Canberra makes surprise entry into Lonely Planet top cities for 2018

AUSTRALIA’s capital city Canberra has raised eyebrows by being named as one of the best cities in the world to travel.

Lonely Planet says that Canberra “packs a big punch for such a small city”, gushing that “national treasures” can be found everywhere along with “gastronomic delights”, boutique shopping and “cultural must-dos”.

The city of 400,000 is home to the Australian parliament, national institutions like libraries and museums, as well as the bulk of its federal public service.

Along with cricket and the Australian War Memorial, “Canberra is establishing a permanent Reconciliation Day into the state’s holiday calendar from 2018 onwards, to symbolise commitment to tolerance between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians,” reads the Lonely Planet listing.

Other cities named in the list were Hamburg, German; Taiwan’s Kaohsiung; Antwerp, Belgium and Guanajuato, Mexico.

Known among many Australians as notoriously boring, many non-Canberrans mocked the inclusion of the nation’s capital in Lonely Planet’s list.

I agree with Lonely Planet. Canberra is an incredible place to visit. Nowhere else do you get the joy of finally leaving Canberra.

— Colley (@JamColley) October 24, 2017

Some Canberra locals got defensive of their hometown, however.

if u wanna know why people think canberra sucks ass, look no further than canberrans’ replies to anyone saying canberra sucks ass

— lucy hellentine (@LucyXIV) October 25, 2017

Lonely Planet recently surprised many by including Kuala Lumpur’s Damansara Heights neighbourhood among its ten “coolest” neighbourhoods in the world alongside areas of London and New York.

The post Canberra makes surprise entry into Lonely Planet top cities for 2018 appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.

Source: travelwireasia.com