Another new year looms – and with it, a host of good reasons to venture to fascinating corners of the planet.
So where should we all be travelling in 2026? Here, 20 of Telegraph Travel’s regular contributors make their cases for the destinations that will light up the map in the coming 12 months – from an America that is about to host a very big birthday party (as well as a World Cup) to a South Korea whose lustre seems to be undimmable, and a Zambia which is rapidly becoming one of Africa’s most in-demand safari hotspots.
1. Philadelphia, USA
Recommended by Chris Leadbetter
There are several reasons to visit America in 2026. The centenary of Route 66 (see below – number 11) is one. The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is certainly another.
The crux of this latter celebration will fall, inevitably, on July 4, but the party will stretch across the country and the year, with events taking place in locations as far afield as Coeur d’Alene in Idaho, Gilbert in Arizona – and Medora, in the relative wilds of North Dakota.
Of course, the anniversary will have the most significance in the places that were already part of the fledgling USA when the Founding Fathers cut the colonial umbilical cord. Not least the “Cradle of Liberty” itself, where the sites relevant to the schism summer of 1776 are protected as part of Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia.
Equally, there is more to “Philly” than just the Liberty Bell. Its own commemorations will showcase a metropolis that has a pronounced cultural side (its fabled Art Museum is one of America’s best) and a rich culinary scene. Helpfully for those who like football as well as historic festivities, it is also one of the 16 host cities for the FIFA World Cup (June 11 to July 19).
2. South Korea
Recommended by Gemma Knight-Gilani
There’s more to South Korea than KPop Demon Hunters, of course, but the 2025 Netflix blockbuster has nevertheless succeeded in boosting this calm and captivating little country’s international image in ways even its already wildly successful pop music, beauty products and TV dramas had not – and that’s saying something.
It’s the latest swell of the so-called Korean Wave (known as hallyu), the insatiable global appetite for all things South Korean that’s helped make it the world’s fastest-growing travel destination. More than 16 million tourists visited in 2024, a 48.4 per cent increase on the previous year, and arrival numbers show no signs of slowing.
Most head for Seoul, the cosmopolitan capital – a heady mix of stately palaces, local markets and neon nightspots – and coastal second city, Busan, two hours away by high-speed train: both characterised by a vibrant modern culture that’s heavily rooted in tradition.
Thanks to its new-found popularity, the country is better set up to welcome foreign tourists than ever before (English proficiency is rising, and tourist access to T-money and WOWPASS cards allows for easy payment in shops and on metros), while new routes on the country’s extensive, inexpensive rail network (from Donghae in the east to ancient Silla capital Gyeongju in the south, for example) and hiking trails (including the Dongseo Trail, South Korea’s first long-distance route) make it simpler than ever to go beyond the main hubs.
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3. The path of totality
Recommended by Greg Dickinson
On August 12 2026, parts of Europe will be treated to perhaps Planet Earth’s greatest natural spectacle: a total solar eclipse.
During an eclipse, the moon temporarily passes between the Earth and the sun, basking a small band of the world – dubbed the “path of totality” – in a celestial shadow. Birds become disorientated. Street lights switch on. It lasts just a minute or two, but is unlike anything you have ever seen before.
The last time Europeans bathed in this daytime darkness was in August 1999, when the path of totality passed over Cornwall and much of Europe.
What is extraordinary about the 2026 performance is that you will be able to witness it from some of Europe’s top holiday destinations. Reykjavík, A Coruña, Bilbao, Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza will all cheer the momentary disappearance of the sun. Barcelona, Madrid and Santiago de Compostela are also right on the edge of the path of totality, meaning they will enjoy impressive partial eclipses.
Because the event falls in the UK school summer holidays, the 2026 eclipse also offers a rare opportunity for families with school-age children. In 2027, there will be another total eclipse across southern Spain and parts of northern Africa. After that, the next European event will be in 2053, and the next UK one will be in 2090.
