Have you seen our geek travel map yet? We asked 15 of the world’s best-loved professional geeks, including Stephen Fry and Marvel Comics’ Ryan Penagos, to give us their top tips for geeky places to go around the world.
Now we want YOUR geek travel tips – tell us your favourite geeky place to visit in comments below and win…
The prizes
We’re giving away prizes to five geek tip-sharers.
First prize is your own personalised action figure from Firebox.com, as well as a personalised geek travel map with your own tip included among the celebrities’.
Four runners-up will also receive personalised geek travel maps.
How to win
To enter the competition, tell us your favourite geeky place to visit in the comments on this post. Your tip could be anything from a science museum to a comic book store to an observatory – or something quirkier. Get inspired by the places on the geek travel map and tell us why this is your favourite geeky place is and where it is in the world.
Be sure to include a valid email in the submit form so we can contact you if you win (email addresses won’t show up on site).
The comp will run until Wednesday 6th June 2012. We will contact winners shortly after this and announce names here and on Facebook after prizes have been claimed.
Ts & Cs
- This Competition is open to anyone aged 18 and over
- This Competition is not open to employees of HostelBookers, their family members, HostelBookers’ agents or anyone professionally connected with the competition.
- The competition will run from 09.00 GMT Wednesday 23rd May 2012 until 11.59 GMT Wednesday 6th June 2012
- Participants enter the competition by posting a recommendation on HostelBookers competition post on HostelBookers’ blog.
- Any entries received or processed after the closing date will not be accepted. By entering the competition the participant agrees to participate in such promotional activity, including automatic subscription to our newsletter.
- No responsibility is taken for entries which are lost, delayed or misdirected, or cannot be delivered or entered for any technical or other reason.
- Only one entry is allowed per person.
- Each participant will be required to provide name and email address
- A draw will be used to choose the winners at random.
- The winners will be required to provide postal address. The winner of the action figure will be as well required to provide 2 photographs in line with the firebox guidelines.
- The winner will be notified via email on the 8th June 2012 and announced on HostelBookers’ Facebook page once the prize has been claimed.
- No cash or other alternative is available to the prizes.
- The usual privacy policy terms of HostelBookers apply to all personal information we gather.
- The prize must be taken by the prize winner and may not be transferred to or taken by any third party.
- If HostelBookers cannot contact the winner within fourteen days of the prize draw, HostelBookers reserves the right to conduct another prize draw to determine a new winner.
- By entering this competition, entrants agree to be bound by these terms and those imposed by the prizes suppliers.
- HostelBookers reserves the right to refuse entry to participants.
- HostelBookers is a registered company in England. The laws of England shall apply to all matters arising from or relating to this competition.
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:01 am
I would definitely suggest hiring a bicycle for about $10 (1 day’s hire) through your local Hostel in Venice, Hermosa, etc, as you can cycle from Santa Monica Pier to even far south as Hermosa Beach or beyond depending how fit you are because you’ve got miles & miles of beaches even with dedicated cycling paths on them. From point A to point B there is plenty of stop offs along the way for a cooling drink, shops to explore for trinkets, gifts, clothing boutiques, etc, and amazing places to eat. You’ll find a lot of friendly faces along the way and unusual forms of transports of how people keep fit that you will not normally see else where. The climate on the beach is slighly cooler than in DownTown LA, but you’ll love it because it’s a dry heat rather than being humid!
It’s worth the trip!
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:45 am
Angouleme in France is THE comic book city. Not only is the city painted in scenes from famous French comics, it hosts one of the largest international comic book festivals every year. There’s also an amazing museum with thousands of comic strips from books across the world.
May 23rd, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Never even get ou of the room without a book…. They do not need batery, do not loose signal and are recyclable
May 23rd, 2012 at 3:59 pm
I totally love the Tokyo Anime Center in Japan!! You can learn how anime is made and marketed – If you are into this you should deffo visit here!! xx
May 23rd, 2012 at 5:04 pm
Always be prepared and take wet wipes with you to keep yourself fresh while traveling
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:44 pm
My inner geek gets a shoulder massage at The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. Great rotating exhibits highlighting animated art old and new, from movies, TV, and comic books. Education for even the deepest enthusiast.
