2026 travel destinations: 52 places to go this year

Celebrate the semiquincentennial with fireworks and themed balls

We hold these truths to be self-evident: celebrations abound for the United States’ 250th birthday, and travellers across the Northeast have plenty of destinations to choose from. Philadelphia, the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence, will host a Red, White & Blue To-Do Pomp & Parade on July 2, two new galleries at the National Constitution Center, an expansive exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and a World Cup match on Independence Day. Massachusetts, Virginia and New York, among the colonies that became America’s first states, also have stacked calendars. Visitors can steep themselves in the past at battle reenactments in New Jersey and New York; walk through a mock Revolutionary War encampment at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia estate; and party like it’s 1776 at themed balls and concerts. On July 4, rendezvous in Washington for a concert on the lawn of the US Capitol and fireworks on the National Mall.

- Gabe Castro-Root and Christine Cung

Wander through a sprawling city as it transforms in front of you

A new landmark anchors Warsaw’s skyline: the all-white Museum of Modern Art, designed by Thomas Phifer, gleaming beside the hulking Stalin-era Palace of Culture and Science. This year brings a landmark exhibition, “The Woman Question 1550-2025,” a multichapter narrative of nearly 200 works that punctures the myth that few women were artists before the 19th century, threading Renaissance and baroque painters through modern and contemporary voices. Step back outside to watch the city change in front of you: Plac Defilad, the city’s central square, laid out in the 1950s for communist-era parades, is being transformed into a green, pedestrian-friendly hub, linking the museum to other cultural venues, including the new home of the avant-garde TR Warszawa, one of the country’s most acclaimed theatres. For decades, the Polish capital has been seen as pragmatic rather than magnetic. In 2026, it demands to be seen anew.

- A.J. Goldman

A frenetic city takes steps toward a greener future

Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, has been hard at work addressing its status as one of Asia’s least green cities. In the city centre, it’s now possible to walk between two central parks, Benjakitti and Lumphini, along a 20-acre green corridor featuring an array of sculptures. The city has also added a mile-long suspended walkway to Benjakitti Park that overlooks lotus ponds and mangrove forests. For a different kind of retreat, head to Dib Bangkok, the city’s latest contemporary arts hub, which has immersive works from 40 international and Thai artists, such as Lee Bul and Montien Boonma. But even a splashy museum can’t compare with Wat Chaiwatthanaram, a spectacular Buddhist temple complex 80km north of the city that just reopened after a 12-year restoration. Although Bangkok’s frenzy has always been part of its appeal, recent transit improvements should benefit visitors: a citywide traffic system managed by artificial intelligence that monitors congestion, air-conditioned electric buses and increased safety standards for motorcycle taxis.

-Erin Vivid Riley

Skip the crowds and enjoy waves and wild beaches

Travellers have long flocked to the beaches and nature reserves on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula. But the country’s more southerly Osa Peninsula, along with a handful of nearby coastal towns, is emerging as a relaxed alternative. Hiking trails at Corcovado National Park are less congested than those at other popular parks, and the peninsula is a prime area for spotting sloths and native monkeys. The lush biodiversity extends to marine life, too: The waters around Caño Island, off the peninsula’s western coast, draw snorkellers and divers who go for the vast coral reefs, sea turtles, dolphins, sharks and rays. In the nearby town of Uvita, chef Sebastian Gallucci, who recently renovated his jungle-set trattoria Seba’s Restaurant, added the farm-to-table Alma Cocina to his roster in May. Travellers have more options for accommodation in the region, too, including Mandala Ojochal, a new boutique hotel that hosts wellness retreats. And new direct flights to Costa Rica’s largest airport make it all more accessible.

- Liza Weisstuch

Conservation efforts create a top choice for tiger spotting

There are fewer than 5600 tigers left on Earth, according to the World Wildlife Fund, many of them prowling the jungles of India. The good news is that since the early 1970s, the Indian tiger population has doubled, thanks to conservation efforts. A new resort near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, a park spanning more than 1528 square kilometres in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, has made it easier – and more luxurious – to spot one of these enchanting creatures in the wild. The months-old Oberoi Vindhyavilas Wildlife Resort features 19 luxury tents and two villas on 21 acres. Guided Jeep tours take guests into the park to look for tigers among the sal trees and bamboo thickets. Bonus: you may also see leopards, sloth bears and elephants. If you want to feel some human-inspired awe, explore millennium-old temples in Khajuraho, just a few hours away, where the Oberoi has a hilltop sister hotel.

- Mihir Zaveri

Enjoy the best odds of catching a World Cup game

If you’re looking to score last-minute World Cup tickets, your mathematical best bet is in Dallas, home to more matches than any other city (nine) and whose stadium in nearby Arlington has more seats than any other 2026 World Cup venue (94,000). That means, at least in theory, Dallas offers nearly 850,000 chances to catch the competition across five group stage matches, two round-of-32 matches, one round-of-16 match and one semi-final match. If those odds still don’t work out in your favour, a fan festival at Fair Park, near downtown Dallas, will feature live music and real-time video of matches. The city is also preparing to unveil a notable new green space in 2026: Halperin Park, which will link neighbourhoods once divided by a highway.

-Gabe Castro-Root

Listen and dance to rai in North Africa’s capital of rhythm

As Algeria emerges as a tourist destination, Oran, a breezy Mediterranean port city, is experiencing a cultural revival that blends its layered past with a bold new energy. Known as the birthplace of rai, a genre of Algerian folk music from the 1920s, Oran is reclaiming its position as a hub for creativity and nightlife. The city, with hills that offer sweeping views over the Mediterranean, is a mix of Ottoman palaces, Spanish fortresses and French colonial architecture – including the newly restored Théâtre Régional d’Oran, a century-old architectural jewel that offers a program of contemporary performances. Along the city’s seafront, the transformation of the Front de Mer is drawing cafes, galleries and open-air concerts to its art deco balconies. And in August, the city celebrates the National Rai Festival, a week-long gathering of musicians and DJs that reaffirms its status as North Africa’s capital of rhythm.

