Comments on: Off the Tourist Trail: 5 Places the Travel Brochures Won’t Tell You About

By: Fresh From Twitter

Fresh From Twitter — Sun, 22 May 2011 21:41:01 +0000

[...] RT @vagabondish Off the Tourist Trail: 5 Places the Travel Brochures Donu2019t Tell You About http://bit.ly/dFvJsy RT @meggiehd: This is a must-read article touting our city, Indianapolis, from LA Times writer [...]

By: Terry at Overnight New York

Terry at Overnight New York — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:50:37 +0000

I love these ideas, and it’s amazing how one-size-fits-all they are, workable in any city. But I have a sixth to add. When I’m in a new city I always ask around for the best local bus that takes you across a swath of the city. It’s the perfect way to get a flavor of the city, its topography and its people. (You never know who’ll sit next to you.)

Here in New York I’d recommend the #5, which runs from South Ferry at the bottom tip of Manhattan to the Cloisters Museum near the top of the island.It’s a glorious ride. In Paris try the 69, from the Eiffel Tower to Pere Lachaise. Every city has an all-purpose bus.

By: Sonya

Sonya — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:10:10 +0000

Brilliant post! On my travels, these have been some of my favorite places – train stations, libraries and cemeteries. These places give travelers insight into the local culture.

By: Dreamanesa

Dreamanesa — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:11:42 +0000

Some very simple and cool ideas … I especially love the supermarket picnic one … best & easy way to get a taste of the local stuff.

By: Travel Secrets: How to Avoid the Tourist Rushes

Travel Secrets: How to Avoid the Tourist Rushes — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:14:12 +0000

[...] out sights like the Eiffel Tower – will obviously help minimize crowd interference. If you head off the tourist trail and visit local libraries, universities, food markets and even cemeteries, you’ll still find [...]

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:27:40 +0000

I am a cinema fan so each new city I travel to I check imdb.com for movies that were filmed there. Locals that have lived in the city for years usually remember the movie being shot there and can give you more detailed directions to the locations. Most movies shot legally have to obtain permission from the city to film in public places and the information is available to the public. I stumbled upon one being shot in Guanajuato Mexico and got to be an extra for the day playing the role of scared tourist #6(with free lunch). Now I have my own photos of the trip and a copy of the DVD as a bonus.

By: Walter Heck

Walter Heck — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 01:08:22 +0000

I love to go to cemeteries. One of my most memorable travel-experiences to date was being lucky enough to be in Warsaw, Poland on November 1st. On this day, almost all Polish people (even my non-religious/atheist friends go to the cemeteries, to pay respect to the dead. Of course these include their deceased friends and family, but also complete strangers.
My friend took me to the buggest cemetaries in Warsaw durign the evening. Every single grave (and I mean _every_ single grave) has a candle burning on it. Some graves, like on from a famous politician, have literally hundreds of lights on them (see: http://gallery.walterheck.com/displayimage.php?album=44&pos=91 ). The whole cemetary lights up.
For me it was extra nice, because my Polish friend told me lots of stories about who was buried where and why they were loved so much.

I have also been to the cemetary in Sao Paolo, where some of the graves are almost churches (see: http://gallery.walterheck.com/displayimage.php?album=52&pos=23 )

By: Peter Daams

Peter Daams — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:02:38 +0000

Thanks for the great suggestions Amanda.

I totally agree with the library idea in particular. There’s some really beautiful libraries around the world that are worth visiting just for the architecture. The added bonus of (often) free internet, decent toilets and newspapers in your own language make it well worth the time.

By: Wayfaring Wanderer

Wayfaring Wanderer — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:04:47 +0000

Cemeteries are my favorite spots to take photos…..especially really old ones!

Oops! I miss typed my website addy.