Plus it’s right around the corner from the SF MOMA!
http://cartoonart.org/
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:46 pm
The epicentre of geek in the UK is Cardiff; home to Dr Who and all associated spinoffs. Just by wandering around the city you’re wandering around locations without even trying! The bay, the high street, the stadium…whichever way you turn either the Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness or Sarah Jane Smith has been there. Soon to open is the Dr Who Experience. You’ll actually be able to walk in through the police box doors and into the Tardis console room. Be involved in a story, run down corridors away from Daleks and sneak through the caverns of the Wheeping Angels.
What could be more geeky?!?
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:58 pm
Travel solo at least once in your life. It will remain your best travel experience because you will open yourself to the world and enrich yourself through the experience.
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:27 pm
GEPPI’S ENTERTAINMENT MUSEUM
Baltimore, USA
This awesome museum chronicles the history of American pop culture from the 17th century to present days. It features a large and vintage collection of pop culture’s memorabilia, including first edition comic books, pulp magazines, movie posters, toys, buttons, badges, cereal boxes, trading cards, lunch boxes, dolls, figurines and many other items.
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Trim your toenails before your trip so that you don’t have to carry nail clippers through airport security.
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:57 pm
House on the Rock, Spring Green, WI. Even if it hadn’t played a key role in Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, it would STILL be worth a trip.
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:02 pm
One of my best travel experiences during a season of many comic conventions was Baltimore, MD. There was a private industry event for comics people at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum. It’s located right near the harbor and the sports stadium. Geppi’s has the most epic collection of vintage comic books plus every pop culture merchandise you can imagine. I went from seeing DETECTIVE COMICS #27 and ALL-STAR COMICS #8 to a different room with I Love Luci dolls and yet another area of sports history. Adult admission is only $10 and well worth the experience.
May 24th, 2012 at 3:41 am
Bring your own towel. The most massively useful thing for an interstellar hitchhiker.
May 24th, 2012 at 11:10 am
I always bring my own soft throw/blanket on flights. It’s often cold on airplanes and having my own blanket which is thicker, softer and most of all freshly washed is a real comfort !!! If you can spare the space in your rucksack…squeeze in your own travel pillow (with soft fabric pillowcase)as well. It makes long overnight flights tolerable.
May 24th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Any video games have got to check out the Akihabara district in Tokyo, Japan. This place is basically the mecca of video games, anime, manga and general geek pop culture in Japan, and is one hell of a place to wander around.
May 24th, 2012 at 3:10 pm
Hummmm… intricate question.
But i’ll answer with a place in my coutry. Yeahhh
So… Belém zone (Lisbon, Portugal). You can go to Berardo Museum (free), Coches Museum (the most visited museum in Portugal), Belém Tower (the globalization begun here… 5 centuries ago), incredible gardens, Jerónimos Monastery (one of the most visiteds spots in all Iberian peninsula) and… of course, finish the day eating a famous Pastel de Belém (an authentic piece of art of Portuguese pastry).
More geek (and pleasing) than that… can you find?
And if you need tips… you know the deal
May 24th, 2012 at 3:13 pm
The local comic book store at 11:45 at night just before it closes…. funny thing is that there is a night club right next door so its really geeky walking into a comic store that late
May 24th, 2012 at 11:24 pm
The last vacation me and my boyfriend took was to Montreal, and the most fun we had the whole weekend was visiting Chez Geeks. It was a gaming store just down the street from our hotel, and the owner there couldn’t have been nicer. It’s an awesome place to visit and we really look forward to going back.
