The 18 best places to travel in 2023

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For many people, this year marked the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic that travel was back within reach. It was a year defined by joyous reunions — reconnecting with friends and family in person, rediscovering favorite destinations and taking stock of this new, changed world.

It was also a year of novel travel challenges . As demand soared, so, too, did prices. We returned to the roads and skies to find a travel industry that could barely keep up with our ravenous appetite to explore the globe.

But somehow, our love of travel has endured, our wanderlust is just as insatiable as ever and destinations around the world are beckoning us to visit.

That's why we're thrilled to share the destinations on our list of the best places to go in 2023. And this year, we've not only tapped our editorial team to contribute their tips and insights but also our extraordinary network of writers from around the world.

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As always, we looked at exciting new hotel openings and boundary-pushing flights, plus the places that embody the travel trends and philosophies we see taking shape in 2023 and beyond: The destinations prioritizing sustainability, focusing on Indigenous and community-based tourism and encouraging travelers to venture beyond the obvious gateway or itinerary.

We also saw a proliferation of innovative new ways for travelers to use their points and miles to experience the world, including exciting ultra-long-haul flights where miles will come in handy and hotels in destinations that previously might have been absent from most reward travelers' maps.

As we head into 2023, get excited (we are!) about embarking on unforgettable journeys to new corners of the globe, prepare to take a second look at places you already thought you knew and connect more personally with the people who call them home along the way. We hope this list of places to visit rekindles your passion for travel and look forward to exploring this wonderful, awe-inspiring planet with you. — By Eric Rosen and Melanie Lieberman

Aotearoa-New Zealand: The future of inclusive travel

best travel for 2023

Best for sustainability-focused outdoor adventurers and sports enthusiasts.

Laid-back beach towns, award-winning wine, genuine hospitality and outdoor adventure aren't the only reasons why you should put Aotearoa-New Zealand at the top of your 2023 travel list.

Although the country's commitment to sustainability has long, deep roots (more than 33% of its land is protected), New Zealand's tourism industry launched the Tiaki Promise, a sustainability pledge, just prior to the pandemic. The Maori word "Tiaki" means to care for people and places, so the aim of this pledge is to avoid overtourism and encourage visitors to explore lesser-known destinations.

One way to do so is to seek new Maori cultural encounters and experiences, such as a traditional hangi feast in Rotorua, which is prepared in underground pits, after a visit to the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. Or, take an interpretive storytelling trek up Maunga Hikurangi on the North Island's east coast. If you're there in June or July, you can celebrate the Maori New Year, Matariki, which is based on the lunar calendar and became an official public holiday in 2022.

Next year, New Zealand will also co-host the largest FIFA Women's World Cup ever along with Australia. Matches will be played on both the North and South islands. Along with other large sporting events like the Women's Rugby World Cup, it's a clear example of the nation's efforts to promote diversity and inclusion as international visitors return.

A handful of new hotels have opened recently, too, such as the art-filled Park Hyatt Auckland , the environmentally friendly Hotel Britomart in Auckland's central business district and, on the South Island, The Carlin Hotel in Queenstown, which overlooks the Eyre and Remarkables mountain ranges surrounding Lake Wakatipu.

Getting to the country from the U.S. is even easier now with Air New Zealand's new nonstop flights from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Auckland Airport (AKL) and Qantas' launch of the same route starting in March 2023.

TPG tip: If you're staying in Tamaki Makaurau, the Maori name for Auckland, explore one of the towns or nearby islands in the harbor. The ferry ride to Devonport takes 15 minutes, while Waiheke Island is only 40 minutes away by ferry. The latter has fabulous beaches and wineries to explore using a hop-on, hop-off bus. — By Becky Blaine

Orlando: Easy fun with classic experiences

best travel for 2023

Best for roller coaster riders, of course, but also space geeks and culture freaks.

Whether you want to feel like you're in outer space, watch an actual rocket lift off or catch a concert in one of the world's best theaters, Orlando is the destination to visit in Florida — and 2023 is going to be a banner year for the city.

Many travelers come for the world-class theme parks, but Orlando is undergoing a travel renaissance that includes a just-opened terminal at Orlando International Airport (MCO) and 170 miles of railway that will connect the high-speed Brightline train from Orlando to Miami by mid-2023.

But don't hop the train too fast. Book tickets to a concert at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts' Steinmetz Hall, which opened in 2022 and is rated as one of the world's most acoustically perfect spaces. An urban pocket park downtown called Art2 is also elevating this area of Orlando with can't-miss experiences, including performances and food trucks.

Cape Canaveral, an hour east on the coast, is also now home to Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, a 50,000-square-foot, multilevel addition to the Kennedy Space Center that's full of interactive exhibits. And that's to say nothing of the full lineup of planned rocket launches travelers can check out over the course of 2023.

Of course, it's always a good idea to visit the theme parks, especially to catch the final months of Disney World's 50th-anniversary celebration , which includes a reimagining of Epcot with that park's first-ever roller coaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind , and the spring 2023 debut of Tron: Lightcycle Run in the Magic Kingdom.

Disney World is also home to the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser , a "Star Wars"-themed journey unlike any other. The immersive, interactive two-night hotel experience (ahem, space mission) opened in early 2022.

Walt Disney World Resort isn't the only theme park behemoth elevating the park experience in 2023. Universal Studios Florida opened the thrilling VelociCoaster ride just last year, and it's keeping the excitement up with an all-new theme park, Epic Universe, already under construction. It will deliver new rides, themed lands, hotels and restaurants.

TPG tip: If you are one of the millions of travelers who rent a car in Orlando each year, there is a new 7-Eleven on the airport property where you can refill your tank at retail prices and make a pit stop to grab snacks for your journey. — B y Summer Hull

Oslo: Europe's coolest art capital

best travel for 2023

Best for art and design lovers seeking new city-shaping museums and hotels.

Norway continues to claim the attention of travelers, but in 2023, all eyes are on the capital city, which is finally ready to flaunt its latest investments in the arts and hospitality.

Across from the white, angular slashes of the opera house's Carrara marble ramps and staircases is the curving 13-story tower housing the new Munch Museum, which opened in 2021. Even more imposing is the sprawling new National Museum, now one of Europe's largest art museums, which houses works from Edvard Munch's iconic "The Scream" to masterpieces from European artists like Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet and Henri Matisse.

This fall also saw the debut of Sommerro, an art deco hotel packed with contemporary art collections curated by museum director and art critic Sune Nordgren, along with 1930s works by Norwegian master Per Krohg — including a mosaic feature in the restored public baths, which opened in November. There's more to come from the boutique hotel and cultural center next year, including the addition of Villa Inkognito, an 11-suite retreat in a former 19th-century residence.

You can even bookend your trip to Oslo by venturing farther south to Kristiansand, where Kunstsilo, a modernist Nordic art museum, will debut next year inside an award-winning functionalist silo from the 1930s.

TPG tip: It's never been easier to explore beyond Oslo thanks to a flurry of new flights and cruises. Low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic (which began operating in 2022) continues expanding its reach in the U.S. by offering a number of promising nonstop routes, including one between London's Gatwick Airport (LGW) and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) that's coming next year. Norwegian airline Widerøe is connecting Bergen to four new European cities next summer as well. For those interested in heading north, Norway's oldest cruise company, Hurtigruten, is restarting the Svalbard Express next year, while Viking and Disney have announced new itineraries to the remote Arctic region . — By Melanie Lieberman

Jordan: Connections by air, land and sea

best travel for 2023

Best for travelers who want a taste of the ancient world at the heart of the modern Middle East.

Home to some of the world's oldest pieces of history, Jordan is on many travelers' bucket lists, especially now that there are several new additions on the way. In 2023, this Middle Eastern country is channeling its renowned hospitality to welcome travelers via new flights and a host of new hotels and experiences.

In the capital city of Amman, The Ritz-Carlton is the latest luxury hotel to join the gaggle of points-friendly properties near the city's 5th Circle landmark. Lavish white interiors and crystal chandeliers bedazzle the new hotel, which has 194 rooms and 34 suites with floor-to-ceiling views of the capital's sand-hued buildings. Next summer, Radisson will pump up its Middle East portfolio with Radisson Blu Hotel, Amman Galleria Mall. And across the red sand desert, the Crowne Plaza Resort Petra will reopen after a 10-year renovation and expansion.

Northwest of Amman, the former ancient trading town of Al-Salt became Jordan's sixth and latest UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its reputation as "the city of tolerance and urban hospitality." History and design fans can explore touches of European architecture alongside the city's distinct yellow limestone facades. This city is also a new stop on the Jordan Trail's Thru Hike. Launched in 2017, the trail offers the chance to spend 40 days hiking through eight regions that, together, traverse the entire country. Originally connecting 52 villages, it's recently been upped to 75 different communities.

Nearly 75% of Jordan is covered in pomegranate-hued sand, but head south and the watercolor greens and blues of the Red Sea emerge. Here, cruising is making waves in a country renowned for its mystical desert landscapes. Emerald Cruises recently debuted its first oceangoing yacht the Emerald Azzurra, which sails from the famed seaside city of Aqaba to Athens, Greece. Next year, Windstar Cruises is following suit by launching new itineraries from Amman to Athens and Athens to Dubai, with a stop at Aqaba.

TPG tip: Hopping on a flight to Jordan from select North American cities has just gotten easier. United has launched its first-ever direct flight from Washington, D.C.'s Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Amman's Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) , which departs three times per week. Last summer, Royal Jordanian Airlines, a Oneworld member, also launched a new route from Amman to Toronto via Montreal, and it will be increasing frequencies to Chicago, Detroit, Montreal and New York in the spring and summer of 2023. — By Katie Lockhart

American waterways: Rediscovering our backyard

best travel for 2023

Best for travelers craving a nostalgic way to see America's small towns.

There's something charming about life along the water — and we're not talking about the swanky condos overlooking Miami Beach or Malibu, California's Billionaires Beach. Think instead of historical small towns like Natchez, Mississippi, and Muskegon, Michigan, as well as industrial cities like Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Chicago, which have long relied on the nation's waterways.

American lakes and rivers remain key commercial arteries, but the cruise industry has turned them into some of the world's top leisure destinations as well thanks to a slate of new, offbeat itineraries that are only going to draw more passengers in the coming years.

