Offering natural beauty, fascinating culture, and stunning architecture, world-famous destinations are popular for a reason. And while the major attractions do hold immense travel value, the thoughtful traveler can gain just as many rewards (and often, more value) by seeking out alternate locales.
Perhaps you’ve hit the highlights and want to chase similar experiences in other parts of the globe. Maybe you’re simply looking to expand your horizons beyond the top-billed locations. Whatever the reason, read on to explore these five doppelgänger destinations that offer all the benefits of their more popular travel twins.
Amalfi Coast, Italy | Turquoise Coast, Türkiye
On both Portrait of Italy and Southern Italy & Sicily, our small group spends time along Italy’s breathtaking Amalfi Coast. One of the world’s great meetings of land and sea, this treasured region has been heralded for centuries as an ideal place to relax and allow the pressures of life to slip away.
Travelers searching for that same combination of glittering ocean, gorgeous waterside cliffs, and hidden coastal villages need only to look to the Turquoise Coast in the southwestern corner of Türkiye. On our Legendary Türkiye small group tour, we spend two nights along these shores said to be given by Antony to Cleopatra as a wedding gift. During our time here, we board a private yacht for a cruise, on which we visit several coves and stop to swim amid the crystal-clear waters.
Santorini, Greece | Chefchaouen, Morocco
Prized as one of the most photogenic destinations in global travel, Santorini calls to travelers with whitewashed, blue-topped homes and alleyways spilling down its volcanic slopes, seemingly on the verge of toppling into the Mediterranean. Add in iconic Greek cuisine and endless blue skies, and the recipe for travel magic is complete, as guests on our Ancient Greece with Santorini and Crete tour have discovered for years.
Worldly wanderers will be aware of another hillside city packed with warrens of blue-and-white architecture, and boasting a cuisine and culture just as compelling as its neighbor across the Mediterranean. During the optional extension on our Moroccan Discovery tour, we spend a day visiting Chefchaouen, which offers the same kind of photographic intrigue and around-every-corner sense of discovery that Santorini does, with a decidedly North African flavor.
London, England | Shanghai, China
Massive, cosmopolitan cities. Global centers of finance, technology, culture, art, and commerce. Centuries-long histories full of colonialism, industrialization, upheaval, and rebirth. Life-giving central rivers that have sustained generations.
Many well-traveled Americans have had the chance to visit London, and our Journey through Britain tour offers an opportunity for both guided touring and free time in one of Europe’s great cities. For those interested in venturing farther afield, however, Exploring China concludes with three days in Shanghai, plus another three days available as an optional post-tour extension. Both cities offer endless travel rewards, but only one provides the unique satisfaction of stepping outside your comfort zone and immersing yourself into a truly foreign – and truly fascinating – new destination.
Lake Como, Italy | Bay of Kotor, Montenegro
Simply put, Lake Como sits at the top of many travelers’ wish lists. Set in a mountain valley just a few miles from the Swiss border in Northern Italy, this beloved waterway plays host to locals, visitors, A-list celebrities, and guests on our Majestic Switzerland tour throughout the year.
Move 500 miles southeast, trade freshwater for salt, and leave the traditional Alpine foothills for the sheer cliffs of the Dinaric Alps, and you’ll find Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor. On the optional post-tour extension to our Pearls of Dalmatia tour, guests spend three nights exploring the bayside cities of Tivat and Cavtat, plus the culture and waters of this dramatic and overlooked destination along the southern Adriatic. With all the beauty and culture of Lake Como, and a fraction of the crowds, the Bay of Kotor ranks as a perfect spot for the traveler looking for new adventures.
Geirangerfjord, Norway | Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
Norway’s fjords enjoy world renown for their depth, drama, and photogenic majesty. And on our Norwegian Splendor small group tour, we spend ample time appreciating the country’s western fjords, including its most spectacular: Geirangerfjord (above).
But Norway doesn’t own a monopoly on fjords – and American travelers don’t even need a passport to take in similar breathtaking vistas. During our Alaska’s Untamed Wilderness small group tour, we spend a day exploring Kenai Fjords National Park, whose more than half-million acres of peninsulas, bays, coves, and glaciers are broken up by fjords just as magnificent as anything seen in Scandinavia.
During our glacier and wildlife cruise here, we get up close to one of Kenai’s many glaciers and keep an eye out for some of the park’s diverse array of mammals and marine life, including bears, mountain goats, moose, otters, porpoises, sea lions, harbor seals, and whales.
Whether you’ve seen the highlights and are ready to expand your footprint, or want to delve beyond the more traditional journeys, your next small group adventure awaits. Explore our full list of tour offerings here, and give us a call or submit an online reservation request for any of the tours detailed above. We can’t wait to introduce you to these doppelgänger destinations.
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