6 Delightful Destinations For Celebrating A Milestone Birthday

16.05.2024 - 22:49 / forbes.com / Mona Lisa

It’s always a good idea to focus on experiences over material things, especially for a big milestone birthday. Why not cash in your vacation days and revel in gratitude for another trip around the sun by hopping on an airplane, with passport in hand? It doesn’t matter if you go somewhere new or well loved, or if you travel with family and friends or solo.

From vacations that will encourage you to unwind and find joy to urban romps full of culture, good food, and on-foot discoveries to outdoorsy escapes full of wildlife that will help you reconnect with nature, the following delightful destinations are perfect for celebrating a milestone birthday.

Always a good idea, especially for a monumental birthday, Paris is one of those destinations that likely you’ll want to visit again and again to mark significant occasions. Wear your fashionable-yet-comfortable shoes and explore the city on foot, stopping at popular locales: Musée d'Orsay, housed in a former railway station; Louvre Museum, where you’ll see the Mona Lisa and other important works; Arc de Triomphe; Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre; and Shakespeare and Company bookstore. You’ll also want to see the Eiffel Tower, of course, and one of the best way to experience this is while on a private boat ride down the Seine with Green River Cruises. When you’ve built up an appetite, be sure to dine at Le Train Bleu, a magical restaurant, with a stunning 1900’s gilded interior, in Gare de Lyon.

Where to Stay: Near the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Maison Colbert, part of the Melia Collection, is perfectly located in the Latin Quarter. Accommodations and public spaces are full of art and elegant décor and you’ll love the little café in the front of the hotel.

If you’ve ever wanted to see polar bears in the wild, wandering the ice toward the horizon, then join an expedition tour in Churchill, Canada with Natural Habitat Adventures. You’ll board a Polar Rover, a vehicle with massive tires and an outdoor viewing platform, which will keep you and the bears safe as you explore the tundra. Is it cold? When you step outside: yes, of course! You’ll be in the far reaches of north America, along the Hudson Bay, in the arctic. This is an adventure!

Where to Stay: Natural Habitat Adventures will take care of all the logistics, including booking your stay at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg and local accommodations in Churchill; a dog sledding adventure; cold-weather gear; and internal charter flights to and from Churchill.

With plenty of restaurants, cocktail bars and pubs, world-class museums, and Lake Michigan and Chicago River water activities, Chicago is an awesome destination for celebrating a milestone birthday. Begin at Navy Pier, a top hot spot, and see the city’s