- Anita Pouchard Serra

Celebrate the centennial of a storied highway

In 2026, America’s numbered highway system and one of its first darlings, Route 66, both turn 100. Sites along the route, which starts in Chicago and ends in Santa Monica, California, are hosting celebrations, including a nine-day vintage car rally that will travel from Illinois to California in June. The centennial is a reason to visit places that characterise the route’s adventurous spirit. Drive the Sidewinder, a stretch of 191 hairpin curves outside Oatman, Arizona, where the Black Mountains spill into the desert. See outsider art like the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma, whose new visitor’s centre will open in April. Stay at the revamped Hotel El Rancho in Gallup, New Mexico, where stars like Katharine Hepburn and Gregory Peck stayed. Or swap your car for a bike and explore parts of Bicycle Route 66, like the rolling section between St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri, where cycling organisations have turned pieces of the original road into bike trails.

-Heather Hansman

A quiet island gets a new sustainable hotel

At just 12 square kilometres, Saba – roughly 19km by ferry or flight from St. Maarten – will never be a mass-tourism destination. It has just four villages, no permanent beaches and no cruise-ship docks. So when a new hotel opens, it’s news. At the foot of Mt Scenery, the island’s highest point, the 30-room Scenery Hotel, opening in early 2026 in the tidy town of Windwardside, will increase the number of hotel rooms islandwide by nearly 30%. Efficiently designed, the hotel follows the sustainability goals set by Saba, which operates on solar energy during the day and has banned single-use plastics. Adding to Saba’s reputation as a nature destination, the marine conservation organisation Mission Blue has designated it a Hope Spot, a place critical to the health of the ocean. At nine new photo stations, visitors can contribute photos to help the nonprofit document changes in reef recovery and coastal erosion.

- Elaine Glusac

Explore a neighbourhood with an ethos of urban reinvention

Barcelona is grappling with overtourism. As the Catalan capital celebrates its designation as the World Capital of Architecture and recognises 100 years since the death of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, skirt the crowds to slow travel – responsibly – through the formerly industrial neighbourhood of Poblenou, which captures Barcelona’s ethos of urban reinvention. Factories and warehouses have been reborn as airy cafes, galleries and performance spaces, including the Can Framis museum, in a renovated textile factory, and the Sala Beckett theatre, in the former Peace and Justice workers co-operative building. The once traffic-congested Plaça de les Glòries intersection now encompasses a biodiverse public park. The culinary scene is abuzz with experimental new eateries like the aptly named Atipical, serving hyperlocal cuisine with an Italian twist, and Casa Güell, offering reimagined Catalan fare. Stroll the leafy Rambla del Poblenou and ease into the evening over a glass of Catalan wine at the classic restaurant Can Recasens.

-Annelise Sorensen

Waived fees remind climbers that there are other peaks

Nepal has tightened its rules on Mt Everest, raising spring permit fees to US$15,000 ($26,000) and proposing a law that would only allow attempts from climbers who have already summited a 7000m (22,966-foot) peak. Now, attention is shifting to the country’s less trafficked Himalayan rock stars. Remote giants like Api West, Api Himal and Saipal Himal, all above 23,000 feet, are among the 97 peaks that have had their fees waived by the Government for the next two years. Other more accessible peaks promise adventure without the conga lines, and with permit fees under US$500: Putha Hiunchuli (23,773 feet), a broad snow dome with modest technical challenges; Annapurna IV (24,688 feet), steeper but spectacular; and Baruntse (23,389 feet), tucked beside Everest. At slightly lower altitudes, Ama Dablam (22,349 feet), a twin of the Paramount Pictures logo, and Mera Peak (21,247 feet), an ice-trekking mountain, offer life-changing climbs that don’t call for emptying oxygen bottles or bank accounts.

- Finn-Olaf Jones

An unparalleled opera festival turns 150

The Bayreuth Festival, one of the world’s hottest tickets for opera lovers, celebrates its 150th anniversary from July 24 to August 26 with seven Richard Wagner titles, including two blockbusters: a trippy, new AI-influenced staging of the “Ring” cycle and the festival debut of “Rienzi,” Wagner’s third opera, which he never allowed to be performed at Bayreuth. It isn’t easy to get one of the coveted tickets to the annual festival, which features a hall Wagner designed specifically for the demands of his works. However, the associated open-air festival on July 24 and August 2 does not require tickets (the open-air programme has not been announced). In recent years, a local cinema has offered a high-quality broadcast of a select production for those who weren’t lucky enough to get inside the hall. Organisers haven’t yet announced which opera that will be, but “Rienzi” would be a crowd pleaser.

- Danial Adkison

A ‘quieter experience’ through spectacular mountain scenery

With World Cup frenzy sweeping across North America this summer, a limited-time train offers an experience far away from overflowing soccer stadiums. The route will whisk you to pristine alpine meadows in Alberta, where you can enjoy some of the continent’s most spectacular scenery between Jasper and Banff. The route, Passage to the Peaks, operated by Canadian railroad company Rocky Mountaineer, is timed to offer “a quieter experience” aboard a luxury train while Vancouver hosts World Cup matches in June and July. Amenities include glass-domed cars, outdoor viewing platforms and locally sourced meals. Travellers can ride in either direction over two days, following winding rivers through jagged ranges. Waterfalls, lakes, the looping Spiral Tunnels and the Canadian Rockies’ tallest peak, 12,972ft Mt Robson, are just some of the sights. The region, though still recovering after a wildfire devastated Jasper in 2024, is eager to bring back tourists.

