Best Place to Travel in the World
Where in the world is the finest place to travel?
This is a very tough topic to answer because there are so many variables to consider.
My wife and I were determined to arrange our next vacation to the world’s top tourist destination, so we conducted an extensive study.
We began by compiling a list of all the necessities highlighted in Lonely Planet guides, which included thousands of locations and monuments that our authors have cited for years.
We then asked all members of the Lonely Planet community to vote for their top 20 destinations after establishing a preselection.
According to a mathematical principle, the places mentioned frequently at the beginning of this top 20 got more points than those mentioned frequently but towards the conclusion of the ranking.
As a result, we were able to compile a top 500 list.
The results were tight, except for site n ° 1: with 10,162 votes, it occupied a special place.
Here is, for the first time, the ranking of the best destinations in the world by us.
Our Top Ten for the Best Place to Travel in the World
Looking for the best place to travel in the world, I created a list with the top ten places according to the traveller´s choice.
Here are the top ten:
1. Temples of Angkor, the Hindu paradise on Earth (Cambodia)
The site that came out on top of the rating won by a huge margin of 36 per cent over the second-place finisher, while the results for second place were extremely close.
What is the secret to the success of the Angkor Wat archaeological site?
Angkor Wat, the world’s largest temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, dates from the 12th century and seems out of place in Cambodia, which is largely Buddhist.
The unmistakable centrepiece of the site is a massive sculpture of Mount Meru, the Hindu gods’ home.
It is made up of thousands of sandstone blocks with bas-reliefs that are so delicate and graceful that they appear to have been fashioned by the gods; the legends of the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas are depicted.
Majestic structure
This majestic structure is the most valuable relic of a Hindu monarchy that once encompassed Burma, Laos, and southern China.
Even in Southeast Asia, which is known for its temples, Angkor is unique.
More than 1,000 temples, shrines, and tombs make up this complex, whose towers rise like those of a city lost in the jungles of northern Cambodia.
Despite the fact that the nearby city of Siem Reap is served by international aircraft, the tourist who travels amid the roots penetrating through ancient buildings and the effigies of deities clothed in climbing plants will feel like an adventurer exploring a pristine country behind a curtain of the jungle.
Over the years, the people of this celestial city converted to Buddhism from Hinduism.
The two mythologies collide at the temples.
Arriving in the ruins of the Bayon temple at dawn is a once-in-a-lifetime experience: the beneficent faces of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of Compassion, appear gently in the mist, like celestial apparitions.
In front of the overgrown ruins of Ta Prohm, a 12th-century temple almost fully submerged by the jungle that has changed little since the arrival of the first European explorers in Angkor in the 17th century, the traveller is overcome with emotion.
Unique experiences
Angkor also provides such unique experiences that visitors frequently stay for several weeks to take in the magnificence of the temples and ruins.
Sacred ponds and stone bridges with ramps depicting demons brandishing enormous snakes, as well as temple ruins, are scattered throughout more than 400 km2.
Some have become indispensable, such as Banteay Srei Temple, with its intricate stone sculptures, and Kbal Spean, not far away, with its riverbed sculpted with numerous lingas (symbols of Shiva).
Angkor is a magnificent testament to human creativity’s goals and the underlying human desire to leave a lasting impression.
The location instils a Buddhist awareness: nothing material is forever, and nature always reclaims its rights through time.
Angkor is more than a fascinating ruin; it is a revelation etched in stone.
We considered this the best place to travel in the world.
2. Great Barrier Reef, an underwater eldorado (Australia)
A natural wonder that runs over 3,000 kilometres off Australia’s northeast coast takes second place in our rating.
There’s no need to bring up the Great Barrier Reef.
Just keep in mind that it is the world’s largest coral reef, with 400 varieties of coral and 1,500 species of fish.
Thirty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as six species of sea turtles and seventeen kinds of sea snakes, have been recognized.
The reef is in danger of disappearing, or at the very least losing its beauty.
Both the bleaching and mortality of corals are caused by the warming of the oceans, and there is no evidence that the problem can be reversed.
For the moment, the reef remains an underwater paradise for divers and snorkelers.
Even on the surface and around the Queensland coast, this essential ecosystem captivates visitors, with its abundant feathered fauna and its countless tropical islands and beaches.
For sure it can be considered the best place to travel in the world.
