3 Cities to Visit in Retirement

3 Cities to Visit in Retirement

Retirement must be the best years in a person’s life; you can think of it as a vacation for the rest of your life. There are a couple of cities everyone wants to visit in their retirements. But you must consider your needs and its suitability to your spouse while organizing this vacation. If you are planning ahead, we have listed a couple of locations for you to consider for retirement.  

Tuscany, Italy

Green, nature, art, and history... 

The city was built by the Republic of Siena in the 13th Century to protect Florence from enemies. Tuscany is so beautiful that you might consider not returning to your hometown once you discover it. You can see Middle Age remains all around the region. Pisa and Florence are the two most known places in the Tuscany region and they are among the must-see locations in the world. Everyone in the world must visit the important architectural works here, including the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Piazza del Duomo, Duomo di Firenze (Florence Cathedral), the Palazzo Vecchio, and Giotto's Campanile (bell tower). After visiting the best architectural works, we suggest visiting Val d’Orcia in the countryside. As you look at the city from afar, it might look like a piece of artwork and we promise you, it will surround you even more as you discover it. 

Another sight to see in Tuscany is Monteriggioni. It is a commune in the province of Siena. If you have watched and loved Game of Thrones and Assasin’s Creed, you might come across many familiar locations around the city.

Lisbon, Portugal

According to CNN’s and Forbes’ welfare lists, Portugal is one of the best cities to live in during retirement. The city is filled with natural beauties, art works, and friendly people. Each city in Portugal is worth visiting but our special suggestion is that you start with Lisbon. 

For a nice start, you can take the Lisbon tram to Alfama region. There are many coffeeshops, buildings with nice architectures, hotels, and more beautiful buildings in this region to greet you. We suggest starting from the highest point in Alfama. Castelo de São Jorge (St. George Castle), standing since the Iron Age, is the perfect location to watch the capital of Portugal’s famous Alfama region from above. 

If you wish to see more impressive buildings architecture-wise, you must visit Padrão dos Descobrimentos monument, Igreja-Museu São Roque church, Convento do Carmo (Carmo Convent), Pavilhão de Portugal and the Museum of Art, and the Architecture and Technology (MAAT) museum. They all have very impressive photograph materials.

The city is built on a large plateau, but some sights are located on the hills. Do not let that scare you for these locations are easily accessible via mass transportation. We guarantee that you will fall in love with every square meter of the city.

Vienna, Austria 

Here is the most touristic destination in Europe. Austria is a country rich in many areas including history, architecture, and culture. Austrian cities will bewitch you with their historical appearance on the inside and impressive natural beauties and mountain views on the outside. 

Let us start with Vienna as the first destination that comes to mind when we say Austria. The city is built on flat lands and is suitable for walking around. 

The city tour must start with the Belvedere, the Hofburg Palace, Vienna State Opera, and Vienna Rathaus with their impressive views.  One of the first things to do in the city is to visit the Schönbrunn Palace Gardens and have a drink in the cafe inside. The Gardens has been on UNESCO World Heritage list since 1996.  

You can join a city ring tour or walk around the city, but we recommend entering all the buildings you can because of all them are sights to see. We also suggest eating the world-renown schnitzel at Am Nordpol 3, Gasthaus Kopp or Schnitzelwirt. Trust us, you won’t regret it.

Vienna also has a world-renown “Coffee House” culture, which was listed as “Intangible Cultural Heritage” in 2011. This culture consists of spending hours sitting in a coffeeshop, writing, reading, chatting, or playing games. Café Savoy, Café Bräunerhof and Aida are some of the coffeeshops famous for this culture. You must experience this culture in the city. 

Retirement will be your best years. Try to enjoy each day because you have earned it.