-Gabe Castro-Root

A stunning waterfall reopens in an area of rich Aboriginal culture

At the heart of Australia’s vast Northern Territory is the Top End, where the rugged outback meets tropic abundance. Kakadu National Park sits at its centre, preserving multiple ecosystems and some 5000 Aboriginal rock-art sites. The park’s crown jewel, Gunlom Falls, had been closed for six years because of a legal dispute. The area’s traditional owners, the Jawoyn people, won a long battle against an Australian parks agency last year, restoring access to the waterfall and its stunning 550-foot-high infinity pool. As a result of a new lease agreement, the traditional owners also now receive 50% of the falls’ commercial revenue, as opposed to the 14% they received before. In Darwin, traditionally the gateway to the falls, visitors will be able to explore the history of the Larrakia people, the area’s traditional inhabitants, at the Larrakia Cultural Centre; overlooking Darwin Harbour, it is expected to open in September with art and archaeological exhibits, music performances and craft workshops.

- Erin Vivid Riley

A multicultural city rich in history celebrates its storied past

George Town, the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang, is a cross-section of the country’s multicultural history. Its narrow streets are lined with Buddhist temples and mosques, British colonial mansions and the city’s famous shophouses – local businesses whose migrant Chinese and Indian proprietors lived upstairs. In January, a collection of shophouses built around 1906 will open as the boutique hotel Soori Penang. Its architect grew up in the compound and drew design inspiration from Khoo Kongsi, a nearby temple known for its ornate stone carvings. Across town, the 78-room 1926 Heritage Hotel, built for the city’s political elite, will reopen in March after a top-down renovation, in time for its 100th anniversary. At the quirky new Penang History Gallery, you can step into scenes from the island’s past, from its time as a major trading hub to its final days under British rule. And preview Penang’s expanding food scene at Peninsula House, which serves Australian fare out of an art deco building.

-Erin Vivid Riley

New museums highlight storytelling, AI and world-class art

After the devastating fires of 2025, Los Angeles is poised to attract travellers with its eight Fifa World Cup matches. But splashy new museum openings will keep them coming long past the tournament. Eight years in the making, the new billion-dollar Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, from “Star Wars” director George Lucas and his wife, businessperson Mellody Hobson, will open September 22 in Exposition Park. Exhibits in the spaceship-evoking structure will include paintings and illustrations, photography, magazine covers and comic strips. Opening in April in the museum-centric Miracle Mile area, the new David Geffen Galleries of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will replace four buildings with one roughly 347,000sq ft sinuous home for its more than 150,000-piece permanent collection. Downtown, in the Frank Gehry-designed Grand LA complex, the AI art museum Dataland will feature works created by Los Angeles-based Refik Anadol Studio using computer programming.

- Elaine Glusac

Old threats prompt renewed interest in a resilient city

Unlike Hiroshima, which was almost completely obliterated by an atomic bomb in August 1945, the urban core of Nagasaki, America’s second target, was spared when the bomb missed its mark. This gives the city centre a kind of sliding-door surrealness: this was all supposed to be gone, but somehow it survived. As the threat of nuclear proliferation spreads around the world, travellers have a potent reason to visit – and Nagasaki has never been more ready for them, thanks to the completion of a major redevelopment project around the main train station. Visit an 800-year-old camphor tree. Around the corner is Fukusaya, a confectionery that has sold cakes since 1624. Try a “milk seiki,” a frozen dessert drink, at Fujio. For nearly 40 years, Hideyuki Natsume – the soft-spoken son of atomic bomb survivors – has been running Milestone, a jazz bar. Finally, visit Glover Garden, then cap it all off with grilled mochi at Umegae Mochi Kikumizu, a nearly-140-year-old, third-generation pounded-rice shop.

-Craig Mod

A ski resort at the foot of the Matterhorn glams up

Breuil-Cervinia, on the Italian side of the Matterhorn, has long lived in the shadow of its famous Swiss neighbour, Zermatt, sharing lift tickets (and Ikon Pass access), glacier runs and majestic views, but not Zermatt’s glamour. That balance is shifting. The 2023 debut of the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing, Europe’s highest cable route, now links Cervinia directly to Zermatt’s slopes. On the Italian side, upgrades abound: the ageing lifts have been replaced with high-speed chairs, and a US$235 million improvement project is modernising access to Plateau Rosà, a high-altitude year-round ski glacier that links both resorts. The once-humdrum Valtur Cervinia Cristallo hotel has reemerged as a five-star Alpine retreat, while the newly Michelin-starred Wood restaurant entices skiers with its Nordic-Piedmontese meals. Add the Super G igloo bar’s DJ-fuelled, après-ski glow, and Cervinia brings a touch of la dolce vita to the Matterhorn’s vast ski domain.

- Finn-Olaf Jones

New galleries honour the legacy of Martin Luther King jnr

After a devastating arson attack last year at Clayborn Temple, the headquarters of the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike supported by the Rev. Martin Luther King jnr, Memphis is looking to 2026 as a cultural turning point. This spring, the National Civil Rights Museum will unveil a redesign of the Legacy Building, the former boardinghouse where King’s assassin lay in wait across from the Lorraine Motel. The space will feature five galleries that focus on poverty, education, housing, gender equity and nonviolence, along with exhibits related to the Poor People’s Campaign (King’s economic-inequality initiative), modern civil rights movements and new research into King’s assassination. In September, Hattiloo Theatre, the only free-standing Black repertory theatre in any of five surrounding states, celebrates its 20th anniversary. And in December, the Memphis Art Museum will open a new riverfront home with 23 galleries, a studio and rooftop sculpture garden.

