Hope you all enjoyed this long summer and are ready now for some new travel spots recommended by Besides the Obvious for this autumn.

Let’s see our top travel destinations for October!

• United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi
• Spain 🇪🇸 Solsona & Penyafort
• Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Cardiff
• Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 Haputale

Here we are to inspire you, and provide you with ideas & tips on where to go next! Don’t miss out on the latest news, and subscribe now!

UAE 🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi

Here comes our ultimate Abu Dhabi Bucket List! Discover Abu Dhabi with us, we share the best places that you cannot miss! The first place we decided to visit in the UAE was the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Watan. Qasr Al Watan is more than a palace. Click on the below articles to understand why.

• Abu Dhabi Bucket List – Discover Abu Dhabi with us!
• The Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi – Let’s visit Qasr Al Watan!
• Besides that, we recommend another town in Abu Dhabi emirate, a real gem, Al Ain. A tourist visit to Al Ain is always a good plan, for ex-pats, locals, and regular foreign tourists. This is still an Oasis in the desert. Check it out: A tourist visit to Al Ain

Spain 🇪🇸 Solsona & Penyafort

Solsona

Solsona is one of the perfect plans from Barcelona. Even though, it has very few tourists. This is a town in the middle of a very sparsely populated region. The villages around are small and rural. Solsona the main point of inner Catalonia receives many Catalan visitors. Nevertheless, it is barely visited because of its isolated location. To Solsona you need to go on purpose but despite the effort, you will take to go it is very worth it. 

Check it out: Solsona: one of the perfect plans from Barcelona

Penyafort

On a Sunday morning, we decided to visit some places in the heart of Penedés, in Catalonia. One of our choices was the Penyafort Castle (Castell de Penyafort), which is located to the south of the town of Santa Margarida i els Monjos, next to the river Foix. Penyafort Castle was originally a defense tower dating from the 12th century. From 1602, the complex was extended with several buildings and it was transformed into a Dominican convent with a church.

Check it out: Visit the Penyafort Castle – in the heart of Penedés

Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital and largest city of Wales. It is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingdom. Cardiff was a small town until the early 19th century. It became important as a port for coal when mining began in the region. In 1905 it became a city and in 1955 proclaimed the capital of Wales. Cardiff is the main commercial center of Wales as well as the base for the Senedd.

Check it out: Discover Wales – A day trip to Cardiff

Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 Haputale

You probably remember those old adventure movies with travelers in the unexplored Asian junglers. The complete picture includes early 20th Century train stations and colorful and exotic dressed people. Haputale is just a place to catch up with your childhood memories and explore for real and with your imagination once again. 

Check it out: What to do in Haputale

Dear Traveller, hope you liked the latest newsletter from Besides the Obvious! If you would not like to miss any of our travel stories, destination ideas, vacation plans, or holiday inspirations, do not forget to subscribe here!

Do you enjoy this summer? Let’s see our top travel destinations for September!

• Sri Lanka 🇱🇰
• Spain 🇪🇸
• Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
• England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Here we are to inspire you, and provide you with ideas & tips on where to go next! Don’t miss out on the latest news, and subscribe now!

Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

Galle is one of those Sri Lankan towns where it’s really enjoyable to stay. You can easily plan to spend here a long weekend, there are many things to see and do. This is a beautiful Colonial city with an old quarter that is really charming. In terms of the Colonial vibe, there is nothing compared with Galle. The old town is full of bars and restaurants where you will be able to enjoy some drinks and food of all kinds in a very nice atmosphere. So, let’s see what the top things to do in Galle!

Check it out: Galle – The most enjoyable town of Sri Lanka

When we arrived in Kandy we had barely read about it in our travel book guide. We got the needed knowledge to enjoy the visit on the go. If you want to do it a bit better and have some information upfront here we will explain to you the best things to do in Kandy. The city of Kandy is located in the center of Sri Lanka and is the second largest city on the island. The city of Kandy is in a mountainous area and it has one of the most gentle climates in the country. Nevertheless, the main reason to visit Kandy is that it is considered to be the cultural epicenter of Sri Lanka. A visit to Kandy will allow you to fully discover the most historic part of the country and some of its most dazzling places. Keep reading to acknowledge the best things to do in Kandy. 

