Venice. The only two people I knew personally who had been did not speak highly of Venice. Coming in on the water taxi from the train station is a site I have not forgotten. I loved Venice!

Assisi surpassed all my most wild expectations. I still get goosebumps thinking about the basilica, the quiet stairways, the empty streets. Just lovely.

Rome - I was not too excited about going, but now I can't get it off of my mind. The Vatican, the streets, the Colisseum...everything.

I was amazed by the sheer size of everything (we were staying in Florence which when we returned from Rome, seemed almost provincial compared to Rome!!). :)

The sites and sounds were overwhelming...too much to take in, but certainly will go back. This city is one of the marvels of the world...and the feeling of walking in history....gosh...just takes my breath away.

I think I fell in love with Rome...but didn't realize it until we had left.

Milliebz - funny you should say that - riding on the watertaxi seeing Venice for the first time is definitely what I think of first when I think of Venice. That was truly an unbelievable feeling. I love it. Second thing I think of is all the loving men. They expressed their affection for their lady so openly. :) Always puts a smile on my face when I think of that.

Guilin, China. Still vivid in my memory after 20 years.

Queensland, Australia

Barcelona

Greece. Had no idea what a lovely country it is. Especially loved Nauplion -- what a lovely little place! Naxos was great, too.

Ah Venice! Stayed three nights & could have stayed 3 weeks. Awe striking & majestic, each turn full of new surprises.

Has to be Edinburgh (or Scotland if I'm allowed to mention whole countries)
Took an amazing tour from Edinburgh with a minibus company named Rabbie's Travel. Spent five days in the highlands and islands. Totally awesome! Anyone who loves history, beautiful scenery and gorgeous architecture, Edinburgh and Scotland is a must!

We just returned from Amsterdam, and I have to add it to my list. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but it turned out to be an excellent town for wandering and exploring.

And, after our trip to France last June, I'll also add the Dordogne Valley. I expected good things, and it was even better than I expected.

Villandry in the Loire along with staying at the Hotel Chateau de Rochecotte.
Pointe du Hoc at the end of Omaha Beach was so very moving.
Edinburgh--wonderful people.

Switzerland. Breathtaking. Hiking. Relaxing. Blue skies. Cows with cowbells. Steep Mountains into the mist. Lakes. Gentle. Peaceful. Easy. Rocklet (cheese fondue, not saying it right). A cold beer. (not many, just one is sufficient.)
Now I want to go back!

Florence without thinking twice. Were someone to put a gun to my head and given me a one-way ticket to wherever with the proviso I not return home ever, Florence is it IMHO.

Astounding the palpability of the sense of being surrounded by the spirit of historical notables.

I have been so lucky that I have had the opportunity to travel so much and to so many different places. Here is a list of my favourite places that haven't really been mentioned already (of course Florence and Paris are personal favorites as well!)

1. Peru - had the chance to travel all over and it was so amazing. Particularly Cusco and the time spent on an eco tour in the rain forest at Porto Maldonado (sorry for any spelling errors)

2. Croatia - just beautiful and surpassed all of my expectations!

3. Berlin - I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was so rich with history that I fell in love with it.

4. Israel - An amazing place so full of culture and history. A really spiritual experience, regardless of religious background.

5. Santorini - The most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen!

Stockholm
Sydney
Melbourne

Prague - just beautiful!

Berlin - fantastic in many ways!

London - easy to get around, friendly, it feels comfy!

Paris. I've always wanted to go, but I wasn't sure about the people, or how expensive it is. If I found Paris to be less than what i expected, I assured myself that i'll just drown my eyes on the paintings!

I stood in front of the Notre Dame, on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, and I fell in love.

Also, Amsterdam. Like Nessumdorma, I was expecting some sleazy, skid-rowish place, but was surprised to see how beautiful the city was. And that was only 3 hours, when I was passing through and had a 7 hour layover enroute to Dubai.

Seeing the Cinque Terre by ferry was an amazing sight for me.

Munich-I just love it

Prague-love it and much more beautiful than I ever imagined.

Budapest-I refused to go there for years. I don't know why I thought of it as a dangerous city, but once my son convinced me to go, I fell in love with it also.

Venice
Paris
Istanbul
Budapest
Luxor
La Baule
Mougins
Grimaud
Santa Margarita
The Dordogne region

I have to add Paris to my earlier response. Walking along the Siene at night is simply beautiful. That and the fact that the whole city is a photographers dream!!

The Cevennes and the Gorge du Tarn. Before we visited last year, I was nervous b/c it was hard to find info. Had no idea what we were in for. We're going back this year.

Lascaux- thought it would be interesting. It moved me to tears.

Sumatra, Indonesia (10 years ago)- in the north. It's been a long time and it was a very adventurous trip. But it changed my outlook on life.

Provence- we keep going back. This is how life should be. The Calanques blew us away last year.

As for Amsterdam- I lived there years ago and still keep strong ties. It is so much more than drugs and the Red Light District. I returned this past fall for a visit with my mother, and it was really fun to show her things that I knew (that a tourist wouldn't know to look for) and even discover things I didn't know (like all the great touristy stuff I didn't indulge in when I was there- no not the drugs- the museums I was to broke to visit).

I won't say it surpassed my expectations, as I had none. But it still holds a place in my heart.

Where does one begin? I'll start with Venice, 1979. Stepping out of the train station and seeing the Grand Canal and the beautiful homes all lined up -- it truly took my breathe away as nothing/no place has since.

Santorini and Mykonos. This was before the internet where we know so much in advance. I had some vacation time saved, a little money, and enough FF points to fly first class somewhere that would be inexpensive and safe for a single woman. Greece seemed like a good idea. That was in 1989. I returned in 1990, 1992, and 2000.

Brugge, before it became a tourist spot.

Lake Como. I saw lots of photos that were not so impressive and wondered what the fuss was about. It far exceeded my expectations. We stayed in Varenna and loved it, especially visiting the villas.