-Shayla Martin

Wolves, wine and 1000-year-old monasteries

Set in the rugged Caucasus, Armenia has quietly drawn hikers and nature enthusiasts for decades. But tourism numbers have recently surged, with a record-breaking first eight months of 2025 and a new high for monthly arrivals set in August. Against this backdrop, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, one of the world’s top wine competitions, comes to the capital, Yerevan, in May. Armenia, whose winemaking tradition dates back over 6000 years, offers aficionados four main wine regions to tour. Along the way, you can also visit Lake Sevan, a mountain-ringed volcanic lake whose shores are dotted with 1000-year-old monasteries. A short drive away, Dilijan National Park encompasses several mountain ranges, with its alpine meadows, vast forests and medicinal springs all connected by a network of hiking trails. The park features rare and endangered plant species as well as brown bears, wolves and European wildcats.

-Meghan Davidson Ladly

Madrid and Valencia celebrate their ‘painter of light’

Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla, called “the painter of light” for his extraordinary portrayals of the shimmering effects of light and shadow, was honoured three years ago with international exhibitions on the centennial of his death. But 2026 is the year to see him at home in Spain, where his former Madrid residence and studio, the Museo Sorolla, will begin emerging this spring from an expansion that will double its size. His vibrant canvases also hang in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes and the Prado museums in Madrid. And while the beaches and festivals of Sorolla’s birthplace, Valencia, are depicted in his paintings, his work has not figured so prominently in his native city until now: opening this fall opposite Valencia’s City Hall, the European branch of the Hispanic Society will feature 220 of his works. High-speed trains link the cities in under two hours, bringing an immersive Sorolla experience into focus.

- Andrew Ferren

The beloved bear is honoured in his birthplace

A century ago, author A.A. Milne introduced the world to Winnie-the-Pooh. This year, centenary celebrations abound across England. The focal point will be in East Sussex, where Milne lived in a 16th-century farmhouse with his wife and son, Christopher Robin, who played there with his stuffed bear. That home is now the Cotchford Farm inn, and guests can explore Milne’s study and Christopher Robin’s bedroom. Just beyond lies the real-life inspiration for the fictional Hundred Acre Wood: Ashdown Forest, where this summer, courtesy of the charity Trigger, a mythical creature will pop up around the heathland, feeding on bracken and gorse. One weekend, there will be a picnic with workshops, storytelling and performances, inspired by Christopher Robin and his fictional friends. Fans can take a Pooh Trek day trip to East Sussex or join Ace Cultural Tours’ five-day anniversary trip, which visits Ashdown Forest and wraps up in Cambridge with a look at Milne’s original manuscripts.

-Megan McCrea

Giant tortoises, sumptuous splendour and soft white sand

As the Seychelles, an island nation off the coast of East Africa, celebrates 50 years of independence from Britain in June, a raft of new hotels and cruises are giving visitors sumptuous ways to experience the archipelago’s natural splendour. Fregate Island, home to endangered species like the Seychelles magpie robin, whose population has rebounded to about 500 from fewer than 25 in the 1970s, has just a single resort, which will reopen after a multiyear rebuild focused on sustainability. La Réserve Seychelles will debut six beachside villas on the island of Praslin, known for its soft white sand. New island-hopping itineraries from cruise operators like the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Ponant and Aqua Expeditions explore La Digue, with its giant-rock-framed beaches, and the dazzling Aldabra Atoll, where giant tortoises roam. Getting to the Seychelles is easier than ever, with direct flights from Zurich, Istanbul, Munich and Frankfurt, Germany.

-Zachary Schwartz

A sprawling art museum showcases special exhibitions

One of the few complaints made of Inhotim – a contemporary art museum in southeastern Brazil, with 500 works spread across 24 architecturally unique galleries in a vast botanical garden – is that it’s too much for one day. A solution arrived with the on-site, family-friendly Clara Arte Resort. In 2026, Inhotim celebrates its 20th year open to the public (it began as a private collection) with a special programme of exhibitions exploring Brazil’s African-Amazonian identity. Works by Dalton Paula, Davi de Jesus do Nascimento, Paulo Nazareth and 22 Indigenous South American artists will join permanent collections of artists including Yayoi Kusama and Hélio Oiticica. Belo Horizonte, a 90-minute drive away, is Brazil’s bar capital; come in August for the Festival Uai Wine, a celebration of the award-winning young vintages of the surrounding state of Minas Gerais, where exuberantly baroque churches and a stunning national park present persuasive arguments for extending your trip.

-Laurence Blair

Savour a total solar eclipse with DJs and dancing

On August 12, eclipse chasers can get their fill of totality along a path that swoops through western Iceland and northern Spain. In Iceland, parts of the far-western Westfjords, Snaefellsnes and Reykjanes peninsulas will go dark for two minutes or more. To celebrate the occasion, the country will host the four-day Iceland Eclipse festival on Snaefellsnes, featuring DJs, dancing and even a few astronauts in attendance. Ticket holders can also book limited-capacity excursions to witness the eclipse at the photogenic Svodufoss waterfall, go to an acoustic concert inside a lava cave or party in tunnels beneath a glacier. Local tour companies are running Jeep tours, bus trips and photography excursions, while luxury cruises like the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Evrima and the Celebrity Silhouette will put passengers in prime positions offshore, far from light pollution. The next total solar eclipse in Iceland won’t happen until 2196, making this a once-in-a-lifetime event.

-Nora Walsh

Take part in a post-hurricane comeback story in the Gulf

After a one-two-three punch from destructive hurricanes (Ian in 2022, and Helene and Milton in 2024), the conjoined barrier islands of Sanibel and Captiva, in southwestern Florida, are embracing visitors who want to be part of their comeback story. The storms forced establishments that had not modernised in decades to renovate. The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium reimagined its Great Hall, showcasing thousands of seashells, including many from the island, and lodging has a new look, too. The Shalimar Beach Resort, for example, rebuilt its cottages on stilts. Yet the old-fashioned charm endures. Returning visitors may not notice changes to the quirky Bubble Room restaurant on Captiva, where Christmas lights twinkle year-round, or shops like the 50-year-old She Sells Sea Shells on Sanibel. Though reminders of trauma linger, the “now open” signs everywhere may better describe the celebratory mood.

