Some places are just full of surprises! No matter how much research you do (or don’t do!) you wind up being totally shocked by how quickly a place enchants you. Sometimes it’s the food or the people or just that certain something special that keeps you dreaming about a place long after you have left. Read along for the locations that surprised us the most!
Lisbon: We knew nothing – zip, zilch, nada – about Lisbon and Portugal in general before we went. In fact, we had not even planned to go to Lisbon at all – we just happened to have a longer than expected layover here one year on the way to Spain. Our flight got in super early and our next flight was delayed – so with a now 7 hour layover what were we do to? Well, get out and explore the city of course! We got into town right as the bakeries were opening so we grabbed ourselves a coffee and croissant and started our adventure. We were so pleased to see Lisbon in all it’s shabby chicness. The tile work alone is simply amazing! You can explore from the seaside up to the castle top along the Rua Augusta. The buildings that aren’t covered head to toe in tile are painted in rich jewel tones and nearly every sidewalk comes with a beautiful inlaid design! If you have the time, make your way down to the water and visit the famous Pasteis de Belem. The wait is worth it, just be sure to bring cash-and don’t skimp on the powdered sugar and cinnamon. And trust us when we say this place is so instagrammable they probably coined the term. The tiles, the colors, everything. To die for!
Edinburgh: This pretty city sometimes gets overshadowed by it’s neighbors – hard partying Dublin and cosmopolitan London. But we were surprised by how enchanting and adorable this city is. It has great atmosphere, cool history, delicious food and warm people. It is very walk able city, we would recommend you spend a whole day exploring the Royal Mile (from Holyrood Palace on one end to Edinburgh Castle on the other end) – it’s full of eating and drinking and shopping and any other -ing you can think of! Grab a pint and a sticky toffee pudding for the full Scottish experience. You can thank us later for the recommendation!
Havana: As Americans (and especially as Floridians!) Cuba has always been an intriguing and off limits place, so when we got the chance to go to Havana, wild horses couldn’t keep us away. We really didn’t know what to expect and yet somehow we were still surprised by the European meets Caribbean meets Communism capital city. Going to Havana was like stepping back into the 1960s. Sure, we had seen pictures of the old cars but we were not expecting them to be so plentiful – like legitimately every other car. Old Havana has a faded grandeur about it that really is a must see. And shockingly, the food wasn’t bad at all. We had read some less than stellar reviews, but were so pleasantly surprised. And the people, we would be doing Havana a disservice if we didn’t mention how nice everyone we encountered was! Plus Mojitos…. alllllllll the mojitos.
Budapest: This just might be the most underrated city in all of Europe. It is full of unique architecture and great food. It has an interesting history that is quite different from other European cities. But probably the coolest thing about Budapest are the ruin bars! Shocker, our favorite thing is alcohol. They are these formerly abandoned spaces that have been turned in to fully functioning bars and nightclubs. They have mismatched seats and crazy decor and are so damn fun! Once you have sampled all the best ruin bars you can recuperate at one of the awesome baths at Szechenyi in Budapest. We aren’t talking about a rinky dinky tub here – these are large and beautifully decorated facilities full of different types of pools that pump in healing waters that are infused with different herbs to cure what ails ya! They are so relaxing and healing that the doctors in Budapest literally prescribe the baths to their patients as treatments. We had a blast exploring them, much to the dismay to locals who were probably trying to actually relax. And for a unique experience when you’re done, get a fish pedicure. You know, where the little fish eat the dead skin off your feet. Yes, it’s freaking weird, but our feet felt like babies bottoms when we were done.
Reykjavik: When you think of Iceland we are sure you envision powerful waterfalls and adorable puffins because so did we. Sure, Reykjavik would be our home base from which to explore, but we didn’t give this capital city much thought. Maybe that is why we were so surprised by it! With its cool history, brightly painted street art and yummy food. It is a small city with really more of a small town vibe – but that gives you a chance to feel like one of the locals-and that’s never bad. But be warned, it’s such a small town that you may run into your tour guide when you go out for the night, so be nice!
We do lots of prepping and planning before we go on a trip – but we love that places can still sweep us off our feet and steal our hearts. What cities have surprised you and why?