Although Great Lakes and U.S. river cruises have been around for more than a century, 2023 could be one of the best years yet to sail domestically thanks to lines like American Queen Voyages , American Cruise Lines , Ponant , Viking and Pearl Seas Cruises, which are adding more capacity and itineraries along the Mississippi, Ohio, Columbia and Snake rivers; the Great Lakes; and the Chesapeake Bay.

Viking's new expedition arm rolled out its first two ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, which both spent time sailing the Great Lakes in 2022. Next year, travelers can also look forward to two new vessels, American Eagle and American Glory, from American Cruise Lines. The ships will debut along the East Coast and sail exclusively domestic itineraries. Additionally, American Queen Voyages will roll out the longest river voyages to date: 23-day sailings on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers .

If you book a domestic cruise, you'll see unexpected sides to major cities like Cincinnati, where the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center provides a sobering experience, as well as Detroit, which is a staple on many Great Lakes voyages, and New Orleans along the Mississippi. You might also visit towns such as Madison, Indiana, home to stately houses and a historical saddletree museum, that you might not have heard of otherwise. With more itineraries rolling out over time, there will be plenty more destinations to discover along America's waterways.

TPG tip: If you're looking to engage your competitive spirit, book American Queen Voyages' Kentucky Derby Cruise on American Countess. During the sailing on May 3, 2023, the boat will go head-to-head against two other vessels in Louisville, Kentucky's Great Steamboat Race, part of the annual Kentucky Derby Festival. — By Ashley Kosciolek

Los Angeles: In-person events are the hottest ticket in town

best travel for 2023

Best for travelers seeking a new side to the City of Angels.

Events for sports enthusiasts and tech acolytes will draw big crowds to Los Angeles next year.

In January, the College Football Playoff National Championship will kick off at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, and the 123rd U.S. Open Championship golf tournament will be held at the Los Angeles Country Club in June. A third major event, the 40th Annual Breeders' Cup horse racing world championship, will gallop out of the gate at Santa Anita Park in November. The venue sits across the street from the still-new Le Méridien Pasadena Arcadia.

You'll also want to get your virtual reality headset ready, because E3 is getting back in the game, live and in person this June at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The video game industry's biggest annual event was held virtually in 2021 and canceled outright in 2022.

It will at long last be easier to get around Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) , too. After three years of construction, the Automated People Mover at LAX will finally open, connecting all terminals, the Metro Rail and a new rental car center. This state-of-the-art train will reduce travel time both to and within the airport.

Even frequent visitors will find exciting new places to bed down in LA since eight major hotels opened in 2022, including the Hyatt -branded tommie Hollywood, The Shay in Culver City and the adjoining Hyatt Place and Hyatt House LAX/Century Blvd. Two Marriott hotels — a Moxy and an AC — will debut downtown in the 38-story Fig + Pico tower, which sits across from the convention center and Crypto.com Arena. A few blocks away, a $1 billion, Frank Gehry-designed mixed-use development called The Grand LA opened. Here, you'll find Hilton 's splashy Conrad Los Angeles and four new restaurants from chef José Andres.

Also new downtown is the Sixth Street Viaduct, a 3,500-foot-long bridge with an accompanying 12-acre park with walking and bike trails. Spanning the Los Angeles River, this bridge connects downtown's Arts District with the Mexican food hot spot, Boyle Heights.

TPG tip: The Los Angeles Dodgers are considered the early-odds baseball team to beat in the 2023 World Series, so we recommend keeping an eye out for autumn points deals at downtown LA hotels near Dodger Stadium. — By Melanie Wynne

South Africa: More flights to wildlife sites

best travel for 2023

Best for nature lovers dreaming of visiting the Rainbow Nation.

South Africa has a wealth of natural and cultural riches that travelers never tire of exploring, from the Big 5 of safari lore (elephants, lions, leopards, hippos and buffaloes) to the historic steps of Nelson Mandela's "Long Walk to Freedom." One thing the country has been lacking, however, is direct flights to both Cape Town and Johannesburg via multiple U.S. carriers.

In mid-December, Delta will commence a triangle service, flying the Airbus A350 from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Johannesburg's O.R Tambo International Airport (JNB) and then on to Cape Town International Airport (CPT) with a nonstop return from there. And through a special arrangement with the Department of Transportation , United is now offering nonstop flights between Washington, D.C.'s Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. This is in addition to its nonstop services from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to both Cape Town International Airport (CPT) and Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB).

When they arrive, travelers will find new safari lodges opening next year in some of the best wildlife-viewing destinations. The Tswalu concession in the southern Kalahari Desert is South Africa's largest private reserve — and it's less than two hours away by plane from both Cape Town and Johannesburg. There are few lodges here, though, so the new Loapi Tented Camp opening in 2023 is truly notable. With just six modern, eco-friendly tented micro-camps that are perfect for privacy, it will feel like you have the remote savannah all to yourself as you head out on private ranger-led safari drives to spot African wild dogs and desert black rhinos.

Also set to open in 2023 is The Homestead, a sustainability-focused luxury lodge in the secluded Nambiti Private Game Reserve. Nestled into the mountains of malaria-free KwaZulu-Natal, the lodge is around a three-hour drive from either Johannesburg or Durban. In addition to a dozen sleek safari suites with expansive wilderness views and butler service, expect electric safari vehicles for game drives and innovative energy-saving touches as part of the lodge's larger conservation efforts, such as grass-planted roofs and a solar farm.

TPG tip: Plan a trip around South Africa's epic music festivals, including Johannesburg's Afropunk Festival on Constitution Hill, the seat of the country's lawmakers, in December. In March, the largest music festival in sub-Saharan Africa (the Cape Town International Jazz Festival) takes center stage. And AfrikaBurn, South Africa's answer to Burning Man, sets up on the Eastern Cape in April. — B y Melissa Klurman

Rome: The Eternal City shines anew

best travel for 2023

Best for history buffs and hotel enthusiasts itching to discover ancient ruins amidst modern luxury.

In 2023, Rome's full historical heritage will be front and center for visitors to enjoy.

A project to open the Sacred Area of Largo di Torre Argentina (where Julius Caesar was assassinated) via a series of elevated walkways is slated for completion next summer. The archaeological site near the Pantheon was unearthed in the 1920s but has been inaccessible for decades. It joins The Mausoleum of Augustus, which reopened in 2021 following an 8 million euro ($8.2 million) restoration, as one of the ancient sites newly accessible to visitors.

Additionally, the Museo dell'Arte Salvata (the Museum for Rescued Art) opened in 2022. Here, precious antiquities that were returned to Italy after being plundered from archaeological sites and trafficked on the black market to auction houses, private collections and even institutions like New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art are on display. The exhibits will change, but you might see sculptures, ancient coins or even an amphora painted with erotic scenes that dates back to the sixth century B.C.

But there are new, modern developments luring luxury travelers back to Rome, too.

The arrival of international brands like W, Soho House, The Hoxton and Mama Shelter, plus boutique hotels like The First Musica and Umiltà 36 have heralded a contemporary hotel boom. Next year's openings will up the ante even more, with arrivals by Six Senses, Edition, Bulgari and Nobu, as well as a renovation of the 19th-century Palazzo Naiadi, a neoclassical landmark on Piazza Della Repubblica, by Anantara.

Rome will also see increased airlift from the U.S., with three daily seasonal flights (up from two) on Delta from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Rome's Fiumicino Airport (FCO) and a new daily seasonal route from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Fiumicino Airport (FCO) on United , both of which will launch on May 25.

TPG tip: The best way to explore the Eternal City is on two wheels. Just in time for the 2023 season, Scooteroma is revamping its popular Street Art Vespa Tour and debuting a brand-new experience focused on the city's oft-overlooked early 20th-century art and architecture, such as the iconic Vittoriano Emmanuel II National Monument in Piazza Venezia. — By Laura Itzkowitz

Bangkok: Setting the table for an epic comeback

best travel for 2023

Best for passionate foodies and arts aficionados.

For the last few years, Bangkok has been quietly setting the stage for a monumental rebound once the travel floodgates reopened and international tourists returned en masse.

On the Chao Phraya riverfront, a luxury hotel revival led by Capella and Four Seasons outposts has been underway since 2020. Both properties house destination restaurants, including soulful Thai at Capella's Phra Nakhon and the swanky Buenos Aires-themed BKK Social Club at the Four Seasons. This summer, Hong Kong's Mott 32, plus five other dining outlets, arrived at The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon around the corner. Early next year, Southeast Asia's first Soho House opens in Bangkok with multiple bars and restaurants (plus a 39-foot outdoor pool), and an Aman will follow in the coming years.

Hotels aren't the only places for tourists to experience the energy of Bangkok's evolving culinary scene. Innovators all across the city are transforming it into the world's next great food destination. Just this year, a former monk opened Small Dinner Club, which serves offbeat dishes like dessert tom yum, while mixologists at Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar craft boozy, zero-waste concoctions starring an individual element like coconut or squid.

The 2023 Michelin Bangkok guide features 35 starred restaurants (five more than last year). Additionally, both Samrub Samrub Thai and Raan Jay Fai ranked on the World's 100 Best Restaurants list in 2022. Buzz is gathering around watering holes like No Name Noodle, which opened in 2022 and serves just 35 bowls of Japanese soba per day, and chef Arnaud Dunand Sauthier's just-opened, alpine-inspired restaurant Maison Dunand as well.

Bangkok's art scene is also reawakening. Just before the pandemic, 31-year-old Mook Attakanwong founded ATT 19, an exhibition space in a former Chinese school where works broach once-taboo topics like mental health. At Aurum The River Place, exhibits range from street art to a subway car installation.

Airlines are putting flights to Thailand back on their schedules, too. Air Canada's seasonal route from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Bangkok running through March 24 is the first nonstop from North America in more than a decade. Just don't forget to make those restaurant reservations first.

TPG tip: Spend a few days hiking through tropical, UNESCO-listed Khao Yai National Park and stay in a Bill Bensley-designed heritage train car suite at the brand-new InterContinental Khao Yai Resort , which is located just a 2.5-hour drive away from Bangkok. — By Kathryn Romeyn

Panama: Leading the way with homegrown tourism

best travel for 2023

Best for adventure seekers looking to explore an untouched paradise.