Check it out: The best things to do in Kandy, Sri Lanka

Spain 🇪🇸

Blanes is a town and municipality in the comarca of Selva in Girona, Catalonia. During Roman rule, it was named Blanda or Blandae. It is known as the “Gateway to the Costa Brava“. Its coast is part of the Costa Brava, which stretches from Blanes to the French border. Blanes is a popular tourist town, and it is known for the Concurs de Focs d’Artifici during the Santa Anna festival. This event includes many fireworks. Other places of interest include beautiful viewing points from the castle and the mountains, botanical gardens, coves such as the Cala Bona, and beaches that are surrounded by mountains. But let’s see now in detail the top things to do in Blanes!

Check it out: The top things to do in Blanes, on Costa Brava

Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Criccieth is a beautiful seaside resort town on Cardigan Bay, on the Southern side of the Llyn Peninsula, in Wales. Known as the ‘Pearl of Wales on the Shores of Snowdonia’, this attractive Victorian seaside resort is popular with tourists for its fantastic beaches and its traditional Welsh charm. It gives home to the Castle of Criccieth, too. So, let’s discover this place now together!

Check it out: Discover Wales – The Castle of Criccieth

England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

In 1987, Bath was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making it the only UK city with that prestigious title. The honor was not surprising given that Bath is home to such a richly unique history and culture. Let’s see now our complete Bath itinerary, and what you can do in a day in this lovely city. We had the chance to spend 1 complete day in Bath last month. We arrived in the evening hours from Bristol and the next day evening we traveled further to Cardiff. So we really didn’t have more time than 24 hours! And we can happily confirm that all below is possible to do in Bath in a day.

Check it out: Bath in a day – A complete Bath itinerary

Dear Traveller, hope you liked the latest newsletter from Besides the Obvious! If you would not like to miss any of our travel stories, destination ideas, vacation plans, or holiday inspirations, do not forget to subscribe here!

Do you enjoy this summer? Let’s see our top travel destinations for August!

• Sri Lanka 🇱🇰
• Spain 🇪🇸

Here we are to inspire you, and provide you with ideas & tips on where to go next! Don’t miss out on the latest news, and subscribe now!

Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

Since we visited Sri Lanka this April, we have decided to collect some useful information and share here some travel tips for Sri Lanka. Also, we have added the mandatory checklist, created the perfect itinerary, collected the basics of their gastronomy and so much more. We have even more content about Sri Lanka, so stayed tuned for the next month’s newsletter to read more! In the meantime click below for our articles.

Tourist places close to Jaffna

Jaffna is the main city in the North of Sri Lanka. This is the capital of the Tamil territory. If you are reading this article, you look for tourist places to visit in Jaffna during your stay. In this article we will offer some ideas of tourist places close to Jaffna. 

Things to do in Sigiriya (Not many!)

We had very little information about what kind of things to do in Sigiriya when we arrived. Our expectations were high and our knowledge low. Actually, we could discover that it would not be a big miss to arrive there with no clue of what the place is about. Sigiriya is an icon, not less but also not more. And what is making that place iconic is visible from everywhere. We speak about Sigiriya Rock. Don’t misunderstand us, please! Just because of the rock is very worth it to get to Sigiriya but don’t expect anything else in town but the shape of the rock in the distance and the spectacular views from the top if you are ok to climb up at very hot temperatures. 

About the Cave Temples of Dambulla

Dambulla is a must-have destination if you are in Sri Lanka. Even if you are not a big fan of sacred temples, or you think you have already seen enough of them, you must visit the cave temples of Dambulla. Since it’s very close to Sigiriya & Polonnaruwa, just make sure you dedicate half a day or so to this place as well. You won’t regret it!

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Dambulla Cave Temple is a living Buddhist monastery located in Central Sri Lanka. Popularly referred to as the Golden Temple of Dambulla, this place has the best-preserved wall paintings and Buddha statues in Sri Lanka. 

Spain 🇪🇸

Why to visit Lloret de Mar in 2022?