- Jennifer Reed

An urban neighbourhood preps for the Obama Presidential Centre

More than 27 million visitors descended on Hyde Park, 11km south of downtown Chicago, for the 1893 World’s Fair. Since then, the neighbourhood has taken a back seat to the city centre’s tourism draws. But the midyear opening of the Obama Presidential Centre is poised to change that. The 19-acre campus, designed by architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, aims to act as a gathering place rather than a traditional presidential library – Barack Obama’s records will be managed elsewhere – and includes a museum, a library, a restaurant and art commissioned from Nick Cave and Jenny Holzer, among others. A basketball court will be used in community programming. Nearby, visitors will find the neo-Gothic quads of the University of Chicago and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House. And about a mile north are several acclaimed restaurants, including Virtue, the newcomer Mahari and the cafeteria Valois, which Obama once frequented.

- Elaine Glusac

A remote archipelago adds a splash of comfort

Every summer, thousands of visitors make the roughly 30-mile ferry crossing from the mainland to the Traena Islands, a remote Norwegian archipelago bisected by the Arctic Circle. Many go for its offbeat music festival, which sometimes features performances inside the cathedral-like Kirkhelleren cave. Visitors often end up camping, since the islands, which have only 500 inhabitants, offer few hotels or guesthouses. But a big addition this spring makes the islands more accessible to the sleeping-bag-averse set. The 38-room Ytri, which means “the outer point” in Old Norse, opens in April, featuring a seafood restaurant, an oceanside sauna, and activities like canoeing and scallop diving. Besides the festival, the islands offer stunning views of saw-toothed mountains as well as hiking and wildlife-watching opportunities. Abundant schools of fish in the frigid depths offshore attract transient whales and support a population of white-tailed eagles. And, of course, all this happens under the midnight sun.

-Cabe Castro-Root

A palm-fringed beach town takes on Punta Cana

Move over, Punta Cana. Ninety minutes north of that popular Dominican destination, Miches – a beach town between the karst mountains of the Cordillera Oriental and the south shore of Samaná Bay – has surfaced with a string of new resorts. Last summer, the 500-room Zemi Miches Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resort opened with children’s clubs, a Pilates studio and a spa inspired by Indigenous islanders. Earlier in the year, Viva Miches by Wyndham debuted with 538 rooms, an infinity pool and five restaurants. Hyatt followed with two neighbouring properties: Secrets Playa Esmeralda Resort & Spa for adults and the family-friendly Dreams Playa Esmeralda Resort & Spa. A Four Seasons luxury resort is expected to open in 2027. Miches offers convenient day trips to the mountains and to coastal Los Haitises National Park, home to Taino petroglyphs and limestone islands. Increased flights to Punta Cana from American Airlines and Arajet make getting there easier.

-Elaine Glusac

Enjoy a new market, museum and WNBA team

Portland is getting a jolt of momentum with significant arts, sports and culinary openings that cement its standing as one of the most culturally dynamic cities in the country. After more than a decade of planning, the James Beard Public Market – a daily indoor food market featuring dozens of local vendors – will open this year downtown, complementing the city’s long-standing food cart scene and array of acclaimed chefs. Also downtown, the Portland Art Museum has been substantially expanded, with more than 100,000sq ft of additional gallery space. A new glass pavilion connects the museum’s two buildings and links all four floors of galleries, which have been reinstalled to showcase hundreds of new acquisitions. It’s also a prime time to be a sports fan: after a two-decade absence, professional women’s basketball returns to the city with a new WNBA team called the Portland Fire.

- Christine Chung

Hike a cross-country trail past turquoise lakes and jagged cliffs

This year, a spectacular path long known to shepherds and the ghosts of the old Silk Road welcomes hikers for its first full season after the final 600-mile section opened late last summer. The 1243-mile Kyrgyz Nomad Trail crosses Kyrgyzstan in an east-west direction, winding through the rugged Tien Shan Mountains and along small villages and seasonal yurt camps. Attractions include glaciers; Kel Suu, a turquoise lake ringed by jagged cliffs; Tash Rabat, a preserved 15th-century caravansary; and Saimaluu Tash, a remote alpine valley featuring a large collection of petroglyphs. The time to go is June through September, when high passes and mountain lakes are not buried in snow. Independent hikers can fly into Bishkek, the capital, and arrange transportation to the trailhead. Intrepid Travel offers a 10-day guided tour, and Kyrgyzstan-based companies like Ak-Sai Travel and Nomad’s Land can arrange custom hikes.

- Nina Burleigh

An ancient town celebrates the life and legacy of St Francis

This year marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis, Assisi’s favourite son. The town, a Unesco site since 2000, will host a year of activities to celebrate St Francis, who shunned riches for a life dedicated to peace, humility and nature. The highlight will be February 22 through March 22, when St Francis’ remains will be displayed publicly for the first time. May 6 through May 9 is the Calendimaggio festival, which revisits scenes from a time when two Assisi neighbourhoods competed with each other for influence, as reflected in music, theatre, processions and more. Take the 2.5-mile hike to Eremo delle Carceri, the monastery where St Francis prayed, and descend to the grotto where he once slept. Assisi’s historical centre is a maze of alleys lined with potted plants. Hovering over it all is Rocca Maggiore, a 14th-century castle with 360-degree views of the countryside.

