Hey there, travelers. You know that feeling when you visit somewhere that's so impossibly beautiful, that you're like, "Holy @#&%" (or something along those lines)?
1. The Scottish Highlands
"For me (and for many people) there is a special feeling up there that I have yet to find anywhere else. The land feels haunted and otherworldly. Being there makes you feel eternal. Like you are there with all the ghosts of the past. And it's so quiet and peaceful that you could be the only person in the world — even if you're surrounded by people.
It's been years since I was last there, but I still yearn for it. Homesickness for a place that's not my home.
If I could explain it any better, then I would. It's not a feeling that can be conveyed easily."
—u/PhotonInABox
2. Banff National Park, Canada
"Those mountain parks are ridiculous. You cannot be in an ugly place. It can't be done. You can drive down the Icefields Highway with 10,000 other cars and gasp at the scenery the whole way. You can go to the most overpriced, podunk tourist traps and feel like you're in Narnia. Or you can go an hour off the beaten path and have a picnic lunch in a mountain field overlooking a crystal-clear lake. You can sit in the townsite drinking a beer watching the world go by against the most gorgeous backdrop. You can wander around trails smelling wildflowers."
—u/Lord_Bob
3. Hvar Island, Croatia
"Hvar island in Croatia is beautiful. We rented mopeds and drove around the whole island."
—u/chemo92
"Hvar is the only place I regretted visiting during my solo backpacking adventure because it meant I couldn't discover it together with my hypothetical future husband on our honeymoon."
—u/Andromeda321
4. Patrick's Point State Park, California
"It's not well known, but there is a place in Northern California called Patrick's Point State Park. It's a spot where the redwoods meet the ocean, and there is a cliff where I have watched a grey whale play with her calf in the surf or watched 30-foot waves roll in and shake the ground I was standing on. It's a really cool place."
—u/dummystupid
5. Monteverde, Costa Rica
"The land in front of our hotel went downhill and was open, but on all the edges it was just a wall of forest. The top of the tree line out our balcony was only slightly above where we were, but in the afternoon the clouds would come in against the setting sun and make it look like something out of Dreamworks."
—u/imtheproof
"Costa Rica in general was a traveler's paradise. Beautiful forests, beautiful beaches, great food, activities everywhere, safe, good infrastructure, and the people there are fantastic."
—u/deleted
6. Budapest, Hungary
"Such a gorgeous city full of history and culture located in an amazing region."
—u/naewilder
"Prague was always my favorite place to visit...until I experienced Budapest. I was lucky enough to go there when they had some awesome events going on. We found this great apartment a block away from Erzsébet Square. Every night they would have live music and parties with people everywhere just having a good time. Right up the street they were having their Palinka Festival, which was just as much fun. And if things get too hectic, you can experience the thermal baths, which are just amazing."
—u/Jonboy433
7. Knysna, South Africa
8. Tokyo, Japan
"Although I was the odd one out, not knowing the language, I have never felt more comfortable in a foreign place."
—u/Ozichikfifi
"Tokyo has an amazing energy. Everything — restaurants, stores, parks, streets — is exciting."
—u/culovero
9. Barcelona, Spain
"It is an absolutely beautiful city, especially La Rambla and La Sagrada Familia, but all of it is really nice. It is just the most beautiful-looking city in the world, including the amazing parks and Gaudi's works. I have to say that the inside of La Sagrada Familia is the most breathtaking place I've ever been. It looks amazing from the outside, but the inside is just like some sort of alien temple, beautifully white and drenched in the colors of the stained-glass windows."
—u/MOAR_cake
"Glad you liked my hometown! It's an honor to live there, and I envy tourists so much: They get to see it all for the first time!
Even if I get to see it whenever I want (which is as much as I can), one doesn't get tired of Barcelona."
—u/AleixASV
10. Killarney National Park, Ireland
"It's so unbelievably beautiful. It's a surprisingly diverse landscape too. We drove the Ring of Kerry a few years back, and it seemed like around every corner there was a new gorgeous landscape that was different from the last."
—u/saddam1
11. Coron Island, Philippines
—u/lejaylejay
"My favorite part of the area was the hot springs down the road from Coron Town on Busuanga. I went after dark, and I have never seen more beautiful stars; felt like I was standing on the edge of the world.
The place is also famous for wreck diving. I did some fantastic dives into old World War II ships, and also the volcanic Barracuda Lake (with zones of hot and cold water). Also ate stupid quantities of adobo cashews and BBQ beef from the market."
