As a classic type A personality, I can’t help but label, compare, and categorize things. In considering all the places I’ve visited, I decided to compile a list of my favorites. Whether you want to armchair travel today or add them to your list for tomorrow, these are all the places I have enjoyed the most and would happily return.
Top places
Chefchaouen, Morocco
Known as the blue town. It’s a bit of a charade, as it only became the blue town recently. It was a brilliant marketing ploy that has worked quite favorably since everyone I know has heard of it. Let it serve as a lesson that by simply painting your buildings blue, you can increase your tourist trade tenfold!
Santorini, Greece
Less of a charlatan, but still blue, is classic Santorini. It’s one of the few places that everyone in the world talks about but is still a must see. There’s nothing like this collection of blue and white boxes cascading down the rim of a collapsed volcano. In fact, some claim Santorini is the basis for the legend of the lost city of Atlantis.
Lofoten, Norway
Hidden in an island chain in the northern part of Norway’s coast is the tiny village of Lofoten. Where the previous two towns went with blue, Lofoten chose Scandanavian red for its color palette. The mirror like waters surrounding the village make for outstanding photos at sunset.
Venice and Burano, Italy
If there is one place to visit before you die, it’s Venice. A classic icon of Italian architecture, cuisine, and culture, Venice is another place you can’t miss no matter how many people you have to share it with. I’m including Burano as it’s an easy day trip to a mosaic of colorful homes.
Guanajuato, Mexico
Continuing with color-centric recommendations, I’ll share a place with you that I long kept a secret to myself. For a time not many knew about Guanajuato, and to a degree, it is still not overwhelmed due to the fact that you can’t get a tour bus through any of its many tunnels; nor is it a particularly friendly destination for the retired traveler since there is only one street running through town that is not primarily composed of stairs.
Cinque terre, Italy
A collection of colorful boxes along the northwest coast of Italy, Cinque Terre is five cities linked by a train and a walking trail. It is not accessible by car so it’s a great place to enjoy peace along the Italian riviera. It’s suitable for both the active traveler, offering hiking and kayaking, as well as the leisure minded set, with lovely shops and restaurants to get lost in.
Eze, France
The first of my recommendations that is not known for its color, though its muted earth tones are a good complement for this arid hill town at the eastern end of the French riviera. From the train station, it is a grueling climb, so if you’re lugging a rollie bag, you should probably look into a cab.
Cappadocia, Turkey
Home of the fairy chimneys. The early settlers of this town minimized their building costs by carving their homes into sandstone spires above the desert floor. When they realized tourists would pay money to live in these man made caves, they rented them out and built luxury apartments below. Awake every morning to one hundred hot air balloons coloring the sky, and if you’re willing to wake up at 3 AM, you can be in one of them!
Taxco, Mexico
South of Mexico city lies one of the great silver towns of the world. Other than street vendors, you won’t find much silver there anymore, but what you will find is a quiet Mexican hill town. I don’t exaggerate about the hills either; other than the main square, everything else is an Escher-like experience of stairs and railings.
Bruges, Belgium
Sure, everyone has heard of Bruges, but the tourists never wander more than two blocks from the village center, and most of them go back to Brussels by late afternoon. It’s a sweet little village to experience local culture and enjoy alcohol that is cheaper than water.
Hoi An, Vietnam
This picturesque fairy tale of a village is like nothing else I’ve seen in Vietnam. Frankly, I’m surprised that, given its success, other cities have not tried to copy it. It is a Europe meets Asia blend of quaint architecture along pastoral canals illuminated nightly by floating candles.
Honorable mention
While these don’t make the top of my list, I’m sure they’re at the top of someone’s list and certainly deserve being mentioned.
Luang Prabang, Laos
In an otherwise rural country, Luang Prabang stands out as a gem of French colonialism and not just the architecture. Because of the influence of the French, this is one of the only places in Asia you can enjoy baguettes fresh baked daily, locally produced wine and European style coffee.
Annecy, France
Speaking of which, I stumbled upon this French version of Venice nestled at the base of the Alps, just west of Lyon. Gateway to the Alps, Annecy is a village wrapped in canals that are fed from a large lake reflecting the mountains towering above.
Bonifacio, France
Birthplace of Napoleon, this restive island off the coast of France would take any chance it could to declare its independence. As it is, the island is alone in its magnificent rock formations which differ from pointy red rocks jutting out from its northern coast to the fortress topped undulating white sandstone cliffs of the south.
Piran, Slovenia
Few people have heard of Slovenia and fewer still have heard of Venice’s sister city just across the Adriatic sea. Unlike Venice though, Piran stands upon tall cliffs surrounding a harbor. If you’re looking for the experience of sipping coffee at a cafe as you look out over the harbor, this quiet alternative to western Europe is it.
