10 Top Destinations for 2008

Well what are the pundits recommending as the top 10 destinations for 2008?  I thought I’d take a look at a few recommendations to see what the experts are recommending and if there’s any commonality in their recommendations.

Looking at five different groups of recommendations, I must say that they are all quite different.  Budapest, Sicily, Montenegro and city breaks in France are the only destinations that scored two mentions each so I guess the moral of the story is chacun a son gout, i.e. to each his own!

I rather like Fodor’s top ten list best as I believe their selected destinations have mass appeal.  One of the experts included Nepal in their top 10.  I have to say that we know Kathmandu well and it’s certainly not the kind of place that everyone will enjoy as a holiday destination.  The Nepalese are very nice and hospitable people, however one has to bear in mind that this is an extremely poor country and the poverty and some of the illnesses you see around can be quite confronting for the first timer.

These are Fodor’s recommendations: 

Basilicata, South Italy 
This is new to me, but apparently Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ was filmed here.  Several of Fodor followers’ favorite Italian towns are in the vicinity, including San Chirico and Matera.

Bologna, Italy
Birthplace of tortellini and tagliatelle, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and balsamic vinegar all sound good enough for me.

Budapest, Hungary
We’ve been here a few times, but I must say that I prefer Praque.

Lisbon, Portugal
Yes, from what we can see, Portugal certainly is gaining popularity with many visitors heading for the Algarve area as well.

Liverpool, England 
Believe it or not, the EU have selected Liverpool to be the Capital of Culture for 2008.  But if you’re not into culture, Paul McCartney promises to be there as well.

Montenegro
Yes, we’ve experienced the splendid views from the high cliffs as we drove along the road to the Bay of Kotor.  The name of the medieval city Sveti Stefan sticks in our mind as it was hot and sweaty during the journey.

Munich, Germany 
Munich turns 850 this year and the city promises lots of celebratory events, so why not!

Oslo, Norway
The star attraction apparently is  the $700-million harborfront Opera House to be opened on April 12.  Like the Sydney Opera House, it was designed to be instantly iconic.  Too cold to be a choice destination for me!

Slovenia
This is a beautiful country.  Maribor, the second largest city has the world’s oldest vine.  We’d go back there again.

Zagreb, Croatia 
We travelled through Croatia a year or so ago and loved all of it.  Dubrovnik was fantastic.

Happy Planning!

Helen