4. Mantua, Italy
Recommended by Tim Jepson
Mantua is a mystery. Why, even in our age of overtourism, does it get so few visitors? For this is a glorious town, threaded by canals and fringed by lakes (be sure to take a boat trip) and filled with monuments to its Renaissance heyday. In 2026 it offers the perfect alternative to overcrowded Italian cities such as Rome and Venice
Pride of place goes to two of the greatest historic buildings in Europe, never mind Italy: the Palazzo Te, a Mannerist masterpiece, and the still more spectacular 1,000-room Palazzo Ducale, frescoed by Mantegna and others, and the former home of Mantua’s rulers, the Gonzaga.
The town’s medieval heart – today a World Heritage Site – is also wonderful, full of arcaded streets, cobbled alleys, verdant gardens and plenty of places to eat and drink. I’d happily spend a week here, but you could stay longer and use the town as a base for easy trips by train to Verona, Vicenza, Parma and Modena.
What’s more, Mantua has a rich cultural life, especially in early summer, with many outdoor concerts and food fairs..
5. The Dominican Republic
Recommended by Annabelle Thorpe
For years, the Dominican Republic was dismissed as cheap and downmarket, nothing but a mish-mash of huge, all-inclusive “fly and flops”, with an abbreviated name – Dom Rep – that sounds more like social media fitness influencer than a sunkissed Caribbean island.
But, change is afoot, as local tourism providers and luxury hotel chains have realised that the island’s spectacular natural landscapes – open savannah, lush rainforest and untouched highlands including Pico Duarte, the Caribbean’s highest mountain – are some of the most beautiful in the region.
New destinations such as Miches, on the north-east coast, are opening up, offering the chance to do more than simply laze on the beach. Try trekking in nearby Los Haitises National Park or hiking up Redondo Mountain, while Samana Bay (where a new Four Seasons resort will open in 2026) is one of the best places in the world to spot humpback whales, which come in their thousands between January and April to mate and calve. The new Four Seasons follows on from the W and St Regis resorts, which both opened in Punta Cana this year: a new veneer of luxury on one of the Caribbean’s most extraordinary islands.
6. Northumberland, England
Recommended by Sarah Baxterl
With overtourism continuing to be a hot topic in 2026, there is a push to visit kess crowded places. Northumberland is big and beautiful but scantily populated (just 170 people per square mile) and criminally underrated. Yes, hotspots like Bamburgh and Alnwick get moderately busy on a sunny summer day. But the rest? Pretty much empty.
Take Northumberland National Park, which celebrates its 70th birthday in 2026. Stretching from Hadrian’s Wall to the Cheviot Hills, it encompasses 405 square miles of wild moors, waterfalls and lauded dark skies but barely 2,000 residents. Remotest of all is the College Valley, where only 12 cars are allowed per day to help keep the air pristine.
It’s a milestone year for Kielder Forest, too, which turns 100. From modest beginnings, the forest – England’s largest – now covers tens of thousands of hectares. Also in summer 2026, Kielder Castle will reopen, providing a revamped visitor hub for the site.
Meanwhile, nine way-marked Reiver Trails have just launched, connecting Kielder with Hadrian’s Wall, local communities and the region’s Borders history. Ranging from six to 57 miles, they’re doable on foot, bike and horseback; more routes are being designed for wheelchairs and buggies. It’s a great initiative to get more people exploring – but, even so, you’ll likely still have space in spades..
7. Brazil
Recommended by Chris Moss
This year wrapped up with the COP30 conference in Belém, Prince William in Rio de Janeiro, and stats from the national tourist board revealing that visitor numbers to Brazil – for decades the sleeping giant of the Americas – were hitting record highs.
Just two to three hours behind GMT along the coast and reachable within eight hours from Lisbon, a holiday in Brazil comes without jetlag or a tiresome ultra-long-haul flight. Their summer is our winter, and as the bulk of the country is north of the Tropic of Capricorn, it’s never too cold.
Even if it didn’t have all these small advantages, Brazil would be worth a bit of extra effort. It has the world’s greatest beach culture, its biggest and most diverse rainforest and its most enthralling river system (in the Amazon Basin). There’s the extraordinary wetlands of the Pantanal (where you can spot jaguar – if you’re lucky – plus the giant anteater, Brazilian tapir, maned wolf and giant river otter).
