Amazing Destinations for Cat Lovers

For all the cat lovers that love to travel, here’s some places where cats rule and roam. It’s not just because of the cats that I feature these places in Greece, Morocco, Turkey, and Russia.  On their own, these destinations (cats or not) are amazing and not to be missed.

If you’re like me, and you miss your feline friend when you’re away from home, these destinations have helped to fill the void. I love it when I stumble across a local cat for the chance of a quick pat, or even a cuddle.  

The Island with No Cars, Hydra, Greece

Near to Athens, and easily reached by local ferry from the Port of Piraeus is the delightful Greek island of Hydra.  Hydra oozes charm. If you’ve got more than a few days in Athens, add Hydra to your list.

Arriving to the port of Hydra, it won’t be long before you come across the local cats, laying about town and at the local restaurants. It’s worthwhile to take a walk away from the port. Follow the edge of the port, past the centre of town, then go along the coast. It’s a beautiful and easy walk to do on your own.

A walk around Hydra, meeting the locals on my way.

Along the way you’ll meet up with more cats, roaming happily and for the most, they're looking content with healthy waistlines.  With no cars on the islands, but rather donkeys as the local form of transport for moving goods, these cats have no threat of a road accident and spend their days basking under the glorious Greek sun.

Join Greece with the Greek Islands Solo Travel Tour, and visit Hydra.

Pretty Chefchaouen, Morocco

Blue, blue and more blue. Any visit to Morocco would be amiss even it didn’t include a visit to Chefchaouen in Morocco’s north, not far from Tangier. In more recent years, Chefchaouen has been placed firmly on the traveller’s map through the rising popularity of Instagram, as visitors post their snaps to their (Instagram) profiles of this incredibly picturesque town.

And not unlike other parts of Morocco, there’s another stand out feature – the street cats. In all colours, these cats make for unique photos with the backdrop of blue stairs and buildings. You’ll find it hard to stop snapping photos as you meander around the small paths of the old town of Chefchaouen.

Join Colours of Morocco Solos Only Tour and visit Chefchaouen.

Ancient Site of Ephesus, Turkey

An ancient Greek city, Ephesus is one of the highlight sites that you want make sure you get to while travelling this impressive country. There’s so many reasons to love Turkey; the incredible coastline, her ancient history, delectable food, and experiences like visiting the site of Gallipoli and seeing the moon like landscape of Cappadocia to name a few. Ephesus boasts well preserved ruins from ancient Greek times and is impressive due to the size of the site that still lays relatively intact, as far as ruins go.  But there’s another characteristic that can’t be missed; and it’s the cats of Ephesus, blissfully enjoying their home, and content to share it with visitors.

Join Discover Turkey Solos Only Tour and visit Ephesus

A Cat Theatre, Moscow, Russia

My visit to Moscow was just after winter, but there was a late cold snap that saw temperatures drop to as low as minus eight celsius by night and around zero in the day, but this was all for the better. I revelled in my ‘winter’ experience, as parts of the streets still had snow and the city streets were adorned by fairy lights glowing in the evening. Best of all, tourists were few and far between. It meant no queues and photo backdrops to myself. I visited Moscow’s Red Square with hardly a soul to be seen.

The Cat Theatre is one of a kind.  I’ve never seen or heard of anything else like it. As a curious cat lover and also, loving to seek out something different I couldn’t help myself. I took myself off by Uber to the theatre, which was not too far from the city centre, and took my seat at my first ever cat theatre show.  It was cat tricks, not so different to a dog show, but with cats. I was intrigued that the level of cat participation in the tricks was quite impressive.

It’s fully ‘cat themed’.  From the time you arrive to the theatre with cat statues at the entry, to the decorations; cat door handles, cat statues, cat paintings and stained glass windows with cats. There’s also the chance to see the stars of the show beforehand, as you wander the hall of the theatre.

I was a little out of place, and except from one other young couple, I was the only person in the theatre without a child. As far as recommending it (to adults), you’d have to be a strong cat fanatic to make it worthwhile, unless you’re with kids. No regrets, as I can’t say I would ever come across anything like it again.

Join Icons of Eastern Europe, and Moscow

There are more places I know off and ones I’m yet to visit, like the Cat Island, Aoshima Island, one of the islands of Japan with cats, or one of Japan’s cat cafes could be a bit of fun. There’s a lot of YouTube Videos of the island – looks like a cat-spectacle.

Plenty of times ahead, of more travel with more cats to meet.

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