As you might know, I love to travel! The wanderlust bug bit me when I was pretty young and I've been fortunate to travel quite a lot, with my family, my sport and by myself!
This has meant that I have been to quite a few new cities and I thought I would share with you how I go about exploring a new city.
The Kit
First up you'll need trusty kit to get you around the city, of course this will vary from person to person as well as the environment you're going to and what you are doing.
For me my kit will always consist of a comfy pair of trainers (no matter if it clashes with my outfit) and ankle sock- I don't have time for trainer liners slipping under my heel. I love my Nike Frees and my Adidas high tops.
I have a small leather backpack to carry around my basics, including a refillable water bottle (like this), purse and camera.
One Day
When I am going to visit a city just for the day I tend to come in with a plan - you need to so not to waste time, although sometimes that's okay!
I'm not the type of person to try and pack a million things into one day, instead I try and find one main thing to see or do- the main attraction of the city and do that one well!
This is what we did in Grenoble - where we explored the Bastille all day - and in Marseille it was the Old Port and then a snooze on the beach in the afternoon.
I find this way a way better tactic than trying to do everything. One attraction and one nice meal and I'm happy.
2-5 Days
When I have a little more time in a city I would visit with a looser plan- still stick to one or two main attractions I want to see but I would spend a lot of my time just walking around and getting the feel of the city.
As you might have gathered I am not a rush around crazy tourist in a new city- instead I'm a chilled out person and my holidays are relaxed!
For me the most important thing I want to get out of visit to a new place is the vibe of it (in a non-hippie way). I want to know how it feels, if I want to go back and if I would ever live there- I'm a young person trying to find my way in the world okay?!
5+ Days
When I'm in a place for a longer time I'm pretty awful, I don't have any sort of plan.
The first couple of days will be spent getting on my feet- how to get around, how to feed myself and what's local.
Then I will branch out, get recommendations from locals or visit the tourist office. I like to walk around and do what the locals do!
My friend made fun of me in Beijing for doing all the things the locals do or visit for fun- like the local theme park!
What are your tips for exploring a new city?
I totally agree on trying to soak in a city's atmosphere! To me that's a lot more important than having seen all the sights, I mainly want to feel what it might be like to live there and whether I'd like that :)
ReplyDeletedarjeelingtealeaves.blogspot.com
That's exactly what I think about- do I want to live here?!
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