Camp's Bay, Cape Town
TripAdvisor just released its annual list of the world’s best travel destinations, and neither New York or Paris makes one of the top three spots. Cape Town, South Africa takes the crown for its beaches, views, hiking trails and wildlife, as well as its historical significance: Visitors can tour Robben Island, the prison Nelson Mandela was held in for 27 years.
Sydney, Australia (number 11 last year) is in second place. The site notes the city’s broad appeal to “culture vultures, city slickers and beach bums,” along with its world-class shopping.
Coming in at No. 3 is Machu Picchu, the historic Incan limestone architectural wonder on a high plateau in Peru.
Paris, which did not make it into the top 25 last year, holds the No. 4 spot, while Rio de Janeiro (also new to the top 10) is at five.
The four U.S. cities that made the top 25 are New York City at six, Honolulu at 19, San Francisco at 23 and Las Vegas at 25.
With the exception of Machu Picchu, this year’s list reflects much more of an urban travel trend than last year’s rankings, whose top choices were weighted toward small European cities such as Monte Carlo, Salzburg, Lucerne, Heidelberg and Florence.
See the full list here.
Photo: neiladerney123 aka Neil Howard
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