Lloret de Mar is a little beach town on Costa Brava. It is only 75 km away from Barcelona and 40km from Girona. Hence it’s a popular summer destination in both cities. Also, many charter flights are arriving specifically in Lloret de Mar (via Girona airport). So it’s a common vacation spot for foreigners – all age groups – to spend here 1-2 weeks during the season. Since Lloret de Mar is that popular among tourists, of course, you can enjoy many tourism-related facilities, beach services and bars, great restaurants, special offers, nightlife, and so on. But on the other hand, most of the time the places get very busy. But if you are looking for a vivid beach town with many services, programs, and party options, Lloret is definitely your place. Let’s see now the main reasons why to visit Lloret de Mar!

Buddhist Monastery in Garraf – Sakya Tashi Ling

After visiting Sri Lanka, we got very curious about this place again Catalonia, that actually we wanted to visit for some time now: The Sakya Tashi Ling Buddhist Monastery in Garraf. The Sakya Tashi Ling is a monastery belonging to one of four Buddhist schools from Tibet, the Sakyapa tradition. It is an ancient order that follows the Tibetan spiritual leader and ancient king Sakya Trizin.

Dear Traveller, hope you liked the latest newsletter from Besides the Obvious! If you would not like to miss any of our travel stories, destination ideas, vacation plans, or holiday inspirations, do not forget to subscribe here!

The summer is here! Let’s see our top travel destination for July: Sri Lanka!

Here we are to inspire you, and provide you with ideas & tips on where to go next! Don’t miss out on the latest news, and subscribe now!

Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

Since we visited Sri Lanka this April, we have decided to collect some useful information and share here some travel tips for Sri Lanka. Also, we have added the mandatory checklist, created the perfect itinerary, collected the basics of their gastronomy and so much more. We have even more content about Sri Lanka, so stayed tuned for the next month’s newsletter to read more! In the meantime click below for our articles.

Anuradhapura – The land of Stupas

We have planned to go to Anuradhapura after spending two days in Negombo. Where we had the chance to recharge our batteries after the flights and accommodate ourselves to the different time zone and tropical climates. So, we were ready for the adventure, and to take our rented TukTuk for a longer trip. We were ready finally to discover the wonders of Anuradhapura. So, let’s see here the best things to do in Anuradhapura!

Elephant Pass

Once you want to enter or leave Jaffna Peninsula, for sure you will be passing by Elephant Pass. It is located in the gateway of Jaffna Peninsula. The pass lies about 340 km north of the capital. It has an important military base and used to be the island’s largest salt field. It was regularly the site of battles during the Sri Lan kan civil war. Elephant Pass connects the militarily significant town of Chavakacheri in the Jaffna peninsula to the Sri Lankan mainland.

The very different Jaffna in Sri Lanka

Jaffna is different. This is the capital of the Tamil territory in Sri Lanka. If you ask any of the very proud locals they will answer that their culture is different. Moreover, you will find it not only different but amazing. Indeed, Jaffna is a must in your visit to Sri Lanka just because you will be able to catch up with a unique multicultural way of living and understanding life. Let’s see why in this article.   

Why to visit Nilaveli in Sri Lanka

Nilaveli is a coastal resort town and suburb of the Trincomalee District. It is located 16 km northwest of the city of Trincomalee. A historically popular Tamil village and tourist destination of the district alongside the nearby Uppuveli, the numbers of visitors declined following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Sri Lankan Civil War, but have risen again since 2010. So let’s see now the best things to do in Nilaveli in 2022!

Uppuveli – an unspoiled beach in Sri Lanka

We have been advised by the friendly owner of Ceylon Resort, that once we are at the Eastern Coast of Sri Lanka, we shouldn’t miss Uppuveli. Originally, we planned to visit only Nilaveli, but based on his recommendation we changed our plans and did both. And how good that we did it! Uppuveli is amazing, so let’s see here the main reasons why to visit Uppuveli.

What to pack if you travel to Sri Lanka?