- John Henderson

A pristine wilderness faces an uncertain future

Big changes may soon be coming to one of the largest, and last, unspoiled landscapes in the United States. Parts of the 19.6-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which has no roads, established trails or cell service, are set to open to oil development after the Interior Department said in the fall that it would allow drilling there. The major federal policy package signed into law last summer also allows developers to pay for expedited environmental reviews that could speed up initial construction projects. While any development would still take time, the refuge faces an uncertain future. For now, though, this corner of northeastern Alaska remains perhaps the nation’s most pristine wilderness to backpack, raft or see wildlife like caribou, polar bears and wolverines. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees the refuge, provides a list of authorised tour operators catering to travellers with varying levels of outdoor experience.

- Gabe Castro-Root

A tourism powerhouse ushers in a new age for travellers

Vietnam, a growing tourism powerhouse in Southeast Asia, beckons to millions of vacationers annually with its famous food culture, staggering natural scenery – ranging from mountains to rainforests – and a storied history that dates to the seventh century BC. And with significant investments in tourism infrastructure arriving in 2026, Vietnam is positioning itself for an upswell of visitors. The first phase of construction on Long Thanh International Airport is expected to be completed in June; eventually, this new major hub will be the country’s largest, with a capacity of about 100 million passengers. Some of the most exclusive hotels will also open new locations this year, including the Park Hyatt on Phu Quoc, an island famed for its white sand beaches; the Four Seasons in Hanoi; and Nobu in Danang. The Government is also making it easier for visitors to get to Vietnam by expanding and extending visa exemptions for nationals of select countries.

-Christine Chung

A picturesque city emerges as a destination for food and drink

Three hours northwest of Mexico City, and less than 90 minutes from San Miguel de Allende, the sleepy, old-fashioned city of Querétaro has long been one of Mexico’s most picturesque urban centres. But in recent years the city and its surrounding countryside have emerged as a surprising new destination for food and drink. The 40-room Hotel Hércules shares an ingeniously restored textile factory with a brewery that produces some of Mexico’s best craft beers. Projects like the irreverent restaurant El Reinita and the pocket-size coffee shop El Apapacho have introduced a jolt of energy into the once staid historical centre. The same has happened in the region’s centuries-old wine country, where, within an hour’s drive, visitors can sample vintages from exciting new labels like Tierra de Peña (by appointment) or linger over lunch at Bárbaro Asador, a grill in the vineyards of the natural-wine producer Barrigón.

- Michael Snyder

Celebrate the ‘conservation president’ at his new library

The western edge of North Dakota is where the Great Plains give way to a fantastical maze of steep-sided buttes, flat-topped mesas and irregular, towering hoodoos. These badlands are where Theodore Roosevelt grieved the simultaneous deaths of his wife and mother. Immersed in their alien beauty, the future president came to understand the urgency of preserving the nation’s natural resources and went on to protect 230 million acres of public land. On July 4, a new library honouring the “conservation president” opens on top of a lonely butte above the colourful frontier town of Medora. Designed by Norwegian architectural firm Snohetta and overlooking Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the low-slung, 93,000sq ft library is well camouflaged by a roof sprouting native grasses. Inside, visitors can become digital historians by using AI chatbots that draw data from Roosevelt’s papers stored at 18 institutions, or explore interactive exhibits from key periods of the bellicose, beloved and complex president’s life.

- Stephanie Pearson

A water lover’s paradise with sandbars and hot springs

Camiguin, a volcanic island in the southern Philippines without a single traffic light but with plenty of lush mountain peaks, black-sand beaches and towering coconut palms, has been rolling out improvements to entice more visitors. A widening of the 65km road that encircles the island is nearly complete, and the island’s first boardwalk, on the beach in the main town of Mambajao, is set to open this year. Bolstering its reputation as a sports tourism destination, a new triathlon will be added in May to a lineup of swimming and running races. The island is rich in local cuisine and in cultural heritage, including a sunken cemetery, an eco farm tour and an islandwide fall festival celebrating the sweet lanzones fruit. But Camiguin is foremost a destination for those who love the water, with treasure-chest-size neon clams, an abundance of sea turtles around white sandbar islets, hot and cold springs, and waterfalls for bathing.

- Patrick Scott

Delight in ancient myth and Hollywood spectacle

Messinia’s beauty – its cliffs, castles and caves – will be in the global spotlight when Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” parts of which were filmed on its shores, premieres this summer. (Methoni Castle, Nestor’s Cave and Voidokilia’s crescent beach were all filming sites.) But Messinia is more than just a film set. Its villages still press world-class olive oil, its tavernas serve recipes unchanged for centuries, and its coastline feels unhurried, especially compared with busier Greek islands like Mykonos and Paros, where development is altering cultural identities. Here, travellers can hike coastal trails with gorgeous sea views, wander through villages untouched by mass tourism, or swim in the crystal-clear waters of the Ionian Sea. This year offers a rare chance to see ancient myth, living culture and Hollywood spectacle converge in one place.

- Demetrious Ioannou

A new terminal eases access to overlooked splendour

For decades, Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America, has been overlooked in favour of destinations with more developed tourist infrastructure. But construction on a new terminal at Cheddi Jagan International Airport will begin in 2026, and upscale versions of American chain hotels are popping up all over Georgetown, the pastel, multiethnic capital full of vibrant markets. From there, take a small prop plane to the wild, vast Rupununi region in Guyana’s southwest, where dense forests conceal jaguars. There, guests can swim with capybaras and canoe the Rupununi River at dawn at Wichabai, a 44-acre ranch with stunning new cabins set amid the savanna. At Saddle Mountain Ranch, which plans to reopen in March after renovations, go on safari in search of giant anteaters. And not to be missed, in the country’s west is the spectacular Kaieteur Falls, which has a vertical drop about four times that of Niagara Falls.

