Lonely Planet: Ultimate Travel List (Published in August 2020)

By Celine -

Lonely Planet: Ultimate Travel List

The 500 Best Places on the Planet... Ranked

Second Edition published on August 2020

First Edition published on August 2015

Below is a list of places I visited that's part of the second edition and a short excerpt on why it's included on the list.


87. Be soaked in water and mini rainbows at Niagara Falls

Jomar and I visited the Niagara Falls October 2022.

"CANADA // Niagara might not be the highest waterfall in the world, nor the widest, but it's undoubtedly the world's most well known. In terms of volume, it's one of the greats - thousands of bathtubs of water plummet over the brink every second."

- Page 86


Niagara Falls

89. Behold Buddha's mega monument of Borobudur

We visited Borobudur last June 2013.

INDONESIA // The monument's tiered quadrant of bell-like stupas has survived eruptions, terrorist bombs, and the 2006 earthquake to remain as enigmatic and as beautiful as it must have been 1200 years ago. Nearly 1500 narrative relief panels on the terraces illustrate Buddhist teachings and tales, while 432 Buddha images sit contemplatively in chambers on the terraces.

- Page 87


Low-quality tablet selfie at Borobudur

137. Get rhapsodic at Singapore's Gardens by the Bay

We visited the Gardens by the Bay last July 2012.

SINGAPORE // Whether you're a garden lover or not, it's impossible not to be knocked out by this fantasyland of space-age biodomes, whimsical sculptures and conservatories housing some 217,000 plants from 800 species.

- Page 118


Gardens by the Bay

152. Ogle orchids and more at Singapore Botanic Gardens

We visited the Gardens by the Bay last July 2012.

SINGAPORE // The accolade is richly deserved for this for this horticultural Eden which has been lovingly nurtured since 1859.

- Page 127


One of the benches in Singapore Botanic Gardens

197. Take a cableway to heaven on the Sea to Sky Gondola

We visited the Sea to Sky Gondola last July 2022.

CANADA // The glorious glass-and-wood Summit Lodge looks out over the craggy Stawamus Chief and a 100m-long (330ft) pedestrian suspension bridge is slung over a gaping chasm behind.

- Page 151


Sea to Sky Gondola

214. Stroll around an urban rainforest in Stanley Park

We live in Vancouver and have visited Stanley Park multiple times.

CANADA // Enter Stanley Park, where the gentle swish of dense forest gives way to rippling ocean backed by snow-capped mountains, and you'll swear you're in the Canadian wild, not steps from Vancouver's glassy skyscrapers.

- Page 163


My first photo of Stanley Park was in 2016.

236. Submit to the neon-lit hedonism of the Vegas Strip.

I visited the Last Vegas Strip December 2007.

USA // That thing that happens when you take the ideals of freedom and abundance to their extremes? Right here, in this 6.7 km (4.2-mile) section of the Las Vegas Blvd - aka the Strip - where one whopping casino resort after the other rises up, each trying to outdo the next with dazzling sights.

- Page 175


284. Changdeokgung Palace

Seoul's Most Regal Residence

Jomar and I with our happy friends visited Changdeokgung Palace March 2014.

SOUTH KOREA // Principles of feng-shui dictate the architecture at this Joseon dynasty palace, adopted as the seat of the Korean royal family after the Japanese destroyed te original in 1590s.

- Page 203


Changdeokgung Palace

343. Comb through Seattle's charismatic soul at Pike Place Market

Jomar and I visited Pike Place Market last December 2016.

USA // If Seattle has an essential sight, this is it, a rambunctious collection of permanent stalls where local etiquette invites you to 'meet the producer', slide into Seattle's soul and eat your way from breakfast to dinner without ever touching a fork.

- Page 203


Pike Place Market

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