Panama might be best known for its famous canal, but in 2023, all that changes for the Central American country, as previously untouched areas become more accessible to travelers. The country is a hotbed of biodiversity and an eclectic blend of cultures unlike any other in the region. Now, it's easier than ever to experience it all.

Launched in August 2022, Panama's community tourism network, SOSTUR, is a digital platform connecting travelers with rural communities and local tourism businesses. Travelers planning a visit for 2023 can select tours across 10 pilot communities in remote corners of the country. Experiences range from agritourism farm visits to sloth watching in the jungle.

Hikers will love exploring the pristine southern coast of Panama's Azuero Peninsula, which is brimming with tropical flora and fauna, natural caves and hidden beaches. Next year, the tour operator Azuero Adventures — based in the rural village of Cambutal — is introducing its Cerro Hoya Mountain Expedition, a six-day adventure that includes a three-day camping tour in Cerro Hoya National Park, home to some of the last areas of primary jungle on the peninsula.

Bookend your trip with a few days in the capital and a stay at the stylish new Hotel La Compañia, part of Hyatt's Unbound Collection. Also in the city's Casco Antiguo colonial district is the new Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo, an Accor-affiliated property slated to open before the end of the year. It has a desirable location on the water's edge and unobstructed city skyline and Pacific views.

Since Delta launched three new routes from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Orlando International Airport (MCO) and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Panama City's Tocumen International Airport (PTY) late last year, it has gotten that much easier for many flyers to visit Panama.

TPG tip : If you're flying to Panama on Copa Airlines, the nation's flag carrier, consider upgrading to see the new Copa Club lounge in Tocumen International Airport (PTY)'s new Terminal 2. It's a sprawling 21,500-square-foot space with buffet-style dining, leather loungers, a dedicated family entertainment area and a bar. — By Jordi Lippe-McGraw

Bhutan: A legendary trail reopens

best travel for 2023

Best for adrenaline junkies craving both nature and culture.

When Bhutan reopened for tourism in September 2022, it also unveiled the highly anticipated Trans-Bhutan Trail, an ancient footpath that stretches for 250 miles across the country. Over the previous two years, the trail was carefully restored by people from around the country, connecting the popular western area with the less-traveled eastern edge of Bhutan.

For decades, hiking has lured mountaineers to Bhutan. The tiny Asian kingdom has exceptional trails, especially through the Himalayas, such as the famous Snowman Trek, a demanding 216-mile hike considered one of the toughest in the world. The newly restored Trans-Bhutan Trail, by contrast, has sections that can be tackled in single or multiple days, so it's more beginner-friendly. Hikers wind through forested mountains, rice paddies and bustling villages with new campsites and homestays along the way. While there are still challenging tracts, the intention is to open parts of the country that are less touristed.

As a commitment to a more sustainable tourism strategy, the country also implemented a new, higher $200 daily tourism fee. The tariff (which replaces a daily $65 fee) funds various economic, social, environmental and cultural developments and is partially intended to limit tourist entries to manageable numbers. It also means travelers no longer need to purchase packaged trips, which allows more flexibility to book preferred hotels and tours.

The country has no shortage of luxury lodges (Aman, Como and Six Senses all have properties here), and more are on the way. Next year, andBeyond will unveil the new Punakha River Lodge on the banks of western Bhutan's Mo Chhu River in a bucolic, rice-growing region. It will have tented suites and two villas designed in a traditional Bhutanese architectural style.

TPG tip: Along with the new daily tourism fee, travelers have to adhere to a number of rules, which include hiring a local guide (in certain areas) and not self-driving. The upside is a guide can unlock the country's history and reveal its storied heritage. The roads are also extremely steep and winding, so having someone navigate them for you is a major plus. When planning your trip, keep in mind that there are no direct flights from the U.S. to Bhutan. Most travelers transit via Bangkok or Delhi, both of which have direct flights with Drukair to Paro International Airport (PBH). —By Mary Holland

Mexico's Pacific Coast: Stylish new destinations emerge

best travel for 2023

Best for swimmers, surfers and sybarites who appreciate design-driven beach resorts.

The roughly 1,200-mile stretch of mainland Mexico's Pacific Coast from Nayarit to Oaxaca is famous for the resort destinations of Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco and Zihuatanejo. But swanky new hotels, major infrastructure improvements and breathtaking natural scenery have brought three very different areas along it into focus for 2023: Riviera Nayarit, Costalegre and Riviera Oaxaqueña.

Beginning just north of Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit is undergoing one of Latin America's biggest luxury hotel booms. This 65-mile string of resort communities includes Punta Mita, already home to Four Seasons and St. Regis properties, as well as the surf town of Sayulita and, farther north, the up-and-coming Mandarina and Costa Canuva developments. Recent openings include the Conrad Punta de Mita , Secrets Bahia Mita, One&Only Mandarina and Auberge Resorts' ultra-exclusive Susurros Del Corazón. Rosewood Mandarina and Costa Canuva's Ritz-Carlton Reserve Riviera Nayarit are coming soon, along with the VidantaWorld theme, water and nature park.

The dramatic headlands and secluded beaches of the 60-mile Costalegre, which is 2.5 hours south of Puerto Vallarta, have drawn celebrities to enclaves like Careyes for decades. The region is about to take off with the opening of a new airport in Chalacatepec and continued improvements along the winding coastal artery, Highway 200. The posh Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo opened in November 2022 with 157 open-air rooms and suites, and the famed Las Alamandas boutique resort recently completed a top-to-bottom renovation. There's also the continued expansion of the 36,000-acre Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve, home to a posh 40-room eco-resort with a Byzantine design.

Served by two smaller airports, including the recently expanded Puerto Escondido International Airport (PXM), Riviera Oaxaqueña is increasingly appealing to visitors seeking an easygoing, mindful vibe (think: yoga retreats and eco-conscious architecture). Grupo Habita's new Hotel Escondido and Hotel Terrestre offer understated luxury, while Puerto Escondido's adults-only Casona Sforza is an idyllic end-of-the-road beach retreat. And just down the coast, the artsy and diverse villages of Mazunte and Zipolite (with its LGBTQIA-popular, clothing-optional beach ) are blissful beach towns for chilling out.

TPG tip: The anticipated early 2023 completion of the Barranca Larga-Ventanilla Highway, which traverses a 10,000-foot-high mountain pass, will cut the drive time from Puerto Escondido to the historic town of Oaxaca, with its art galleries and renowned restaurants, from seven hours to less than three. — By Andrew Collins

Kenya: Africa's top ecotourism destination

best travel for 2023

Best for wild-at-heart travelers seeking adventure and eco-friendly luxury.

Kenya has long been the standard bearer for sustainable tourism in Africa. The emergence of wildlife conservancies in the 1970s not only prevented poaching and illegal trade but also ushered in a new era of community involvement.

In 2023, Kenya's ecotourism movement will forge ahead with bold new initiatives to protect what is arguably the greatest safari destination on Earth. Kenya's emblematic mountain bongo (a critically endangered, notoriously shy type of antelope) will be repatriated to Mount Kenya from a preserve in Florida in a project spearheaded by the Meru Bongo and Rhino Conservation Trust. Sanctuaries within Mount Kenya National Park will also provide refuge to endangered black rhinos and draw on the knowledge and engagement of local Masai communities.

Points travelers will soon have even more reason to add the East African nation to their travel wish list. In 2023, Marriott will debut its first high-end safari lodge on the continent: the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge . Its location, at the heart of Masai Mara National Reserve, will ensure optimal wildlife viewing; the park is home to a staggering inventory of more than 450 animal species, including the Big 5. The lodge will feature 20 classic safari-style tents with canopy beds, stone tile floors and Masai-inspired prints and fabrics. Marriott has committed to hiring 50 individuals from the Masai community, too.

Beyond the Masai Mara, Amboseli National Park is home to an extraordinary density of wildlife thanks in no small part to conservation efforts such as the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. Today, the park is one of the best places on the planet to see long-tusked elephants, as well as giraffes, eland, zebras and wildebeest in large numbers. Debuting in November 2023, Angama Amboseli will comprise 10 luxury tented suites located within Kenya's first community-owned conservancy, the Kimana Sanctuary. All tents will frame views of Mount Kilimanjaro, but the main draw here, no doubt, will be the once-in-a-lifetime elephant encounters.

TPG tip: The Billionaire Resort & Retreat Malindi, an erstwhile A-list hangout that opened to the masses in 2022, offers the ultimate safari and Indian Ocean combination without any grueling border crossings. Located in Malindi (75 miles north of Mombasa, Kenya), the resort's opulent villas and gorgeous infinity pool overlook a private white sand beach you won't want to miss. — By Caroline Lascom

Turks and Caicos: Getting out in the archipelago

best travel for 2023

Best for sun seekers and beach lovers.

Beyond the white sands and aquamarine waters you'll find around the Caribbean, Turks and Caicos offers exciting developments, including new hotels and cruise facilities, plus better airports that will make some of its previously remote islands much more accessible. So, it should come as no surprise, then, that Turks and Caicos has seen the fastest-growing travel demand by Americans year over year, according to TripAdvisor's Fall Travel Index .

To help with the influx of inter-island and private flights, the new South Caicos Airport (XSC) on South Caicos Island — the easternmost island in the Caicos group — will complete construction in June 2023. The government will also break ground on a new-and-improved international airport for Providenciales in early 2023, a project expected to cost $300 million.

Visitors will have plenty of new accommodation options, too. Andaz Turks & Caicos Residences at Grace Bay is targeting a spring 2023 opening and will be the first Andaz-branded resort and residential property in the Caribbean. Also coming in 2023, The Shore Club is adding eight six-bedroom pool villas to its iconic Long Bay Beach property. Travelers can also look forward to boutique-style suites and panoramic views of Grace Bay Beach at The Bight Hotel and Providenciales' newest resort and marina, South Bank Turks & Caicos, both of which are in the pipeline.

A recently completed dock extension at the Grand Turk Cruise Center can now accommodate larger cruise ships, so it's bound to be a port of call on more itineraries. Additionally, $1 million in grants has been distributed to water sports operators and beach vendors to accommodate the projected increase in cruisers.