It depends obviously on many preferences, and details such as how long you’re on the island is it your first time, which season and which part of the country you want to visit, etc. But there are some very generic, as well as location-specific requirements that are worth keeping in mind while you’re packing for Sri Lanka.

A hidden gem in Godauda, Sri Lanka

Sri Sumanarama Viharaya Temple is a Buddhist complex in Godauda, Southern Province of Sri Lanka. It is located between Tangalle and Matara. If you follow the coastal road, you might notice as it has a giant Buddha statue. This is exactly how we ended up here. We were on our way from Tangalle to Mirissa with our tuk-tuk, when suddenly just right next to the road we noticed this giant temple complex. It’s not included in any travel guides, reviews, or travel blog posts, even though it’s hard to get any information about it in English.

The 10 best beaches in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s beaches are well known for their idyllic scenery and excellent surfing conditions. From east to west, every beach has its own unique character. But – depending on your preferences – you might find good or better options. Here we are listing our favorites, the 10 best beaches in Sri Lanka as per our taste. Enjoy & let us know if you had the chance to visit any of them!

Dear Traveller, hope you liked the latest newsletter from Besides the Obvious! If you would not like to miss any of our travel stories, destination ideas, vacation plans, or holiday inspirations, do not forget to subscribe here!

The summer is here! Let’s see the selection of our top travel destinations for June!

• Sri Lanka 🇱🇰
• Sitges, Spain 🇪🇸
• Calafell, Spain 🇪🇸
• Fertőd, Hungary 🇭🇺
• Madeira, Portugal 🇵🇹

Here we are to inspire you, and provide you with ideas & tips on where to go next! Don’t miss out on the latest news, and subscribe now!

Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

Since we visited Sri Lanka this April, we have decided to collect some useful information for beginners and share here some travel tips for Sri Lanka. Also, we have added the mandatory checklist, created the perfect itinerary, collected the basics of their gastronomy and so much more. We have even more content about Sri Lanka, so stayed tuned for the next month’s newsletter to read more! In the meantime click below for our articles.

• 10 travel tips for Sri Lanka
• The best itinerary for a round trip in Sri Lanka
• The Gastronomy of Sri Lanka
• Why I don’t like Negombo

Sitges, Spain 🇪🇸

Sitges is love at first sight. It is so beautiful, so charming, so lovely. You hardly can imagine any more romantic place. The only problem is the number of tourists who also already noticed the beauty of this place. But if you are getting there off-season, you can easily enjoy this pearl in Catalonia.

Read more about Sitges here!

Calafell, Spain 🇪🇸

Calafell is a vivid & historical town. The old part we can find atop a hill, 1.5 kilometers from its coastal counterparts, Segur and Calafell Beach. The area is a popular holiday destination, set between Tarragona and Barcelona. It is around 47 kilometers from Reus Airport and 60 kilometers from Barcelona Airport. It also gives home to Ciutadella Ibérica de Calafell – the Iberian village in Calafell.

Besides that, Calafell is an ideal destination for those wishing to combine a beach holiday, with a chance to explore the Costa Daurada. Some of the wonderful old Roman and medieval towns are also in the area. Including Calafell itself. The beach of Calafell is a lovely five-kilometer stretch of golden sand. Also, they awarded the beaches from the Segur Yacht Club to L’Estany Beach with a European blue flag for cleanliness.

Fertőd, Hungary 🇭🇺

Fertőd is a town located in the Győr-Moson-Sopron county of Hungary. It is the location of one of Hungary’s best-known palaces, the Esterházy Palace of the influential Esterházy family. Hungary has a lot of amazing medieval castles and beautiful palaces. There are altogether 103 castles in Hungary alone. Most of which are still open to tourists and visitors. Let’s review here one of the most famous: The Esterházy Palace.

Madeira Portugal 🇵🇹

During the days we spent in Madeira we had the chance to taste the local gastronomy in many places. Here, we have compiled a list of the best restaurants & bars in Madeira. There are some posh places included in the list, as well as many street food options. So let’s see, where to eat on Madeira!

Dear Traveller, hope you liked the latest newsletter from Besides the Obvious! If you would not like to miss any of our travel stories, destination ideas, vacation plans, or holiday inspirations, do not forget to subscribe here!

