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By MiroHenzel

20 Travel Bloggers share their Secret Places

So, you love to travel. But you are probably running out of ideas of where to travel next or you are just looking for some special place tovisit. You can go through hundreds of travel magazines or spent hours searching on Google.Don’t worry. I have something for you.

Me and 19 Top Travel Bloggers are ready to help.

I will take you on a journey where top travel bloggers will tell you about their secret places. Sounds great? You will read about great destinations in Europe and across the rest of the World that are worth visiting. Ready? Let’s go!

1 – Alex Kovacova – Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler

I have a few secret places and a bunch of less secret ones. Those would be Teotihuacan pyramids, Isla Mujeresand Playa del Carmen in Mexico and also Puerto Viejo area in Costa Rica.

Photo/ Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler

2 – Dave Thompson – Dave’s Travel Corner

I love Lake Ohrid in Macedonia – in early September when most of the crowds have left. Rent a place close to thisgorgeous lake, swim, read and eat – and perhaps do some hiking around the rim of the lake. Do this each day andthen repeat.

Photo/ Dave’s Travel Corner A few days lounging around in late summer at Song-Kul.Lake in Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia makes for a fantastic escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Spendyour days in a yurt of which only there are a few scattered around its shorelines.

Photo/ Dave’s Travel Corner

3 – Paul Johnson – A Luxury Travel Blog

Lake District, UK This is actually home for me, but also one of my favourite parts of the world. Although, we get our fair share of rain,that’s also what makes the landscape so beautiful. Lush, rolling hills and spectacular lakes, including the longestlake in the country (Windermere). It was here that inspired the likes of the author and poet, William Wordsworth,and the children’s storyteller, Beatrix Potter.

Photo/ A Luxury Travel Blog The Scottish Isles We’ve taken a number of visits to the Scottish isles and always seemed to be extremely fortunate with theweather. If you are blessed with the right conditions, it’s a beautiful area to explore.

Photo/ A Luxury Travel Blog Elounda, Crete We’ve enjoyed many a visit to this place on the eastern shores of Crete. It has such a relaxed atmosphere aboutit, with stunning views out to the island of Spinalonga. The Greek ambience and food is one that we love if we justwant to unwind a little.

Photo/ A Luxury Travel Blog Shamwari, South Africa We love Cape Town and, on our last visit, managed to venture out to the Eastern Cape and visit the ShamwariGame Reserve. This was a great experience for all of us, and, in particular, our children who were on safari for thefirst time. They learnt so much from that trip, and it’s a reserve I’d recommend to anyone considering South Africafor a safari.

Photo/ A Luxury Travel Blog

4 – David & Veronica James – The GypsyNesters

A friend of ours introduced us to this is amazing little hideaway in northern Italy, Cave di Moleto. We drankfantastic wine made right on the premises and stayed in the centuries old farmhouse. It’s the kind of place wewould never have known about without some inside information.

Photo/ The GypsyNesters Sometimes dumb luck is the best tour guide. Thatwas certainly the case when we stumbled uponWangen im Allgäu. Pulling off the Autobahn insearch of a place to stay for the night led us tothis whimsical, artistic little village. Wangen is notonly quintessentially German; it is quintessentiallyquaint.

Photo/ The GypsyNesters

5 – Kristin Luna – Camels &Chocolate

My husband spent three years stationed inSicily in the U.S. Navy back in the 90’s. For adecade, he’s been telling me of itsuntouched, natural beauty, so for his 40thbirthday last summer, we spent some timeexploring the island with no route or plan inmind. I was pleasantly surprised to find suchuntapped gems as Acireale, Aci Trezzo andAci Castello the perfect warm weathergetaway, as these coastal towns are not onlyaffordable and gorgeous but also relativelyunknown to tourists, who often flock to Taormina, the resort town due north.

Photo/ Camels & Chocolate

Photo/ Camels & Chocolate

6 – Michael Hodson – Go See Write

My favourite continent is definitely Africa. I spent some time in Cape Town during my sixteen months around the world trip. My suggestion for finding yoursecret location is this:

Get to your location by train.

Trains allow time to take in the scenery and most importantly, research where you are going so you have a goodidea of what you want to do and see while you’re there.

7 – Melvin Böcher – Travel Dudes

Instead of fighting through crowds of tourists in Rome or Florence, head towards Bologna. It’s right in the middle between Florence and Milan and is an ideal base to explore the region. It’s easy to reachbigger cities like Venice, Milan or Florence by train, but it’s the local region that you should explore!