3. Machu Picchu, the Inca enigma (Peru)
Only a few voices separated the second and third-place finishers. They do, however, differ in every manner…
The beautiful view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate after four days of trying out the Inca Trail has become a rite of passage for everybody visiting Peru.
The city, which dates from the 15th century and is suspended above the nothingness, is surrounded by a stunning Andean landscape, but its major attraction is the mystery that surrounds it.
It’s a true puzzle.
There are other theories – a royal retreat, a temple dedicated to the Virgins of the Sun, an extraterrestrial airfield – but none has been substantiated.
Even Hiram Bingham, an amateur archaeologist from the United States who discovered the ruins in 1911 and excavated them for years, had no idea what he was looking for.
He died mistakenly believing he had discovered Vilcabamba, the legendary lost city of the Incas.
Today, you can take a stroll through the enigmatic hilltop city, letting your imagination run wild.
The ascent of Huayna Picchu, the steep Andean peak that overlooks the ruins, along the vertiginous trail that leads to the Temple of the Moon, is not to be missed.
For me, this one can be the best place to travel in the world.
4. Great Wall of China, Imperial Wall (China)
Each country has a national symbol; in China, this symbol spans practically the entire country.
The Great Wall of China is an astounding complex of fortifications that stretches 8,850 kilometres across the rocky terrain of the country’s north.
Built-in parts over more than a millennium, the Great Wall ultimately failed in its objective – defending China from Mongol invasions – but became the symbol of the Ming dynasty, which ruled the Far East until Mao Zedong’s arrival.
It’s possible that it’s the best place to travel in the world.
The Great Wall, according to popular belief, is not visible from space, yet one could be deceived by this structure, which appears to stretch as far as the eye can see.
A few fierce walk the entire wall on foot, but even if you are content with only one section, you will be impressed by its indestructible aura.
You will have the choice between imperial grandeur (near Beijing ), military precision (Gansu) or desolate ageless landscapes (Inner Mongolia).
5. Taj Mahal, the Mughal pearl (India)
What is the best way to achieve architectural perfection?
Begin with a few hectares of gleaming white marble, then add thousands of semi-precious stones carved and set in intricate Islamic designs.
Choose a serene location on the banks of a sacred river, surrounded by a lush garden with perfect symmetry.
Finish it off with a captivating love story. The Taj Mahal is yours.
The Taj Mahal, built in India in the 17th century as a mausoleum for Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal, has captivated visitors for generations.
Ironically, the emperor was imprisoned by his son at the Agra fort near the end of his life, where the last recollection of his lost fortune was a direct view of the Taj.
The Taj Mahal continues to open the doors to a bygone period, despite the influx of visitors it receives.
Mughal India’s ghosts glide beneath the arches and behind the trellises, skirting the gleaming marble of the courtyards.
No other Indian monument captures the customs and spirit of the time as well as this one.
6. Grand Canyon National Park, an exceptional natural spectacle (United States)
When you think about this deep crack in the earth’s crust, you’re looking at two billion years.
The figures are not uninteresting.
This 450 km long and nearly 2 km deep passageway, set ablaze by the evening sun, blanketed in oceans of mist or strewn with snow crystals, is to nature what cathedrals are to the building.
When you stand in front of the Grand Canyon, you will feel both little and large, agitated and tranquil, poet and dumb.
“The wonders of the Grand Canyon are unfathomable and cannot be repaid by discourse,” declared explorer John Wesley Powell. We had no choice but to try.
Come walk, float down the raging Colorado River, see condors and black bears, or simply be taken aback.
This natural wander could easily be the best place to travel in the world.
7. Colosseum, theatre of Roman cruelties (Italy)
There’s nothing like a Roman combat arena to reawaken your inner historian.
The most interesting of Roman ruins, this huge amphitheatre with 50,000 seats is a symbol of brutal authority.
In front of the besieged throng, the gladiators clashed, and the condemned fought the great cats.
The attraction that this location has on visitors has remained unchanged for over two thousand years.
The size of the “Colosseo” is the first thing that strikes you (however, the amphitheatre was thus named, not because of its dimensions, but of the Colossus of Nero, a statue erected nearby).
Getting through the 80 arcades and sitting down in a few minutes was probably not easy: image yourself in the shoes of a Roman and having to elbow your way through the crowds.
Magistrates and high dignitaries sat in the lower stands, as close to the action as possible; wealthier people sat in the middle, and the peasants sat at the top.
Women were relegated to the top of the stands as second-class citizens, forced to strain their necks to obtain a glimpse of a few pieces of the spectacle.
