Where is the Most Beautiful Place You've Traveled Too? (France, Scotland, Jordan)

For me it is either Austria/Slovenia or Ireland. Great, Glorious, and Green. Majestic, Peacful, Transcendent.

[Mooseketeer]

So many places , a few favourites :

The Galapagos Islands
Croatian Coast and Islands
Corsica ( especially around Piana, Bonifacio, Bastia, Calvi and the inland mountains)
West Highlands and Islands of Scotland
West Ireland ( Connemara especially)
The Fjords of Norway
Patagonia
Tuscany/ Florence
Martinique and Guadaloupe
South-West France ( Dordogne , Lot especially)
Mongolia
Unspoilt bits of the Brittany Coast in France
Cappadocia in Turkey
Petra in Jordan
Oman Desert at sunrise and sunset
Altiplano in Bolivia ( an utterly alien landscape)
Western Vancouver Island ( around Tofino)
Alaska
Vietnam Coast ( Halong bay is truly stunning )
French Polynesia and Micronesia
New England in the Fall
Iguazu Falls in Venezuela
Most famous and not so famous Archaeologic sites around the world
Bali , thirty years ago before it was destroyed by rampant mass tourism
Sri Lanka
Papua New Guinea Highlands
Northern California
Tallinn
St Petersburg
Prague

And many, many more. I am getting restless again with this thread. Itchy feet.

Originally Posted by Mooseketeer

So many places , a few favourites :

The Galapagos Islands

Deifnately want to see this.

Croatian Coast and Islands

Heard Great things but not yet.

West Ireland ( Connemara especially)

Agreed.

Dang You Mista Travaler

I have seen some beautiful places in China as well - Hainan Island was Nice.

[Vichel]

Hard to say because just about every time I travel, I've deliberately picked a beautiful place, or what I hope is a beautiful place. There are lots throughout the world and it depends on what you find beautiful - beach? mountains? wilderness? historical sites and architecture? great shopping?

The last beautiful place I went to was Ubud, Bali, especially where we stayed - just north of town, in a villa overlooking the river, jungle and rice paddies, and it was so serene and peaceful I felt relaxed within minutes of getting there. Plus, the Balinese people were so beautiful too - not just on the outside but especially on the inside.

[Mooseketeer]

Originally Posted by Shiloh1

Dang You Mista Travaler

Travel is my one vice ! I sadly don't get to be quite as adventurous as I used to because of health issues but I would recommend all on my list heartily though with the Galapagos Islands being such a sensitive area ecologically I think unless you are sailing there ( which I did ) and staying in extremely low key places I would avoid it. It is too precious to lose.

I have yet to see China ( apart from Shanghai) and Australia though so despite being fairly well traveled you could say I have a large chunk of the world still on my "list" !!!

To be honest I think there are some incredibly beautiful places quite close at home for most people too. It is often easy to look further and forget what is on our doorstep. Scotland for example in the UK is in my eyes one of the most under-rated places to visit, because of its bad reputation for rain when the scenic beauty of the Highlands and Islands is just magnificently glorious.

Croatia is one of the most ravishing places on the planet IMO with fascinating history too. Then again I think Transylvania and the Carpathians are one of my favourite places, grossly unappreciated places which of course keeps them pristine in many ways....

[Mooseketeer]

Originally Posted by Vichel

Hard to say because just about every time I travel, I've deliberately picked a beautiful place, or what I hope is a beautiful place. There are lots throughout the world and it depends on what you find beautiful - beach? mountains? wilderness? historical sites and architecture? great shopping?

The last beautiful place I went to was Ubud, Bali, especially where we stayed - just north of town, in a villa overlooking the river, jungle and rice paddies, and it was so serene and peaceful I felt relaxed within minutes of getting there. Plus, the Balinese people were so beautiful too - not just on the outside but especially on the inside.

I wanted to go back to Bali ( haven't been since the 80s) but I was really put off by tales of tourism over-development and unsympathetic resorts. Do you think it is still worth the journey ? When I went I thought it was one of the most magical places on the planet, lovely people, fabulous culture, great food and reasonably "unspoilt". I don't do too well in "resorty mass tourism" places. It does tend to bring me out in hives. I really feel in love with the place but I have now read so many negative reports that I am really a little put off.

[Chava61]

The Galapagos Islands in Ecuador

[Vichel]

Originally Posted by Mooseketeer

I wanted to go back to Bali ( haven't been since the 80s) but I was really put off by tales of tourism over-development and unsympathetic resorts. Do you think it is still worth the journey ? When I went I thought it was one of the most magical places on the planet, lovely people, fabulous culture, great food and reasonably "unspoilt". I don't do too well in "resorty mass tourism" places. It does tend to bring me out in hives. I really feel in love with the place but I have now read so many negative reports that I am really a little put off.

I was put off going to Bali for the 12 years that I've been living in Australia even though it's a very popular destination for many Australians because of exactly what you described - over-development. I kept hearing about Kuta, and how it's a big, loud, over-developed, tourist trap with loud drunks everywhere. And I just pictured all of Bali like that. Or at least all the places that a tourst could stay in easily.

But then we decided to give it a go because we wanted a quick holiday that we didn't have to travel too far to. Ubud was so lovely, it was definitely worth it and I'd go back tomorrow. We spent just over 2 days in Seminyak at the end of the trip and none of us liked it, not even my 20-something kids. Over built, little of "Bali" visible, all about cheap shopping. Hated it. It was what I pictured Kuta would be like.

[Mooseketeer]

Originally Posted by Vichel

I was put off going to Bali for the 12 years that I've been living in Australia even though it's a very popular destination for many Australians because of exactly what you described - over-development. I kept hearing about Kuta, and how it's a big, loud, over-developed, tourist trap with loud drunks everywhere. And I just pictured all of Bali like that. Or at least all the places that a tourst could stay in easily.

But then we decided to give it a go because we wanted a quick holiday that we didn't have to travel too far to. Ubud was so lovely, it was definitely worth it and I'd go back tomorrow. We spent just over 2 days in Seminyak at the end of the trip and none of us liked it, not even my 20-something kids. Over built, little of "Bali" visible, all about cheap shopping. Hated it. It was what I pictured Kuta would be like.

Thanks, I am a little reassured. The first time I went there I thought I had wondered upon some earthly "paradise" ! It was like one of those lost "Shangri-la", so beautiful and almost unearthly. I would love to re-visit so I will have to reconsider.

On a different issue, would you recommend Tasmania by the way ? I have always wanted to visit and never made it. I think Australia scares me somehow, the sheer scale of it is almost incomprehensible. I feel as though I would spend a month there and end up feeling more frustrated when I left than when I arrived !