May 25th, 2012 at 8:16 am
Every geek needs lots of batteries
In this very cool quirky spot in Zagreb you can see how they’re fabricated. So I recommend “Croatia baterije” as THE geek spot.
http://www.spottedbylocals.com/zagreb/croatia-baterije/
May 25th, 2012 at 11:58 am
Hi All,
Budapest has lots of cool places and events for geeks we believe, so here are a couple of tips: head to the Budapest ‘ruin bars’ for quaint, quirky geek places to chill out, party, and get to know other geeks (Szimpla Kert, Instant, Szoda, Mumus, Otkert, etc. are all great places). Check out Kitchen Budapest media lab / tech hub and its upcoming events. If you are with kids, take them to the Palace of Wonders in Millenaris Park (interactive geek playhouse) or to stargaze at the Planetarium. Some more ideas here:
http://tenthingstodo.topbudapest.org/by-interests/geek-things-to-do-in-budapest
Happy Geek Day!
May 25th, 2012 at 7:12 pm
Forbidden Planet in NYC (Broadway and 13th) is the perfect place for graphic novels, comics, collectables, you name it! I could kill en entire afternoon just walking around that store.
May 26th, 2012 at 11:10 am
Going to see the old paper factory in Fabriano, Italy where they produce the geeky graph paper you need for math in school.
Definately the geekiest place I’ve ever been but honestly really interesting seeing all those old machines from the 13th century and learning how they produce quality paper for over 700 years right now.
Even i sound like a geek after talking about it…
May 26th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
Always travel with an open mind. You will embrace the local culture and spirit so much more and will learn so much! After all, we are travel Geeks! Enjoy every moment, even the “bad” ones, it’s all part of the experience!
May 29th, 2012 at 5:48 pm
As a geek mom, and someone who is the mother of two geek kids, I’m always on the look out for geek kid friendly locations. Bigger challenge…my youngest is autistic and needs a place that is understanding of his abilities. By FREAK accident, on the way home from a Roller Derby retreat, I found The Star Wars Shop in Aberdeen, WA. I’d went there after seeing the simple little sign screaming out to me and loved it! So full of magic and charm. Then on a West Coast tour down to San Diego Comic Con, last year, I brought my kids. The owner is a great guy. Friendly and doesn’t make kids feel like they’re bulls in a china shop. He lets the parents know to be at ease because if they break something or knock something over, it’s “just stuff”. He makes you feel like you are 100 percent welcomed any time! I love the collection of not just Star Wars, which is the main attraction, but other pop culture curios. Star Trek, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, Ninja Turtles, and the Goonies! After all, close by is Astoria, Oregon…home of the Goonies! A quick jaunt across the border and you can relive the jail from the opening scene(which is a movie museum), see the ORV with bullet holes parked outside the jail and Mikey’s house. Which is someone’s real home but has a sign that says “Goonies on Foot Welcomed!” This area is off the grid, but a geektastic treat for geek kids!
May 29th, 2012 at 9:49 pm
I feel like there are a variety of geeks each with their own quirky knack for stories through comics, books, graphic novels and even music.
My favorite geeky place that I’ve been to is Kanesville Kollectibles in Council Bluffs, Iowa. They have over a million (honestly over 1,000,000) records, thousands of books and comics along with posters,cassettes, vhs tapes and dvds. I went in and it was like I was in living version of the 90′s movie, The Pagemaster.
I live like six hours away and have made the trek to the small city to get lost in Kanesville for a weekend.
May 30th, 2012 at 1:00 am
My husband is the ultimate geek and when in Paris we had to visit the Musée des Arts et Métiers. The whole museum is in french and neither of us speak or read French. He had the time of his life there exploring the history of scientific instruments and inventions. Some of the attractions are the 1985 Supercomputer Cray-2, 17th century mechanical calculators, the Foucault pendulum and much more… Yes you do have to be a geek to enjoy this museum.
May 31st, 2012 at 1:13 am
NASA in Houston – the Space Center exhibits are now Disney-fied, but they still do tours of all the working stuff.
