1,000 Perfect Weekends: Great Getaways Around the Globe

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(as of Aug 23, 2023 11:03:43 UTC – Details)

Packed with innovative ideas and inspiring photographs, this gift-worthy treasury features 1,000 dream escapes from sunny beach retreats to lush mountain idylls, exotic city sojourns, and wild adventures around the world.

Whether you’re looking for a way to unplug from the busy work week, take the family on a quick getaway, or add to a vacation itinerary, this practical and inspiring book provides the perfect way to plan your next escape. Spend two days sailing off the coast of the Bahamas. Indulge in a foodie tour of Mexico City’s markets. Camp with wild horses on Assateague Island. Take a drive through Italy’s “Chocolate Valley.” Skate the world’s largest ice rink at Ottawa’s winter festival. Whatever your pleasure, 1,000 Perfect Weekends has a unique itinerary built to excite you and your travel companions, illustrated with dramatic National Geographic photographs. Divided by theme and interest–including nature parks, city escapes, country weekends, mountain retreats, and more–this fun-packed guide offers an adventure you can experience in 36 to 72 hours. Highlighting the best short escapes from hubs across the globe, these trips cover more than 40 countries around the world. You’ll also find 50 snackable top-10 lists–from the best places to go antiquing to the most relaxing spas to the top museums in the world–to add to your bucket list, along with first-person accounts from travelers who have scouted out each location.

From the Publisher

ULTIMATE RETREATS: Find luxury, rest, and relaxation among desert oasis, mountain peaks, and sandy shores.

Shinta Mani Wild is the epitome of remote luxury

Ethereal Entertainment

Blue Lagoon, Iceland

Journey to Iceland’s Blue Lagoon for a truly luxurious weekend. Bathe in the otherworldly geothermal waters and immerse yourself in the steam-filled snowcapped lava rock landscape. Experience the Michelin-recommended Moss restaurant with a seven-course, locally sourced feast. The spa offers private lava rock grottoes and a subterranean earthen steam cave. During late autumn, float in the warm pools beneath the shimmering aurora borealis.

Coastal Hideaway

Ventana Big Sur, California, U.S.

Walk among the redwoods, smell the salty air through the forest while bathing in teak-enclosed showers, see the cascade of McWay Falls rain down onto a secluded beach, and visit the kelp forest playground of harbor seals and sea otters at Point Lobos. Stay in a cozy resort or a camping tent.

The Edge of the World

Fogo Island, Newfoundland, Canada

Wander through a field picking blueberries, look for seals in rocky tide pools, take a guided geology hike, go ice skating on the harbor, watch for caribou herds, and make friends with locals at the edge of the world.

BEACH ESCAPES

The Finest Coastline

Block Island, Rhode Island, U.S.

Quaint Block Island is a microcosm of coastal New England. There are boutique shops, historic inns, two picturesque lighthouses, and a ton of seafood joints. Summer is the best time to visit, with golden sands and swimmable water. Highlights include Fred Benson Town Beach, an amenity-rich subsection of Crescent Beach that faces the Atlantic and is close to town. Then there’s Charleston Beach, a great spot for good fishing and spectacular sunsets. Dig for clams at Andy’s Way on the inland Great Salt Pond. Mohegan Bluffs is undoubtedly the most scenic and secluded spot: the architecturally stunning red-brick Southeast Light towers atop dune grass-covered clay cliffs that back the swimmable beach. Long Island’s Montauk is visible from the overlook on clear days. A car ferry connects Block Island to the commercial fishing town of Point Judith in under an hour.

A Far-Flung Treasure

Hateruma, Taketomi, Japan

This tiny island is a tropical treasure closer to Taiwan than Japan’s larger islands. To reach it, fly directly from Tokyo, Kyoto, and Haneda then take an hour-long ferry. The journey is worth it. White-sand beaches meld into crystal blue waters that stretch in all directions. Rent a bike to make the two-hour circumnavigation of the island, crossing inland fields of sugar cane en route to northerly Nishihama Beach. The calm blue waters of “Nishi” offer some of the country’s best swimming and snorkeling—near-shore coral mounds swarm with colorful reef fish.

Lakeshore Treats

Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.

Just a half-hour drive South of Milwaukee, this half-mile (0.8. km) stretch of lakeshore is one of the top freshwater beaches in the country. It has all the best summer weekend amenities: lifeguards, volleyball courts, a snack bar, picnic areas, a large playground, and regular live music. In the broader town and county of Racine, there’s a charming downtown thoroughfare, a quirky fine art museum, inland lakes, a canoe-able river filled with trout, lakeside butterfly gardens with a native plant nature trail, bike paths, a bakery that makes 36 flavors of Danish Kringle pastries, and eight publicly accessible gold courses. Don’t miss a visit to Wingspread, the largest of Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairies-style homes.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ National Geographic (October 19, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 704 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1426221452
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1426221453
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 2.08 x 9.53 inches