- Alexander Wooley

One of the largest ski areas in North America just keeps growing

One of the biggest ski-terrain expansions in snow country opens this winter at Deer Valley, the Utah resort known for its impeccably groomed runs, great food and long-standing prohibition on snowboarding. This winter alone, the resort has opened seven new lifts, including a 10-passenger gondola that reaches from a new base village to a new 9350-foot summit in the expanded terrain. Deer Valley has added almost 100 runs since December 2024, including a nearly 5-mile-long green run (the easiest level) called Green Monster – one of the longest in North America. At more than 4300 acres, Deer Valley is one of the continent’s largest ski areas. The base village, called Deer Valley East Village, also opened last December with a 400-room Grand Hyatt and direct highway access. While the village is a work in progress, it means that skiers no longer have to fight through Park City traffic when arriving from Salt Lake International Airport, 61km away.

- Christopher Solomon

An ancient tea-trade route finds new life with modern lodging

For well over a millennium, until the mid-20th century, a series of paths called the Tea Horse Road was used to export tea leaves to Tibet from China’s southern provinces. Many of these routes traced across the biodiverse region of Yunnan, which is considered tea’s birthplace and is still the main producer of China’s coveted pu-er variety. The network no longer exists as it once did, but many of the villages that were once its waypoints do. Since Baima Duoji, a Tibetan documentary filmmaker, converted his ancestral home into a hotel in 2000, his company, Songtsam, has opened 10 lodges throughout the region. The circuit makes it easy to road-trip across the villages, each of which has distinct cultural, craft and culinary specialties. The newest, opening this spring, is a 53-room lodge in Yunnan’s capital, Kunming, and was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Wang Shu.

- Erin Vivid Riley

Explore a new bike park and an expanded art museum

Bentonville might be best known as the headquarters of the Walton family’s Walmart empire, but tourists also have good reasons to visit. The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will complete an ambitious project in June that will add 50% more space. The expansion, designed by architect Moshe Safdie, will be filled with more than 200 new pieces of artwork donated by the Waltons and two other art collectors from Texas. To celebrate, the museum will display an exhibition showcasing Keith Haring’s lesser-known sculpture work. Bentonville has also leaned into its identity as the “mountain biking capital of the world,” with the OZ Trails Bike Park set to open this summer between Bentonville and Bella Vista. Biking enthusiasts can also enjoy roughly 110km of urban trails featuring public art, bringing riders past restaurants like the Bend and Airship Coffee, part of Bentonville’s emerging culinary scene.

- Claire Fahy

A new park offers wild hikes along a wind-whipped coastline

Dolphins leap at the shoreline in Cape Froward, soon to be Chile’s newest national park, silhouetted against the glaciers of Tierra del Fuego that loom across the Strait of Magellan. Hikers can be dropped off by boat from the blustery city of Punta Arenas at the base of a 79-foot-tall metal cross erected in 1987 to commemorate the visit of Pope John Paul II. From there, a multiday hike along the wild, windswept coastline takes in abandoned whaling stations, roaring rivers and carbon-sequestering peat bogs, with overnight stays in campsites and creaking shelters built for timber workers in the 19th century. Companies like Chile Nativo organise guided hikes, while Solo Expediciones offers full-day catamaran tours. For less intrepid travellers, a day trip by car from Punta Arenas to the San Isidro lighthouse – now a museum of the Indigenous and natural history of the area, with a sperm whale skeleton suspended from the rafters – is less wild but still thrilling.

- John Bartlett

A city with a rich maritime history steps into the spotlight

Long overshadowed by Milan and the Cinque Terre, once-mighty Genoa is stepping into the spotlight. The Waterfront di Levante project, which is designed by Renzo Piano and will transform old fairgrounds into parks, promenades and cultural spaces, is nearing completion, reconnecting “La Superba” (as the city is known) to its illustrious maritime past. Inside the old town, the lavish Palazzi dei Rolli are reopening rooms long closed to the public, with exhibitions exploring Genoa’s history of trade and migration. In March, the Palazzo Ducale, the city’s main art museum, hosts a major exhibition of work by Flemish master Anthony van Dyck, who painted portraits of the city’s nobility in the 1620s. Add in a new crop of Ligurian chefs rethinking seafood, trofie al pesto and focaccia, and Genoa’s dining scene feels as fresh as its harbour front. With convenient train links from Milan and Pisa – and fewer crowds – Genoa in 2026 deserves more than a stopover.

- A.J. Goldmann

A new long-distance trail connects South Korea’s hidden wonders

Escape Seoul’s crowds and discover lesser-known South Korea on the Dongseo (“East-West”) Trail, the country’s first coast-to-coast hiking trail, set to fully open in late 2026. Stretching some 850km, it links 90 “base camp” villages and 44 campsites, from Anmyeondo Island off the west coast to Mangyangjeong Beach on the east. Along the way, hikers can explore the Sogwang-ri Geumgang Pine Forest, home to Geumgang pine trees, some more than 500 years old and once favoured in the construction of royal palaces; Beopjusa Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site that includes South Korea’s tallest pagoda and its only remaining wooden pagoda; and the Bonghwa highlands, known for their prized sweetfish. Among the base camp villages, Hansan in Seocheon County is noted for traditional ramie weaving; Hahoe village preserves a Confucian clan settlement of mud-walled, thatched-roof houses; and Uljin, the eastern terminus, is renowned for its annual snow crab festival.

- Ratha Tep

A singularly spectacular castle reopens after a devastating fire

For centuries, Okinawa’s dazzling Shuri Castle was the seat of the Ryukyu Kingdom, whose territory included this 463-square-mile island about halfway between Taiwan and the rest of Japan. Distinct from other such buildings because of its vibrant red colour, the hilltop citadel, a Unesco World Heritage site originally dating to the 13th century, is set to reopen in the fall after years of painstaking reconstruction using traditional methods, after a catastrophic fire in 2019. Visitors who can’t wait till autumn to get to Okinawa, a corner of Japan famous for its tropical climate and white-sand beaches, can catch the Ryukyu Lantern Festival, in which more than 3000 lanterns illuminate a recreated historical town (through March 31) and the Ie Island Lily Festival (late April to early May), which features fields of fragrant flowers, including Easter lilies, on a small neighbouring island.