May 31st, 2012 at 2:01 am
A road trip to Comic Con in San Diego would be my first choice!
May 31st, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Intrepid, the aircraft carrier in New York, there’s nothing like seeing F-15′s and F117A Blackbird’s up close
May 31st, 2012 at 9:55 pm
I would love to go to the Boeing surplus site. I have only heard stories, but imagine what wonderful things a geek could find there
June 1st, 2012 at 6:09 am
Start a blog and try and get press credentials to CES in Vegas just after New Year’s every year. At one end of the show they stick all the little manufacturers with the coolest gadgets. Just bring batteries.
June 1st, 2012 at 3:21 pm
Definitely the place to go is the Holy Capital, Vatican City. Beautiful landscape and architecture, brimming with culture and history you can imagine yourself parkouring along the rooftops and terraces just like Desmond. Filled with relics of the past, secrets and the atmosphere of their society is enough to tickle the medieval in all of us.
June 1st, 2012 at 8:58 pm
My geek destination is legoland. Give me a bucket to fill and I would be in heaven
June 3rd, 2012 at 3:46 pm
The Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, we spent an entire week there, the highlight of which was close run thing between the astronaut training experience and meeting an actual astronaut.
June 3rd, 2012 at 7:08 pm
My geekiest place to visit is the Jorvic Museum in York complete with a model viking having a poo!
June 3rd, 2012 at 7:52 pm
My favourite geeky place to visit in Toronto, Ontario Canada is the Magic Pony store. Quoting from their website, “Magic Pony a studio, gallery and retail environment that blends elements of art, design and popular culture to create a unique shopping experience.” They have so much for the eyes to see – geeky, kitschy & down right answering the want vs. need conundrum. Come check it out. Maybe I’ll see you there!
June 4th, 2012 at 1:12 am
My favourite place is Holland Park, London. There is a quirky little bar there where the décor is all mismatched, but it just adds to the great atmosphere. Their food is the same!! But very lovely! And there is a great park around the corner. If you’re very lucky you will spot Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully from the X Files) there as she lives in the area!
June 4th, 2012 at 12:26 pm
I recommend the store Kiddyland in the Harajuku area of Tokyo. Full of toys and T-shirts featuring video game and manga characters.
June 4th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
Vulcan, Alberta – Want to see a giant Enterprise? Go to Vulcan. Want to see the biggest Star Trek store in the world? Go to Vulcan. You can even get your picture taken with Spock, and dress up in Trekie costumes.
June 4th, 2012 at 8:17 pm
My favourite geeky place is definitely the museum of science and technology in ottawa canada. I love it because it has the Crazy Kitchen!!!!! It’s so much fun.
June 4th, 2012 at 10:55 pm
Tunisia! If your a big star wars fan, four of the movies had filming done in southern tunisia. the planet tatooine scenes, the lars homestead and ben kenobis hut are still there.
Great place to visit if, like me, your a big star wars fan!
June 5th, 2012 at 5:24 am
Be sure to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook, OR. As they put it “Find answers to your cheesiest questions on a self-guided factory tour and sample some cheese along the way!”. Their cheese is wonderful and they’ve also branched off into ice cream as well (delectable!) My lactose-intolerant husband nearly dies everytime I force him into a visit, but it is a must see on any trip down the Oregon Coast.
June 5th, 2012 at 8:27 pm
A lot of visitors to Scotland will have driven past my geeky place without realising it because it is opposite the banks of Loch Ness. My geeky recommendation is Drumnadrochit in the Scottish highlands.
In 2004, Drumnadrochit was one of the very first test sites in the UK for Broadband to be delivered using a mini multiplexer based in the telephone exchange.
This meant that the lucky folk in Drumnadrochit & the surrounding areas were able to get Broadband for the first time. Before this trial was successful it would have been too expensive for internet service providers to move into this remote area.
Talk about geeky – internet / multiplexers / broadband – just how geeky do you want to be?
