Cities and Towns in North America

The old part of Québec City is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the only remaining walled city in North America other than in Mexico. Walk through any of the four gates that surround the original town and feel transported into another time and place. Located high on a bluff overlooking the Saint Lawrence river, Vieux Québec is best enjoyed by foot. Alive with history, Basse-ville contains the 17th century Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church and at its heart, Place Royale. The historical market square is surrounded by restored 17th and 18th century buildings, housing chic boutiques and quaint restaurants for you to explore. After taking in the many museums and getting lost in the narrow lanes of the Old Town, enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride to rest your tired feet while continuing your Belle Province tour. Don't forget to visit the impressive parliament building located just outside the city's walls and the 22 bronze statues of men and women who played an important role in the province's history.

If you're going to Greenland, you generally always fly to Kangerlussuaq, which airport is the gateway to the rest of the huge country. The city is an old American military base, and that still shows on the old barracks and large craters with waste. Kangerlussuaq is quite depressing to stay in and it has about 500 inhabitants. Besides the international airport, there is a post office, a hotel, a school and one shop called "The shop". However, only 25 kilometers away from the town, you will find the beautiful ice cap and areas with lots of wildlife and a large lake (Lake Ferguson), where you can kayak and sail around.

The Mexicans consider this city's old town very bonita. Rather than an industrial suburb to Mexico City which you could fear, it is surprising charming with colonial houses and colourful churches. Great eateries can be found along the streets leading to the shady zocalo (main square). Nothing will blow your mind here, it's just a fairly nice and neat little bit of classical Mexico.

Narrow cobblestoned streets and colourful colonial houses already make Guanajauto one of the most charming Mexican town, but its hill side location adds a little extra. Ridiculously steep streets (and we do mean steep) and a maze of dark tunnels that traverse the town underground makes driving feels like a roller coaster ride. Finding a specific place can be close to impossible, so local boys are making a buck by guiding lost travellers through the labyrinth of winding alleyways. It's the town's many silver mines, which some are still active, that build this wonderful and weird place including the rich architecture and dark tunnels (a third of the world's silver was apparently once mined here). Do not drive in the town unless you are looking for some real adventure.

With only about 300,000 inhabitants, Anchorage is the largest city of Alaska. As it is often the case in the US, the largest city is not necessarily the capital (which is Juneau). There is not all that much to see in the city centre except for typical American things such as malls, restaurant chains, big cars, and numbered streets perpendicular to lettered roads. A must do is to go to the coastal trail. In the summer, you can walk or cycle, in the winter hike or cross-country ski. It gives great views of the "skyline" of the city, the surrounding mountains and bay and on a clear day you can even see Mt. McKinley (6,194 m or 20,320 ft.).

Take all the impressions you got from TV and films about Las Vegas, add a swinger party, concert, magic show, duplicates of world known landmarks, whole strip of pawn shops and wedding chapels, flyers for strip joints (both sex) and all-you-can-eat buffets, light it up by neon and fireworks and you have a vague idea of world famous city in the desert. One grand competition in bad taste and extravagance that at all time tests your imagination. So unique and iconic, that you have to see with your own eyes. Oh, there are casinos too, by the way.

Unfortunately, Valdez is known to most people thanks to its oil spill in the 80’s when the Exxon Valdez ran into a reef just outside the bay. The North American pipeline, which runs all the way through Alaska - North to South - ends in Valdez where the oil is transported further on ships.
There is a lot more to the Valdez area than oil, though. In the summer months, it is mainly a fishing town and a gateway for hiking and glacier tours. During winter, it is the base for snow adventure sports. 48 km (30 mi.) from Valdez is the Thompson pass, from where you can enter the Chugach mountains by helicopter, snowmobile or on foot for some of the most amazing snowboarding and skiing there is on the planet!