Top 28 Unbiased Go To Destinations in 4 Categories: Urban Destinations, Cities Plus Culture, Exploration & Adventure, New On Your Radar
(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED STATES - January 26th, 2017 - Once again, this year, the editors of Travel Squire, the premier online travel information resource, have weighed-in on the 28 most intriguing destinations for 2017! “One place for everyday in the month of February,” jests Jeff Greif, Founding Editor. But in all seriousness, continues Jeff, “With so many intriguing places on this planet, it was not an easy task; especially since our criteria is unbiased. Our 2017 choices cover a diverse geographic wish list that includes every continent.”
We divided the 28 destinations into four categories:
Urban Destinations: Thriving urban metropolises with something to celebrate.
Cities Plus Culture: Second-tier cities brimming with cultural attractions, including some UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Exploration and Adventure: Some popular adventure destinations and others that are so remote, TravelSquire.com readers may be the first to leave a footprint
New on Your Radar: Maybe you haven’t heard of these, but you should!
From foodies to adventure seekers, we’ve got something for every travel style.
So, without further ado, here are our Top 28 Hot Destinations for 2017 and why. We have alphabetized them, so as not to emphasize one of these carefully selected hot locales more than another.
Urban Destinations
Chicago, Illinois: Architecture, Cubs rule, some of the best hotels in the US.
Hamburg, Germany: One of the top ten most livable cities in the world (The Economist), new Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall.
Honolulu, Hawaii: Waikiki Beach – $330 million facelift; first Arts Biennial – March 2017; world’s largest open-air shopping center; new vibrant culinary scene; historic landmarks.
Madrid, Spain: Host to the 40th anniversary of the first LGBT Pride demo; cultural activities galore.
Manchester, England: First industrialized city in the world! First passenger railway station, first programmable computer, first professional football team, and today: great museums, galleries, boutiques.
Montreal, Quebec: Happy 375th Birthday! Free activities, tastings, guided tours, and the unveiling of an urban boardwalk connecting Mont-Royal to the St. Lawrence River—Promenade Fleuve-Montagne.
Tokyo, Japan: 204 museums featuring fine art to fat wrestlers (sumo) and a new museum dedicated to the artist Hokusai! 277 parks -- nature between big buildings; unsurpassed culinary scene -- more Michelin starred restaurants than Paris and New York combined; newly opened Train Hostel Hokutosei, with guestrooms laid out like sleeping cabins!
Cities Plus Culture
Belfast, Ireland –Harold and Wolff Shipyard -- the world’s largest dry dock; “Titanic attraction;” CS Lewis Square – a homage to authors; mural mania; Black Taxi tours -- a real cabbie experience.
Bergen, Norway – UNESCO World Heritage and 2016 City of Gastronomy; historic symphony orchestra; colorful old, dockside wooden houses; gateway to the fjords.
Brasília, Brazil – The capital, with Oscar Niemeyer designed futuristic buildings, growing culinary scene, National Museum & Culture Complex. Stunning sunsets from the Ermida Dom Bosco shrine.
Fes, Morocco – 9th Century city; world’s oldest university; spiritual and cultural. in the world; ancient souks; authentic, historic festivals, such as the 10-day Tissa Fantasia horse festival.
Perth, Australia – Museums and theater plus sunshine, Indian Ocean sunsets, wine, fresh seafood, and more restaurants per capita than any other city in Australia.
San Antonio, Texas – Spanish, Mexican, and American history and a contemporary River Walk with cafés and cocktails, luxury hotel, Soul Food Festival, and Remember the Alamo.
Turku, Finland – 100th anniversary of independence, past European Culture Capital, medieval charm, festivals, food, archipelago along the River Aura.
Exploration and Adventure
Africa’s Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) – Political unrest a thing of the past, beautiful beaches, UNESCO wildlife preserves with rare species, land of chocolate
Alaska – final frontier, wild, remote, stunning, Northern Lights, native culture, edged by vibrant cities like Fairbanks and Anchorage. Glacier hiking, fishing, surfing the bore tide, kayaking the Kenai Fjords.
Antarctica – Bucket list destination with species of the snow -- fuzzy penguin hatchlings in January; icebergs as art works.
Greenland – Untouched wilderness with just 56,000 residents over an area the size of Western Europe; fjords, glaciers, desert landscapes, sheep farms; colorful cottages; dog sledding, sea kayaking, pioneer footprints.
Hampi, India – Ancient ruins, 550 monuments, intricately carved temples, UNESCO World Heritage “watch list;” Karnataka wilderness, spellbinding beauty; rock climbing mecca; coracle cultural boat rides; new 300-acre luxury resort
Jamaica – rainforests, waterfalls, mountains, reef-lined beaches, coffee farms, rum punch, Bob Marley, new hotel/resort explosion and international airport expansion.
Swedish Lapland – Arctic Circle, reindeer, saunas, celebrations of light, fresh fish, winter snow and summer water sports.
New on Your Radar
The Baltics – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – 26 years since the Soviet Union’s collapse; rich in history, architecture, folk and contemporary art, concerts; UNESCO cities and monuments; dense forests; blue lakes; cruise ports; 1500 Estonian islands; National parks, Curonian Spit.
Bordeaux and Basque Country, France – wine – 100,000 vineyards, new “La Cité du Vin,” new LGV Sud-Ouest train line to open in mid-2017 -- will connect Bordeaux with Europe’s high-speed train network; foothills of the Pyrenees – French/Spanish border; surfer beaches at Biarritz; fishing villages.
Colombia – new found political peace and stability; indigenous and colonial culture -- birthplace of salsa dancing, underground salt cathedral; new restaurants and boutique hotels; beautiful nature. The Pope will visit in 2017 – first time in 30 years.
Guatemala – Colonial towns, Mayan ruins, colorful markets, natural attractions, yet relatively undiscovered. Slow river life by Rio Dulce; Garifuna culture of Livingston – nightly drumming lessons; Fronteras’ cowboys.
New Mexico – Only state home to three UNESCO Sites: Chaco Canyon, Taos Pueblo and Carlsbad Caverns. Chile focused culinary trails, Pueblo cooking classes; indigenous style spa treatments; Spanish history – celebrating 30th anniversary of its International Flamenco Festival in 2017.
Thuringia, Germany – medieval towns, lush forests, historical artifacts. The heart of Martin Luther’s journey where exactly 500 years ago, the Reformation began –celebrating with: exhibitions, concerts, art, lectures, conferences, cantata services and pilgrimages along the Luther Trail.
Ticino, Switzerland – The Italian Swiss Alps/Lake district – a surprise twist of Vespas scooting, promenades with palm and fig trees, pasta, gelato, piazza, Renaissance-era buildings and mountain views; the Locarno International Film Festival.
For more information on these top destinations, please check out the links, or contact Thom Meitel, Executive Editor, TravelSquire.com at Thom Meintel thom@travelsquire.com or 212.213.1155 x205. Happy New Year!
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