I’m obviously a really sad geek because when I passed Loch Ness on a tour bus a few years back, everyone else had their cameras trained on the Loch in the hope of catching a glimpse of Nessie – I was facing the other way, taking a photo of Drumnadrochit telephone exchange – I know, how sad
June 5th, 2012 at 11:27 pm
One of my company’s suppliers, Ventura Printing in Oxnard, CA, has a row of file cabinets. On top of them are computers they have used for file delivery over the past 20 years including an original Apple with green screen. I like to go there and marvel at how times have changed. However, they refuse to do overnight packages and make me leave when the office closes at 5pm.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:43 am
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Hollywood North! The safest movie capital of the world. With the likes of The 6th Day (2000),Butterfly Effect (2004),The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), Fantastic Four 1 and 2 (2005), Final Destination 1,2,3,4 and 5 (2000),I, Robot (2004),X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), not to mention all of the “Twilight” movies to name a few. Plus TV shows like “Fringe”, “Stargate’, “Sanctuary”, and many more it is the best place to see all of your favorite actors on the streets without the guns and gangs of Los Angeles (The “other” Hollywood). The American dollar is about par with the Canadian dollar, they speak English, and they have the friendliest single women in the world… even geeks want girlfriends eventually.
Oh, they have the Pacific Ocean and Mountains if you are into panoramic vistas of spellbinding natural beauty too. The views are free (someting all geeks love).
June 6th, 2012 at 11:26 am
I have to say it is the British Museum in London. I go everytime I am there and never manage to see everything! I could fill a photo album with all the pictures I have from there too!
When I was a kid love nro money could not get me to visit a museum!
June 6th, 2012 at 4:19 pm
If in Edinburgh go for a drink in The Library Bar. It’s in Teviot, the oldest purpose built Student Union in the world and is in the old library, complete with volumes of ancient text books on floor-to-ceiling shelves. It’s also supposed to have been one of the many Edinburgh buildings that inspired writer J. K. Rowling’s vision of Hogwarts!
June 6th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
Oh, I would love nothing better to hire a VW campervan and drive around the borders of area 51 in the US – let’s go and search for an alien! My second choice would be to go and see the film location of LotR New Zealand. Oh I wished I could set off right now
June 6th, 2012 at 4:26 pm
Kings Cross, London you have to go and visit platform 9 and 3/4s for Harry Potter fans this is a must. Outside is St Pancras Station and if you look up you can just imagine Harry and Ron in the flying ford angila blue car. Also pop over to Leadenhall Market which in the films is Diagon Alley,get the tube to Picadilly circus and this is the scene in Deathly Hallows part one where Hermione, Harry and Ron apparate.
There is the Millenium Footbridge which we see being blown up and collapsing in the films.
Go to London Zoo and see the reptile house where the snake speaks to Harry P.
Pint of Butterbeer in Charing cross where the Leaky Cauldron is situated. So many more great HP Locations could go on and on, ha ha!
June 6th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
Bring some toiletseat-covers and a comicbook to read on the toilet!
June 6th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
Geekiest (and simultaneously one of the coolest) places I’ve ever experienced was the National Railway Museum, York – the UK’s biggest and most prominent collection of all things railway-related… Sound ridiculous, but i had just as much fun as my pop (who is both a professional engineer and a rail-enthusiest). The museum features all things from tiny (functional) scale models, to full sized, real ex-pats of the train nation… You can climb into, over and under the exhibitions; check out the original royal carriage; take a joy ride on a steam train; watch presently operational trains undergoing vital maintenance… Highlight for yours truly, however, was walking through one of the old memorabilia-flooded storage rooms, and stumbling across a sign saying (wait for it, fellow geeks): Platform 9 3/4… Good times.
Perfect place to get your geek on : )
June 6th, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Top tip! Bumbags! They might not look pretty, but they are a great way to keep your valuables safe and close. Big enough for your purse and maybe even a small camera too
June 6th, 2012 at 5:06 pm
Galileo Museum (Museo Galileo) – Florence
Has to be the most interesting museum in the world, walking round you understand the thinking behind the genius of Galileo Galilei.