TPG tip: For the first time since the pandemic, a full lineup of events is planned for Turks and Caicos in 2023. This includes the weekly Island Fish Fry at Bight Park and legendary events like the Conch Festival, the Valentine's Day Cup on Middle Caicos, the Caribbean Food and Wine Festival and the largest festival in Turks and Caicos, Maskanoo, a cultural celebration started by enslaved people in the 19th century mocking the wealthy islanders' costume balls. —By Devorah Lev-Tov

Charleston, South Carolina: A new museum casts light on a dark past

best travel for 2023

Best for diving deeper into a much-loved city .

Yes, we know. Charleston on a "best of" travel list is a lot like saying "florals for spring" — universally popular but hardly groundbreaking. But in 2023, the International African American Museum will open in Charleston, heralding a new era for cultural tourism in the city. In the works for the past two decades, the museum officially opens its doors on Jan. 21.

The museum will be a powerful lens on the past and is fittingly located at Gadsden's Wharf, where slave ships docked in Charleston Harbor and thousands of enslaved Africans first set foot in North America. The museum is raised off this now-hallowed ground on 18 pillars, each 13 feet high — a monumental structure designed by renowned architect Henry Cobb.

Inside, exhibits explore both the history of enslavement and the stories of African Americans in South Carolina's Lowcountry from the past through the present. There's a genealogical center here as well. Outside, the African Ancestors Memorial Garden includes a reflecting pool facing the harbor and a soundscape that explores the diverse range of African languages.

Beyond the IAAM, Charleston is welcoming new nonstop flights to several cities. Breeze Airlines continues to roll out new flights, including two weekly nonstops each to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and six direct flights per week to Provo Airport (PVU) in Utah, which all commenced in November. Earlier in 2022, Breeze rolled out daily nonstops to Orlando International Airport (MCO) and New York's Westchester County Airport (HPN).

On the hotel front, travelers can stay at the historic Charleston Place hotel, which is under new ownership as part of the Beemok Hospitality Collection and in the midst of a $100 million renovation. Mills House Charleston in the city's French Quarter recently emerged from a complete refurbishment as the city's first Curio Collection by Hilton property. The Loutrel, a new luxury hotel in the heart of Charleston's historic district with a buzzy on-site restaurant, is also worth checking out.

TPG tip: Spoleto Festival USA presents more than 150 performances of opera, dance, theater, classical music and jazz spanning two full weeks from Memorial Day through the beginning of June. It's a fun time to plan a visit, and there are numerous hotel package deals available. — By Melissa Klurman

Ecuador: Coastal towns capture the limelight

best travel for 2023

Best for travelers searching for new destinations to unlock with points.

Though Ecuador's capital city, Quito, and remote Galapagos Islands may be the first to come to mind, exciting developments along the country's Pacific Coast are drawing a new wave of adventurers to unexpected corners of the nation.

In March of 2022, Kontiki Expeditions launched expeditions aboard the exclusive M/S Wayra, a nine-stateroom yacht that bears the distinction of being the first "water-based" Small Luxury Hotels of the World member, which partners with World of Hyatt . That means travelers can earn Hyatt points while exploring such seldom-visited ports of call as the surf spot San Mateo and Isla de la Plata, often referred to as an inexpensive alternative to the Galapagos.

Travelers eager to connect with Ecuador's overlooked coast can also take advantage of the country's increased airlift: LATAM resumed its route between Miami International Airport (MIA) and Mariscal Sucre Quito International Airport (UIO) in October with daily flights, making it altogether easier for Americans to reach Ecuador. American Airlines has also increased the frequency of its flights between Miami and Guayaquil, the gateway to Ecuador's beachy coastline.

Even Ecuador's most famous destination, the Galapagos, continues to see significant travel industry investments. Earlier this year, Ecuador's president expanded the protected Galapagos Marine Reserve by more than 23,000 square miles. Months later, a former boutique eco-friendly hotel was reborn as Royal Palm Galapagos, a Curio Collection hotel, making it possible for travelers to redeem Hilton Honors points in the Galapagos. Standard award nights start around 80,000 points, putting the islands well within reach for many travelers with points and miles stashes.

Plus, a new Hotel Indigo is now accepting reservations for end-of-year trips to the archipelago, unlocking IHG One Rewards points redemption opportunities there, too.

TPG tip: If an eight-day sailing along the coast isn't enough immersion in the culture and wildlife of Ecuador, remote workers can take advantage of Ecuador's new Nomad Visa, which launched in 2022 and allows foreign workers to live and work in Ecuador for up to 24 months. — By Melanie Lieberman

Disney Wish: The most magical place at sea

best travel for 2023

Best for travelers who want the best of Disney while exploring the Caribbean.

Disney Wish first set sail in mid-2022, but 2023 is going to be the best time to sail on the company's first new cruise ship in a decade.

The itineraries and cabin types (ranging from a first-ever funnel suite to the cleverly designed oceanview staterooms with split bathrooms that help a whole family get ready faster by creating two distinct spaces) are now more widely available than in the first few sold-out months, but the new ship smell and sparkle remain.

Of equal importance, the staff has now had the necessary time to hit their stride with service, including on stage with Broadway-caliber reimaginings of "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin," and in the thrilling all-new restaurants with "Frozen"- and Marvel-inspired dinners (be sure and try the sticky date pudding with vanilla ice cream while in the Worlds of Marvel and Anna's Koldtbord with goodies like smoked salmon, sweet shrimp and dill honey mustard while dining in Arendelle).

With its three- and four-night sailings from Florida's Port Canaveral to the Bahamas, most passengers book Disney Wish to experience the ship itself rather than the ports of call. In fact, many guests don't even disembark in Nassau, preferring instead to take a turn on the AquaMouse slide, book a treatment at the Senses Spa or just have fun with the many Disney characters and themed spaces on board. It's a stress-free alternative to the increasing complexity and cost of indulging in a visit to the Disney theme parks.

TPG tip: There's the magic that's easy to spot on Disney Wish, but then there is more waiting to be discovered. For example, if you enjoy whiskey, don't walk past Hook's Barbery without popping in, as the secret space is far more than just a nook for a shave and a haircut. And if you can stay up late, make your way to the Grand Hall at midnight and look up for a fun surprise. — By Summer Hull

Sydney: Global celebrations abound

best travel for 2023

Best for travelers eager to say they attended some of the biggest events in 2023.

A fabulous flock of international visitors will descend upon Sydney in February and March to celebrate WorldPride (the first in the Southern Hemisphere) mashed up with the city's Mardi Gras festival. An opening concert headlined by — who else? — the inimitable Kylie Minogue is reason enough to hop on a flight Down Under.

In August, the city's Accor Stadium will host the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup final, bringing to an end a month of soccer (sorry, football ) and Australia's shared hosting of the tournament with New Zealand.

Fortunately, getting there will be easier than ever, as Qantas recently announced it would fly from Sydney Airport (SYD) to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) via Auckland Airport (AKL) in June, cutting travel times for East Coasters and heralding a new age of super-long-haul flights.

Arrivals will have a bounty of new hotels to choose from for their visit, too, including the recently opened Kimpton Margot Sydney and Ace Hotel Sydney, as well as a luxurious new Capella opening by Circular Quay early in the year and the forthcoming W Sydney set to debut in October.

Aside from all the sundry Sydney outdoor activities visitors can continue to enjoy year-round, from beach walks to BridgeClimb Sydney, travelers will also be able to explore the Art Gallery of New South Wales' stunning (and eco-friendly) new Sydney Modern Project, which the museum has billed as "the most significant cultural development in the city since the opening of the Sydney Opera House nearly half a century ago."

Opening in December of 2022 and overlooking the lush Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, the complex will comprise both new and historical buildings, performance spaces, creative studios and terraces and gardens. It was designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architectural firm SANAA and will house specially commissioned works by both international and Australian artists along with rotating exhibitions … so, you never know what you might see on your next trip to Sydney.

TPG tip: Indigenous tourism experiences are flourishing across Australia, including in Sydney, where travelers can learn about Indigenous Australians' way of life on a walking Dreamtime Southern X tour of The Rocks neighborhood or even book BridgeClimb Sydney's popular Burrawa Indigenous Experience guided tour as you scale the Sydney Harbour Bridge. — By Eric Rosen

Feeling inspired? Our sister site, Elsewhere , can help you plan bespoke itineraries to several of these destinations.

52 Places to Go in 2023

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An Indian woman wearing a traditional sari wrap is using a taper to light a whole wall filled with hundreds of little oil lamps. They are illuminated and casting a bright glow over the scene; each lamp is set in its own little box within the wooden wall structure, tied with supporting pieces of bamboo. There are bunches of tiny bananas also tied to the top of the wall case.

London  Copied to clipboard!

A buzzing city ready for a coronation, a brand-new airport link and a prehistoric colossus read more.

Tom Jamieson for The New York Times

The Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace has a royal marching band walking out of the palace gates, with waiting crowds gathered and police standing nearby. The band are blowing their instruments and wearing navy topcoats with gold buttons and gold helmets with long red tassels hanging from the top.

Between an altered post-lockdown landscape, sensational changeovers at 10 Downing Street and the death of Queen Elizabeth II, there is no doubt that London is in transition. But the city continues to juxtapose old traditions and new possibilities, offering something for everyone who loves culture, history, art and nightlife.

For fans of the royal family, and maybe a few naysayers, the crowning of King Charles III , Britain’s first coronation in seven decades, will be the main event in May. There’s also the revamping of Battersea Power Station , an iconic former coal-fired power plant, into a shopping and leisure hub, and a new line on the Underground will directly connect Heathrow Airport to the central boroughs. A cast of a titanosaur, the largest creature ever to walk the planet, will make its European debut at the Natural History Museum , and late-night obsessives can head to newly opened dance clubs like the Beams . Big changes, yes, but a wealth of new choices, too.

— Isabella Kwai

Morioka  Copied to clipboard!

A walkable gem without the crowds, just a short bullet train ride from tokyo read more.

Andrew Faulk for The New York Times

Morioka, Japan

Until this past October, Japan maintained some of the most stringent travel restrictions of any major country. Now, travelers are beginning to stream back to popular destinations like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

The city of Morioka, in Iwate Prefecture, however, is often passed over or outright ignored. Circumscribed by mountains, it lies a few hours north of Tokyo by Shinkansen, the Japanese high-speed rail lines. Morioka’s downtown is eminently walkable. The city is filled with Taisho-era buildings that mix Western and Eastern architectural aesthetics as well as modern hotels, a few old ryokan (traditional inns) and winding rivers. One draw is an ancient castle site turned into a park.

