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Will you substitute?
Instead of going to popular destinations, which are expected to be full of tourists as more people resume travel, will you go tO a less popular or less well known place instead as sugGested by this Fodor’s article?
For instance a couple of their suggestions: Swap London for Brighton London took the top spot on Google Flight's ten trending destinations for 2022 list, and it's easy to understand why. Cobbled streets and historic architecture sit alongside vibrant street art, global food markets, unique art galleries, and plenty of those quintessential red telephone boxes. Looking for London vibes without the London crowds? Take a train down to Brighton, London's cooler, colorful sibling with the added bonus of a seafront. Brighton is well-loved for its quirky shopping streets, incredible food scene, and diverse cultural landscape. It's known as the unofficial LGBTQ+ capital of Britain and is one of the most forward-thinking and friendly places to visit. Still got London on the brain? Brighton is only around an hour on the train to central London, so it's definitely possible to squeeze in both cities during your trip. PHOTO: Makalu/Pixabay Swap Paris for Riga, Latvia Not only is Riga, Latvia, a more underrated version of Paris, but it's also significantly cheaper. This means you can spend evenings strolling its historic streets and sipping in wine bars without checking your bank balance often. Paris is known as the city of romance, but Riga definitely offers similar vibes. Swap the tourist-heavy Seine River for the far calmer Daugava and the Eiffel Tower for Riga's Radio and TV Tower. Its impressive observation deck is open to the public and offers wonderful views of terracotta rooftops, market squares, and the river with its endless bridges. If you're searching for Paris' gothic architecture, head to Riga's Old Town for a similar experience without the crowds. My opinion is that there are no guarantees these top destinations will be less crowded next year or in the next 5 years. Places like Paris and London have always been popular and always will be. Not even clear more tourists will visit compared to pre pandemic. Prices are higher though than 4 or more years ago though. Hope that dampens some of the tourism volume and pushes down prices again. |
Nah, not me. I already concentrate on lesser visited places.
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Swap London for Brighton? Uh - no. Maybe 1000+ more things to see/do in London than in Brighton . . . plus Brighton is a nice day trip from London. Both are nice places to visit but not ANYTHING alike in any way. A London 'vibe' in Brighton?? Well, they do mostly speak English in both.
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Originally Posted by janisj
(Post 17454490)
Swap London for Brighton? Uh - no. Maybe 1000+ more things to see/do in London than in Brighton . . . plus Brighton is a nice day trip from London. Both are nice places to visit but not ANYTHING alike in any way. A London 'vibe' in Brighton?? Well, they do mostly speak English in both.
I got as far as "swap Paris for Riga." Is there any limit to the number of preposterous articles used to fill space on travel websites? |
It's a bit nutty - aside from obvious geographical differences the cultural differences are huge. People visit London or Paris because they are big size-wise and because they are flagship cities. While I can see why they picked Brighton, Riga is no Paris.
If they wanted to highlight those cities, do it without the crazy comparison. Maybe Riga is worth a visit, but don't sell it to me as a Paris alternative. I would rather get to know it on its own merits. Lavandula |
Pula instead of Rome had me spitting out my coffee. And in summer Brighton isn’t exactly tourist free.
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Going to London in September. Actually considered going to stay in Brighton a couple of nights and then going west.
But decided to go to Bath and the Cotswolds instead. Brighton seems nice but it seems to be kind of down there by itself? Dover isn’t that close it seems and it’s a different train line? There’s what else maybe Southampton to the west? |
I love Brighton. It’s a beach town, it’s fun, lots of quirky shops.. chilled out and easy. Kind of like a British Santa Cruz. They have a great art museum and the Royal Pavilion is something to see, for sure,
But London it is definitely not! |
No I'd not swop Riga for Paris, that is just silly. Riga is nice but really!
Pula for Rome.... oh my dear. I think I'd prefer Pula for El Jem https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/38/ |
Why not just swap Europe with Mexico?
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Valencia instead of Barcelona, are they nuts?
Valencia is a dump; one slow train a day, sad looking natives, when you finally get there, bad food , bad coffee, rains every day. Even cruise ships give Valencia ta pass and so should everyone else. |
Huh?
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My brother had all of his luggage stolen in Valencia when they left the car to go check in to hotel. Dumb mistake but they haven't been back.
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There must be two Valencias
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Originally Posted by mlgb
(Post 17454643)
My brother had all of his luggage stolen in Valencia when they left the car to go check in to hotel. Dumb mistake but they haven't been back.
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Originally Posted by cdnyul
(Post 17454599)
Valencia instead of Barcelona, are they nuts?
Valencia is a dump; one slow train a day, sad looking natives, when you finally get there, bad food , bad coffee, rains every day. Even cruise ships give Valencia ta pass and so should everyone else. |
Originally Posted by kleeblatt
(Post 17454728)
This is sooooo wrong. I've been to Barcelona and Valencia many times. I would take Valencia any day over Barcelona. In fact, I'd take it 1000 times over Barcelona. Valencia is magical. Barcelona isn't.
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Originally Posted by cdnyul
(Post 17454735)
Shush, if you want Valencia to remain magical.
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Originally Posted by mlgb
(Post 17454594)
Why not just swap Europe with Mexico?
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Originally Posted by P_M
(Post 17454796)
LMAO!! :toj:
Note post below, about CDNYUL's stay in Valencia, posted less than a month ago" cdnyul , Mar 17th, 2023 02:35 PM We recently came back from Spain, mainly form Valencia. It was mostly a recon trip to pick a city for a longer stay. Valencia is definitely one of them. We had an apartment near the Arts and Sciences, loved the location. I guess the theory here is: Keep the good stuff to yourself; bash the place so others cannot share in your enthusiasm. Maybe this was a joke and possibly I am slow on the uptake, but still......this is a travel forum.. In the spirit of sharing, I will link (an older) thread about my own experience in Valencia: https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/que-viva-valencia-wandering-and-eating-amidst-the-orange-blossoms-881879/ |
Originally Posted by ekscrunchy
(Post 17455132)
Note post below, about CDNYUL's stay in Valencia, posted less than a month ago"
cdnyul , Mar 17th, 2023 02:35 PM We recently came back from Spain, mainly form Valencia. It was mostly a recon trip to pick a city for a longer stay. Valencia is definitely one of them. We had an apartment near the Arts and Sciences, loved the location. I guess the theory here is: Keep the good stuff to yourself; bash the place so others cannot share in your enthusiasm. https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...ossoms-881879/ Probably does not make a difference, though. |
Originally Posted by cdnyul
(Post 17455151)
Yep ;-)
Probably does not make a difference, though. Oh, yes, I FINALLY get it!!!! Now that I reconsider, I would suggest avoiding Paris at all cost. Riga might be my suggestion for an alternate stay. And instead of Madrid, Almaty would be a good choice. I've heard their apples are out-of-this world. |
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