Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Travel&Dining > TravelBuzz
Reload this Page >

What country have you been to the most...but never visited its capital city?

Community
Wiki Posts
Search

What country have you been to the most...but never visited its capital city?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Dec 7, 2019, 6:43 am
  #46  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Ontario, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan, IHG, Enterprise, Avios, Nexus
Posts: 8,355
Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Without a lot of other examples (Australia, NZ, Canada, Brazil) many countries pick their largest or most distinguished city for the capital (or this happened so long ago that it's not really a matter of being picked by the country) yet by contrast, in the USA, many state capitals are not the largest or most distinguished city: Harrisburg, Bismarck, Tallahassee, Baton Rouge, Sacramento, Albany, Columbus, Tucson, Juneau, etc. One could arguably put Austin and Madison on the list too. Elsewhere, it's more common for provincial capitals to also be the largest and/or most distinguished city such as in Canada, France, Spain, Australia, etc. in general. Of course, Canberra, Brasilia, and (long ago) Washington were constructed for the purpose of becoming the capital, while Bonn was picked for political/geographical and anti historical reasons.
It is in part because the then Canadian provincial capitals were the largest and most distinguished cities that the settlement formerly known as Bytown was renamed and subsequently selected by Queen Victoria in 1857 to be the nation's capital. It was a compromise between Quebec City and Toronto. Ottawa was also considered a more defensible position in case those pesky Americans decided to invade again however after the butt kicking they received in the War of 1812 they instead turned their expansionist plans southward.
MSPeconomist and ajGoes like this.
Badenoch is offline  
Old Dec 7, 2019, 7:01 am
  #47  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: San Francisco
Programs: GM on VX, UA, AA, HA, AS, SY; Budget Fastbreak
Posts: 27,609
Germany (I went annually 1994-2011 and a final 2013 transit) but never Bonn (former) or berlin.

plus no Ottawa for Canada. no KL for Malaysia.
For my other handfuls of nations visited, I seem to have been to their capitals!
gaobest is offline  
Old Dec 7, 2019, 7:12 am
  #48  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: AC MM E50 , Former SPG, now Marriott LT Plat
Posts: 6,261
USA for sure. At least 200 lifetime visits, and never closer than Baltimore or Norfolk, Va.
IluvSQ is offline  
Old Dec 7, 2019, 8:17 am
  #49  
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,219
Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Turkey then Brazil, and Canada...
Same for me
Aussienarelle is offline  
Old Dec 7, 2019, 8:57 am
  #50  
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: DL Gold, AA Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 253
Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
...in the USA, many state capitals are not the largest or most distinguished city: Harrisburg, Bismarck, Tallahassee, Baton Rouge, Sacramento, Albany, Columbus, Tucson, Juneau, etc. One could arguably put Austin and Madison on the list too. Elsaewhere, it's more common for provincial capitals to also be the largest and/or most distinguished city such as in Canada, France, Spain, Australia, etc. in general. Of course, Canberra, Brasilia, and (long ago) Washington were constructed for the purpose of becoming the capital, while Bonn was picked for poilitical/geographical and anti historical reasons.
Don't forget Springfield (IL), Dover (DE), Montgomery (AL), Lexington (KY), Augusta (ME)...whenever you have to put the state name with the city, you know you're off the beaten path.
MSPeconomist likes this.
DCAFly is offline  
Old Dec 7, 2019, 12:31 pm
  #51  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London & Sonoma CA
Programs: UA 1K, MM *G for life, BAEC Gold
Posts: 10,224
Switzerland and Canada are the stand-outs for me. However, for very many people who take their annual holidays in Spain or Portugal or Turkey or France or Italy or Greece (etc.) but don't otherwise travel, the answers would be very different.

Also, the question that might be more relevant for FTers would related to countries visited where you have not been to the largest city and, for me, that would only be countries where I've visited for a beach holiday.
lhrsfo is offline  
Old Dec 7, 2019, 4:04 pm
  #52  
formerly known as Tad's Broiled Steaks
Shangri-La Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,412
Frankfort, KY

Originally Posted by DCAFly
Don't forget Springfield (IL), Dover (DE), Montgomery (AL), Lexington (KY), Augusta (ME)...whenever you have to put the state name with the city, you know you're off the beaten path.
BuildingMyBento is offline  
Old Dec 7, 2019, 4:30 pm
  #53  
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Olde Dominion
Programs: DL Silver - uh huh!
Posts: 948
I have visited the capital of every country I have visited more than once except Germany (Berlin) - although I did visit Bonn when it was the capital of West Germany.

For those countries I have visited only once, I have not visited the capitals of 8/26 (Austria, Burma, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey), although I did drive through Belgrade on the highway and transit LIS (left the airport briefly) and RGN (didn’t leave the airport).
Kamalaasaa is offline  
Old Dec 7, 2019, 5:28 pm
  #54  
Aman 10+ BadgeMandarin Oriental Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Enroute to ? & likely flying in ' A ':)
Programs: TPPS, UA, EK ...; Marriott BONVOY , HH, GP, GC..
Posts: 4,217
Likely Australia , countless times but not to Canberra as yet .
Even been to Ottawa !
FlyerEC is online now  
Old Dec 8, 2019, 1:11 am
  #55  
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Dubai
Programs: Bonvoy Gold, QRPC Gold
Posts: 144
Turkey - I have been to Istanbul more than 10 times but never visited Ankara. In fact I have never visited any city other than Istanbul which is something that I should change.

Ro
RohanDXB is offline  
Old Dec 8, 2019, 3:48 am
  #56  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: USA
Programs: AA Exp
Posts: 519
Austria, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Germany, Switzerland, and the US, (but I have been to Palm Beach)
SJWarrior is offline  
Old Dec 8, 2019, 10:45 am
  #57  
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: OZ Diamond, QR Gold, HH Gold, IHG Plat, Accor Plat
Posts: 669
I have visited UAE 27 times but have never visited Abu Dhabi.

After that would be South Africa which I have visited 16 times without ever visiting Pretoria.

Have also visited Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Sweden, USA and Vietnam without visiting respective capitals.
cargueiro is online now  
Old Dec 8, 2019, 8:42 pm
  #58  
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: KSUX
Posts: 906
Mexico. It's the only one on the short list of countries I've visited that I haven't visited its capital city.
LtKernelPanic is offline  
Old Dec 9, 2019, 6:23 am
  #59  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,752
Probably Switzerland and China. While I of course know the latter's capital city, not sure of the former's, just know it isn't Zurich or Geneva.
Visconti is offline  
Old Dec 9, 2019, 12:29 pm
  #60  
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: USA
Programs: Delta Skymiles Diamond. Skyteam Elite Plus. Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
Posts: 159
Canada - 124 entries and not one visit to Ottawa
Tennis69 is offline  


Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.