Last Updated: 5/10/21 |May 10th, 2021 (Originally posted in 2011)
When you travel for a living, you get asked a lot of questions as you bounce from one hostel to another. The top one: what’s your favorite country?
The second most asked question: what’s your favorite city?
I’ve spent a long time traveling the world and have been to hundreds upon hundreds of cities in the world. There are so many that I love for many different reasons – some for art, some for history, some for the food, most for the people.
But, to me, the ones that stand out the most are the ones where I feel most at home. They are places I check out and feel connected too. Their energy and my energy match. I move around them with ease, I feel at one with the culture, and tempo of the city.
I think to myself “Yeah, I could live here.” Not just check out but live.
And, when I think that, then I know I’ve found a special place.
So what are my favorite cities in the world? Where are the places I feel that way? Loro sono qui:
My 14 favorite Cities
Amsterdam
Parigi
Bangkok
Stockholm
New York City
Chicago
Vancouver
Queenstown
Perth
Hong Kong
Reykjavik
Londra
Oaxaca
Cape Town
1. Amsterdam
I can’t say exactly how many times I’ve been to Amsterdam, but it’s in the double digits. And, for a brief time at the end of 2006, I lived there as a professional poker player (Seriously. It’s one of the more interesting random facts about me!).
The fast-paced life, friendly locals, easy access to the rest of Europe, picturesque canals, and stunning architecture keep me coming back. Plus, it being Amsterdam and all, there are tons of weird and quirky things to see and do there too!
In some ways, Amsterdam reminds me of my hometown of Boston, which might be why I love it so much. The brick buildings, fast-moving people, austere vibe. It feels like home.
Favorite activity: Boating through the canals with friends.
Visiting Amsterdam? check out my complete budget travel guide to Amsterdam! It’s hundreds of pages long and will help you plan the best trip there!
2. Paris
Ever since I stepped out on the Champs Elysées, I knew Paris was it. It was everything I dreamed it would be I was in love from the first moment. Sure, Paris is large and expensive and bursting with tourists. but what big city isn’t like that?
Paris is beautiful, vibrant, and filled with tasty food and history. Being here is like being in a real-life romantic comedy. I love the city so much I even moved there for a good chunk of 2019. It really does live up to all the hype, especially when you move away from the tourist areas and into the local places more.
Favorite activity: picking up some good food at the market and having a picnic.
Get my complete budget travel guide to Paris and plan the perfect trip! It’s hundreds of pages long and will help you plan the best trip there!
3. Bangkok
I hated Bangkok the first few times I traveled there. It was simply a dirty, polluted city with no redeeming qualities. It wasn’t until I moved there that I fell in love with it.
Bangkok, it turns out, is an easy city to live in — there’s lots to do, plenty of events, terrific bars, wonderful food (nothing beats Thai street food), and even more wonderful people. It’s just a bad tourist city. There’s just not a lot to do there for a tourist. It’s a city you live in.
Living in Bangkok showed me that looks can be deceiving and that there is more to a city than what you see on the surface. You just need to be willing to look a little deeper.
And, when you do, you always find something special.
Favorite activity: live music at brick Bar or eating noodles at a street stall.
If you’re visiting Bangkok, check out my complete budget travel guide to Bangkok! It has everything I know about the city in one easy place.
4. Stockholm
I have a strong affinity for all things Scandinavian, and Stockholm is no exception. I’ve been there a handful of times over the years, and I even tried to move there years ago (it didn’t work out).
I think this city is one of the most picturesque I have ever seen. The reds and greens of the buildings have an Old world charm that rivals cities like Prague, and during the fall, the changing leaves only highlight that beauty.
Stockholm is also very historic, with a high quality of life, and the Swedes in the city are super friendly and welcoming. It’s not a low-cost city to visit, but it’s worth every penny!
Favorite activity: getting lost in the maze of historic streets in Gamla Stan.
5. new York City
New York City is a place where dreams are made into reality and there is always something to do, something to see, or a new place to eat. The city is so multicultural that when I feel like I need to travel but I can’t, there’s an ethnic area of the city that will give me my fix.
I love NYC. It is the heart of the world to me. It is a non-stop place where you come to make it in the world. You can always finMY 14 favorite CITIES IN THE world (###) Last Updated: 5/10/21 |May 10th, 2021 (Originally posted in 2011)
When you travel for a living, you get asked a lot of questions as you bounce from one hostel to another. The top one: what’s your favorite country?
The second most asked question: what’s your favorite city?
I’ve spent a long time traveling the world and have been to hundreds upon hundreds of cities in the world. There are so many that I love for many different reasons – some for art, some for history, some for the food, most for the people.
But, to me, the ones that stand out the most are the ones where I feel most at home. They are places I check out and feel connected too. Their energy and my energy match. I move around them with ease, I feel at one with the culture, and tempo of the city.
I think to myself “Yeah, I could live here.” Not just check out but live.
And, when I think that, then I know I’ve found a special place.
So what are my favorite cities in the world? Where are the places I feel that way? Loro sono qui:
My 14 favorite Cities
Amsterdam
Parigi
Bangkok
Stockholm
New York City
Chicago
Vancouver
Queenstown
Perth
Hong Kong
Reykjavik
Londra
Oaxaca
Cape Town
1. Amsterdam
I can’t say exactly how many times I’ve been to Amsterdam, but it’s in the double digits. And, for a brief time at the end of 2006, I lived there as a professional poker player (Seriously. It’s one of the more interesting random facts about me!).
The fast-paced life, friendly locals, easy access to the rest of Europe, picturesque canals, and stunning architecture keep me coming back. Plus, it being Amsterdam and all, there are tons of weird and quirky things to see and do there too!
