Top Five Travel Destinations (Specifics Please) (cruise, bridge, temple, Amsterdam)

[TweedleDee]

We are now DINKICs (Dual Income No Kids in College), so we have more time and money to travel. If you had to narrow down your top 5 favorite travel destinations, what would they be? They could be a natural wonders, cultural destinations, beautiful architecture, gardens, etc., but please be specific. For instance, within the last year we took a Mediterranean cruise and a Caribbean cruise. But instead of just saying we liked Barcelona, Florence, Venice, Dubrovnik, and Puerto Rico, I can specifically say:

Barcelona, Spain - Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Casa Mila, Hop On/Hop Off Bus for seeing the entire beautiful city

Florence, Italy - Uffizi Gallery, Michalengelo's David at the Galleria dell'Accademia, Ponte Vecchio, Il Duomo

Venice, Italy - San Marco Square, Doge's Palace, Rialto Bridge and Grand Canal, Murano (glass blowing artisans), and Burano (charming colorful homes and businesses)

Dubrovnik, Croatia - Old Town

Puerto Rico - BioIsland Tour of the bioluminescent bay Laguna Grande, El Yunque National Park (tropical rain forest)

Thanks!

[jtur88]

I use entire countries or continents as travel destinations.

[FlyMIA]

I lived in Barcelona for 5 months and right now that would be my first. Great city, the city is great, nightlife is fantastic, food is IMO the best in the world. can't wait to go back, so many things I wanna see again.

Australia is fantastic when I was there years ago I didn't see too much, hope to get back there too.

buenos aires is another great city and cheap.

Another place I never been too but hope to go in the next 5-7 years is a remote pacific island. Those places are just awesome.

But to sum it all up Europe has been my favorite place, so many cultures in such little space it's awesome.

[Snd485]

Argentina - has everything you could want. Buenos Aries if you like cities, colonial architecture in the and beautiful desert like landscapes in the northwest, lush greenery and waterfalls and jesuit ruins in the northeast and glaciers, penguins and whale watching in the south. It's also easy and cheap to get around the country by bus and the food is so good (lots of steak, wine, pasta and pastries!). Three of my favorite destinations are here - Buenos Aires, Puerto Madryn and Iguazu

Beijing, China: Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall are probably the most memorable places I've visited. Amazing food in Beijing too...most of the Chinese food I've had in the States can't even compare.

San Francisco, CA: I didn't spend much time there but I thought it was a great city. I hope to go back soon. I loved wandering around Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf, thought the cable cars were cute and the row homes are beautiful

[MadManofBethesda]

Originally Posted by Snd485

Argentina - has everything you could want. Buenos Aries if you like cities, colonial architecture in the and beautiful desert like landscapes in the northwest, lush greenery and waterfalls and jesuit ruins in the northeast and glaciers, penguins and whale watching in the south. It's also easy and cheap to get around the country by bus and the food is so good (lots of steak, wine, pasta and pastries!). Three of my favorite destinations are here - Buenos Aires, Puerto Madryn and Iguazu

My wife and I are taking a cruise from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires early next year and we are planning to stay in B.A. for several days after the cruise as well as take a trip to see Iguazu Falls. One of the port stops on the cruise after we go around Cape Horn is a day in Puerto Madryn, so I'm glad to see that is one of your favorite destinations. Any suggestions on what we shouldn't miss seeing while there?

[Chava61]

Israel for its historical and religious significance (especially in Jerusalem) plus its great landscape. In the winter one can enjoy skiing in the north and the Red Sea beach in Eilat. Tel Aviv is a great cultural center plus a beach city which beaches can be enjoyed 8 months a year approx.

The Galapagos Islands (which are part of Ecuador) to see the unique animal life there and the beautiful clean beaches.

China which includes Beijing and Shanghai. In Beijing the Forbidden City is impressive as well as the Great Wall which is outside of Beijing. In Shanghai, the neighborhoods of the French Concession & the Jewish Ghetto are impressive as well the river front/the Bund District.

New York City is always a great travel destination as it has something for everyone. Its Broadway shows are famous, the Empire State Building which was the tallest in the world when it was built (and currently the tallest building in NYC), the Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum and much more.

[TweedleDee]

Great! Thanks for sharing. Love hearing the specific sites you enjoyed the most....hope there are more comments to come.

[lrfox]

My top 5 (no particular order):

-Amsterdam. No, not for those reasons. I found the city to be architecturally stunning. I LOVED the residential neighborhoods along the canals and I found the people to be fantastic. I was pleasantly surprised at my experience there.

-Agra, India. The Taj Mahal took my breath away like no other man made structure I've ever seen. Photos don't do it justice. It's massive. More than that, it's an incredible complex with perfect symmetry (from letters scaled on the building to look the same size at the top as they do on the bottom to perfectly aligned entrance ways, etc). The Red Fort was an incredible structure as well.

-Quebec City. Probably my favorite place in North America. It may be European in appearance (the Old City, anyway), but the entire city has a uniquely Quebecois culture that's impossible to top (Montreal's is a little more watered down). The old industrial row houses and neighborhoods outside of the walls may be different, but they're no less impressive. The food is outstanding (french methods meet local ingredients) and the people are charming. And it's SOOOO close.

-Barcelona. It's been covered pretty extensively here already, but the food blew my mind. The Spanish eat right. Not just the extraordinary flavors, but the meals as well. traveling to different tapas bars until the wee hours of the morning sampling incredible plate after incredible plate (and washing it down with some great vino). The climate, location and architecture is just fantastic too. I don't think I've ever partied as hard as I did in "Barthelona."

-Maldives. I've been all over the Caribbean and never experienced anything quite like the Maldives. My father's company put us up at a stunning resort (Taj Exotica) and the clarity of the water and diversity of wildlife in the water was unlike anything I've ever seen. Just an absolute paradise.

honorable mentions: Brittany, France. New York, New York. Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Northern/Central California (inc. San Francisco, Big Sur, Monterey/Carmel, Yosemite, Napa/Sonoma).

[Pivot Point]

Brazil
Rio de Janeiro - Ipanema, Copacabana, Corcovado, Sugar Loaf, Petropolis/Teresopolis, Botanic Garden, great nightlife, live music
Minas Gerais - Fascinating history and architecture
Bahia - Afro-Brazilian culture: food, churches, capoeira dancing, museum
Manaus - (not a beautiful place, but very interesting) Amazon River cruise, opera house, zoo with animals from the Amazon rain forest, restaurants that serve Amazonian foods--the seafood and fruits are especially good
Iguaçu Falls - one of the biggest and most astounding waterfalls in the world

England
London - Houses of Parliament/Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, British Museum, V&A Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate galleries, theater, Hyde Park, Green Park, Westminster Abbey, day trips to Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Bath. Excellent restaurants, especially Asian. London has tons of things to see and do.

Thailand
Bangkok - Grand Palace complex, floating market, temple tours
Phuket - beautiful beaches (Nai Thon, Kata, Kata Noi), safaris, elephant treks

Turkey
Istanbul - Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace & gardens, Bosporous cruise, souk
Pamukkale, Ephesus & Kusadasi - natural hot springs, well-preserved ancient cities

[Budke]

I won't describe why I chose these because I just don't have time to write a novel but

Malaysia
Thailand
Spain(mainly Barcelona and Seville)
Turkey
New Zealand