Where should I vacation?

November 28, 2006 8:01 AM

I have some vacation time coming up, but I never really know where I want to go or what I want to do. I know that I like artistic cities. I know that I'll be spending a lot of time taking photos. I know that I want something exotic enough that I'll have some good stories, but modern enough that I can enjoy modern conveniences. Where would you go if you were me?

Just to get more specific about what I'm looking for in a vacation destination:

1. Good weather for the time of year I'll be traveling (late April/early May).

2. I tend to like places with a strong art vibe -- sort of an embrace of creativity with plenty of interesting galleries and public sculpture and architecture. I'm particularly drawn to modern art as opposed to religious iconography or renaissances or other periods. I really liked Mykonos for this reason. It really felt like art was important to locals there.

3. Lots of opportunities for interesting photographs. The last couple of trips I took, I spent it almost exclusively looking through a camera lens. I like shooting crowd candids, interesting architecture, spectacles of nature, local culture, etc., the more colorful and varied the better.

4. Interesting things to see and do during the day -- I tend to like going places and doing things more than just hanging out on the beach. Probably lower-key stuff like going to a museum or ruin or day hike more often than really active stuff like jumping off cliffs. Daylife is more important to me than nightlife since I'm typically back to my hotel room fairly early most nights.

5. Something mildly exotic or unique that will provide me with plenty of good stories that will make me sound interesting when talking to people about my many travels.

6. Shorter plane rides are better than longer plane rides if possible, but I'm probably looking for something out of the US. I've been to Mexico and Greece and Italy. They were very nice, but I'd like someplace that feels different than that just for varieties sake. I'm in California.

7. I didn't like Venice. I didn't like Athens. I really liked Verona. I sort of liked Zurich (although I didn't see all that much of it), and as I mentioned above I loved Mykonos.

8. Someplace with somewhat modern conveniences as much as possible. Good restaurants, indoor plumbing and electricity, comfortable beds in nice, moderately priced hotels.

9. I will always try to speak the local languages to the extent that I can, but someplace where lots of people speak English would be helpful.

I'm probably looking to spend about two to three weeks and would like there to be enough variety with respect to what to see and do to keep that interesting.

posted by willnot to travel & transportation (25 comments total)

Have you been to Edinburgh?
posted by Biblio at 8:12 AM on November 28, 2006

Tenerife? Not exactly close but it fits other criteria.
posted by JJ86 at 8:13 AM on November 28, 2006 [1 favorite]

If you're not adverse to going back to Italy, Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta.
posted by lilithim at 8:15 AM on November 28, 2006

Barcelona? That may be just the place you seek
posted by Country Dick Montana at 8:16 AM on November 28, 2006

Second Barcelona. Can't second it strong enough. It's got everything you seek, except the short plane ride.

Don't let that get in your way, though - Barcelona's an amazing city. and there's stuff close by, down the Mediterranean shore or inland, by train if you for some reason need a break from the great art, fantastic food, and gorgeous architecture of Barcelona.

Going the other direction, Sydney's also a fantastic city, but it's a looooooooong plane ride (16 hrs from LA) so that's probably not within "short plane ride" range.
posted by pdb at 8:25 AM on November 28, 2006

Third Barcelona. Gaudi architecture.
posted by girlpublisher at 8:31 AM on November 28, 2006

If you're not deadset on leaving the U.S., Asheville N.C. might fit the bill.
posted by saladin at 8:32 AM on November 28, 2006

Montreal? Arty enough, but I don't remember being blown away by the architecture. Late May is a good time to visit: not too cold, not too hot.

Prague? Great architecture. Great modern art museum. Castles. Interesting ex-communist bits and pieces. Weather not so good though - you're probably looking at between 5 and 15 degrees C with a fair bit of rain.

Edinburgh? Interesting, arty... but colder than Prague I expect, and by no means cheap.
posted by handee at 8:33 AM on November 28, 2006

Yes to Barcelona - but have you considered Brazil?

For photos and culture I suggest Rio, Alphaville, and of course Brazilia. And while you are in S America, why not drop by Buenos Aires and Santiago as well.

It's a bit of a flight from Miami, but oh so worth it.
posted by seawallrunner at 8:33 AM on November 28, 2006

Perhaps Berlin?
posted by ourobouros at 8:39 AM on November 28, 2006

don't know where you've been in mexico, but maybe coyoacan or cuernavaca?
posted by sergeant sandwich at 8:44 AM on November 28, 2006

Amsterdam, Amsterdam, every man woman and child needs to take pychedellic mushrooms and wander the canals of Amsterdam once in their lives. Go to Amsterdam.