São Paulo is the gastronomy, art and economic powerhouse of South America, and the 36th art biennial, a world-class showcase, is on right now. And, not to be ignored, Rio de Janeiro is probably the most visually arresting major city on earth.
Hotels like Rio’s Copacabana Palace, São Paulo’s Rosewood and Palácio Tangará, and those in the Emiliano and Fasano chains, are stunning. The first W opened in São Paulo’s Vila Olímpia district in 2025, as did the super-stylish Pulso and South America’s first Soho House hotel. Luxury chain Tryst will open a property in Ipanema in 2026, and there are many more big openings pencilled in. Brazil never rests, rarely sleeps, and its time has come. Carnival? Yes, it’s huge, but this is a carnivalesque country every day of the year and at every point on the map.
8. Gdansk, Poland
Recommended by William Cook
Poland’s economy is booming, and the nation’s newfound confidence and dynamism is reflected in its biggest cities. Warsaw attracts the business travellers and Kraków attracts the tourists, but my favourite destination is its gateway to the Baltic, Gdańsk.
This rugged Hanseatic port is a lively and attractive place, but what makes it so intriguing is its leading role in some of the most seismic events of the last century. For most of its long history it was known as Danzig, a city with a predominantly German-speaking population and a predominantly Polish hinterland, and in 1939 its contested heritage made it a flashpoint during the Second World War. Renamed Gdańsk after the war, and stripped of its Germanic inhabitants, it then disappeared behind the Iron Curtain, until Lech Wałęsa led the shipyard strikes that signalled the beginning of the end of the Cold War.
There are mementoes of all these eras all over town, from the handsome merchant houses of its Hanseatic heyday to the memorials and museums that commemorate the heroic Polish resistance to Nazi and then Soviet repression – check out the Museum of the Second World War and the European Solidarity Centre. From Schopenhauer to Soldariność, from Günter Grass to Donald Tusk, Gdańsk has come through the worst of times to become Poland’s most invigorating, international city..
9. The Silk Road
Recommended by Hazel Plush
More than two millennia after the first traders and travellers marked it on their maps, the Silk Road between China and Europe (or rather roads, as it was never a singular route) is still catnip for intrepid globetrotters. Demand for trips to central Asian nations such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, whose cities prospered with the rise of the Silk Road, is high – driven no doubt in part by last year’s Silk Roads exhibition at the British Museum.
Those who do follow their compass east can expect to find some of the world’s most dazzling architecture, multifaceted cultures and epic landscapes of mountain and desert.
Tour operator Intrepid has launched its biggest ever collection of Central Asia itineraries after a 70 per cent increase in bookings year-on-year, ranging from trekking in Kyrgyzstan’s Terskey Alatoo mountains to a “premium” tour of Uzbekistan’s sumptuous cities of Khiva, Samarkand and Bukhara. Hitherto hard-to-visit Turkmenistan is expected to relax its strict entry rules soon (following the lead of its neighbours), while luxury operator Audley Travel has just reinstated its trips to Kyrgyzstan after a five-year hiatus.
10. Barcelona, Spain
Recommended by Sally Davies
Almost 100 years ago, Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was hit by a tram. Unconscious and decked out in his habitual rags, he was taken for a beggar and driven to a pauper’s hospital. He died three days later. To mark the centenary of this undignified end, Barcelona is holding a 12-month celebration of its favourite son, in a year that will also see the completion of the Sagrada Família’s Tower of Jesus Christ, the crowning glory that makes it the tallest church in the world, at 172 metres.
Events will include concerts, exhibitions, access to buildings generally closed to the public (some designed by Gaudí, others by his Modernista contemporaries). And on June 10 2026, the anniversary of Gaudí’s death, it is hoped that Pope Leo XIV will preside over a special Mass at the Sagrada Família, where most events are centred (advanced booking is recommended).
This surge of interest arrives as Barcelona continues to confront overtourism, introducing stricter visitor-management measures and encouraging travel outside peak periods. For a quieter and more authentic experience, aim to visit in early spring or late autumn, when the weather is perfect for sightseeing but of less interest to the sun-and-sea crowd.
