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Venice Tips & articles

Sep 25, 2010 7:20:08 AM

The 6 best cities to get lost in

  • Rose Mulready
  • Lonely Planet Author

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Put your map away and spin round three times – it’s time to get lost. Going off the radar in a strange city can be the perfect way to uncover its secrets, get a feel for the layout and meet the locals.

Of course, there’s good lost and bad lost. It’s best done on purpose, with plenty of time to spare and a sound way to get found again.

Some cities just seem to lend themselves to this kind of off-the-chart adventure. Here are six of our favourites – and six ways to make it home again.

Venice

This has got to be the ultimate head-spinner of a city. First it comes at you with an endless recession of identical canals and bridges, then it veers off at odd angles and into blind corners, and all the time it’s boggling your senses with its impossible film-set beauty. No fair, Venice! Getting lost here pays  – the tramp of a thousand tourists yields to tranquil sunlit courtyards and the sound of pigeons’ wings.

Get found: Look out for the signs and arrows scrawled on the walls: you can follow them to hubs like the Rialto and L’Accademia.

Varanasi

You could throw yourself into Varanasi’s dark maze of streets a hundred times over and still come out at a different point. Discover temples, sweet shops and silk bargains in its back alleys.

Get found: Countless bicycle rickshaw drivers will be only too happy to take you home – for a price that’s in range of just about every budget.

London

Most visitors to London have a fractured, point-to-point experience of the city, popping up from tube stations to visit the sights then diving underground again. It’s efficient, but where’s the romance? Try a wander and you’ll be rewarded by grand squares, secluded churchyards and one-off boutiques.

Get found: Just look for the distinctive London Underground sign. Bingo, you’re back on the map!

Tokyo

The bewildering pace and flickering neon of this go-go city guarantee a bit of giddiness. Abandon yourself to the disorientation and you might just get off-road enough to find the wabi-sabi side of Tokyo.

Get found: Like London, Tokyo has an excellent public transport system. If it all gets too much, jump a train back to home base.

Istanbul

There are (at least) two great things about getting out of the tourist centre in Istanbul. One – the hotels and hard-sell rug merchants fall away, replaced by local tea shops, parks and houses. Two – the city’s rollercoaster hills reward you with Bosphorus views and toned-up legs. Get lost every day and see your fitness soar!

Get found: If you want to get back to the tourist area, stop for a glass of tea and ask the way to Sultanahmet. Soothe your tired muscles in one of the city’s spectacular bath houses.

Canberra

With its systems of circular roads, Australia’s capital city regularly traps its visitors in a hamster-wheel spiral of confusion. But there’s better ways to get lost here. Head out of the city centre – yes, into the bush. Keep going. There! See those suburbs? That’s where the life of the city is going on – including some of its best eating.

Get found: Hooray for GPS! Or go with the traditional Aussie method and ask for directions at a servo (service station).

The travellers on the Thorn Tree forum are naming and shaming the most confusingly laid-out cities in the world. Which one spins your compass?

The_Travel_Book_LargeSee every country in the world with The Travel Book

Comments

  1. 28 September 2010 3:39PM petesbrew Report this comment

    Canberra as the 6th BEST? Surely it should be at the WORST list. Sorry LP, but Canberra is a slow death.

  2. 28 September 2010 4:53PM bishansamaddar Report this comment

    I'd love to see Fez (Morocco) in the list. Similar to Varanasi and Istanbul, I guess. But certainly deserves a mention.

  3. 28 September 2010 5:07PM mago Report this comment

    Canberra...haha - good one Rose. That is one of the funniest trolls I've seen in a while. Hope you're ready to cop the flak.

    I have enjoyed getting lost in: Dhaka, Bangkok and Rome.

  4. 28 September 2010 5:39PM coolstuffkorea Report this comment

    How about Seoul for a change instead of Tokyo? It's cheaper for a start, ever-changing, and for years now Japanese tourists have been heading to Seoul to experience the energy of Korea.

  5. 28 September 2010 6:30PM ismaben Report this comment

    Canberra??Have you been taking something to choose this city??? hahaha I agree with petesbrew...Canb should be in the worst list!!

  6. 28 September 2010 7:31PM rayc101 Report this comment

    Ha Canberra..just sucks the life outa ya, and should be condemned. Its city scape architecture, particularly in London Circut near the lake has some of the worst neo-bad taste crap I have ever seen. Hong Kong slums are better designed.