Brasov, Romania
Home of Dracula, this charming village tucked within a Romanian forest offers delightful walks into the surrounding mountains and hearty comfort food to fill your belly at the end of a long day of exploration. While waiting for my entree of meatballs, I was given a free appetizer of tender pieces of deep fried pork belly.
Cusco, Peru
Cusco is a city that takes people’s breath away, literally. It is actually higher in elevation than Machu Picchu, the attraction most people come to see when they stay here. Like Guanajuato, it is seated on a mountaintop so there are lots of streets to explore on the hills surrounding the town. An added feature is the restaurants and cafes that you find down many of these narrow thoroughfares.
White Rock, Canada
I remember being shocked when the Amtrak train went through this town without stopping. It was adorable, and I promised myself I would make it back someday. I eventually did, on a bicycle ride from Vancouver, Canada to Bellingham, Washington. I booked two nights so that I could walk up and down the steep hills and try out the many restaurants in this charming Salish seaside town.
Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
I’d been going from city to city through Europe before I decided to change things up and try stopping in something with a little more charm. Veliko Tarnovo was the first town I’d stopped in that I hadn’t heard of before I began my trip. It is located on cliff tops overlooking a bend in the Yantra river. Serving the great comfort food that Bulgaria is known for, it was a perfect break from the grand cities of Europe.
Porvoo, Finland
Continuing to explore smaller towns in Europe, I visited this little village just about an hour outside of Helsinki. As with most of my favorites, it was a town that provided the opportunity to walk up and down hills, only this one also featured walking paths through forested parks.
Mendocino, California
For years before I left the United States this was my go-to for weekend escapes. It can only be described as a town out of a story book, in this case where the forest meets the ocean. I understand it was settled by people from Nova Scotia because they thought it looked similar to their home.
Astoria, Oregon
I often describe Astoria to my tourists as San Francisco in the 1920s. It is very similar to San Francisco in that it is surrounded by water and steep hills. Like San Francisco, the Settlers of Astoria had no reservations about laying a perpendicular street grid on top of steep hills. Don’t be fooled into buying a house there if you visit during the ideal summer months; they get 12 feet of rain per year. That’s feet, not inches.
Best big cities
Vancouver, Canada
A city surrounded by mountains and water, where you’ll hear four different languages while walking down the block and then a different four on the next block. The entire waterfront is a public bike and walking trail punctuated frequently by neighborhood parks. It also hosts the best farmer’s market I’ve ever been to, one where you can buy everything you need without having to go to the grocery store afterwards.
San Francisco, CA
A sister to Vancouver, and I would even say second to Vancouver, except that San Francisco offers lovely weather year round. Steep streets with many hidden stairways and parks. Food, culture, and fun. This city is a walking and dining paradise.
Bergen, Norway
Another walker’s paradise, where you can climb from the center of the city to alpine lakes in the span of an hour. It is located on the edge of the sea so you can catch the ferry to Iceland or many other points along the Scandinavian coast. Typical Scandinavian order with a high price tag to match.
Istanbul, Turkey
On the border of two continents, east truly meets west. There are grand mosques and grand markets with delicious food and crafts everywhere. I challenge you to leave here without buying a rug! From its hills, enjoy views from the Black sea to the sea of Marmara.
Budapest, Hungary
A city that rivals Paris as the City of Lights, Budapest is littered with classical architecture and grand bridges. Inside the city squares, you’ll find street stalls filled with the fresh delicious produce, cheeses, and alcohol.
Remote beach getaways
Sipalay, Philippines
A plane flight to a long distance bus to a ferry to a local bus to a motor tryke to a row boat to a walk down a beach. You can’t get much more remote than that. Still, there’s internet access in this Swiss Family Robinson village under the trees fronting the beach. It’s pretty hard to do anything more than nothing here.
Amed, Indonesia
Kind of a hippie town on the northeastern edge of Bali. What pleased me was the ability to get a good coffee to go with my morning lounge time on the beach. With feet in the sand or above your head in a hammock, it seems that the people doing yoga on the platform next to you are working too hard.
Tonsai beach, Thailand
While it is remote, it’s certainly not undiscovered, but once all the day trippers have left the nearby beach, you’ll have the place to yourself…and all the hippies who stayed behind to experience primitive living in bamboo huts. Bring your mosquito spray and ear plugs if you don’t want to hear the ubiquitous Stairway to Heaven being played by some guy who dragged his guitar halfway across the world in the hopes of…well you know.
Bahia Asuncion, Mexico
Easily the most remote of the bunch, this little town half way down the Baja California peninsula can only be accessed through hours of desert driving, and I’d recommend a four wheel vehicle at that. As if Baja wasn’t remote enough, this village is located on the western end of the Vizcaino peninsula. There is nothing to do, you will know everyone in town within the week, and the sunsets are amazing.