Photo/ Travel Dudes It’s full of beautiful countryside, lots of quality wineries, yummy food and stands for so much more than Ferrari,Lamborghini and Ducati.

Bologna is the perfect base to explore more.

Photo/ Travel Dudes

8 – Nora Dunn – The Professional Hobo

Grenada (not to be confused with Granada, in Spain and Nicaragua) is a small Caribbean island close to Trinidad.

Photo/ The Professional Hobo Although it isn’t a secret, you won’t find nearly as many tourists there as you will on many of the other islands. What you will find are very friendly people, lots of colour and life, beautiful weather, fresh food, great beaches,and a mountainous interior with lots of hikes and little gems like waterfalls and naturally hot springs.

9 – Ayngelina Brogan – Bacon is Magic

When travelers visit Italy for the first time they usually visit Rome, Florence and Venice. The second time they venture further into Tuscany and some visit Bologna, but rarely do they visit Modena, whichis less than an hour outside Bologna. Modena is home to some of the world’s best – parmigiano-reggiano, prosciutto and the impeccable balsamicvinegar di Modena. It’s a small town that is far from a tourist trap.

Photo/ Bacon is Magic Modena is easy to navigate but as it’s not well known I wrote this free Modena Culinary Guide, so readers couldgo armed with everything they need to know.

10 – Meg & Mike Jerrard – Mapping Megan

La Loberia – San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands. A stunning secluded local beach well off the tourist trail, we snorkeled close enough to touch enormous seaturtles, were slapped around under water by playful sea lions, and swam through schools of sharks, rare coral,and colorful fish while blue-footed boobies and frigatebirds circled overhead. The water off the beach forms an expansive shallow enclosure, completely protected from the choppy waves,which meant wildlife was waiting for us every day – and so amazing was the experience we went back 3 days in a

row. The water was so shallow that it was easy to stand, and all we had to do was throw on a snorkel and float to swimalongside the island’s lively local residents. And yes, if you’re wondering, this was the beach where I became sosunburnt I could hardly stand, so do yourself a favor and remember to protect yourself from the sun!

Photo/ Mapping Megan The Ice Rink inside the Eiffel Tower. Paris at Christmas. Every winter, ice-skating rinks are set up around Paris for locals and tourists alike; however, you would neverexpect that one of these ice-skating rinks would be located within one of the world’s most famous landmarks! Refreshment stands; yes. Souvenir shops and fancy restaurants; also expected.

But an ice-skating rink in the sky?!

Photo/ Mapping Megan Entry is free for Eiffel Tower visitors and skates are loaned. €3 was money well spent for hot chocolate and mulledwine from the frozen open-air bar, and our lift entrance ticket to the top cost only €14,50.

11 – Abi King – Inside the Travel Lab

“As a child, I dreamed one day of owning, or perhaps just prowling around, an overtowering library. Sunlight would shimmer through dust and romance, and science and wild adventure would swim between thethick, creamy pages where black ink bled into soft and yellowed parchment. Well, in 21st century Dublin, I found the library of my dreams, flirting behind flighty leaves and wrought iron gatesand a steep if unspectacular staircase. Marsh’s Library lives in the heart of Dublin , admitting the public for a fee with supervision or throwing open itsdoors for free for the excellent Open House Dublin event. Many a literary giant used to study here, with recordedvisits from Bram Stoker, James Joyce and Jonathan Swift.”

Photo/ Inside the Travel Lab

12 – Agness – eTramping

I have two secret places to share with you today. One is called Zaanse Schans, and it is located in the Netherlands, the other is named Da Lang, and it is a largecity in central Guangdong province in China. Both took my breath away; therefore, they are worth mentioning. Zaanse Schans is a beautiful village in the province of North Holland.

Photo/ eTramping It features tiny greenhouses and massive Dutch windmills. I was simply amazed by local museums and the firstAlbert Hijn store. If I could, I would spend hours there or … no… I would never leave this place! It is also veryaffordable. Yes, you can explore Zaanse Schans for less than $10 a day!

Photo/ eTramping My other favourite hidden spot is Da Lang in Dongguan.

Photo/ eTramping It will always have a special place in my heart as I have been working here as an English teacher in one of theirprivate kindergartens and living like a local for more than a year.