    Cheers Bush

  7. 28 September 2010 7:53PM goes Report this comment

    I have been "Lost' in Amsterdam and could not have been happier. The canals, alleyways and friendly people make it my favourite city. I would dearly love to have a houseboat on a canal for the spring and summer. As for the coffee shops,well I hope that they never close them as it makes for a blissful afternoon having lunch or a supper in some of my favourites. The rest of the world could take a look at how people can enjoy themselves and not be bothered with petty attitudes encountered when it comes to marijuana. Oh to be lost right now in Amsterdam.

  8. 28 September 2010 7:58PM galvinverghese Report this comment

    Yes i agree with the view of Mr. goes. i lost everything in the Canberra. Actaully i plan to go for Gold coast theme park. It is in Australia But some thing i lost at the time. But one of my suggest me the name of the site if u r new commer to visit the Gold coast theme Park Please visit: http://www.enjoythemeparks.com/gold_coast_theme_park.php

    It Provides good basic information.

  9. 28 September 2010 9:33PM bzenny Report this comment

    How about getting "lost" in the Old City in Damascus? Or Aleppo?

  10. 28 September 2010 10:26PM tropical_traveler Report this comment

    What about Fes in Morrocco? Never got lost in a better place than that!

  11. 28 September 2010 10:41PM veravv Report this comment

    I lost in Colmar, France.

  12. 28 September 2010 10:58PM lueiro Report this comment

    What a selection. Guanajuato for start, you don't need to force yourself into get lost. You'll be once you arrive, and is fantastic and frenetic. Amsterdam for sure, Barcelona is a must to get lost. This, indeed is my way of knowing the cities, I walk away the central square keeping an eye into some "beacon" to get back.

  13. 28 September 2010 11:23PM monocita Report this comment

    And what about Jerusalem's old city? Nightmare to find your way, but the streets behind every corner are jewels.

  14. 28 September 2010 11:32PM ian_in_dc Report this comment

    Are you kidding on Canberra?!?! It must be a sad joke. You neglected Cartegena, Khiva, Stonetown, or even Barcelona for a patently boring, mundane, uninspiring and nondescript city like Canberra?

  15. 28 September 2010 11:54PM henrysmart Report this comment

    This is my TOP 10 (maybe not in this order): San Gil (COL), Fez (MOR), Luang Prabang (LAO), Ushuaia (ARG), Creel (MEX), Granada (NIC), Cochabamba (BOL), Aleppo (SIR), Dahab (EGY), Manaus (BRA)

  16. 29 September 2010 12:28AM markfranh Report this comment

    Canberra? Are you out of your mind(s)? My wife and I spent a week there once about 6 years ago and absolutely loved the place. But it was a place you made a list of things to do in the morning, drove there, explored the museum, area, whatever, and then went home in the evening. It was NOT a place to wander around and get lost in.

    Rome, Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, and on and on and on before you'd find Canberra down somewhere at number 136 on my own list of places to get lost in.

    whatever were you thinking?

  17. 29 September 2010 12:30AM padob Report this comment

    The old city of Damascus should be on the list, without a doubt!!

  18. 29 September 2010 1:04AM filthypuppydog Report this comment

    Canberra is one of the easiest places to get lost in... but if you're lucky, you'll accidentally take the road out. To anywhere (except Yass).

    Try Rome, Barcelona, the old town of Dubrovnik, Hanoi, Udaipur, Shanghai, Luang Prabang, Kathmandu. Almost anywhere other than Canberra.

  19. 29 September 2010 1:13AM petrajw Report this comment

    I tend to get lost in every city I visit. On purpose, mind you. There's nothing I love more than walking out the door, deciding on a direction and just exploring for the entire day. And I have to agree...Canberra is easy to get lost in, probably due to the architect's evil plan to keep you trapped inside its roundabouts for all of eternity.

  20. 29 September 2010 1:45AM esnoubor Report this comment

    bishansamaddar: Fés! I agree...

  21. 29 September 2010 2:23AM ejlorge Report this comment

    LONDON??! Are you kidding? That's like saying Los Angeles is a great place to get lost in.

    By the way, where is Paris?

  22. 29 September 2010 2:50AM angelamparkes Report this comment

    Yes, Fez is a good one. The best way to get really lost is to follow the signs which have been erected on various walls and in various corners inawell-meaning attempt to be 'helpful' to tourists. However, when you have had enough of being 'lost' remember that the souk is on a hill so just keep going down, or alternatively, up, and eventually you come to a 'bab'.

