If you’re heading out on vacation to a specific city, it’s just natural that you’d want to fully explore your chosen destination. However, most major cities in the world have some wonderful neighbours that aren’t too far away. These nearby towns are ideal for day trips while you’re on vacation and these are some of the best to visit.
1. Houston, Texas to Big Thicket National Preserve, USA
(photo by jstephenconn)
If you head about 60 miles out of Houston you’ll hit the huge Big Thicket National Preserve. It’s a very popular place with nature lovers, especially bird watchers who flock the place during April and May. This is because the park is located in the path of many migratory birds. There are numerous bayous and lakes for canoeing and kayaking as well as about 40 miles of hiking trails. When it comes to the park’s flora, there are 85 different species of trees living there along with close to 1,000 different kinds offlowering plants.
2. Rome to Tivoli, Italy
(photo by 5telios)
Tivoli as a very attractive hill town that’s home to a pair of UNESCO World Heritage Sites: One of these is the Villa de Este, which dates back to the Renaissance era and the other is the ruins of an ancient villa that was constructed by Emperor Hadrian. There’s a beautiful hillside garden at Villa de Este that’s decorated with dozens of sculptured fountains. A few of these fountains actually produce noises such as hooting owls. Hadrian’s Villa is just three miles from the Villa and was created by Hadrian.
He based his design on buildings that he had seen in Egypt and Greece. Tivoli is only about 20 miles to the east of Rome.
3. London to Oxford, England
(photo by currentobsession)
Oxford’s charming cobbled streets have centuries of stories to tell. It’s famous of course for its 39 colleges and you’ll see plenty of robed students enjoying themselves in this pretty town. The River Isis is a wonderful place to set and watch the row boats go by. If you’d like to see some of the town’s culture and learn its history you can head to the Ashmoleon Museum. The architecture is magnificent, especially at the colleges.
You can also take a tour of Christ Church College which featured in the Harry Potter films as Hogwarts. If you head northwest from London you’ll find Oxford just 60 miles up the road or train track.
4. Chateau de Fontainebleau from Paris, France
(photo by ell-r-brown)
The chateau was used as a residence for royalty for over seven centuries. Many tourists prefer Chateau de Fontainebleau to Versailles as they feel it’s more impressive. Much of the chateau was actually restored by Napoleon. He used the site to entertain visiting foreign dignitaries and even held some of them in the chateau’s jail, including Pope Pius VII. You’ll be able to walk the historic halls and see the fancy stucco and carved woodwork.
The royal apartments are also on show and decked out with period furniture. The beautiful formal gardens are also a delight for the eyes. To reach the chateau you just have to take a 45-minute train trip from Paris.
5. The Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
(photo by neillturner)
Millions of visitors to Las Vegas take a day trip to the famous Grand Canyon even though it’s about 250 miles away. It’s such an impressive site that nobody wants to get that close to it and miss out. It’s such an amazing place that you might actually want to stay more than a day though. This natural wonderwas formed over 14 million years ago. Most people head to the South or West Rim from Las Vegas.