11. Route 66, USA
Recommended by Nigel Tisdall
If time is limited, Arizona ‘offers a memorable little taste’ of Route 66, with iconic pit stops such as the Hackberry General Store (seen here) Credit: Siegfried Layda/The Image Bank RF
On April 30 1926, two businessmen in Springfield, Missouri, made a request that a new transcontinental highway from Chicago to Santa Monica, which passed through this city, be given the catchy title “Route 66” – rather than the proposed 60 or 62. A century on, the world’s most famous road trip will be celebrated with full razzmatazz in the eight states it rolls through, with numerous events planned – from films and concerts to exhibitions and classic car parades.
Driving every one of its 2,448 miles last summer, I found myself loving the US more than ever, thanks to its many excellent museums, always-friendly people and wave of cool new motels that have opened ahead of the centenary.
There were discoveries aplenty, including St Louis (soon reachable on a new direct British Airways flight), with its soaring Gateway Arch designed by Eero Saarinen, and oil-boom Tulsa, home to art deco skyscrapers and the Bob Dylan archive.
Texas brought on the big-screen landscapes and New Mexico threw in artsy Santa Fe – then it all ended with a swim in the Pacific and funfair rides on Santa Monica Pier.
Allow three weeks, spring and autumn being the best time to go. If time is tight, Arizona offers a memorable little taste, with its Wild West scenery and the longest unbroken stretch of the original Route 66, the 158 miles starting from Crookton Road.
12. Brittany, France
Recommended by Anthony Peregrine
Next year may be the moment for holidaying among the Celts. I’m assuming you’ve already done Wales, Scotland and Ireland, so Brittany comes next. And, if perchance you’ve been there before, now is the time to return – for the coast, landscape, islands, music and sense of kinship (the Bretons are basically English with berets and better seafood).
These elements have been present for a long time, but the specific reason for a trip in 2026 is even more venerable: the region’s astounding collection of neolithic monuments. Some 7,000 years on, 2025 saw perhaps the finest – Carnac – finally proclaimed a World Heritage Site.
So head for the Morbihan – south-east Brittany – where stone age men (and Unesco, too) concentrated their efforts. En route, you might take in St Malo, atmospheric spots like Dinan and Rochefort-en-Terre, maybe even the Brocéliande Forest if you’re susceptible to Arthurian legend.
Then you’re there, at Carnac, with its world-beating eyeful of 3,000 standing stones, striding away in parallel alignments over 2.5 miles. Their raison-d’être remains a mystery (guides claim “ceremonial”, another way of saying “we don’t know”). Second World War GIs thought they might be anti-tank defences. I like to think that, in the leisure-limited world back then, people simply enjoyed erecting stones.
Whatever the truth, the spectacle is overwhelming. It’s complemented by the nearby Gavrinis cairn, a vast funerary chamber decorated so intensely that some speak of it as “the Sistine Chapel of pre-history”. The Locmariaquer megalith site is also a wonder. Stone age man truly went to town round here.
So might you, benefiting later from the Gulf of Morbihan inland sea with its abundance of oysters, Quiberon – jostling in summer with the sense of idling privilege of a Breton St Tropez – and Belle Île, pairing great beaches with memories of Sarah Bernhardt and Claude Monet.
And, should you be there from July 31 to August 9, make for Lorient. The Festival Interceltique assembles Celts from all over, and completes the circle.
13. The Northwest Passage
Recommended by Kaye Holland
For centuries, explorers tried and failed to find a “short cut” between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans across the icy roof of North America. Their expeditions claimed the lives of countless seafarers before Roald Amundsen made the first successful crossing in 1906. His trip took three years – so much for a short cut.
Today, however, because of climate change, the route is increasingly accessible and ice-free, meaning cruise ships are routinely plying the same chilly waters, and in considerably more comfort and style. What was once considered the most epic adventure on the high seas has become almost run-of-the-mill, with the likes of Seabourn, Viking, HX Expeditions, Ponant, Quark Expeditions and AE Expeditions all now offering itineraries.
Key stops include Beechey Island, where the remains of four men from Captain Sir John Franklin’s fatal 1846 expedition are buried; Devon Island, the world’s largest uninhabited island; and Gjoa Haven, a hub of Inuit culture.