—u/square--one
12. Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, La Palma, Canary Islands
"Specifically at sunset, when the telescopes are all 'waking up' for the night. You're on an edge of a caldera there on the steepest mountain island on Earth, usually with clouds below, and it always made me think how honestly, if this is really all there is, I'm OK with that."
—u/Andromeda321
13. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan
14. Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand
"There is a cave at Coromandel Beach on the north island of New Zealand, which a mate and I stumbled upon. We were just swimming around the area jumping off this big rock into the sea and spotted a cave, so [we] swam in.
It was a small, tiny little cave. Easily wide enough for people to swim or kayak into, but it just didn't go very deep into the cliff at all, maybe like 10 or 15 meters. But as it was so close to the beach, it had sand in it. It was like a mini beach with the waves lapping at the sand, and in semi-darkness with the cave mouth as the only source of light, it seemed kind of surreal. It was a nice surprise, and I think I'll always remember the view from the back of the cave looking out to sea."
15. Ephesus, Turkey
"The history of a city like that buried in time. Something special."
—u/Centumviri
"Ephesus was incredible. If you are ever back in that part of the world, I'd also highly recommend a trip to Bergama; it was the city of Pergamon in Greco-Roman times. Not as extensive as Ephesus but almost no tourists, and the Acropolis is absolutely stunning."
—u/deleted
16. Antarctica
"So pristine, pretty much untouched by man other than research stations. The scale of everything is just amazing too. Just unimaginably huge chunks of ice floating by. I really hope I can go back at least once more in my life.
I went on a National Geographic ship called the Explorer. We slept on the ship. There are a few companies that run ships down there, but the Explorer is supposed to be one of the best. Ended up picking up some stranded researchers because their boat couldn't get through the ice, but ours could. Proposed to my now-wife on some fast ice over 4,000 feet of water, which was cool. Great for birdwatching; saw a snow petrel, which I was told is like the holy grail for birders. Honestly I could talk about the trip for days."
—u/dubious_ian
17. Lugano, Switzerland
"It is a picturesque city set on a large mountain slope and is on the shore of a very large lake. A great mix of natural and man-made beauty."
—u/Workacct1999
18. Itsukushima, Japan
"It's very quiet and calm, with a quaint village and beautiful forests. Packs of deer roam the village alongside humans with absolutely no fear or apprehension and like interactions with humans... They are literally just chilling and walking everywhere; some locals would even bow to them. It's really an amazing place, and while it's a popular vacation spot for many Japanese, you don't encounter many westerners or foreigners there. If you ever find yourself near Hiroshima, you have to check this place out."
—u/dmurdah
19. Kauai, Hawaii
"Kauai, the oldest and therefore most time-sculpted of Hawaii's main islands, is preposterously beautiful everywhere you look."
"The Napali coast is just absurd. My parents had a painting depicting part of it, and I always assumed it was exaggerated until I actually went and...yeah. It's that gorgeous."
"The entire Waimea Canyon was beautiful as well; it reminded us of the Grand Canyon. Just green everywhere. And with a waterfall."
—u/OldManOuch
20. Iceland (like, the entire country)
"I went there for nine days, rented a car with a friend, and just drove. Stunning views no matter where you were! I would love to go back there and pay for a helicopter trip and see it from a bird's-eye view, and you know to see the volcanoes!"
—u/AshRat15
"Yeah, but nothing compares to setting food on the top of Hvannadalshjnúkur, seeing huldufólk in Hellisgerði in Hafnarfjörður, or being warned about the possible eruption of Öræfajökull. That being said, Seljalandsfoss used to be beautiful, but the tourist crowds destroyed all the vibes. while Dýrhólaey and Reynisfjara are still quite good to visit at winter, especially when you see people caught by the freezing waves."
21. Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Utah
"I visited Zion and Bryce on the same trip and wasn't expecting much at Bryce (hiking wise, I thought it was a 'drive to these five viewpoints, watch sunset, leave'). I was blown away by how gorgeous it was at every angle. Plus, it was super easy to find hikes that NOBODY was on. Some of the plants and terrain were so alien, and hiking through it without other people around is a really cool feeling.
The drive between Zion and Bryce and the state parks in that area are great too! We explored sand dunes completely alone because there was a light mist (it was July; the mist felt great!)."
—u/deleted