Da Lang is extremely peaceful, and you can taste different food from across all of Asia here – from Japanese toKorean or Italian. Moreover, locals will welcome you warmly with various festivals and Chinese fruit and veggiemarkets.

13 – Sharon Gourlay – Where’s Sharon

My current favourite place to travel will perhaps not be a secret for much longer – Bagan in Myanmar.

Photo/ Where’s Sharon The old town of Bagan is amazing. There are temples to explore as far as you can see. The best part is that thereare still not that many people visiting this remote part of the world – it is easy to have temples to yourself.

14 – Chris Richardson – The Aussie Nomad

Photo/ The Aussie Nomad “While it’s far from a secret place to the world, it is still one of the places I’ve enjoyed my travel the most, and Ionly stumbled upon it after a recommendation from another traveller. Before then I’d never heard of it. The spot is the Amalfi Coast, and I can’t recommend people visit it enough. Ithas a stunning coastal drive that must be experienced on a scooter to take in the view and allow you time toexplore the towns along the road.

15 – Jen Avery – Thrifty Nomads

Our favourite secret places are the unexpected ones you find driving the country roads of Southern France. The sunsets are vibrant, the scenery often desolate, and the landscapes eerily peaceful. The best secret spot we ever stumbled upon was the Chateau du Val, a Disney-like medieval castle that isperched on a moat. The inside is furnished with original medieval-era furniture, and even in the springtime therewere hardly any tourists.

Photo/ Thrifty Nomads We found it by accident, which is the best way to explore France – no plans, no checklists, just open roads andopen eyes.

16 – Liz & Josh – Peanuts or Pretzels

Our secret travel getaway is a little beach enclave on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, called Paa Mul. It is just 15 minutes south (by car) from Playa del Carmen on the Caribbean coast.

It’s not really a town, just a collection of vacationers who are soaking up the quiet beach life.

This area is a scuba diving paradise, with a great reef just offshore and tons of sea turtles. Staying in a thatched roof bungalow on the beach, we love that we can relax on the porch or in a hammock juststeps from the water without any crowds.

Photo/ Peanuts or Pretzels

17 – Francis Tapon – WanderLearn

My favorite “secret place” in Europe is Kotor, Montenegro.

Photo/ Francis Tapon Nestled at the end of a spectacular bay with the southernmost fjords of Europe, Kotor is one of the mostunderappreciated towns in Europe. So many tourists flock to Dubrovnik but don’t bother to take a 2-hour journey south to Kotor Bay.

Photo/ Francis Tapon

18 – Dave – The Longest Way Home

I think one of my favourite secret places in Europe is Sintra in Portugal. Particularly in the off-season when there are fewer tourists. Sintra still holds beautiful blue skies at that time ofyear and is majestically green.

Photo/ The Longest Way Home With colorful palaces, hidden catacombs, lush royal gardens and plenty of hillside to hike, Sintra makes for aperfect secret place to get lost in. Best of all is that the local cafes serve some of the best Portuguese food in the country. A great reason to take abook and sit reading while overlooking the moorish castle on the hilltop surrounding Sintra.”

19 – Yoshke Dimen – The Poor Traveler

My Secret Place: Batanes, PHILIPPINES

Photo/ The Poor Traveler While Batanes is slowly gaining popularity in the local travel scene, it is almost unheard of outside of thePhilippines. It’s hard to put a finger on why exactly I am obsessed with this 10-piece archipelago. It may be the elusiveness; she’s the northernmost, smallest, and least populated province in the Philippines. It may be her history; she is very in touch with her past. It may be the quietness; she may be surrounded by theferocious waves of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) and the Pacific Ocean, but she enjoys a virtuallynon-existent crime rate. Or, it may be her natural beauty. She can easily make any visitor feel insignificant with her wondrous landscapes.

20 – Miro Henzel – Fly Eat Travel

My secret places in Europe: Transylvania in Romania – Romania is full of extremes, rich and poor, traditional and modern, sea and mountains.Wild Nature will take your breath away.

The most beautiful road in the world is called Transfagarasan and is located in Fagaras Mountains.

Lefkada, Greece – If you like great beaches, here you will find beach heaven. Porto Katsiki was selected as oneof the best beaches in the world, but honestly other beaches here are also fabulous with their 50 shades of blue.

Inspired?Let us know your secret places. Show some love. Share it.