The respected travel guide, Lonely Planet has presented its top ten European destinations of the year, with capital of North Iceland, Akureyri, coming out in number one spot.
Deciding how much better or worse Akureyri is than, say, the Azores, Leipzig, or the hundreds of great places that are not on the list, is inevitably unscientific and not to be taken too seriously. On the other hand, few organizations know more about rewarding travels to beautiful places around the world than Lonely Planet.
“We asked our team of Europe-based editors and authors to pick a list of 10 destinations looming large in their travel plans right now,” the article states.
Lonely Planet describes Akureyri as an “Easygoing place with more buzz than anywhere outside of Reykjavík.” The majority of the praise, however, goes to the natural surroundings, including the whale-filled bays, the volcanic features and the snow-capped peaks.
The article also points out that fewer people visit the north than the south, which makes Akureyri a good base for those seeking a little more serenity.
Also making the list were Leipzing, Germany; the Azores, Portugal; Málaga, Spain; Belgrade, Serbia; Piedmont, Italy; Baku, Azerbaijan; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Tromsø, Norway; and Porto, Portugal.