Expect crisp air, otherworldly silence, dramatic landscapes (think towering glaciers, barren tundra and sweeping fjords), polar bears, beluga whales – and a trip that will be both fascinating and rewarding, and unlike any other cruise you’re likely to take.
14. Algeria
Recommended by Sean Connolly
While its next-door neighbours Morocco and Tunisia have been tourism heavyweights for decades, enormous Algeria – Africa’s largest country – sees barely a fraction of their visitors, despite easily out-charming them both. That is slowly changing, however.
Its once-cumbersome visa process, which helped keep visitors away, has been discarded in favour of a new visa-on-arrival system, and tour operators have subsequently witnessed rising interest in this little-understood country just a three-hour flight from London.
That said, tourists remain a novelty – don’t be surprised if you’re stopped for a chat on the street as you explore its capital, Algiers. The city’s historical casbah pulses with trade and gossip, and the classical French quarter, from which the city’s nickname – The White City – derives, sparkles in the Mediterranean sun.
In either direction along the mountainous coastline there are riches to be explored, including surprisingly good wineries and astonishing Roman ruins, among which Tipasa and Djémila are impossible to forget. Constantine and its gorge-hewn cityscape is equally special.
And in the deep south, the Tassili n’Ajjer mountains are a world unto themselves, navigated by nomads and hiding some 6,000 plus years of rock art among their surrealist peaks and twisted pinnacles.
15. Admiralty Arch, London
Recommended by Rachel Cranshaw
London has welcomed so many new luxury hotels in recent years it can be hard to keep track. But few, if any, have been as highly anticipated as the Waldorf Astoria opening in Admiralty Arch next year.
It will follow in the footsteps of properties such as Raffles at the OWO and the Chancery Rosewood that have repurposed historic buildings to become among the most expensive places to spend the night in the capital, with rooms generally costing more than £1,000 a night.
The Grade I-listed semicircular monument, originally commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria and completed in 1912, has an unbeatable location, looking along the Mall and across St James’s Park towards Buckingham Palace. It will become a 100-room hotel, with facilities including a spa, as well as a restaurant headed up by chefs Clare Smyth MBE and Daniel Boulud, whose other restaurants hold seven Michelin stars between them.
Admiralty Arch was sold by the government in 2012, so this next chapter has been a long time coming. Until 2011 it was home to the residence of the First Sea Lord and the building’s naval history will be referenced in its new incarnation. For state events there will be no better hotel in the city.
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16. Zambia
Recommended by Sarah Marshall
Crowned with glory by BBC’s Attenborough-narrated series Kingdom, this southern African country is challenging neighbouring Botswana’s safari reign.
For starters, seasoned operator Ker & Downey has big plans. Following a revamp of King Lewanika Lodge in the seasonally flooded grasslands of Liuwa Plains, its purchase of a new private bushcraft will make it much easier to reach the remote area. Minus the crowds of the Mara, it’s possible to track Africa’s second largest wildebeest migration with a fly-camp, staying in hammock tents suspended above the ground.
Keen to create a national circuit, the company is considering more sites, including Kafue. Almost depleted of wildlife due to bush meat poaching, Africa’s second largest national park – the size of Wales – has been transformed under the excellent guidance of NGO African Parks (AP).
Mainstream hotel brands are sitting up and taking note. In April, Anantara will launch its first foray into the safari industry with the opening of Kafue River Tented Camp. The solar-powered property with nine pool villas and three treehouses sits within the eyeline of a zone currently being prepared for a black rhino reintroduction next November – marking the return of a species locally extinct since the 1980s.
For the more adventurous, AP will launch a life-affirming, multi-day walking trip in collaboration with South African experts Lowveld Trails. Hike through the remote southern sector of the park, sleeping canvas-free under the stars and digging wells for water in dry riverbeds.
17. The UAE by rail
Recommended by Adrian Bridge
Although we tend to think of camels when it comes to crossing deserts, a rather speedier option is set to come into play in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2026.
The desert in question is the Rub’ al-Khali (otherwise known as the Empty Quarter), a vast expanse of land occupying much of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen.