1: Not so sure, but it's nice when it rains, too.
2: They're up to their knees in art - so much of it they shovel it into disused canals as landfill.
3: Even without drugs the place is full of pretty colors and happy people. "Cute" is a part of every design specification in the Netherlands.
4: See above. If you are a noob let the counterperson know, he'll hook you up with something non-threatening and low-powered.
5: You'll see God and it will change your life forever.
6: Sorry about that.
7: Your call, really.
8: It's so modern you'll feel like California is in the stone age. Bonus - no cars!
9: English is the local language, although some will also speak a funky dialect called "Dutch".

Good luck to you, friend. Enjoy.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:51 AM on November 28, 2006

Paris fits your bill, no question about it.
posted by jasper411 at 8:54 AM on November 28, 2006

Barcelona would be a great choice except, like the rest of Spain, it's very much a night culture. You'll be able to find all the things you want to do during the day, but people will laugh at you if you eat dinner earlier than 10PM or so. If you don't mind that, definitely go.
posted by j-dawg at 8:55 AM on November 28, 2006

I second the suggestion of Amsterdam, its a city that is impossible not to fall in love with. Another suggestion I would recommend is Brussels- you could easily do both cities in one trip. Lots of phenomenal architecture, highly photogenic, and most people we encountered either spoke English or could point to somebody who did. The city also has lots of wonderful art history and museums.
posted by baphomet at 9:14 AM on November 28, 2006

I visited Oaxaca and Merida about 15 years ago, and they might suit you (assuming they haven't changed greatly). Very colorful, lots of interesting colonial Spanish architecture, some nice hotels and excellent food (with the usual precautions, of course). And certainly closer than Barcelona and Amsterdam!

There's a cathedral in Oaxaca that's the ne plus ultra in Spanish colonial hyper-baroque, you can take a bus tour of the pre-Columbian ruins at Monte Alban, and the old city has lovely architecture in creamy gold local stone. From Merida, you can visit Chichen Itza and Uxmal in 2 easy day-trips, and the town itself has a lovely relaxed atmosphere. Also nice colonial architecture, but somewhat different from the style of Oaxaca. On Sundays they (hopefully still) have a tradition, Domingo en Merida, of outdoor performances of music, dance and poetry reading in various spots around the old city.
posted by Quietgal at 9:26 AM on November 28, 2006

I recently visited Barcelona for the first time, and it seems to fill the bill for you. Montjuïc at the edge of town has both the museums and a bit of the hiking you'd like. There was a seemingly nonstop chain of street festivals while I was there (during and after La Merce). The architecture is astonishing, and the people-watching is excellent.

Some Spanish would help a lot, but English ability is pretty common there.
posted by adamrice at 9:26 AM on November 28, 2006

Iceland's capital, Reykjavík, is a modern European city surrounded by extraordinary and unusual natural beauty. The spring weather is more mild than you'd think and English is widely spoken.

Their annual arts festival starts May 10th, 2007.
posted by lalex at 9:28 AM on November 28, 2006

new orleans, jazz fest. but to be fair i'm very biased about new orleans, i'm convinced everyone should go. good luck finding the right fit.
posted by nola at 9:28 AM on November 28, 2006

Not the best time to visit Oaxaca, but things may have changed by spring.
posted by Scram at 9:43 AM on November 28, 2006

San Juan, Puerto Rico. It fits pretty much all of your criteria. 2-3 weeks is a bit much time to spend entirely in San Juan, but great for exploring the rest of the island.
posted by SBMike at 10:16 AM on November 28, 2006

Barcelona was absolutely the first place I thought of when I started reading your question. It's wonderful and you will love it, however two to three weeks there would be overkill and you will definitely have time to see other parts of Spain. Madrid is also a fantastic city (bigger and busier than Barcelona) with amazing art museums and beautiful architecture, as well as very fun nightlife. Flights between the two cities only take an hour and would probably cost around a hundred dollars. From Madrid you can take a day trip to Toledo. Finally, from either Barcelona or Madrid you can fly quickly and cheaply to the Balearic island of Mallorca, another stunning place that looks great in pictures. Let us know what you decide!
posted by infinityjinx at 10:17 AM on November 28, 2006

Third the Amsterdam suggestion. You may also want to look into New Amstderdam - New York City.
posted by b1tr0t at 10:23 AM on November 28, 2006

I would say Amsterdam or Paris...or for even a little more exotic Marrakech, Morocco.
posted by Gooney at 10:41 AM on November 28, 2006

I'm not sure why these suggestions are so Europe-centric since that wasnt in your criteria.

Let me recommend Hong Kong. A thoroughly modern city and yet in many ways stuck in the old world. The density of buildings and things and people is a photographer's dream.
posted by vacapinta at 11:09 AM on November 28, 2006