    I just had to accept the challenge of our tour guide who strongly advised against going it alone!

    angelamparkes

  23. 29 September 2010 5:12AM cnt268 Report this comment

    Actually , Toledo ( Spain ) is the biggest maze city ! I'm so succesful to find my way without a map or like this equipment . If you go to Toledo , dont forget to get in Zoco train . This will help you for sightseeing this chaotic city so maps and books are not enough to find your way ! Also Fez too :)

  24. 29 September 2010 6:19AM pen4hire Report this comment

    Funny you should ask. I just was in Bruges, Belgium last week. Went a few blocks from the hotel to pick up a pizza for my husband. Very easy to get there. Coming back I missed the turn and wandered for over an hour--the pizza was cold, but I saw a lot of the beautiful city. Laid out in circles, and I thought maybe I could follow a canal, but they are not regular enough. People I asked gave me four distinctly different answers, until I stopped in a chocolate shop that was just closing, and the owner whipped out a map and clearly showed me where I was--about two blocks from where I started.

  25. 29 September 2010 7:15AM trekkergirrl Report this comment

    Wait - where's Budapest and Prague on the list (Canberra...really?) And what about Essaouira? Leave Marrakech behind and go walk, see and breathe in this small gem.

  26. 29 September 2010 7:36AM kharimata Report this comment

    Bruges for sure! it's just beautifull everywhere, so please try to get lost in it and try on every different season! or havana, amsterdam, hutongs in beijing... or Alfama (old quarter in Lisbon; you will enjoy getting lost in this labyrinth and allways you will have a nice view on the Tejo river popping out somewhere!

  27. 29 September 2010 7:59AM kristinaket Report this comment

    Guanajuato, GTO!

  28. 29 September 2010 8:21AM rhythmbug Report this comment

    London is best done with local knowledge and SOME sense of direction, it's full of hidden gems that the average tourist is unlikely to stumble across by accident. I don't agree with the comparison to LA though, hello amazing public transport and cycle hire? The El Albaicin in Granada is impossible NOT to get lost! And packed full of charm.

  29. 29 September 2010 8:39AM bemotobogor Report this comment

    My faves? Bangkok...it's an amazing place..the scale, and labyrinthine neighbourhoods. one of the most organic cities, wonderful to wander and get lost... Same with Hanoi. vibrant, chaotic and intoxicating and the great thing is wandering around you wont see any tourists for days. The old lanes and alleys of Old Corfu town are beautiful, as is the baroque centre of Lecce. Rome too. Even Bucharest. and the old neighbourhoods just west of Vienna.

  30. 29 September 2010 9:33AM comatty Report this comment

    Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto!

  31. 29 September 2010 12:45PM marisse_redblossom Report this comment

    This list is boring and unbelievable.

    But if you really get lost, it's only good if the people around are not creepy, like the Shanghai people, worst people I've seen so far!

  32. 29 September 2010 5:42PM jwmurphy Report this comment

    Definitely agree with coolstuffkorea that Seoul is definitely a great place to be "lost." Tokyo is great, but Seoul is really awesome. Have to say that Antalya, Turkey (old city part) should definitely be considered. The streets are confusing as heck, but the architecture and feel is awesome, with beautiful views of the harbour.

  33. 29 September 2010 11:14PM cphconnection Report this comment

    Copenhagen, Denmark is a fantastic city. But don't get lost, be guided to finding the best local places! See you in Cph :-)

  34. 30 September 2010 12:25AM bishansamaddar Report this comment

    @angelamparkes: i totally agree about that in Fez. the signs are really crazy. i kept going round and round (it was wonderful), but i think i got lost way too many times in the three days i was there. Varanasi has the same effect. even after 6 times there, i get lost in the lanes. and my sense of direction isn't that bad. but yes, it's almost always pleasurable! :)

  35. 30 September 2010 12:50AM ansh_jain_97 Report this comment

    Heck, how about Paris for instance?

  36. 30 September 2010 1:37AM sihi Report this comment

    I would like to see Krakow in the list. I dont believe that London is better then Krakow! Nothing special!

  37. 30 September 2010 9:44AM koosh Report this comment

    and by Canberra you meant Melbourne right? Loved getting lost in Melbourne, with all the little cafe lined alleyways, you never know what's around the corner. Tokyo? It's easy to get lost cause 90% of the time, you ARE lost! I agree that Kyoto is better..and Bangkok is fun too and it beats the hell out of those cheap tuk tuk "day tours" that always take you to the tailors and jewelery shops.