After a day walking round the City of Florence, it’s a massive break feeling at home at a stones throw from the river Arno. It’s an amazing atmosphere that shouts science and astronomy. The museum is easily understandable for everyone and anyone, yet in depth enough for geeks to learn about Galileo’s experiments. There’s hands on things to do and learn and it’s well worth the small entry fee.
A must in Italy!
June 6th, 2012 at 5:38 pm
Go to the “Musée des Arts et Métiers” in Paris, you will find 17th century calculators on display and a whole bunch of computer and technology prototypes, first versions, etc. That’s nerdy and très cool!!
June 6th, 2012 at 5:48 pm
Hey I don’t know if Geek must always be related to comics or sci-fi(which I must add I also like) but I really geek out at all the museums in London British Museum, Natural History Museum, Imperial war museum, RAF Hendon and London Aquarium etc… Just so many. Main tip I have is you really need more than one day at each so plan ahead and don’t rush you miss so much and don’t take it all in.
which would be frikin AWSOME! The only downside is the food lots of dodgy fish and horsemeat, booze is really expensive as well so top tip buy alcoholic drinks in the supermarket there not the bars!
As to places I have been that I personally would recommend for Geek factor, if your into your geology or history, Reykjavik, Iceland and surrounding area is my favourite place to go Viking Sagas, geothermal heated pools, miles of tunnels under the lava flows, the landscape looks like a different planet (No trees except one tiny forest they have planted themselves) the people are friendly and you might just see a volcano erupt
June 6th, 2012 at 6:38 pm
Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay . An hour and a lifetime from Buenos Aires .
I was refused a beer at a bar 4 or so kms outside town because it was not cold enough .
Get there quick though as US aimed development has started .
June 6th, 2012 at 9:46 pm
Omaha Beach, Normandy – walking on this sandy beach remembering the brave soldiers who fought and died on it,
June 6th, 2012 at 10:28 pm
CERN wich is situated Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border. Numerous experiments have been constructed at CERN by international collaborations to make use of them. It is also the birthplace of the World Wide Web. And its also financed by people from all over the world so its free to every one who wants to go and pay a visit
June 6th, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Got to be Hannover, Germany, whilst CeBit is on. You can see every geeky, kooky fantastic new gadget coming up! I went with the Nokia brigade one year and it was super cool.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:54 pm
My geekiest place is Comic Con in San Diego, California! I went for the first time last year and it was Amazing!
Soooooo many different companies, brands, studios, it was just insane. There was so much fun stuff to do (be a SHIELD agent interactive experience, test games, see previews, go to signings, shop, go to panels, studio parties, real life South Park town to walk around, costume ball, awards show – just insane amounts of things to do all over the city)
I actually had to buy another suitcase to bring back my hall of Comic Con gear
June 7th, 2012 at 5:06 am
I will pick Niagra Falls. Nothing more cliche and geeky than that!
June 16th, 2012 at 7:08 am
To be completely honest my husband and I really want to go to Lego Land… and leave the kids at home lol
July 12th, 2012 at 7:13 pm
The Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas. Imagine, being in Vegas and visiting a National Atomic Testing Museum, how geeky can it be?
July 22nd, 2012 at 9:55 am
Where else but the Comic con in San Diego. Everything geeky can be seen there.
October 18th, 2012 at 3:53 am
Comi-con would be my dream Geek Fest!!!
October 21st, 2012 at 7:14 pm
Nice coverage of what’s out there. We did a bit of a walk through on some of the free options for building a mobile website. Check the recently posted link below.Daniel Duckworth recently posted..6 Ways to Get a Free Mobile Website
January 27th, 2013 at 12:11 pm
I’m a history geek and one of the best experiences I have ever had was The British Museum in London. I can just wander around there for days.
Also in London try the National History Museum. They have the most fabulous collections. And the buildings are fantastic.