There’s also fantastic coffee, including one of Japan’s third-wave originators: Nagasawa Coffee, whose owner, Kazuhiro Nagasawa, is so committed to his beans that he uses a vintage German-made Probat roaster, which he personally imported and restored. Azumaya serves up all-you-can-eat wanko soba , which comes served in dozens of tiny bowls; Booknerd offers classic Japanese art books; and Johnny’s, a jazz cafe, has been open for over 40 years. An hour west by car: Lake Tazawa and dozens of world-class hot springs.

— Craig Mod

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park  Copied to clipboard!

The majesty and awe of towering buttes in a setting fit for hollywood read more.

Rachael Wright

Three enormous sandstone towers, which appear to be several hundred feet tall, rise above a flat, red landscape, while a road curves through the foreground. The sky above is light blue and is partially occluded by wispy white clouds. Small green shrubby plants dot the ground.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park,

Americans have been flocking to national parks, many of which were overrun with visitors during the peak of pandemic-related international border closures. Amid the bustle, peacefully taking in the majesty of nature can be a challenge.

Monument Valley offers a less crowded alternative. The site, known as Tse’Bii’Ndzisgaii in Navajo, has been a popular insignia for the American West ever since John Wayne rode in to film “Stagecoach” in 1939, and the grandeur of its cinematic sandstone buttes, towering above a copper-red desert vastness, elicits a feeling of reverence and awe.

The tribal park, which features a 17-mile driving loop, is open to visitors under the stewardship of the Navajo Nation. Its relatively basic infrastructure — in contrast to sites governed by the National Park Service — and its out-of-the-way location on the Arizona-Utah state line help create a more serene experience compared with other awe-inspiring U.S. destinations.

— Rachael Wright

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A misty scottish stonehenge, with all of the mystery and far fewer visitors read more.

Andy Haslam for The New York Times

Kilmartin Glen, Scotland

The sun rises over Kilmartin Glen as it has for thousands of years, illuminating an ancient landscape of more than 800 archaeological monuments sprouting in the mist. This verdant valley on Scotland’s wild west coast is one of the most significant prehistoric sites in Britain, yet it’s largely off the visitor circuit; imagine Stonehenge without the crowds.

Wander among majestic stone circles, standing slabs that jut from the earth, burial cairns and rock carvings of concentric rings, expanding like ripples from a drop of water. And now the past is getting a refresh: The Kilmartin Museum is reopening with expanded exhibits and new experiences that delve into the region’s relics and flourishing natural life, including Moine Mhor (Great Moss), one of the few remaining raised bogs in Europe, above which looms the Iron Age hill fort of Dunadd.

For full immersion into the Scotland of yore, stay at the moody 16th-century Kilmartin Castle , which was recently transformed into a boutique hotel, with vaulted ceilings, copper tubs and a wild swimming pond.

— AnneLise Sorensen

Auckland  Copied to clipboard!

New Zealand

Pastries that rival France’s best, with a side of adventure tourism on the North Island Read more

Susan Wright for The New York Times

Over 20 French pastry cases are set out in rows on a black metal baking tray, in the process of being filled with a cream and having segments of fresh strawberries arranged artfully on top in a circular design. A hand holding a pastry brush is glazing the strawberries.

Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland is usually considered the entry point for the rest of New Zealand’s natural attractions, but travelers just passing through can miss that it’s also the culinary capital (sorry, Wellington).

Restaurants that have been germinating while the country’s borders were closed are now ready to be sampled by all. Just 10 minutes on foot from the newly renovated downtown, for instance, takes you to Hugo’s Bistro , where a regular clientele, including many lawyers, dines on unfussy French-inspired food that takes advantage of New Zealand’s fertility: Saffron, wasabi and truffles, among other delicacies, are grown in the country. Cazador , a longtime staple of the residential neighborhood Mt. Eden, serves local game in its restaurant and house-cured meats in its delicatessen.

The city’s famous multiculturalism also plays a part: Omni , which opened in 2020 and whose head chef worked at Hong Kong’s Yardbird, makes high-end yakitori, and Little French Pastry ’s founders, originally from France, serve up mille-feuille rivaling Paris’s best.

Palm Springs  Copied to clipboard!

Spotting stars in the streets and counting galaxies in the sky read more.

Beth Coller for The New York Times

A large telescope is aimed upward through a slit in the roof of an observatory dome. The dark blue sky, visible through the slit, is dotted with stars, and the interior of the dome is illuminated with a red light.

Palm Springs, California

Yes, this is the land of midcentury nostalgia, with its low-slung Modernist architecture and the recent return of the 26-foot-tall “ Forever Marilyn ” statue. But these days, there’s another headliner: the surrounding desert, and the dark skies above.

Astrotourism is on the rise, with a constellation of ways to explore the cosmos, including at the Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory , which offers tours and monthly “Swoon at the Moon” events. Unfurl a blanket on the desert floor and gaze up at the starry sky at Joshua Tree National Park . This designated International Dark Sky Park has one of the darkest skies in California, with stargazing treks and the annual Night Sky Festival .

The desert nature and history that flourish around Palm Springs are also shaping the city’s landscape, including the new Palm Springs Downtown Park , designed to reflect Indian Canyons , ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians; the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza and Museum , which, when it opens later this year, will be one of the largest Native American cultural centers on the West Coast; and new desert-inspired hotels like Azure Sky .

Kangaroo Island  Copied to clipboard!

A haven for koalas and other wild creatures, healing after devastating wildfires read more, kangaroo island, australia.

A short trip from Adelaide, South Australia’s capital, the nearly 1,700-square-mile Kangaroo Island is known for incredible wildlife, breathtaking ocean views and its status as an ecological haven — like a zoo without fences.

Three years ago, devastating fires consumed the island, wiping out wildlife and destroying a famous luxury hotel, the Southern Ocean Lodge . Efforts to rebuild are continuing, and the island is more compelling than ever to visit. New organizations that sprang up to help with the wildlife recovery offer visitors a chance to play a part in funding that regeneration.

At the Kangaroo Island Koala and Wildlife Rescue Centre , you can book a private tour to see the animal hospital facilities, or bottle-feed a joey (a baby kangaroo). At the long-established Seal Bay Conservation Park , you can watch one of Australia’s largest colonies of sea lions frolic on the beach. And in 2023 the Southern Ocean Lodge will reopen, grander and better than before.

— Besha Rodell

Vjosa River  Copied to clipboard!

Cycling through the canyons and valleys of one of europe’s last untamed waterways read more.

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A verdant river valley with undulating mountains surrounding it is shown at sunset. There is a glow over the green as the sun is slowly going down behind the rocky mountains in the distance.

Vjosa River, Albania

Protecting the Vjosa , one of Europe’s last undammed rivers, hasn’t been easy. After a decade of proposed projects that threatened to alter the waterway’s wild flow, its innumerable ecosystems and its valleys strewn with ancient communities, the Albanian government signed a commitment last June to create the Vjosa Wild River National Park .

Making good on that pledge, scheduled to become reality in 2023, will establish a global conservation model while preserving the country’s canyon-lined, 120-mile stretch of the 169-mile waterway, which runs from the Pindus Mountains in Greece to the Adriatic Sea, as well as including around 60 miles of tributaries.

For travelers — on trails like Albania’s new UNESCO Cycling Route (opening January 2023), which runs along the river and visits World Heritage sites like the city of Gjirokastra — safeguarding the Vjosa and its river system, with over 1,100 animal species, encourages responsible discovery of alpine settlements, where locals welcome adventurers for coffee, raki (local fruit brandy) and a chance to imbibe oft-overlooked Balkan culture.

— Alex Crevar

Accra  Copied to clipboard!

Feast first, dance later, in a hub of innovative west african cuisine read more.

Jessica Sarkodie for The New York Times

Three local Ghanaian restaurant staff are busy working behind a tiled bar with a wooden top; there are shelves behind them lined with alcohol bottles of different colors and varieties. There are stools strewn with colorful words in front of the bar, and wait staff, including a waiter carrying a tray with bowls of food, are walking by.

Accra, Ghana

Accra’s food scene typically consists of two schools: “chop bars” that serve traditional, cheap meals like fufu (made from pounded cassava, green plantains or yams) with tomato-based spicy soup, and pricier restaurants serving foreign fare.

Travelers to Accra, Ghana’s capital, can now see a new wave of chefs and entrepreneurs bridging this gap by emphasizing and innovating with local produce. At the Mix, a new restaurant and design hub, the West African staple gari (granulated cassava root) is dyed pink with beetroot and accompanies squid in a passion fruit sauce.

The sustainable food space in Accra is also one to watch; Ghana Food Movement , an educational group, hosts events throughout the year, including a signature Dine & Dance series in which underutilized indigenous ingredients like millet, eaten by Ghanaians almost exclusively as porridge, are made into stars over three courses. The meal is followed by a dance party, of course, in true Ghanaian fashion.

— Jessica Sarkodie

Tromso  Copied to clipboard!

A clear-skied hot spot where aurora seekers are likely to spy their dazzling prize read more.

Nerd Nomads Travel Blog

A deep blue sky is striated with neon green lights, as if shooting upward from a point in the far distance. Closer in the foreground are dramatic hills and a cabin with lights on inside.

Tromso, Norway

After years of low solar activity, projections are looking up for travelers hoping to experience the aurora borealis, or northern lights. As the sun’s volatility increases, with more coronal mass ejections and solar flares, so, too, will the frequency and intensity of the aurora. Experts predict solar activity to peak in 2025, explained Trond S. Trondsen, an aurora expert at Keo Scientific , a designer of specialized optical instruments for space research in Calgary, Alberta. Already, he said, “the number of sunspots are climbing faster than predicted .”

One of the best places to see the northern lights, Tromso, Norway, is more than 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and is relatively accessible, as far as reliable viewing locations go. Travelers can get there either by plane or by a combination of train and bus. Cruise ships and ferries are also a possibility.

Most important, the town’s surrounding landscape, near the sea but with mountains nearby, offers enough distinct weather zones to make it likely that there will be clear skies most nights — a must for seeing the lights when they do appear.