  38. 30 September 2010 1:05PM ladysparrow Report this comment

    I will be honest and say I just got back from India and was at Varanasi for 3 days of the trip. I'm hesitant to say it was a good experience. The city is quite polluted, and walking in the more condensed areas of it is more harrowing than exciting. Even being led by a tour guide didn't lessen the overall effects of the unease I felt.

    I do agree that the silks were exquisite, but don't trust the shops on the streets- they don't usually sell real silk.

  39. 3 October 2010 8:16PM urchin1987 Report this comment

    Fez! Just got back last week, managed to get seriously lost several times in the medina, once for over three hours....

  40. 4 October 2010 3:36PM rlissner Report this comment

    Canberra beat out every single city on the American continent? Canberra is possibly on par with Pakenham Upper in terms of excitement.

  41. 4 October 2010 10:31PM leahmaria Report this comment

    Canberra? Seriously? Canberra is dull as a butterknife. It's pretty, and it has several interesting attractions (Parliament House, the War Memorial, Questacon, the national Mint, etc) but outside of those specific attractions there's really no reason to simply wonder around Canberra. I'll repeat that it's a pretty city, but definitely doesn't rate on a global list of interesting cities to get lost in. There are far more interesting places in Australia to "get lost". If you insist on putting an Australian city on such a list (and as an Australian I am dubious any Australian cities would make the top 10), I would probably suggest Melbourne. And no, I'm not from Victoria.

    I would much rather see Rome or Paris up there, and I've been to neither of them!

  42. 3 December 2010 11:56PM youstylish Report this comment

    Love all the suggested places, though I need to share with you all our love and admiration to Barcelona!!! This is for us one of the best cities where to get lost! Cosmopolitan, cultural, fun, friendly, family,... it has it all!

  43. 4 December 2010 12:17AM ansh_jain_97 Report this comment

    what about Paris? I found it amazing to get lost there...

  44. 4 December 2010 12:43AM liciafe Report this comment

    yeah what about Paris, <3FLORENCE (actually almost all of those middleage italien cities<3, Tripoli (Lybia), Berlin, Barcelona, Amsterdam. Istanbul? i totally agree. uuuhhh getting itchy feet...

  45. 4 December 2010 1:21AM bkester Report this comment

    the idea of these lists is interesting, but the way lp actually fills them out, makes one wonder sometimes....

    anyway, here are some more suggestions: - old delhi instead of varanasi; - san'a, yemen; - buenos aires, argentina; - prague, czech republic/budapest, hungary; - cairo, egypt; - chicago / new york, usa; - madrid, spain; - stockholm, sweden; - bukhara, uzbekistan

  46. 4 December 2010 1:53AM colourofitall Report this comment

    varanasi is one of my favourite cities in the world, but i'd definitely be cautious when getting lost there. it's large and easy to get lost in, absolutely, but it can also be overwhelming - the number of people is astronomical and the poverty is extreme. i'd say this is something you'd see anywhere in india, though.

    anyway, i second a vote for krakow, prague. i found munich easy to get around, although it's not by any stretch one of m favourite cities.

  47. 4 December 2010 3:20AM stevep Report this comment

    Sanaa

  48. 4 December 2010 5:42AM legs_and_shoes Report this comment

    Hmmmm...getting lost in Siem Reap, Cambodia? Visit the Angkor Wat complex??? or the Angkor Thom and there is also Bantaey Srei and don't forget Beng Melea. Might as well go to Koh Ker. So many sites all in one huge place...bring in good pair of legs and shoes but don't get too lost, beware of the land mines =)

    Istanbul is nice place too and got lost going to the Aqueduct via Suleyman Mosque coming off from the Grand Bazaar (I didn't took the tram and went the off the main street).Stay sharp for the swindlers and the cab drivers and the nice promises of restos in Sultanhamet...you may have just lost your mind in the process?...don't let it spoil the fun

    Ho Chi Minh City...too bland, nothing much but very nice people...better to go north

    With Dubai...fancy tall buildings, magnificent engineering feats but that just it. The best it can offer, diversity of people from around the globe. Worked there for more than a year, lots of sand.

    Next on my Nepal or Kyoto...start saving money

  49. 4 December 2010 6:25AM sb_london Report this comment

    Fez is certainly my favourite city to get lost in.

    And London? It's not that bad.

  50. 4 December 2010 6:32AM stevecole1 Report this comment

    Canberra is the worst capital city in the world!!! or in most top 10s of that category . London isnt all that and worth getting lost in youlll likely end up in soho lol. Best cities I have been to get lost in is Hong Kong , Melbourne and Sydney.

  51. 4 December 2010 6:01PM ancaa Report this comment

    I hate getting lost - however, wandering around (a way of getting lost on purpose) has a definite charm in cities like London, Rome, Barcelona or Istambul. You can discover a certain flavour of the town that you miss if you only go to very precise touristic places. I liked Venice enourmously and turning around on narrow streets and crossing channels is absolutely great but it can frustrating at times. Anyway I always carry a good map of the city with me so that I may return to "civilisation" when I need to.

  52. 5 December 2010 9:13AM kmtf Report this comment

    Can't understand how you could get lost in such a small place as Ushuaia, or even Bukhara - not exactly large enough to get yourself lost. Prague, Istanbul, London, definitely, the castle in Jaisalmer, Moscow and Hong Kong, the Island, not Kowloon.

  53. 15 December 2010 6:30AM thomaswamsteker Report this comment

    How could you EVER get lost in such a small city as Amsterdam is?

  54. 8 March 2011 8:26PM playba Report this comment

    well, certainly the list could go much longer than that with a bunch of beautiful places, all equally exciting to get lost in. My favourites would be:

    sanaa, yemen granada, spain venice, italy prague, czech republic istanbul, turkey downtown manhattan, new york, u.s antigua, guatemala bangkok, thailand

  55. 23 June 2011 1:08PM applecrisp Report this comment

    Tokyo and varanasi..awesome! Id also add beijing and maybe somewhere in mexico.

  56. 23 June 2011 10:28PM bakka Report this comment

    Lost in Canberra? I'd sooner suicide.

  57. 24 June 2011 2:54AM bikebloke Report this comment

    Fez would have been fun if it wasn't for a persistent hustler dogging my every step, yapping all the way. He wouldn't take a polite "no thanks" or eventually a harsh "fuck off". Finally, I wandered off out of his territory and I left with him calling me names.

    Istanbul is a fun walkabout. New Delhi around the station is a good wander. Jerusalem, too.

    I'm adding Canberra to my bucket list. ;)

  58. 24 June 2011 5:35AM ask_g Report this comment

    Where is Damascus? Sure the old city should be somewhere on this list too... At least if you'd made a top 10 :D

  59. 24 June 2011 5:11PM justin23 Report this comment

    Its all too easy to dis Canberra. Read the actual comments. The point is in the suburbs is where some of the best restaurants are and Canberra has fantastic restaurants. Very few cities in the world of its population can match it for what it has to offer. The closest I've found so far has been Ljubljana.

    Anyway its not so much as getting lost but exploring outside the main parts of town or off the beaten path, which is what the term "getting lost" really means.

    All these wonderful cities suggested miss the point. They are visited for other reasons and while not visiting the highlights of say Prague and getting lost there is fun and nice, its not that great when the best bits of prague keep drawing you back.

    Sydney is the same, the best bits of Sydney are where everyone goes to anyway.

  60. 25 June 2011 12:55AM bassalegboy Report this comment

    The Old Quarter in Hanoi. You have not been to the Old Quarter until you have taken at least 20 wrong turns

  61. 25 June 2011 1:40PM fugazi2 Report this comment

    No contest. Sanaa

  62. 27 June 2011 6:37AM sunderlandman Report this comment

    canberra oh dear

    australia bias in this list

  63. 28 June 2011 2:52AM neonblur Report this comment

    I can walk for days in Mexico City, particularly the historic city center. The contrast between ancient and modern is fabulous.

  64. 28 June 2011 12:39PM denataylor Report this comment

    I have a long list of cities to explore but I have been lost in London and it wasn't at all fun. I second the Paris contributors and would like to throw in Dublin and Vancouver, B.C.

  65. 28 June 2011 1:30PM mostinterestingman Report this comment

    Just don't understand the responses here. Anyone who thinks getting lost in a city in Syria is making a death wish, which is true of Mexico City also. The pristine wandering spiderwebs of Middle Ages cities like Prague and Tallinn are safe, beautiful, and magnificent. Sure, many of these cities mentioned are unique, but sure don't want to be lost there.

  66. 29 June 2011 5:36AM elviajero17 Report this comment

    Its all about preference and the intensity of the experience. I believe bangkok and Buenos Aires are definetely 2 of the best cities to get lost. Specially BKK,what a city to get lost.Full of surprises. everytime you go to this city you have different and new experiences. bangkok surely on the top 6

  67. 1 July 2011 8:07AM twoweekstotravel Report this comment

    I second the vote for Amsterdam that someone wrote above, and agree with the author on Venice. I was literally lost there for hours!

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