Despite the trauma of the fighting, the enclosure’s grace and majesty cannot be overlooked.
The very disturbing guided tour (not to be missed) will present the Colosseum in its sober light: all the misery, blood, and filth of the gladiator wars will be unveiled in the arena’s depths.
The hypogeum, an underground labyrinth made up of passageways and ramps leading to cages, is as large as it is complicated.
Consider the cries of animals, the odour, and the confusion of injured men and dead or dying animals, and you’ll get a sense of how overwhelming and horrific these Roman spectacles could be.
8. Iguazú Falls, a crash of waterfalls (Argentina – Brazil)
The name of the place where the Iguaz flows from the plateau to the Paraná is guaran, which means “great water.”
These waterfalls have incredible force, and the boats moored in the frothy basins at the bottom look like feeble matches.
Walkways lead to the waterfalls, which are framed by a corner of the humid subtropical forest that forms a 55,000-hectare national park teeming with wildlife, including jaguars.
9. The Alhambra, the Moorish masterpiece from Spain (Spain)
The Alhambra in Granada is one of the most magnificent medieval monumental structures in the world, as well as one of the finest examples of Islamic art.
It is also the most tenacious witness in medieval Spain to eight centuries of enlightened Muslim governance.
The Alhambra’s fortified towers dominate the city; you can see its red walls rising over the cypresses and elms against the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada’s snow-capped peaks from afar.
Inside, is a maze of opulent palaces and irrigated gardens have inspired countless dreams and stories.
The Alhambra’s allure stems from the juxtaposition between the meticulousness of the ornamentation and the epic scale of the structure.
The Generalife gardens, with their ideal proportions, evoke Paradise, while the Alhambra’s interior glows with a magical splendour.
The Nasrid palaces (Palacios Nazarenes), with their numerous rooms, are the Alhambra’s most valuable jewel.
They must immerse the sovereign into the centre of an earthly paradise with a harmonious balance of space, light and shade, water and plants.
Ceramic tiles, muqarnas (cantilevers), vaults, and stucco embellishments adorn the walls, while the Lions’ Courtyard (Patio de los Leones) is a masterwork of Islamic geometric interlacing.
In a nutshell, the Alhambra is Spain’s most stunning monument and could be considered the best place to travel in the world.
10. Hagia Sophia, the fusion of beliefs (Turkey)
Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya), a basilica, mosque, and museum in Istanbul, appears to be unlike any other landmark, defying categorizations as it did the laws of construction when it was completed 1,500 years ago.
The Byzantine emperor Justinian I envisioned a church that could equal the glories of Rome, and whose majesty might likewise be compared to that of an earthly paradise.
His wish came true.
For many travellers, this is the best place to travel in the world.
The city is still dominated by Hagia Sophia, which became the principal Orthodox cathedral.
It’s a massive, almost cosmic environment that exudes enormous grandeur – all the more so given the circumstances.
Its riches are revealed one by one on the inside: massive columns brought back from various sites in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, and large galleries with gleaming mosaics.
The iconic dome, which imitates the shape of the celestial vault, then rises above the flawless marble, awe-inspiring – better to forget, however, that it has collapsed several times.
The history of Hagia Sophia is as fascinating as the structure itself: few monuments have experienced as many transformations.
After being pillaged by the Crusaders, it was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, as shown by its four massive minarets – interestingly, the new mosques of Istanbul (particularly the famed Blue Mosque) have taken over this architectural element.
It was desecrated and turned into a museum in 1935.
Whether raving about a golden fresco shining in the evening light or embracing Christian masterpieces and Islamic calligraphies at the same time, entering it remains a spiritual experience. Like the Magnificent Istanbul,
At the intersection of continents and beliefs, Hagia Sophia rises.
Best place to travel in the world conclusion
This is just a glimpse into the incredible destinations our planet has to offer. Remember, the “best” place to travel is ultimately a personal choice.
Do you crave the majesty of nature, the awe-inspiring beauty of architecture, or simply a chance to unwind and recharge? The world travel industry caters to every desire, with a vast array of destinations waiting to be explored.
Let this list ignite your wanderlust and inspire you to create your own travel wish list. What hidden gems or iconic landmarks are calling your name?
Have you discovered a place so special it deserves to be on everyone’s travel bucket list?
Share your experiences and recommendations in the comments below – together, let’s fuel each other’s travel dreams!
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