Kotor: Top Ranked City for 2016 by Lonely Planet!!

From Lonely Planet, their publication just came out and ranked Botswana as the 'it' country, with Transylvania in Romania as their best region and Kotor, Montenegro, as their best city. They noted that if you are looking to stretch your dollar on your vacation, Lonely Planet gave their top recommendations as best for value as: 1. Estonia. 2. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam. 3. East Africa. Lots of very good options for future travel!!

From the NBC Today Show, they summarized this recognition from Lonely Planet: "Kotor, Montenegro, was named the No. 1 one city of 2016 for its tasty food, charming alleyways, and postcard-worthy views. 'With its dramatic landscapes, historic city walls and much-loved, stunning sapphire bay, Kotor deserves to be recognized and we believe it is a must-see for any traveler,. 2016 is the time to see this stunning city — get there while you can still experience its traditional way of life.' "

As noted/linked below, we super loved our time in Kotor, including getting up high, HIGH above this city in such a spectacular setting. Plus, being in and walking around in the charming walled city itself. Below are a couple of my visual samples. Many more with my full posting below.

Full stories at:

http://www.today.com/money/lonely-planets-top-travel-destinations-2016-include-transylvania-kotor-t53016

http://www.latimes.com/travel/california/la-trb-lonely-planet-2016-travel-20151101-story.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/botswana-tops-lonely-planets-list-of-best-places-to-visit-in-2016-a6710751.html

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Wonderful Kotor and nearby Montenegro? Check these postings. Have had over 25,326 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and commented.:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

From going high above Kotor, this is a little of the view of the fjord bay on a spectacularly sunny day. Getting up early to do the sail-in for these dramatic scenery was great fun and interesting. Here’s our bus driver going to up, back and forth, through twenty-seven serpentine twists and turns to rise up the 4000’ high mountain above Kotor as we headed to the old Royal Capital of Cetinje. You can see our cruise ship down below tendered in the scenic harbor.:

Kotor has a population of 13,500 and its city wall was built by the Republic of Venice. The Venetian influence remains predominant in the city's architecture. Second is a view of a portion of those walls and two very different styles of church domes. Kotor was settled during Ancient Roman times and has been fortified since the early Middle Ages. The city was part of the Venetian Republic 1420-1797, except for periods of Ottoman rule between 1538–1571 and 1657-1699. In the 1800’s, it was under the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria and then for time under the French Empire. After 1918, the city became a part of Yugoslavia. In 1979 major earthquake hit the Montenegrin coastal area and destroyed half of Kotor. First is an example of the walled gate as we entered Kotor to see in various historic buildings, many churches and shops. YES, they have lots of shops, whether needed or not!!: