Where to travel in June?

Paraty is the southernmost municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, on the Costa Verde. This is a stop not to be missed if you are traveling by car from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro as I have had the opportunity to do. Founded in the first half of the 16th century, it was previously the main port in the area, used for the landing of Portuguese ships.

Start your visit of Paraty with its well-preserved historic center. You will discover its characteristic Portuguese colonial architecture, with also influences from Africa (moucharabiehs windows) or Asia (raised roofs). Among the things to do, stroll the cobbled streets to admire the many craft shops. Join Piazza Santa Rita and visit the church of the same name (Igreja de Santa Rita) dating from 1722, you can visit the museum of sacred art to learn more about this national colonial heritage of Brazil. Visit the market, the old prison, the cultural center and the churches of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios and Nossa Senhora do Rosario for example. Don’t be surprised by the water in some streets, it comes from the tide.

There are also beautiful beaches with lush nature around Paraty where you will surely find a little more tranquility. Relax at Praia do Pontal beach in the town of Paraty or discover other beautiful beaches a bit further away like the one of Praia do Sono.

Porto is a coastal city located in the northwest of Portugal. It is a welcoming city, full of charm and tourist attractions. Porto is of course known for its imposing Dom-Luís Bridge, built in 1886, which crosses the Douro River, but it has many other points of interest. We can cite the medieval district of Ribeira, with its maze of cobbled streets in steep climb, low houses with colorful facades, squares lined with trees and flowered balconies. On the other side of the river, in Vila Nova de Gaia, you can discover excellent wineries and taste the wine that makes the reputation of the city.

You should also discover religious buildings such as the 12th century Porto Cathedral, the São Francisco church remarkable in particular for its 18th century baroque decoration or The Saint Ildefonso Church and its superb facade covered with blue earthenware tiles (azulejo).

Even if you are not particularly a fan of reading, I advise you to go to the famous Lello & Irmão bookstore which is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. Finally, climb to the top of the Clerigos Tower, from a height of 76 meters, you will have another nice view of the city, the cathedral and the Douro river.

Singapore is an island city-state in the south of Malaysia. This rich little territory, economically important in international finance, has many other interesting attractions for its visitors. Singapore has a multicultural population and is made up of neighborhoods, each with their own identity. Chinatown for example which dates from the 1820s, with its superb Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in particular. There is also Little India with its richly decorated shops of all colors, and its Sri Veeramakaliamman temple, or Arab Street with its fabric shops and its beautiful Masjid Sultan mosque.

Don’t miss the Marina Bay area with some of the most important landmarks of the city. You will discover the Marina Bay Sands hotel and its swimming pool suspended 200 meters high, but also the superb Gardens of the Bay which are just behind the hotel. It is in this area that you will seer the famous statue of Merlion.

If you love shopping, Singapore also has many large malls, including on Orchard Road, as well as luxury boutiques at Kampong Glam. Finally, for family fun, you also have many options with, among others, Sentosa Island and its welcoming beach, Universal Studios, the zoo and the very exotic botanical garden of Singapore.

Between its gastronomy, its history, its fashion and its lively nights, Paris, the capital of France, offers a very large choice of visits and activities. This magnificent city has more than 150 museums, with e the Louvre, Orsay or Quai Branly to name a few.

Paris is itself an open-air museum with its monumental works, the most famous of which are of course the Eiffel Tower, 324 meters high, the Triumph arc located on the Charles De Gaulle place, at the end of the “Champs Élysées” avenue. At the other eastern end of this avenue, considered one of the most beautiful in the world, you will find the Concorde place with its superb fountains, obelisk and the magnificent Tuileries Garden. Also, do not miss to see Notre-Dame cathedral, as well as to stroll in the district of Montmartre, “city within the city”, with its superb basilica which offers one of the most beautiful panoramic views of Paris.

For fashion and shopping, we can list Avenue Montaigne and its luxury boutiques, Boulevard Haussmann and its department stores such as Galleries Lafayette. There are also the designer boutiques of “Châtelet les Halles” or of the gay district “Marais” and finally the Clignancourt flea market, where I used to buy my sneakers and my leather jackets when I was younger 😅. Finally, in terms of gastronomy, Paris also offers a wide range of choices between its gourmet restaurants, its bistros, its markets, its crêperies and its bakeries which reflect the culinary heritage of France.

Detroit is the largest city in Michigan, in the Midwest of the United States. Its buildings with refined architecture, earned it the nickname of “Paris of the West”. You will indeed discover superb Art Deco skyscrapers such as the Guardian Building, the Penobscot Building or the Fisher Building. You will find alongside them other more modern towers, such as the imposing One Detroit center. If you like culture, you will not be disappointed with its remarkable museums, starting with the famous Detroit Institute of Arts, including works by painters like Matisse, Rembrandt, Picasso and Van Gogh. You will also discover the famous mural “The Detroit Industry”, created by Diego Rivera. If you’re a fan of boxing and sculpture, don’t miss the monument dedicated to the boxer Joe Louis called “the Fist” in the city center.

Detroit is also known for music. There are many places to listen to blues, soul and jazz music. Be aware that it was in Detroit that the famous music label Motown Records was born. If you love Soul and Rnb music like me, I strongly advise you to visit Hitsville U.S.A. It was the first headquarter of the Motown record label, and a recording studio where Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, or the Jackson 5 sang.

Finally, for entertainment, you will have numerous choices between Comerica Park, home of the Tigers baseball team, the magnificent Fox Theater, the Detroit Zoo and its sumptuous aquarium. For dining or a stroll, go to Greektown area where you will find many Greek restaurants, modern bars and a casino. One last favorite to share with you: Heidelberg Project! An open-air museum created in 1986 by Tyree Guyton.

Vík í Mýrdal or Vík is a small town located on the south coast of Iceland. The city has only a few hundred inhabitants but welcomes many tourists passing through to visit the magnificent natural attractions of southern Iceland.

Near Vik, you can discover the impressive black sand beach of Reynisfjara with its superb basalt columns and its 3 stacks located in the ocean called Reynisdrangar. Not far from there by the sea too, do not hesitate to climb to the top of the Dyrhólaey peninsula, you will enjoy a superb view from its height of 120 meters and you will be able to observe in summer the famous small birds typical of Iceland: puffins.

A little further, do not miss to see 2 breathtaking waterfalls: the imposing Skógafoss and the surprising Seljalandsfoss. Finally, for a tourist visit far from what we usually see, go to the site of the plane that crashed without causing any casualties in 1973 on the beach of Sólheimasandur. You will discover more about this amazing country in my Iceland travel guide.

Prizren is a town in the south of Kosovo, about sixty kilometers from the capital Pristina. It is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Kosovo, according to its inhabitants, and I confirm that this city really has a lot of charms and interests.

Among the tourist attractions to be visited, one can quote the old stone bridge built in the 15th century and the sympathetic central square Shadervan with its bars and restaurants.
Do not miss the Saint George Orthodox Cathedral, the Sinan Pasha Mosque rich in colors, arabesques and designs, as well as the superb Serbian Orthodox Church of the Virgin of Leviša with its refined frescoes.

Finally, for a 360 ° panoramic view of the city and its surroundings, you have to climb to the top of the Prizren fortress. The climb can be considered rough for non-athletic people, but you really won’t be disappointed to have made this effort. In addition to the view of the orange tiled roofs and the surrounding mountains, you will discover a medieval citadel which was the military base of the King of Serbia, the Serbian emperor and even the Romans in the 14th century.