— Ingrid Williams

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park  Copied to clipboard!

Blinding white dunes and aquamarine pools in an otherworldly natural water park read more.

Scott Baker

An expansive dune of windswept white sand stretches out to the horizon, with a blue-green lake in the midground. The sky above is partly cloudy and deeply blue.

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil

Want to feel like you’ve traveled so far that you’re only vaguely tethered to Earth? Welcome to Lençóis Maranhenses , a horizon of rolling, blindingly white sand dunes rising into the sun and descending into otherworldly green and blue lagoons filled with rainwater.

Forget your cell signal or trappings of comfort: There are few if any structures, people or even trees around, and the park’s location near the Equator means it’s blazingly hot during the day. Yet almost all Brazilians will tell you they want to visit this remote area to experience the sensation of playing in a lunar water park.

Logroll down the dunes, splashing into the natural pools. Traverse the area on horseback, stopping at “oases” along the way. Or be mesmerized by its immensity via helicopter tour. It’s the antidote to that claustrophobic Covid-era feeling — a vast, borderless moonscape where you can roam wild and free.

— Shannon Sims

Bhutan  Copied to clipboard!

Cliff-top fortresses and rhododendron forests on a revived trekking trail read more.

Marcus Westberg

Buddhist monks in scarlet-red robes descend the stone staircase of a temple high in the mountains on the side of a cliff. The sides of the staircase are painted white and decorated ornately with gold, and the temple is surrounded by trees, with a series of mountain ranges rising in the background, the furthest one snowcapped.

After two and a half years of pandemic isolation, Bhutan reopened in September with changes to its longstanding “high value, low volume” tourism policy. Visitors are no longer required to travel on package tours, but Bhutan’s mandatory “sustainable development fee” increased to $200 from $65 per day.

At the same time, the 250-mile Trans Bhutan Trail, a path used for centuries as a pilgrimage and communications route, reopened after a three-year restoration that mended suspension bridges, stone stairs and long-overgrown temples. The trail stretches east to west across nearly the entire country, passing through cities, villages, farmlands and wilderness. Depending on the route and time of year, trekkers might spy the snowcapped Himalayas, visit cliff-top fortresses, scale sacred mountain passes or pass through blooming rhododendron forests.

Official guides are required, and itineraries range from half a day to more than a month. Accommodations include guesthouses, home stays, luxury hotels and well-appointed campsites on each of the trail’s 28 sections. Proceeds from trips booked with Trans Bhutan Trail , the nonprofit that led the restoration, go toward trail maintenance, educational programs, guide training and other community causes.

— Sara Clemence

Kerala  Copied to clipboard!

Learn to climb a palm tree, visit a temple during an annual festival and get a sustainable taste of village life read more.

Poras Chaudhary for The New York Times

Kerala, India

We travel to immerse ourselves in other cultures, but some forms of community tourism put residents on display without offering benefits. Not so in Kerala — a southern Indian state celebrated for its beaches, backwater lagoons, cuisine and rich cultural traditions like the Vaikathashtami festival — where the government has adopted an award-winning approach that allows visitors to experience village life while supporting the communities that host them.

In Kumarakom, one of several “ responsible tourism destinations ” in the state, visitors can paddle through jungly canals, weave rope from coconut fiber and even learn to climb a palm tree. In Maravanthuruthu, visitors can follow a storytelling trail and enjoy village street art before taking in an evening performance of a traditional temple dance.

— Paige McClanahan

Greenville  Copied to clipboard!

South Carolina

Adventure in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and on dinner plates downtown Read more

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

An overhead view shows a variety of dishes from a Georgian restaurant, including khachapuri, a cheese-filled bread with an egg at its center.

Greenville, South Carolina

Set in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Greenville has established itself on the culinary scene. The quaint city of about 70,000 has more than 200 restaurants — 85 percent of which are local, without a tie to a national chain — in its strollable downtown area alone. Visitors may come for the access to outdoor adventures, but they’ll most likely leave having been introduced to flavors from around the world.

Even as the renowned Soby’s celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022 and two food festivals — euphoria and Fall for Greenville — attract tens of thousands of people annually, restaurants continue to crop up around the city. The second location of Charleston’s acclaimed Lewis Barbecue opened to long lines in September. Mr. Crisp , with Greg McPhee as executive chef, highlights seafood, especially its crisp-yet-tender hand-battered fish and chips. Keipi celebrates Georgian khachapuri and the country’s ancient wines; Aryana delivers a taste of Afghanistan; and Califas has brought Mexican birria tacos to Greenville.

“The real heartbeat of Greenville is a creative and diverse food community that keeps reinventing itself,” said Sid Evans, the editor in chief of Southern Living. “The food here is adventurous, and the chefs have embraced the global influences shaping the modern South.”

— Ari Bendersky

Tucson  Copied to clipboard!

A rebounding center of art and adobe with centuries-old ties to mexico read more.

John Burcham for The New York Times

Tucson, Arizona

Barrio Viejo, an area of more than 150 acres in Tucson, is the largest barrio in the United States and exemplifies Tucson’s connection to Mexico, with centuries-old Sonoran adobe architecture.

This year, the neighborhood, which has one of the most diverse racial, cultural, religious and ethnic populations in the country, will receive National Historic Landmark designation . Revival projects include the restoration of the 300-seat Teatro Carmen , built in 1915 and later converted into the Black Elks Club , and female-owned boutique hotels, like the Citizen in the former home of the Tucson Citizen newspaper and the Downtown Clifton in a once-faded motel.

Take the Tucson Origins Tour by Borderlandia , which specializes in tours of the U.S.-Mexico border area, for a deep dive into history. Then explore the famed Etherton Gallery and Andrew Smith Gallery , both in new spaces. Don’t forget Barrio restaurants like the local coffee drinkers’ favorite EXO Roast , housed in an 1885 adobe home, and the Coronet , which moved to the neighborhood in 2019.

— Daniel Scheffler

Martinique  Copied to clipboard!

Creole culture, giant ferns and hummingbirds that don’t back down from a staring contest read more.

A small hummingbird with green iridescent feathers and plumage on the top of their body flies and feeds from a flowering plant. The pink blooms its flying in front of are long and chandelier-shaped, hanging off a light-green branch.

Martinique,

While travel was frozen in 2020, Martinique celebrated the induction of its traditional yole sailboat — a lightweight craft kept upright by crew members, who use their body weight as ballast by sitting on poles that extend over the sides of the hulls — on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. In the fall of 2021, the entire island was named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve , recognizing the destination’s commitment to sustainable economic and social development.

Islanders are awaiting yet another decision from UNESCO, which they hope will name the nearly 4,600-foot volcano Mount Pelée and the Pitons du Carbet range to the World Heritage List. The region represents “the diversity of Martinique,” said Alex Dobat, who owns Natiyabel , a scuba diving and hiking outfitter (whose name means “nature is beautiful” in Creole), who described ferns the size of trees, wild begonias and hummingbirds “staring at you quietly.”

Tourism officials are counting on the UNESCO certifications to attract ecotourists to its peaks, rainforests, reefs and Creole culture.

— Elaine Glusac

The Namib Desert  Copied to clipboard!

Southern Africa

1,000-foot dunes and crashing waves along a nearly uninhabited coastline Read more

A large desert expanse with deep red sands gives way to a gently rising sand hill then a rocky mountain range in the background. Tufts of dry grass poke through the sand in the foreground.

The Namib Desert, Southern Africa

Along the desolate coast of Namibia, 1,000-foot-tall sand dunes descend into the sea. During low tide, intrepid adventurers can drive along the beach, past towering yellow dunes on one side and the South Atlantic’s churning waters on the other. This is the Namib, the world’s oldest desert, and the perfect place for a long road trip . After almost three years of Covid-19 restrictions, it’s hard to imagine a place where you can feel more free.

“Namib” means “vast place” in Khoekhoegowab, a language spoken in many parts of Namibia. It’s astonishingly easy to get lost in this almost entirely uninhabited expanse of sand, where you might travel for days without seeing another human being.

In the Namib-Naukluft National Park, travelers can go back in time at the Deadvlei, where 600-year-old trees stand eerily lifeless, preserved by the dry air; challenge themselves to climb the 100-story Big Daddy Dune; observe desert-adapted wildlife like oryx and springbok; and even see mysterious fairy circles .

— Jen Guyton

The Alaska Railroad  Copied to clipboard!

470 miles of mountains, glaciers and grizzlies from the comfort of a glass dome read more.

Christopher Miller for The New York Times

The Alaska Railroad,

Since 1923, the Alaska Railroad — the last railroad in the United States to carry both people and freight — has connected millions of passengers and trade goods over 470 miles of track, from Seward to Fairbanks. This year is the centennial of its operation and a celebration is planned in Nenana, where President Warren G. Harding drove in the golden spike on July 15, 1923, completing the railroad.

Operational well before Alaska became a state, in 1959, the railroad is an environmentally friendly way for passengers to see wilderness, and even the aurora borealis, without sacrificing comfort: Glass-domed rail cars make viewing easy. It is also the only remaining flag-stop major railroad in the country. Passengers can wave a flag to embark or disembark, gaining access to more remote locations, including harder-to-reach areas of the Chugach National Forest, through a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.

Sights along the way include Denali, North America’s tallest peak, and Kenai Fjords National Park. History buffs can view a special exhibit at the Anchorage Museum that runs from May to February 2024, chronicling the railroad’s history.

— Charu Suri

Fukuoka  Copied to clipboard!

Savoring an endangered street-food tradition on the often overlooked island of kyushu read more.

Diners are sitting outside around the counter of an open-air food stall. Smoke is emanating from the open kitchen, and the diners are chatting and huddled over plates of food. Red lanterns attached to the stall are glowing brightly, along with the illuminated signs on top of each stall.

Fukuoka, Japan

Fukuoka, a subtropical city perched on the northern shore of Kyushu, is one of the few remaining places in Japan where you will see rows of yatai — open-air street-food stalls resembling boxes of neon light. Many sell traditional foods like ramen, yakitori and oden, but if you stroll along the riverfront on Nakasu, a small island that is Fukuoka’s red-light district, you’ll find some diversity with wine, coffee, and even French sausages and garlic toast.