- Danial Adkison

Visit a biodiverse gateway to the Ecuadorian Amazon

A hot spot for rafting and zip-lining, Baños de Agua Santa, a town known as the “gateway to the Ecuadorian Amazon,” is surrounded by mountains that shed water into the Pastaza River. On those slopes, Dracula orchids, whose flowers resemble monkey faces, bloom in tropical forests swathed in clouds, living alongside spectacled bears and vibrantly patterned frogs. In 2025, within this watershed, the Río Machay Reserve, privately managed by the EcoMinga Foundation, was designated a wildlife refuge, supporting efforts to maintain an ecological corridor between national parks. While the reserve is not publicly accessible, its protection speaks to evolving conservation trends in a country that has struggled with deforestation. (The area may still face challenges: The environmental ministry that granted its wildlife refuge status has now merged with the Ministry of Energy and Mines, a move that the World Wildlife Fund called a “clear conflict of interest.”) Stay nearby in places like Finca Palmonte, a former farm that has been given back to nature.

- Susanne Masters

A haven for both white and black rhinos expands its access

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a Unesco World Heritage site in northeastern Tanzania spanning highland plains,​​ savanna landscapes, woodlands and forests, has long drawn travellers to its spectacular crater, the world’s largest unbroken caldera, born from an ancient volcanic collapse. In March 2025, 17 southern white rhinos arrived from South Africa, part of efforts to expand the species’ range. For now, the rhinos remain in a temporary enclosure visible from the crater’s rim as they adjust to their new home, though they’ll eventually roam free in the crater, joining the black rhinos – as well as the lions, elephants, hippos, buffalo and flamingos – that already make the area their home. And new lodges are expanding access to the conservation area. Lemala recently opened Osonjoi Lodge, a solar-powered property with sweeping views, on the crater’s eastern rim. And the Naserian Safari Camp from Acacia Collections offers 10 rooms and electric vehicles to explore the broader conservation area.

- Jackie Snow

A culinary capital revs up for a racing debut

This year, three decades after Melbourne first hosted the opening event of the Formula One calendar, the city is preparing for another F1 milestone: the debut of a Cadillac squad, the first new team in a decade. The addition is making the Australian Grand Prix (March 5-8) a must-attend event for speed demons from around the globe. Beyond the track, the city offers cafe-lined lanes, the vendor-packed Queen Victoria Market and the riverside Royal Botanic Gardens, among other delights. Auto-centric diversions include the Fox Classic Car Collection, in the historic Queen’s Warehouse, and Porsche & Coffee, a celebratory street gathering and exhibition in South Melbourne on March 1. If you want to hug some curves, follow the winding Great Ocean Road to Poombeeyt Koontapool, a striking new overlook at a blowhole a few hours southwest of Melbourne.

- Abbie Kozolchyk

A popular coastal city hosts the Super Girl Festival

For the first time, the city known for its 5km boardwalk will host the Super Girl Festival, a free, all-female action sports weekend that features the world’s largest women’s surf event in terms of total competitors. Super Girl advances Virginia Beach’s sports and cultural scenes, which already include music festivals, sculptures and multicoloured murals in the ViBe Creative District, where two dozen new murals will be unveiled this year. Another big draw is Atlantic Park Surf, a US$350 million wave pool complex that opened in 2025, backed by music superstar and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams. Beyond the beach, connect with Virginia Beach’s history at the newly restored Francis Land House, a former plantation home from the early 1800s. Exhibits detail the history of the home – including its enslaved residents – over the decades, through Prohibition, World War II and more.

- William Fleeson

A stretch of Highway 1 reopens with refreshed attractions

Highway 1 between Santa Barbara and San Francisco may be the world’s most dramatic drive, a perpetual duel between the restless Pacific and the steep Santa Lucia Mountains. For the past two years, the mountains have won: a massive landslide in early 2023 severed the road just south of Big Sur. The highway is scheduled to reopen in March. The pause gave Big Sur time to breathe and recover. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park upgraded trails above its emblematic shore guarded by epic stone formations. Esalen Institute’s cliffside hot springs reopened to the public with limited hours, and the Post Ranch Inn rebuilt its Taylor Swift-worthy spa overlooking the Pacific. The Alila Ventana Big Sur resort, originally a love pad for the producer of the movie “Easy Rider,” celebrates its 50th anniversary with a full renovation. When the highway’s barriers lift this spring, travellers can once again trace the continent’s ragged edge, tuned to the primordial rhythm of the surf and ethereal digs.

- Finn-Olaf Jones

A showcase for dramatic landscapes and rare habitats

Denmark is relatively flat. The cliffs of Mon, an island about 90 minutes south of Copenhagen, are decidedly not. The 420-foot-high Mons Klint, as the 70-million-year-old chalk cliffs are called, are made up of immense layers of microscopic skeletons of marine organisms, forced upward by ice age glaciers. Citing its dramatic landscape and rare habitats, Unesco added the area to its World Heritage list in 2025. And that’s just the latest recognition: in 2017 Mon became one of the first places in Scandinavia to be designated an International Dark Sky Park and International Dark Sky Community because of its efforts to preserve natural darkness. Visitors can hold geological history in their hands – fossils of sea urchins and other creatures dot the beach – while the GeoCenter Mons Klint offers guided fossil walks, interactive exhibits and more. Mon’s accommodations include the delightful new Ellevilde Boutique Hotel. But for the full island experience, stay at an 1845 lighthouse that still casts its beacon of light across the Baltic Sea.

-Annelise Sorensen

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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