Top Picks

According to Tripadvisor, I have been to at least 186 cities. Not that I keep count. I don’t believe traveling is about collecting the number of countries you have been to or the air miles you have to make yourself eligible for some airline’s platinum privileged inner circle.

Of these 186 or so cities, the below list contains some of the most unforgettable cities in my opinion. These are my favorite cities.

10 – Esfahan, Iran

This city has captured my imagination for the most part of 4 years. It was not until 2011 that I finally got to set foot in the incredible city of Esfahan as part of my trip to Iran. Grand, tree-lined boulevards, historic and ornate bridges, incredibly hospitable people (this actually applies to most of Iran) and that square – Imam Square, I found Esfahan to be one of the finest cities that I’ve ever visited.

9 – Queenstown, New Zealand

Probably the most sparsely populated among the cities in this list, Queenstown sure punches above its weight in terms of things to see and do. Bungee jumping, parasailing, skydiving, skiing… this is just a sampler of possible things to do in Queenstown and surrounds. The scenery ain’t bad as well.

8 – Taipei, Taiwan

The most underrated city in this list, you don’t often hear of people singing praises of this town. It is a place which never fails to pique my interest no matter how many times I go back. From the neon lights in Ximending to refreshing hot springs in the city’s northern districts, Taipei is a city waiting for visitors to discover its hidden charms.

7 – Florence, Italy

I often hear of people saying that so-and-so city is the Florence of the Orient or Florence of the Middle East. But face it, there’s nothing like the original – Florence, Italy.

6 – Paris, France

I suppose this city is in many people’s favorite cities list, but let’s face it, Paris continues to be one of the most recognizable cities in our times. It’s been immortalized in countless stories, films and songs. Until I see another town that offers as much flair, I’m keeping it in this list.

5 – Rome, Italy

I am a sucker for ancient monuments, and Rome certainly does not disappoint in that department. The ancient center of western civilization is a mix of old and new – there’s always something interesting to do in this city. Pickpockets can be a problem though.

4 – Tokyo, Japan

The highest-ranked Asian city in my list, Tokyo is a fast-paced and ultramodern city with a conservative and highly traditional heart. It is a city of true contrasts. Sushi, temples, electronics, robots, palaces, crowds, neon lights, politeness – I would associate all these with the city. Electronic shops selling the latest Japanese innovation compete for space with Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples right in the city center. A visit to this city undoubtedly generates  curiosity for the unsuspecting foreigner – to do things in the Japanese way is to do things differently from the rest. And there’s no better place to witness this than in Tokyo.

3 – Istanbul, Turkey

Though extremely touristy these days, Istanbul is nevertheless a city which is not ashamed to show why it’s a city to be liked. Straddling two continents, the cityscape is dramatic and its importance to both east and west demands to be remembered perpetually.

2 – San Francisco, USA

For a city that is so familiar in the general public’s imagination and given its importance to the IT industry, it is sometimes hard to digest that San Francisco is just a city of less than a million people. Heck, it’s not even within the Top 3 largest cities in California, or much less within the Top 12 largest in the United States. San Francisco really punches way above its weight in capturing the public’s attention, which it rightfully deserves. As the home of the counterculture movement, San Francisco offers much variety from the hippies in Haight-Ashbury to the Latin District in the Mission. In between there is of course, the Golden Gate Bridge which helps make SF one of the most scenic cities in the world, in my opinion.

1 – Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver residents are the luckiest cityfolk on earth. Period.

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Note: Not all pictures were taken by me. Most of the pictures on this page were taken by some of the very talented photographers who posted their photos on Flickr under the Creative Commons License. You can access the original photographer’s works by clicking the link on the photos. If there is no link of the photo, it means the said photo was taken by me.