Yatai were a common sight across Japan in the 1950s, but during the 1964 Summer Olympics, the authorities had them removed to project an image of economic recovery. In the present, Fukuoka is the only city left that’s fighting this bureaucracy. The government has acknowledged the cultural significance of yatai by increasing the safety and quality of the food and by offering more licenses in 2022. Even so, the number of yatai has fallen drastically to around 100 stalls today from more than 400 in the ’60s. Pull up a seat while you can and enjoy rubbing shoulders with strangers over supper again.

— Harvard Wang

Flores  Copied to clipboard!

An island paradise where crater lakes change color and nine-foot dragons roam read more.

Lauryn Ishak for The New York Times

Five boats, two passenger motorboats and three wooden fishing boats with covers, are gathered around a pier. They are surrounded by turquoise blue water, with a few people in swimwear waiting on the pier. The sky is bright blue with fluffy white clouds in the distance.

Flores, Indonesia

The term “fairy-tale getaway” is overused, but what else do you call a far-off, unspoiled, Southeast Asian island with nine-foot Komodo dragons, active volcanoes, white-sand beaches, coral gardens, rushing waterfalls and color-shifting crater lakes reputed to house departed spirits?

Such are the allures of Flores, one of the roughly 17,500 islands of the Republic of Indonesia. An hour’s flight from Bali and far less visited, Flores may be seeing more visitors with the scheduled opening late this year of Kodi Bajo , a luxury resort in the fishing town of Labuan Bajo. Operated by the group behind the NIHI hotel on Sumba, a nearby Indonesian island, Kodi Bajo will offer sumptuous hillside accommodations and views of the nearby Komodo National Park archipelago — the only place in the world inhabited by the famous giant lizards.

— Seth Sherwood

Guadalajara  Copied to clipboard!

Celebrating queer culture’s diversity and l.g.b.t.q. athletes from around the globe read more.

Adrian Wilson for The New York Times

Two bartenders stand within an enclosed bar, surrounded by the glow of a yellow-orange light. Nearest to the camera, one of them measures out alcohol in a metallic jigger. Shelves of alcohol line the walls.

Guadalajara, Mexico

Travel has always been a way to experience diversity, and in 2023 you’ll find a variety of sexual expression and shifts in traditional gender roles in Jalisco’s capital. This fall, the city will co-host (with Hong Kong) the 11th annual Gay Games . Athletes from around the world — of varying ages, sexual orientations and levels of athletic experience — will participate in 20 sports.

The city is also home to the annual Prohibido festival , during which an abandoned theater is transformed into a celebration of sexual diversity through art installations, interactive experiences, live music and talks about polyamorous and nonbinary culture. In Guadalajara, too, women take on nontraditional performance roles. On most nights, you can hear one of almost a dozen female mariachi bands from the area at Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajara or El Patio, a restaurant. There are also local performances by female cowboys, known as escaramuzas, who present their choreography on horseback.

The city is considered by some to be Mexico’s drag capital, with numerous performers and shows. Guadalajara has also developed “antiturista” maps, including one for L.G.B.T.Q. travelers, that provide a local’s perspective on places to see and stay.

— Maggie Jones

Tassili n’Ajjer  Copied to clipboard!

Rock art, sandstone pillars and a glimpse at a lost saharan history read more.

Bright red-orange sand dunes stretch across a vast landscape that is interspersed with slightly darker-brown rock formations. The rocks are jagged and irregularly shaped.

Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria

Often overshadowed by its neighbor, the tourism giant Morocco, Algeria — a stone’s throw from Mediterranean Europe and a mere three-hour flight from London — has recently relaxed its visa policies, allowing for much easier exploration of the country. While most visitors tend to stick to the coastal north, which contains some of the region’s best preserved Roman ruins, Africa’s largest country also contains its largest national park.

Virtually unknown to the outside world, Tassili n’Ajjer is eight times the size of Yellowstone. At the heart of the vast landscape of Saharan sand and stone lie the deep red dunes and pillars of Tadrart Rouge. Accessible only by a four-wheel-drive vehicle, this astonishingly striking national park is home to thousands of ancient works of rock art, stretching back to when the desert was a thriving savanna, as well as to a very much living nomadic Tuareg culture.

— Marcus Westberg

Kakheti  Copied to clipboard!

New flavors and ancient winemaking traditions in tiny hilltop towns and green valleys read more.

Irma Laghadze

A big steel bowl filled with a large amount of hand-twisted dumplings (more than 50) is being held by two pairs of hands over an open fire, as steam rises around it.

Kakheti, Georgia

The mountainous nation of Georgia’s 8,000-year-old winemaking tradition is at the center of several new trends in the wine world, including skin-contact (a.k.a. orange ) wines, amphora fermentation and charismatic grape varieties like saperavi. As a result, Georgian wine exports to the United States recently topped one million bottles and are growing at almost 29 percent annually, as Wine Enthusiast recently reported .

For wine lovers, a tasting trip to estates like Vazisubani and Kardanakhi in Kakheti offers a chance to discover new wines in a landscape of tiny hilltop towns and verdant valleys framed by the Caucasus. Many wines are made in traditional pointed qvevri clay vessels that are buried in the earth.

To complement the experience, local chefs have started offering cooking classes where gastronomes can learn how to make the meaty dumplings known as khinkali and other dishes from what Saveur magazine called “Europe’s great unsung cuisine.”

— Evan Rail

Nîmes  Copied to clipboard!

A sunny mediterranean morsel whose charming streets are studded with roman monuments read more.

Joann Pai for The New York Times

Nîmes, France

Nîmes is that rarest of Gallic delicacies — a sunny southern French city with great charm and fascinating architecture and museums that hasn’t yet become thronged with tourists like Arles or Avignon.

The city has a growing word-of-mouth reputation for the excellence of its dining options, which include everything from Michelin two-star restaurants like the chef Pierre Gagnaire’s Duende at the recently renovated Hotel Imperator to exceptionally good lunchtime dining in Les Halles de Nîmes, a covered food market, where the Halles Auberge and La Pie Qui Couette offer first-come first-serve counter service at noon. The latest local buzz is about the chef Georgiana Viou, originally from Benin, who serves up her personal and very delicate Afro-Provençal cooking at Rouge , the restaurant of the elegant new 10-room Margaret-Hôtel Chouleur in a landmarked mansion in the heart of the Écusson, or Old City. Le Coin and Menna, two excellent cosmopolitan modern French bistros — a type of restaurant that’s new to Nîmes — are not far away.

Shed some calories after a meal by taking in the sights of the Rome of France, a sobriquet explained by the most spectacular collection of Roman monuments in Europe outside of Italy.

— Alexander Lobrano

Ha Giang  Copied to clipboard!

A two-wheeled thrill ride leads to mountainside settlements where hmong and tay culture lives read more.

An elderly Vietnamese woman with glasses and a head-scarf sits outside at a small wooden table, hand-painting a fabric made of hemp that she is unrolling. She is wearing a purple and yellow print shirt, and there is a wooden wall behind her.

Ha Giang, Vietnam

The several-day loop by motorbike through the Ha Giang highlands in northern Vietnam is not for the timid. Getting to the city of Ha Giang takes six hours by road from Hanoi, and the loop’s steep roads, serpentine passes and recurring switchbacks can make the journey both treacherous and exhilarating.

This remote tableau of soaring peaks and cavernous valleys inspires a deep connection to the landscape and its inhabitants. Veer off the main road onto the narrow ribbons of concrete streaking the mountainsides and into the Hmong and Tay settlements dotting the hillsides and hollows. To learn more about their cultures, you can hire a guide from QT Motorbikes and Tours .

Road improvement projects and new high-end accommodations have made the loop more accessible and inviting. Don’t miss a boat ride through the canyon on the emerald river at Ma Pi Leng Pass.

— Patrick Scott

Salalah  Copied to clipboard!

A historic frankincense-trading center where the desert erupts in waterfalls read more.

Traversing a gently flowing river, a desert oasis, a line of five camels are following each other in procession, walking in the water up to their shoulders, single file. Trees in varying shades of green line the riverbank, and there is a mountain range in the background.

Salalah, Oman

With last year’s World Cup drawing attention to the built environment elsewhere in the Persian Gulf states, seaside Salalah, Oman, offers visitors a chance to see the region’s natural beauty. Depending on when you go, the area is either lush and green and blanketed in thick fog, or basking in sunlight and a warm breeze.

During the khareef (monsoon), the valleys and riverbeds are flooded with fresh water, and the mountains flow with waterfalls. The city is also home to Al Baleed Archaeological Park and the Museum of the Frankincense Land , which provides a visual history of the ancient incense trade and the associated export routes to the rest of the world. (A nearby collection of sites, known as the Land of Frankincense , is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.) Another draw is the collection of historical ports spread along the coast.

The population of Salalah, one of Oman’s largest cities, is around 330,000, so it’s easy to find oneself alone in the crystal clear waters of the area’s many tranquil beaches, including Mugsail, Fazayah and Haffa.

— Noa Avishag Schnall

Cuba  Copied to clipboard!

An island of music and white-sand beaches ripe for rediscovery as the united states eases travel restrictions read more.

Robert Rausch for The New York Times

A deserted beach is seen at sunrise, with the waves gently lapping the shoreline and the wet sand glistening and reflective. There are piles of rocks and palm trees further back on the shore, leading up to a grassy mound and the sun rising on the right in the distance.

With its sea-sprayed, pastel facades, white-sand beaches and tobacco-rich valleys, Cuba sits tantalizingly close to the United States, though it often feels out of reach — especially in recent years, when the Trump administration reinstated strict rules for American citizens hoping to visit.

But a confluence of factors just made travel to the island nation a bit easier. Last spring, President Biden relaxed many of the restrictions imposed by his predecessor. And in November, American Airlines resumed flights beyond Havana, adding departures to the beach town Varadero and the interior city Santa Clara, a regional capital steeped in revolutionary history. More flights from other carriers are set to begin in the coming months.

Cuba’s people are as generous with their stories — of history, family, even politics and protest — as they are with their music, an omnipresent, joyful soundtrack thrumming through the island’s cities and towns. Less than two years after historic protests were met with harsh repression, and as the country rebuilds from Hurricane Ian, travel to Cuba and support of its people may never be more valuable.