And the new means of transport is Etihad Rail, a high-speed train network linking all of the UAE’s seven emirates and 11 cities in a series of routes extending over 900 kilometres (560 miles). It will pass through a dazzling array of scenery including futuristic-looking cities, golden sand dunes, rugged mountains and parched desert, interspersed with palm tree-filled oases.
The trains, developed in conjunction with Spanish company CAF, have been built to withstand extreme desert climates, sand, humidity and high temperatures and will be equipped with state-of-the-art air-conditioning and Wi-Fi connectivity.
The key hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are due to be connected in just 30 minutes by trains running up to 350km/h (220mph); other stopping points – more commonly reached at speeds of 200km/h (125mph) – will include museum and gallery-rich Sharjah and the east-coast resort of Fujairah, reached via the Hajar Mountains.
The precise start date and detailed timetables have yet to be announced, but with freight services already well established on the routes, this is unlikely to be a mirage..
18. Courchevel, France
Recommended by Lucy Aspden-Kean
Eighty years ago, Courchevel opened its doors, becoming the first purpose-built ski resort in France. Now a collection of five villages (six if you include valley-based Saint Bon), it is the jewel in the country’s winter-holiday crown, renowned for luxurious accommodation and fine dining, and part of the world’s largest ski area, Les Trois Vallées. Nevertheless, with a starring role in the 2030 Winter Olympics on the horizon, it’s not resting on its laurels.
Already home to five designated “Palace” hotels (out of 31 across the whole of France), and 20 five-star properties in total, this season has seen yet more high-end venues opening their doors in the form of Maya Hotel Courchevel 1850 and Atmosphere 1850. Both feature gourmet restaurants aiming to raise the culinary bar even further in the ski resort with more Michelin stars than any other on the planet (seven establishments currently share 13 stars between them).
There are developments on the mountain too. After 55 years of service, the Chenus gondola, which departs from the main snowfront at La Croisette, has got a state-of-the-art replacement with double the capacity. The children’s village in Courchevel 1850 has also received a makeover, with new “magic carpet” lifts and improved slopes. To help keep non-skiers happy, there are also new padel courts and designer stores. It all adds up to a very good reason to visit this French destination in 2026.
19. Jordan
Recommended by Libby Ryan
Jordan, home to the ancient ruins of Petra, the otherworldly Wadi Rum desert, and Red Sea coral reefs, has long been an anchor of stability in a troubled region. However, tourist numbers dropped steeply in 2023 and 2024 because of the war between Israel (Jordan’s neighbour to the west) and Hamas. Yet with a fragile peace in place in the Middle East, visitors have started to return in larger numbers – so now is the time to go, before the crowds return to the narrow canyons of Petra.
Capital city Amman, dramatically built over hilly terrain, with a second-century Roman amphitheater at its heart, is the starting point for a road trip on the King’s Highway. That’s how you’ll reach the red sands of Wadi Rum and the legendary Nabatean city of Petra, lost for centuries, but now one of the great wonders of the world.
Some visitors are satiated after reaching the famed Treasury but Petra, like all of Jordan, rewards digging deeper. Those who do will find, even in 2026, hidden remnants of the ancient world, from Petra’s lesser visited but magnificent monuments to Madaba’s mosaics.
20. Timor-Leste
Recommended by Lee Cobaj
South of Indonesia and northwest of Darwin, Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor) is a vision of ruffled mountains, untamed jungles, bright-white beaches and wondrous coral reefs. Following centuries of Portuguese (and then Indonesian) rule, it’s now one of the world’s youngest democracies, led by Nobel Peace Prize-winning President José Ramos-Horta, and the newest member of ASEAN (an alliance of 11 South-East Asian nations, which also includes Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia).
It’s a diplomatic move that looks set to catapult Asia’s least visited country into the latest remote destination du jour. Regional airlines have started making inroads with direct routes from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bali, and while current accommodation options are restricted to homestays, guest houses and small three-star hotels, luxury options are starting to spring up.
Upmarket cruise company Ponant now drops anchor in the capital, Dili, on its 15-night journey dubbed the “Island Treasures of Indonesia and East Timor”. Nihi Sumba, the far-flung luxury resort owned by billionaire Chris Burch, will be opening a second property on Bo’a Beach on Rote Island in April 2026.
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