What’s your favorite city to travel to?

[Bestwifeever]

Edinburgh has popped up on quite a few lists. What was it about the town that you like?

Men in kilts and the real crown jewels (at the castle) Seriously, nicest people, cobblestones, afternoon tea, pubs, accents, royal palace, Barbour jacket, rivers, walk, walk, walkable, museums, architecture, Balmoral Hotel, writers. Everything is subjective and many cities share these qualities except of course kilts. (I really do like cities as a vacation destination and even though we were there in April and it was still cold, it was amazing. For me.)

 

[SheitlQueen]

Israel and Jerusalem for a specific city.

 

[Bestwifeever]

+1

Been there 3 times for a total of 8 weeks. My favorite city was Dublin (sorry Meadbh but we find the night life in Dublin to be much better than Cork).

We prefer the rural areas and of the areas we have stayed we enjoyed Donegal the best but to be quite honest they are all awesome.

We’ll be in Ireland in May for the first time and I an really looking forward to it!

 

[MRG]

We stayed at the Balmoral, very nice. By the end of the week both DW and I were ready to find someone to take the guy with the bagpipes for a long trip.

Men in kilts and the real crown jewels (at the castle) [emoji23] Seriously, nicest people, cobblestones, afternoon tea, pubs, accents, royal palace, Barbour jacket, rivers, walk, walk, walkable, museums, architecture, Balmoral Hotel, writers. Everything is subjective and many cities share these qualities except of course kilts. (I really do like cities as a vacation destination and even though we were there in April and it was still cold, it was amazing. For me.)

 

[kcowan]

To be fair, however, I chose "Italy" because I could not pick just one city.

Agreed. The three I picked could have easily been augmented with several more. And I was omitting Sicily.

Runners up: Dubrovnik, Rome, Lucca, Manarola, Lucerne, Taormina, Avignon, Kuala Lumpur, Malaga, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Cologne, Bruges, Annecy...

US: San Francisco, San Diego, Sante Fe, New Orleans, NYC...

 

[Bestwifeever]

We stayed at the Balmoral, very nice. By the end of the week both DW and I were ready to find someone to take the guy with the bagpipes for a long trip.

You may have noticed bagpipes was not on my list A wee bit goes a loooong way for me too!

 

[TrvlBug]

You go to Paris as often as I have colonoscopies!

Well, if we don't go to Paris this year, I'll have a colonoscopy before we get to Paris .

DH and I were actually discussing this morning where to go in the fall and since this is his 'retirement trip' he'll have final say. Looks like he's favoring southern Italy or Eastern Europe (Romania, Croatia, etc.). He wants to go somewhere we haven't been. With MIL having passed last year, we're no longer tied to places we can easily race home from or worry about having to cancel at the last minute. We lost some $ having to cancel Russia 2 weeks before departure when she had a stroke a few years ago.

 

[Nemo2]

Eastern Europe (Romania, Croatia, etc.).

If you're going to Romania, (where we'll be in May), may I recommend Bulgaria, (where we were last October)? We loved it.

 

[shortstop14]

Wellington, NZ. Lisbon, Istanbul, Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin. But really wanting to try some more off the beaten path cities.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

Favourite country overall is likely Japan. Favorite city is likely Paris.

Love Japan overall as it ticks a number of checkboxes for us: Love the food, friendly people, love the tech/automation, love the culture/"wackiness", structure/order, etc. Been to Japan 6 times and just booked our 7th trip for later this spring. Part of the reason for the number of trips is that it's easy to tack on at least a few days when flying on ANA, JAL, or AC when flying to other destinations in Asia due to Tokyo being a hub.

Love Paris for the food, history/monuments/museums/architecture and we get to use our high school French a bit. We also enjoy exploring the different neighbourhoods. Been to Paris 4 times. It's been a bit harder for us to make a stop in Paris during our recent trips to Europe (mainly for cruises) because our connections are either in Toronto (then direct to whereever in Europe) or the UK. However, Air France recently started flying to/from YVR (a couple of years back) so there might be more options for us to fit in a layover in Paris.

 

[CaliKid]

Vegas - Alive 24/7.
London - so much to do, they speak the language but it's definitely a foreign country.

 

[LiveBelowMeans]

Australia, been there 3 times, the first 2 times for a month each, the last time for 5 months. Pity it is such a long way away.

Now that we are back in England we have been enjoying revisiting some of our favorite local cities, Edinburgh, London, York, Durham, Whitby plus many more.

Recently we went to Stratford-on-Avon for the first time and are already planning a trip back very soon. Next month we have a trip to Bath and Salisbury booked, places we have never been, and we are determined to visit more highly recommended cities that we have never been to in the UK.

Try Keswick in Lake District. JMHO

 

[TrvlBug]

If you're going to Romania, (where we'll be in May), may I recommend Bulgaria, (where we were last October)? We loved it.

Thanks Nemo2. Were independent travels and will be doing a lot of research before we're off!

 

[Scuba]

I prefer tropical islands to cities, but some cities that stand out for me are:
US - New Orleans, San Francisco, New York, Washington DC
World - Sydney, Cape Town, Singapore, Paris, Florence. Italy and Switzerland are my favorite European countries (so far); going to Greece this year.

 

[Palmtree]

Ljubljana, Slovenia. It's like Prague but cheaper, smaller, and not drowning in tourists. It took 4 days before I bumped into a fellow American (and that was actually out of town while we were touring some incredibly impressive caves). However most people speak at least some English.

