Beautiful Places On Earth

Best known as a ski resort in Austria, Kitzbuhel is a medieval city situated in Troy along the river Kitzbuhler Ache. Kitzbuhel is situated in between the mountains Hahnenkamm and Kitzbuhler Horn in the Kitzbuhel Apls. The Hahnenkamm hosts the annual FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. The downhill course of the famous Streif is regarded as one of the hardest race courses on the World Cup circuit.

Kitzbuhel skiing

Besides being one of Austria’s best known winter sport resorts, Kitzbuhel also hosts the ATP Austrian Tennis Open on clay in the summer. In recent years, Kitzbuhel has also earned a reputation for its high end dining. Last but not least, Kitzbuhel had recently been included as one of the 31 places to go in 2010 by New York Times.

Christmas is nowhere near yet, but Beautiful Places on Earth today brings you to the traditional home of Santa Claus – Lapland. Lapland is Finland’s northernmost province and located near the Artic Circle. Lapland is the least densely populated region in Finland and is home to Sami people, an indigenous people of northern Europe.

Perhaps Lapland is most famous for being the hometown of Santa Claus. Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi is claimed to be the residence of Santa Claus. Both Santa Claus and Santa Park are located 8 kilometers north of the center of Rovaniemi, the administrative capital of Lapland. Over the years, Santa Claus Village has become the most popular tourist destination in Finland. Santa Claus Post Office located within the village sells various Christmas cards and postcards with Santa Claus postmark on them. Every year there are some 600,000 letters from kids around the world sent out to Santa Claus in the post office. There is also a Santa Claus Office inside the village. Believe it or not, visitors can take photographs with Santa Claus on duty!

Santa’s home town – Rovaniemi

Lapland is also a popular winter sports destination. Saariselka is the largest winter sports center in Lapland. Some of the popular activities here are cross country skiing, sledding and hiking. Tour to see aurora borealis (Northern Polar Lights) can also be arranged at Saariselka. Another popular winter sport resort in Lapland is Levi.

To me, Lapland is suitable to visit all year round. I would prefer to go there spending a Christmas with Santa Claus! However, end of the year is the coldest and darkest time of the year because the sun seldom rises at this time. But this is a very good time to see the aurora!

Gstaad is a bright pearl located in Bernese Oberland, at the convergence of 4 gorges in the Swiss Alps. It is located in the south western of Switzerland. At 1,050 meters above the sea level, this village is known as the finest ski resort in the world. Although it is just a small countryside village, but the living standard in Gstaad is extremely high. The merchandises there are expensive and its luxurious hotels and restaurants are just not affordable for the poor people, including me. Gstaad is a popular winter getaway spot for celebrities and royal families.

Gstaad, Switzerland

Being one of the largest ski resorts in the Alps, winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, sledding, hiking, ice skating and many more are popular here. Over the year, the village has also become a popular destination in the summer. During the summer, one can go hiking, biking, golfing, mountaineering, river rafting, horse riding, paragliding, ballooning and many more. Not to miss out also is the Yehudi Menuhin Music Festival held every summer.

This video shows Gstaad Palace, one of the luxurious hotels in Gstaad. Built in 1912, the hotel has 107 well decorated rooms offering a lifetime experience for everyone staying there.

Gstaad Palace

Hokkaido is located at the north end of Japan, near Russia. It is the second largest island in Japan and is connected to the nearby Honshu Island by underwater Seikan Tunnel. Sapporo is the capital city as well as the largest city of Hokkaido. The city had hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics.

Hokkaido is well known for its cooler summer and icy winter. Tourists are attracted to Hokkaido during the summertime than the other hotter and more humid parts of Japan. In winter, high quality of powder snow and numerous mountains in Hokkaido make it one of the most popular spots for winter sports in Japan. People come here for skiing and other winter sports. Not to miss out is the Sapporo Snow Festival. Sapporo Snow Festival is one of Japan’s largest winter events and is held annually in Sapporo every February. Each year, there are millions of people visiting Sapporo to see the snow statues and ice sculptures displayed during the festival. Here is a clip promoting the beauty of Hokkaido.

Hokkaido in Japan – Sight for the Beauty

Chamonix is a small town in eastern France, at the foot of Mont Blanc. Lies at an altitude of 1,035 meters above the sea level, Chamonix is a popular winter sports resort in France and Europe. In fact, the town hosted the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics ever.

Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe. It holds a special allure for mountain climbers all over the world. It is the heaven for winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding. Other activities such as mountaineering, hiking, paragliding and rock climbing are also popular here.

Besides its winter activities, Chamonix is also famous for its cable car ride up to the Aiguille du Midi, a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. Constructed in 1955, it was the world’s highest cable car for 2 decades. One could reach the summit of Aiguille in about 20 minutes via cable car from Chamonix where a panoramic view awaiting. The video shows skiing fun at Chamonix Mont Blanc.

Chamonix Mont Blanc