressive and enlightening’. Definitely a place I would like to add to my list.
What’s missing: I really love Switzerland, so I’m a bit sad it's not among the top 10.
What do you think about Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2016 list? What destinations that made the list surprised you? What destinations were overlooked?
- By Air, Sea Or Land: Must-see Cities For Your Bucket List
We all have different interests and ideas about which places in the world we like to visit before we depart, but there are a certain number of cities for example, which end up on numerous bucket lists. You might even get to visit some of the places using...
- 10 Amazing Places To Visit In Romania
Romania is such a uniquely beautiful country! And it's a pity that more often than not it falls off the travelers' radar. While there are plenty of misconceptions surrounding it, truth is, there is a plethora of places to visit in Romania. A rich...
- 10 Place To Visit And Things To Do In Poznan
Poznan is an interesting mixture of old and new and just perfect for a weekend getaway. In spite of being a relatively small city, Poznan is trendy and it has the cool factor. But what we love best about it is that it really knows how to draw inspiration...
- Planning Our First Trip To Asia. In Style!
We have some great news! After traveling through 23 European countries and 173 cities, we are finally getting out of Europe! Just thinking about it makes us feel goosebumps. But we are not only going to Asia, we are also doing it in style. First we'll...
- New Unesco World Heritage Sites Added To The List
Amsterdam canalYesterday the UNESCO committee made official the new World Heritage List. The 34th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting took place in Brazil and 21 new cultural and natural sites were added to the list...