Glad to hear this as we are planning to spend a week or more in Slovenia this Sept. We're flying into Venice and then going on to Ljubljana. After a few days I plan on renting a car and do a driving tour of Slovenia.

Oh, and to keep with the topic, we don't have a favorite city but we do return over and over to Italy and Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. (However the recent hurricane will put the BVI's on the back burner for a couple of years)

 

[Throwdownmyaceinthehole]

I've travelled a lot and Kruger Natl Park in South Africa has been my favorite, going back for the 4th time in May. But!!! I'm currently in Tasmania finishing up 3 week holiday and this has blown all other vacations to bits. I wish I had discovered Tassie when I was younger and the stunning wine, oh my......

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Istanbul is pretty incredible to this history buff. Crossroads of Hellenistic, ancient Roman, Byzantine and Muslim cultures, capped by the opulence of the Ottoman Empire. The current political climate would make me a little uneasy about visiting, though.

 

[Freedom56]

Istanbul is pretty incredible to this history buff. Crossroads of Hellenistic, ancient Roman, Byzantine and Muslim cultures, capped by the opulence of the Ottoman Empire. The current political climate would make me a little uneasy about visiting, though.

I have been to Turkey 8 times for business before retirement. Our company worked with United Technology on some large aircraft orders. The last time I was there was in March 2015 (about 4 months before retirement). I have been to Istanbul three times. It is nothing like the rest of Turkey in terms of culture. It is a very beautiful city. I traveled one time with a colleague who was a history buff and we took a few days off and visited many historic sites. There is a lot to see and do. The food in Turkey is incredible. There are a lot of beautiful women in Istanbul too. The hotels are very nice. However keep in mind, I was there on business, and we stayed at very nice hotels and our counterparts took us to some incredible restaurants where tourists seldom visit. That being said, with the current exchange rate, Turkey is a bargain. Also the food on Turkish Airlines business/first class with their flying chefs if by far the finest of any airline. Our customers were just outside the city of Izmit and we would rent a car in Istanbul and drive there. I nor any of my colleagues every had an issue in Turkey during our business travels. Driving is easy. People are friendly. It's not as bad as news reports in the media. I can't make the same claims about Italy and France. One of our field engineers was robbed and mugged in Naples Italy. One of our engineers was robbed in France. I have been to Ankara 5 times. It is by far one of the cleanest cities anywhere. There is absolutely no sign of any graffiti anywhere. This is incredible compared to cities in Europe. I was told that the police cracked down on graffiti taggers decades ago (round up and torture) and they don't have that problem any longer. I guess that works for them. As far as the protests go, I was there during 3 of them. The government banned public kissing so there were demonstrators smooching in public. No violence there. The worst demonstrations came after the government banned the sale of alcohol after 10:00 PM in bars and restaurants. I can see why the would be upset.

Would I go Istanbul again? Absolutely.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I was in Turkey 30-some years ago during a semester of study in the Mideast and was just awed by Istanbul. Jerusalem and Cairo pale in comparison.

I also found Ankara very tidy. I was there just after the army deposed the civil government, so there were armored cars stationed around the public buildings. Soldiers there and in Istanbul maintained a high profile, patrolling the streets armed with Thompsons.

The military, of course, was overtly pro-Western. The current government -- I'm not so comfortable with its attitude. But yes, the people are incredibly friendly.

 

[Freedom56]

I was in Turkey 30-some years ago during a semester of study in the Mideast and was just awed by Istanbul. Jerusalem and Cairo pale in comparison.

I also found Ankara very tidy. I was there just after the army deposed the civil government, so there were armored cars stationed around the public buildings. Soldiers there and in Istanbul maintained a high profile, patrolling the streets armed with Thompsons.

The military, of course, was overtly pro-Western. The current government -- I'm not so comfortable with its attitude. But yes, the people are incredibly friendly.

I went to Cairo and Alexandria about 20 years ago. It was total chaos. I was disappointed with the pyramids and sphinx at Giza. The photos are much better than the real thing. I wouldn't go back there. However they have some nice diving spots in the red sea.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

After 25 years of marriage without a "real" vacation DW announced that she wanted to fly in a foreign country, enjoy fine drinks and dining and do something fun every day.


I responded by booking a trip to a fly in outpost fishing camp in NW Ontario. We flew in a DeHavilland Beaver float plane to a private cabin on a private lake. 90 miles from the nearest village. I made her martinis every night and we enjoyed fresh walleye, steaks, chops & ribs that I cooked for us. We enjoyed world class freshwater fishing out our door and when not fishing we relaxed, read books and just enjoyed our surroundings.


When the plane picked us up a week later and took us back to the base camp, we booked the same trip for this year. Can't wait to go.

 

[bltkmt]

Glad to see Florence mentioned here - that would be my favorite.

 

[WestUniversity]

So far I would probably say Paris...

 

[ceciledian]

We go to Big Bend National Park every year but my favorite city to visit is Duluth MN

 

[Scrapr]

So far I would probably say Paris...

We have not done much International travel but Paris last year was way too short stay. Mrs Scrapr was a bit worried about terrorism. We were on the train in the 18:15 movie going the same direction. We found the people incredibly nice and gracious. After a few days I was relaxed and sipping wine in a street cafe

She wants to go to Greece this year. I'm trying to route us through Paris