BlindLoop

5 Most Beautiful Cities of the World

May 1, 2011 Travel

Paris, France

Once just a village that settled on the “Ile de la Cite” (City Island) on the confluence of the Seine’s two branches, Paris has vastly expanded over the centuries, taking the surrounding villages under its wing and making them its own. Nowadays the City of Light—a name Paris earned during the age of the Enlightenment—is made up of several arrondissements or districts, numbered from 1 to 20 and logically ordered with the 1st in the center and the others following in a clockwise spiral. The differences are vast and varied between the districts, both in terms of the populations and attractions, which together make up the multifaceted city we know and love.

Paris is a city full of tourist attractions, world-class art galleries and museums and beautiful parks and gardens. People usually take a romantic boat cruise on the Seine River or visit the Mona Lisa at the world-famous Louvre, enjoy a fun-filled day at Disneyland Paris or experience the magic of the Eiffel Tower. Paris France has something of interest for everyone!

San Francisco, California

San Francisco is quite small, yet its hilly terrain and patchwork demographic profile gives it more distinctly defined neighborhoods than a city five times its size. As a result, the sights, sounds and flavors of this community—and even its climate—can change within a single block. The place called Chinatown in San Francisco is the greatest single concentration of Chinese people outside of Asia—a population of roughly 80,000—lives in the approximately 24 square blocks of Chinatown, making it the most densely populated area of San Francisco.

Union Square is the heart of San Francisco’s bustling and stylish downtown shopping district.
Voted America’s top city in numerous surveys, colorful and cosmopolitan San Francisco invariably charms visitors. Its 1.7-mile-long Golden Gate Bridge — one of America’s top ten construction marvels — is a must-see.

Sydney, Australia

Sydney has all the vigor of a world-class city, with the reputation of its restaurants in particular turning the lingering cultural sneers to swoons. It seems to have the best of both worlds: twenty minutes from Circular Quay the high-rise office buildings give way to colorful inner-city suburbs where you can get an eyeful of sky and watch the lemons ripening above the pavement, while to the centre’s north and south are corridors of largely intact bush land where many have built their dream homes. During every heatwave, however, bushfires threaten the city, and sophisticated Sydney becomes closer to its roots than it might like.

It’s also as beautiful a city as any in the world, with a setting that only Rio de Janeiro can rival: the water is what makes it so special, and no introduction to Sydney would be complete without paying tribute to one of the world’s great harbours. Port Jackson is a sunken valley that twists inland to meet the fresh water of the Parramatta River, in the process washing into a hundred coves and bays, winding around rocky points, flowing past small harbour islands, slipping under bridges and lapping at the foot of the Opera House. Sydney is seen at its gleaming best from the deck of a harbour ferry, and a ride on one is an experience not to be missed.

Florence, Italy

Florence is one of the most popular travel cities in Italy and holds many attractions for the tourist. Florence, a Renaissance city in the heart of Tuscany, has some of Italy’s best museums, beautiful cathedrals and churches, and interesting streets and squares with elegant buildings and shops. Standing in Piazza San Giovanni, the religious heart of the city you’ll be overwhelmed by the poly-chromed marble façade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and its imposing dome designed by Brunelleschi. One of the most important tourist attractions in the city, when it was completed in the 15th century it was the largest religious building in al of Europe. Offering another fine view of the city is Giotto’s Bell Tower that was built during 14th century and also stands in Piazza San Giovanni. The 85-metre high Bell Tower was the creation of three architects; Giotto who designed the tower and died during its construction, Andrea Pisano who continued after Giotto, and the last three levels were built by Francesco Talenti.

One of the major sightseeing attractions of Florence is the Academia Gallery which is home to a very important collection of Florentine paintings, dating from the 13th to the 18th centuries. But, nowadays it’s more famous for being the home of Michelangelo’s David which was moved here in 1873.

Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town is southern Africa’s most beautiful, most romantic and most visited city. Indeed, few urban centers anywhere can match its setting along the mountainous Cape Peninsula spine, which slides into the Atlantic Ocean. By far the most striking – and famous – of its sights is Table Mountain, frequently shrouded by clouds, and rearing up from the middle of the city.

More than a scenic backdrop, Table Mountain is the solid core of Cape Town, dividing the city into distinct zones with public gardens, wilderness, forests, hiking routes, vineyards and desirable residential areas trailing down its lower slopes. Standing on the tabletop, you can look north for a giddy view of the city centre, its docks lined with matchbox ships. To the west, beyond the mountainous Twelve Apostles, the drop is sheer and your eye sweeps across Africa’s priciest real estate, clinging to the slopes along the chilly but spectacularly beautiful Atlantic seaboard. To the south, the mountainsides are forested and several historic vineyards and the marvelous Botanical Gardens creep up the lower slopes. Beyond the oak-lined suburbs of Newlands and Constantia lies the warmerFalse Bay seaboard, which curves around towards Cape Point. Finally, relegated to the grim industrial east, are the colored townships and black ghettos, spluttering in winter under the smoky pall of coal fires – your stark introduction to Cape Town when driving in.

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