Let’s see the selection of our top travel destinations for May

• Bilbao & Sevilla, Spain 🇪🇸
• Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦
• Chișinău & Tiraspol, Transnistria – Moldova 🇲🇩
• Lisbon & Porto, Portugal 🇵🇹
• Tokaj, Hungary 🇭🇺

Here we are to inspire you, and provide you with ideas & tips on where to go next! Don’t miss out on the latest news, and subscribe now!

Bilbao, Spain 🇪🇸

Bilbao is one of the most important cities in Spain. A lively city, with a great cultural and leisure offering and exquisite gastronomy. Nonetheless, it would have probably passed under your “must visit” radar without the Guggenheim Museum. That mistake has been there for decades even among Spaniards. Thirty years ago Bilbao was known to be industrial and ugly, quite far from being a tourist asset of Basque Country. However, recently, Bilbao has undergone a transformation that has led it to become a modern city, but without losing its unique essence. Keep reading and discovering Bilbao!

Sevilla, Spain 🇪🇸

“Sevilla tiene un color especial…” as the famous song says. And it couldn’t be more true. The Andalusian Capital has such a special atmosphere, the vibe, the colors and its people make Sevilla, what it is. A charming, vivid & lovely city, that you should visit! We have collected the top 20 places that you cannot miss out on once you are there. So let’s see our Sevilla Bucket List!

Sevilla Bucket List – The Top 20 Places of the Andalusian Capital

Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦

Toronto is truly an amazing city. It has many things to offer to its visitors that you shouldn’t miss out. Hence we collected the top 15 things to do in this beautiful Canadian city. If have only a short time there, it can be a useful guide. Check this out, here comes our Toronto Bucket List!

Toronto Bucket List – The Top 13 Things To Do

Chișinău – Moldova 🇲🇩

We celebrated Valentine’s day in Chișinău this February. Not an obvious choice, right?! Obviously we have tried to get ready for the trip in advance and kept browsing different reviews, and opinions about the capital of Moldova. If you look for reviews about Chișinău, the most common adjectives that you can find are: “boring”, “nothing-to-do”, or even “poor“. Let’s change this outdated perspective finally, please! The visit to the capital of Moldova was one of the most interesting city breaks we could have recently.

Chișinău Bucket List – What to do in the capital of Moldova

Tiraspol, Transnistria – Moldova 🇲🇩

We could discover Transnistria, on a visit to Tiraspol, just the week before the Russian troops broke into the Ukrainian borders. Transnistria is a country that doesn’t exist. Or better said, it is not recognized by almost no other country in the world, besides a few more in similar conditions. 

Discover Transnistria, the capital of a country that doesn’t exist

Lisbon & Porto, Portugal 🇵🇹

Both Lisbon and Porto are super popular destinations among travelers to Portugal. Especially among the first visitors to the country. It’s indeed hard to choose between the two cities. The most obvious answer would be that you need to see both. But what if you need to choose? We are here to help! These two tourist magnet places are not so far from each other geographically & in terms of the quality of the services either. So let’s see, Lisbon or Porto? We list here some facts & places that you should review when you are about two choose between these two beautiful Portuguese cities.

Lisbon or Porto? 10 things to keep in mind before you choose!

Tokaj, Hungary 🇭🇺

Tokaj is a historical town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary. It is the centre of the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine district where Tokaji wine is produced. It is one of the seven larger wine regions of Hungary (Hungarian: Tokaji borrégió). Hegyalja means “foothills” in Hungarian, and this was the original name of the region.

The region consists of 28 named villages and 11,149 hectares of classified vineyards, of which an estimated 5,500 are currently planted. Tokaj has been declared a World Heritage Site in 2002 under the name Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape. However, its fame long predated this distinction because it is the origin of Tokaji aszú wine, the world’s oldest botrytized wine.

Discover Tokaj – The home of Tokaji wine production

Dear Traveller, hope you liked the latest newsletter from Besides the Obvious! If you would not like to miss any of our travel stories, destination ideas, vacation plans, holiday inspirations, do not forget to subscribe here!