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So, I know, this is quite a random trio of cities, how did I get them together? Well, World Wonders/Travel Expert Howard Hillman ranked the world wonders in a number of individual categories too, including his Top 10 cities list. The three cities ranked among his Top 10 that I have yet to visit are Dubai, Kyoto and Prague. If I am being quite honest, none of them is an immediate "must visit" for me at this point. I love traveling, and I love exploring all the places that are out there. That said, while I have many places I really want to visit, my list is too vast for the most part to actually have a short list of places that I "have" to get to. If there was one city on that list at this point... it's probably Jerusalem.
Anyways, these three cities are all quite different, as are the reasons I would want to visit them.
Prague is obviously known for it's history and culture, and would probably be a charming place to spend a few days. Stunning architecture, narrow streets, etc. As preserved/living Old Towns go, it is world class, and I think some might say unsurpassed. I am guessing it also has an outstanding beer/coffee/cafe culture. I do feel like I have more experience with places similar to it, in the form of Cusco, Florence, Tallinn, and a few others.. that said, I am guessing that Prague might be at a larger scale and offer more to see than any of those even.
Dubai meanwhile, is the complete opposite. Hyper modern, a city that is essentially younger than me, from looking at what pictures of the city looked like in birth year (1991). I tended to think that I had a historical bias on cities.. that said I no longer think this is true with how much I enjoyed the ultra modern Asia-Pacific urban centers. In some ways I feel I'd have just as nice a time seeing the modern wonders here. In addition, there is the ability to go out to the desert which is by nature exotic, and it is a beach city too. I get the sense that going here would be more different than anything I have experience culturally so far from the other two. It is a different beast IMO.
Kyoto seems to be a healthy balance of these two. I gather that it has a massive amount of history and culture within it's boundaries. However, differentiating it from Prague, I don't think that seems to necessarily set a primary tone for city activity and aesthetic though. Kyoto itself seems to have an ultra modern center, then it basically shares a metro area with Osaka, one of the world's most impressive modern cities IMO. There's also lush forest, mountains, lakes/rivers, etc., which add to the appeal for immediate access to serene nature/hiking.
I really don't think I could go wrong with any of the three. As far as Prague is concerned, it would obviously be up there on a list of European cities if planning a Central Europe tour ever happens.. that being said, I don't think it's necessarily way higher or even the highest for me out of the other cluster of cities in this vicinity (Milan, Zurich, Munich, Frankfurt, Vienna, Budapest etc. all have appeal to me, too). For Kyoto, I would almost certainly visit it again next time I am in Japan or even the next time I choose to go to the Far East-my wife loved Japan and considers Tokyo her favorite city in the world still, and it is up there for me. That said.. I don't know when exactly that time will come, as getting over there takes longer and is more expensive for us than other corners of the world, and I may want to make an initial visit to Southeast Asia or India before heading back to that part of Asia again... so I'm not certain. Dubai might be the one we are most likely to visit first of these three then, as there are nonstops there offered from Orlando as a standalone trip, it seems like there are significant opportunities there for foreign work, and it serves as a connection base to a number of other places high on my list (South Africa, for instance).
I guess I have at least a basic understanding of what I would get with all 3.. my question though, which one of these would you prioritize if you were thinking about it, and why? No wrong answers, just enjoy getting a sense for what other world citizens feel : )
Since you've mentioned that you both love Tokyo, and I assume you both have never been to Kyoto, then I think Kyoto seems like the best bet. There are a lot of festivals and events that take place in the city and it's smaller size, different region of the country, and mountain setting with lots of temples and shrines and Lake Biwa nearby seems like it'd be up your alley.
Prague is supposedly be distinctive for how much of the older architecture is preserved since it came out of the 20th century relatively unscathed compared to many other major older European cities so it's kept a lot of that. Things are also quite inexpensive there. Since I've been to Kyoto a number of times, but have never been to Prague, I'd probably opt for Prague in my case.
I've been to Prague six times. It's very safe there, I have even walked all over the city by myself. It's also very beautiful in the winter time when it's covered in snow.
Kyoto. Not that I've even been to the other two places, but Kyoto was one of the most interesting tourist destinations I've been to in my entire life. Just right out of a set, but in real life.
Sounds like a pretty strong consensus for Kyoto here. It really does seem to have a little bit of everything, which is nice. I think perhaps I will move it then to Tier 1 (Top 3) or so cities that I will hit the next time I am in this part of the world. Frankly, I almost tried to go there for one very long day when in Tokyo, but we were only there from the 4th-7th, so it was not quite enough time. However, while I do almost immediately want to go there... living internationally at this point I think is on my radar first (at least after next summer, when I am hoping we can do South Africa). The Latin American world is on our radar for that first, too, I would say-that said, things can change. But, it is good to know.
Any contrary opinions on Dubai? It seems to be all negative about it. To me it would be appear at least to be a very cosmpolitan/diverse city with very different/exotic cultural standards, a beach/desert within the city, and a reputation for outstanding modern architecture, shopping of both big box/market variety, etc. I could be wrong though. Anyone been to or lived in Dubai and absolutely loved it?
Prague is pretty massive a place for being primarily known for it's old town.. it has to be a sizeable one. Prague has a population of 1.3 Million... so more than 3 times that of Florence or Tallinn.
Prague really really does look stunning. I'm still not sure it makes my cut of Top 5 places that I have prioritized to visit in Europe:
1. Dublin
2. Bergen
3. Madrid
4. Munich
5. Moscow
are probably higher-that isn't a knock on Prague so much as it is that there are so many places in Europe that I want to visit.
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