In some ways, Amsterdam reminds me of my hometown of Boston, which might be why I love it so much. The brick buildings, fast-moving people, austere vibe. It feels like home.
Favorite activity: Boating through the canals with friends.
Visiting Amsterdam? check out my complete budget travel guide to Amsterdam! It’s hundreds of pages long and will help you plan the best trip there!
2. Paris
Ever since I stepped out on the Champs Elysées, I knew Paris was it. It was everything I dreamed it would be I was in love from the first moment. Sure, Paris is large and expensive and bursting with tourists. but what big city isn’t like that?
Paris is beautiful, vibrant, and filled with tasty food and history. Being here is like being in a real-life romantic comedy. I love the city so much I even moved there for a good chunk of 2019. It really does live up to all the hype, especially when you move away from the tourist areas and into the local places more.
Favorite activity: picking up some good food at the market and having a picnic.
Get my complete budget travel guide to Paris and plan the perfect trip! It’s hundreds of pages long and will help you plan the best trip there!
3. Bangkok
I hated Bangkok the first few times I traveled there. It was simply a dirty, polluted city with no redeeming qualities. It wasn’t until I moved there that I fell in love with it.
Bangkok, it turns out, is an easy city to live in — there’s lots to do, plenty of events, terrific bars, wonderful food (nothing beats Thai street food), and even more wonderful people. It’s just a bad tourist city. There’s just not a lot to do there for a tourist. It’s a city you live in.
Living in Bangkok showed me that looks can be deceiving and that there is more to a city than what you see on the surface. You just need to be willing to look a little deeper.
And, when you do, you always find something special.
Favorite activity: live music at brick Bar or eating noodles at a street stall.
If you’re visiting Bangkok, check out my complete budget travel guide to Bangkok! It has everything I know about the city in one easy place.
4. Stockholm
I have a strong affinity for all things Scandinavian, and Stockholm is no exception. I’ve been there a handful of times over the years, and I even tried to move there years ago (it didn’t work out).
I think this city is one of the most picturesque I have ever seen. The reds and greens of the buildings have an Old world charm that rivals cities like Prague, and during the fall, the changing leaves only highlight that beauty.
Stockholm is also very historic, with a high quality of life, and the Swedes in the city are super friendly and welcoming. It’s not a low-cost city to visit, but it’s worth every penny!
Favorite activity: getting lost in the maze of historic streets in Gamla Stan.
5. new York City
New York City is a place where dreams are made into reality and there is always something to do, something to see, or a new place to eat. The city is so multicultural that when I feel like I need to travel but I can’t, there’s an ethnic area of the city that will give me my fix.
I love NYC. It is the heart of the world to me. It is a non-stop place where you come to make it in the world. You can always fins di altre cose gratuite da vedere e anche fare).
Ma non è stato fino allo scorso anno in cui ho trascorso un mese in città che l’ho davvero “preso”. Ho capito perché le persone lo adoravano. C’era un’affascinante raffinatezza nel posto.
Passeggiando per le strade della città, godendo dei mercati, prendendo la storia del luogo, sdraiato nel parco e avere una pinta fuori da un pub? Paradiso.
Parigi avrà sempre il mio cuore ma Londra si avvicina.
Attività preferita: visitare quanti più musei possibile e poi bere in un pub.
Dai un’occhiata alla nostra guida di viaggio a Londra per pianificare il tuo viaggio.
13. Oaxaca
Oaxaca, una città nella parte centrale della costa del Pacifico del Messico, è un hub per il turismo del patrimonio, a causa delle sue numerose attrazioni storiche (tra cui Monte Albán, un sito patrimonio dell’UNESCO; e Mitla, un sito archeologico di Zapotec), edifici colorati, colorati, Ristoranti e bar sul tetto panoramici, street art, storiche chiese coloniali spagnole, strade di ciottoli e molti parchi.
La città ha tutto ciò che mi piace: storia, mezcal e cibo. Oaxaca è uno dei centri gastronomici del Messico ed è stato il posto di cui mi sono innamorato di più durante il mio check out per il paese. È sicuro, le persone sono meravigliose, gli edifici sono belli e il cibo … ho menzionato il cibo? È fuori dal mondo.
In pochi secondi dall’atterraggio qui, sapevo di appartenere. Potrei facilmente vivere qui, lo adoro così tanto.
Attività preferita: visitare i Mezcalerías.
Dai un’occhiata al mio post sul perché ho adorato il mio tempo a Oaxaca per saperne di più e suggerimenti specifici per la visita!
14. Città del Capo
Cape Town è uno di quei posti di cui non ne ho mai abbastanza. La sua bellezza naturale, il clima, le persone, l’atmosfera fredda e la deliziosa scena alimentare rendono sempre memorabile il mio check outs. Dirigiti Table Mountain e Lion’s Head per assorbire l’iconica vista della città, percorrere la famosa passerella lungo Muizenberg Beach e controllare la prigione dell’isola di Robben dove Nelson Mandela ha trascorso 27 anni dietro le sbarre. Inoltre, non perdere i pinguini a Boulder Beach. Sono super fantastici.
Attività preferita: rilassarsi sulla spiaggia!
Dai un’occhiata alla nostra guida di viaggio a Città del Capo per pianificare il tuo viaggio.
***
Ci sei tu! Le mie città preferite del mondo. Lascia un commento su questo post e fammi sapere quali sono i tuoi preferiti – e perché!
Come viaggiare per il mondo con $ 50 al giorno
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Safetywing (migliore per tutti)
Assicura il mio viaggio (per quelli più di 70)
Medjet (per ulteriore copertura di evacuazione)
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