The Most BEAUTIFUL Places on Earth

From natural wonders and jaw-dropping vistas to man-made masterpieces, our planet abounds with beautiful travel destinations. Here are a few of our favorites.

 

HALONG BAY, VIETNAM

For the ultimate in serenity, you can’t beat a morning on Halong Bay. Distant sounds of fishing boats gently pull you awake in the well-appointed cabin of a tradi¬tional junk. On deck, you watch the lazy choreography of fishing boats parting the emerald green water against a backdrop of dramatic limestone spires. The sun climbs. The junk creaks gently. Your mug of coffee steams. And it is absolute¬ly amazing to witness this world coming to life. classicjourneys.com/vietnam

 

THE KINGDOM OF BHUTAN

This tiny South Asian nation is the only country in the world to officially measure its development in Gross National Happiness. It’s easy to see why Bhutan’s citizens are among the happiest on Earth, living in the Himalayan highlands in a land carved by clear, swift-flowing mountain streams and dotted with Buddhist temples. Visit the Tiger’s Nest monastery, perched on a cliff high above a verdant valley, and you’ll be smiling in awe, too. classicjourneys.com/bhutan

 

COSTA RICA’S MANUEL ANTONIO PARK

Every single reason you love about Costa Rica is distilled into a single view in Manuel Antonio Park, arguably the most diverse park on the planet. Your resort is more like a fantastic tree house than an earthbound hotel. Monkeys and a symphony of birds serenade breakfast. Down below, you can see the endless ranks of Pacific waves curving up the crescent beach. And if you think it’s paradise by day, just wait until the flair of a tropical sunset. classicjourneys.com/costarica

 

FEELING INSPIRED? CLASSIC JOURNEYS VISITS THESE AND MANY MORE OF THE WORLD’S MOST UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL  TRAVEL DESTINATIONS DURING OUR 5- TO 12-DAY CULTURAL WALKING ADVENTURES AND FAMILY JOURNEYS.

THE SCULPTED SANDSTONE OF ZION NATIONAL PARK

If wind and water are nature’s most inventive sculptors, then Zion Na¬tional Park is a gallery of their wild¬est works. Look up from the bottom of a narrow slot canyon no wider than your arm span. Scratch your head over how the soaring hoodoos and delicate arches are even possible. Oh, and just watch how the color of the sandstone morphs through a thousand tints of red and orange. classicjourneys.com/grandcanyon

 

CRETE AND SANTORINI, GREECE

Sapphire. Turquoise. Lapis lazuli. Ultramarine. Azure. You quickly use up your whole list of adjectives for blue in the Greek isles. And there simply isn’t an ade-quate word for how a whiter-than-snow village looks, teetering on the edge of a volcanic caldera against an endless, cloudless sky. You have to wonder how the local olive pickers and bakers can stop gaping long enough to go about everyday life. Prepare to learn what it means to be dazzled to your very core. classicjourneys.com/greece

 

EXIT GLACIER ON ALASKA’S KENAI PENINSULA

Just a few miles outside of Seward, landlocked Exit Glacier both overwhelms and inspires visitors with its awesome size and beauty. An easy trail leads to the face of this slow moving sea of ice, where you can walk along the 3-mile-long and observe its fractured face as torrents of melted ice crackle and stream 2,500 feet down out of the Harding Ice field. Continue up glacier-scoured rock from the moraine to a beautiful vista of the glacier, waterfall and ice fields. It’s a quintessential Alaskan view. classicjourneys.com/alaska

 

MOROCCO’S MIDDLE ATLAS MOUNTAINS

Many people think of the Saharan Desert when they think of Morocco, but this diverse landscape is much more than sand and sky. Drive an hour or two outside of Fès, for instance, and suddenly you’re immersed in fragrant cedar forests that line the foothills of the Atlas Mountain. Venture future into the High Atlas and the scenery shifts to tall peaks, deep gorges, and pre-Saharan hills and sand dunes scattered with medieval Kasbahs and clay villages. classicjourneys.com/morocco

 

TUSCANY’S CINQUE TERRE

This string of five picturesque villages, perched on rocky cliffs along the Ligurian Sea, was once only reachable by an ancient footpath that connects the village. Perhaps that’s why they are so perfectly preserved. A coastal train and a ferry run the route now, but walking the path is still the best way to appreciate this timeless experience. Begin in Rio Maggiore, the southernmost of the five coastal villages, and follow the Via dell’Amore walking trail through olive groves along cliffs overlooking the sea to the five sister villages of Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. classicjourneys.com/tuscany

 

ICELAND’S SNAEFELLSNES PENINSULA

The Snaefellsnes Peninsula is sometimes called “Iceland in miniature” because it contains so many of the country’s finest sights. Lording over it all is the glacier-capped volcano that Jules Verne used as the setting for “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” Take in views of the mammoth glacier with its deep crevasses and startlingly blue estuary and you’ll see why Verne was so inspired. classicjourneys.com/iceland

 

INDIA’S TAJ MAHAL AT SUNSET

Of all the man-made wonders of the world, none inspire as much admiration as the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra, India. Built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tribute and tomb for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, construction began in 1632 and lasted decades uses fine materials imported from all corners of the country. The site is impressive anytime, but visit during sunset, when the sun’s rays paint the brilliant white marble façade in soft tones of ochre and pink, and savor a fleeting moment you won’t soon forget. classicjourneys.com/india

Visit ClassicJourneys.com or call 800-200-3887 for more information.