Do you ever feel kind of homesick from a place you have never been to? Well, it’s a very strange feeling I have been experiencing ever since my interest for travelling started growing. Some cities I just absolutely loved before even visiting (and I still love them even more after my trip).

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1. Belgrade

The Serbian capital is my favourite city in Europe, there is not doubt about that. I always wanted to visit because of all the history there, from a controversial Yugoslav past to the recent Balkan Wars, I was interested to see this country in quick transition. I just loved Belgrade before arriving. Strange. Isn’t it? Well, what’s more strange is that I visited 3 times already within one year. I cannot even talk about love at first sight because I loved it before visiting…

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2. Moscow

I spent all my last year of high school reading about the Cold War because it was due on my History exam. And when it comes to Cold War, Moscow seems to be the centre of it. That’s when I fell in love. By the end of my exams, I was in Moscow for an express 48 hours city break. It was just as pretty as I dreamt it!

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3. Sarajevo

What attracted me most about Sarajevo is the blend of cultures but also the name of this city is already charming. I was sure I will like this city so I went to visit. The Bosnians are friendly people who take good care of their guests and make sure you will go back and visit!

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4. Warsaw

When I moved to London I got to meet many people from everywhere including Polish people who made me fall in love with their country, most people recommended me Kraków but I ended up loving Warsaw because I was attracted by its rich and tragic history too.

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5. Beirut

I don’t need to justify this choice. Beirut is probably a city everybody loves, especially if you watch Arab TV. I honestly love Lebanese people so that’s why I ended up in Beirut. But people are what make Beirut so that’s one city I would love to visit again and again.

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6. Rome

The Italian capital is just as pretty as I imagined before. For this trip, I had to drag my family with me to visit the Colosseum, Fontana de Trevi and the Holy See. I saw Rome in many movies and of course, Italian food is something I love since forever.

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7. Venice 

Seeing pictures of Venice over the Internet was enough reason to visit ASAP! I believe Venice is a city on everybody’s wish list though. It is like an amusement park. Before you visit Disneyland, you know you will love it and have fun. I felt the same for Venice, I knew I would love it!

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8. Berlin

Again, I heard about Berlin a lot during my history classes. I visited to see all the sights my teacher mentioned, top of that The Berlin Wall. The city is vibrant and very young so I was in my element. I keep returning there and I recommend. These are some of my tips to have a perfect day in Berlin.

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9. Rio de Janeiro

Seriously, who doesn’t love Rio de Janeiro? We all see it on TV, bikinis on the beach, those joggers along Copacabana beach and football of course! Media has made Brazil a legendary country and there’s a good reason why! I was absolutely sure that I will like it before even visiting but I surely was not expecting what I saw. It is better than I ever imagined, so of course staying only 3 days there was totally heartbreaking. But it was enough to confirm my love for this city.

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Extra: London

Well, I visited London when I was a kid and I didn’t feel any particular excitement for it. However, years later, before moving there, my love for the city started to grow as I saw it like a city with opportunities where I can start a new life. I didn’t see it as a touristy city nor I considered myself a tourist visiting. I had this special bond with the city as I felt it was home months before even moving there. Once I moved into London, it was indeed already home from my first 15 days. It’s a decision I will never regret as I came as a kid who just got off high school and now, this city made me a responsible adult. For that, I will always love London!


These are 9 cities I loved before even visiting. And as extra, here are some that I love but I never got to visit yet: Jerusalem, Las Vegas, Hebron, Tel Aviv, Baku, Reykjavik, Buenos Aires and Tokyo. The list is so long… I think it would require another blog post. But tell me, have you ever had feelings for a place you have never visited before?