— Lauren Prestileo

Odense  Copied to clipboard!

A mystical new museum and garden with all you need to write your own fairy tale read more.

Andreas Meichsner for The New York Times

A solitary woman wearing headphones is seen standing in front of a museum exhibit. She is looking at a light display and surrounded by other luminous installations. She is wearing headphones and plaid pants.

Odense, Denmark

Designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma & Associates, the new Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense, on the island of Funen, is more than a museum. It’s a mystical land, featuring labyrinthine gardens that double as a public park.

The museum explores Andersen’s literary interplay between real and imaginary: You can gaze up at the sky through a glass dome and feel like the Little Mermaid; roam sunken courtyards, illuminated by sunlight splintering through trees; and engage with exhibits by contemporary artists in cylindrical spaces wrapped in latticed timber that suggest the city’s traditional thatched-roof houses. The museum is as much about telling stories as it is about imagining your own: Creativity is encouraged at the magical Ville Vau children’s center, where children can paint, draw, write and play dress-up amid colorful scenes from Andersen’s fairy tales.

Time your visit with Odense’s summertime H.C. Andersen Festivals , and then find artistic inspiration, as Andersen did, by venturing across his home island of Funen, the “garden of Denmark,” with its storybook castles (the moated Egeskov is the stuff of dreams), heather-coated hillsides and misty coastline.

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park  Copied to clipboard!

The shape-shifting sandstone heart of a continent and its indigenous heritage read more.

Matthew Abbott for The New York Times

Uluru, the sandstone monolith, is seen off in the distance at sunset, glowing a terracotta red, with the mellow-toned blue and pink sky behind it. Tufts of grass and shrubs rise from the earth in the foreground.

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia

At Uluru, time stretches, dissolves. Over 500 million years old, the 1,142-foot sandstone monolith in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is a shape-shifter: aflame in pink, orange and violet through the day; its crevices gush with the rain, its surroundings erupt with wildflowers.

Now, Uluru is a symbol of urgency. In 2017, it was the site of the Uluru Statement From the Heart , which calls for an Indigenous “voice to Parliament” to be enshrined in Australia’s Constitution. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced there would be a national referendum on the issue in 2023.

Uluru is sacred to the Anangu people, who protect and manage the land, and for decades tourists climbed the rock against their wishes. Climbing was banned in 2019, and now visitors can take a 5.8-mile walk around Uluru’s base to experience its splendor. The ban was a rare victory for Indigenous rights and cultural respect, and evidence that even deep-rooted attitudes can change.

— Tacey Rychter

Boquete  Copied to clipboard!

A slope-side nirvana for coffee geeks, waterfall hikers and white-water rafters read more.

Paul Castillero

Shining through a peek-hole in the lush growth of a forest is the orange glow of the rising sun, with clouds and a mountain range around it.

Boquete, Panama

Geisha, among the world’s most expensive coffee varietals, thrives on the slopes of the Barú Volcano, near Panama’s western border. In recent years, specialty coffee geeks the world over have gravitated here, encouraging coffee farms around the highland town of Boquete to act more like Bordeaux vineyards. New cupping rooms and bodega tours have been added at farms like Lamastus Family Estates , Chevas Coffee Estate and Finca Altieri , while coffee-themed hotels — including Finca Lérida and Panamonte — have updated their facilities.

In Boquete’s town center, which acts as a base for adventure activities like waterfall hikes and white-water rafting, the noted Panama City chef Mario Castrellón has opened a branch of the coffee roaster Café Unido , as well as a restaurant and bar with seasonal menus and Geisha-infused cocktails, in the new Selina hostel . The bold, 60-room property straddles a small river, with rooms ranging from beds in concrete cylinders to luxe suites.

— Nicholas Gill

Tarragona  Copied to clipboard!

An unsung artsy seaport rich in well-preserved roman ruins, and delicious tapas read more.

A old, stone cathedral, seen in the distance through a maze of residential buildings with clay-tiled roofs, is illuminated with yellowed lights. The sky shows a rich palette of colors ranging from blue and purple to orange and gold.

Tarragona, Spain

Long upstaged by the flash of Barcelona, this unsung waterfront city on the Costa Daurada is a culturally rich alternative, with thriving Catalan traditions, from the famous castells (human towers, formed by people standing on one another’s shoulders) to earthy Romesco sauce, often served with grilled fish and vegetables, and best enjoyed in El Serrallo, a maritime neighborhood.

But what elevates the Tarragona experience is the past: This is one of the oldest Roman settlements in the Iberian Peninsula. The impressively preserved Tarraco ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, transform the city into an open-air museum, from the mighty Roman walls to the amphitheater framed by the Mediterranean.

Against this ancient backdrop, the city is in the midst of change: a revitalized port, new low-cost fast trains to the region and a growing contemporary arts scene. Perhaps the best way to savor it is to partake in a paseo: Stroll the Rambla Nova, grazing on tapas along the way, to the aptly named Balcó del Mediterrani observation point, where touching the iron railing is said to bring good luck.

Charleston  Copied to clipboard!

A powerful space will examine a city’s past and honor the african american legacy read more, charleston, south carolina.

Charleston’s brutal history of slavery can be overshadowed by a romanticized portrait of a city with charm, award-winning restaurants and plantation gardens. The planned opening of the $100 million International African American Museum this year will help comprehensively display the city’s complicated past.

The I.A.A.M. occupies the former Gadsden’s Wharf, where an estimated 30,000 African captives landed during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, more than at any other site. The sleek, single-story building floats atop 18 pillars clad in tabby, a kind of concrete made from oyster shells, and houses a genealogy center, a social justice action lab and 10 exhibit galleries that include stories of slavery and the Great Migration. A public outdoor space offers an African Ancestors Memorial Garden featuring indigenous plants like Lowcountry sweet grass and Canary Island palm trees.

This spring, the Charleston tourism board will debut a comprehensive guide to Black-owned businesses to elevate the overlooked successes of creative locals.

— Lauren Matison

Cayos Cochinos  Copied to clipboard!

Planting coral and counting sea turtles where there are no cars or roads read more.

Looking through a gap in the dense forest with a tree bough framing overhead, there is a view of a wooden beach cabana on stilts, siting over the turquoise water of a lagoon.

Cayos Cochinos, Honduras

Off the northern coast of Honduras, the Cayos Cochinos archipelago, part of a marine preserve where commercial fishing is banned, encompasses about 300,000 acres, two main islands and 13 small cays, with a collective population of about 200 Indigenous Garifuna residents.

Before the pandemic, the nonprofit Cayos Cochinos Foundation, which manages the reserve, derived much of its funding to study and protect its biodiversity from the fees paid by day-trippers to snorkel there. Now, the nongovernmental organization is gently opening itself to tourism, allowing visitors to stay in basic cabins (from $45 a night) that previously hosted exclusively scientists.

Between scuba dives and hikes to see pink boa constrictors and black-chested spiny-tailed iguanas, travelers can volunteer to propagate new coral or count sea turtles. Travel to the islands, which are roadless and free of cars, also supports the Garifuna community, which offers guide services, restaurants and tastings of the local root-infused spirit, guifiti.

Burgundy Beer Trail  Copied to clipboard!

Paying homage to hops and yeast in a region where wine has long reigned read more.

A man with dark hair and a beard and wearing a zip-up puffer vest is standing surrounded by huge wooden beer barrels in the cellar of brewery. He is pouring beer from a long-neck bottle into a large stemmed goblet, and there is an ancient stone wall behind him.

Burgundy Beer Trail, France

Wine lovers have long revered the great vintages of Burgundy. Now, beer lovers have their eyes on the Burgundy region, following the arrival of head-turning new breweries like Ammonite , Vif , Independent House and 90 BPM , all within 90 minutes of one another, and all rated among the best in France by fans on sites like Untappd and RateBeer .

Winemaking influences these new brewers, some of which employ solera barrel systems (like those used to age and blend sherry and Madeira wines), natural yeast, small oak barrels and other tools and techniques most often used by vintners.

For years, France has been a laggard in the global craft beer revolution, running far behind neighboring countries like Spain and Italy. The emerging beer trail in Burgundy’s wine region shows how France might soon develop an enviable beer culture of its own.

Istanbul  Copied to clipboard!

Reviving a city’s historic architecture just in time for modern turkey’s centennial read more.

Maria Mavropoulou for The New York Times

A modern-looking, three-level museum building of steel and glass is seen from the front, leading out to a forecourt of polished stone. There are people walking past the facade, and there is a sign in big capital lettering on the front that reads, “Istanbul Modern”

This October, the Turkish Republic celebrates its 100th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, Istanbul’s local government has invested millions in giving historic structures new life.

Among them: Feshane, a factory that manufactured the iconic Turkish hats and one of Istanbul’s first steel buildings, will become one of its largest art centers; west of the old city, a comprehensive restoration of the stone-and-brick Mevlanakapi city walls with their 22 towers dating back to the fifth century, will transform them into a four-and-a-half-mile walking path; and the Botter Apartment, one of Istanbul’s earliest Art Nouveau buildings, whose bottom floor was originally a studio for the sultan’s private tailor, will be turned into a fashion design center.

There’s more. Art museums are planned for the former Yedikule gasworks and the Halic Shipyard, one of the world’s oldest still in operation. And most notably, the newly built Istanbul Modern museum, designed by the architect Renzo Piano, will open its doors along the Bosporus in Karakoy, showcasing the works of notable Turkish artists such as Fahrelnissa Zeid and Erol Akyavas.

— Nora Walsh

Taipei  Copied to clipboard!

Floating sky lanterns and soaring skyscrapers in a sprawling, thrumming capital read more.

A bustling night market in Taipei has shoppers roaming up and down a long strip, lined on either side with stall fronts. There is backlit lettering on signage over many of the stalls, and illuminated yellow lanterns hang overhead. The night sky is black.

Taipei, Taiwan

Taipei is a glorious assault on the senses, a capital with stunning natural beauty, low crime, and clear air despite its immense urban sprawl. From its neon-lit night markets to its Qing Dynasty temples, visitors can feel the quiet drum of independent pride, however fragile its future.

Beijing, which sees self-ruled Taiwan as an unruly child, continues to assert its desire to reunify with Taiwan and put the island firmly back under its control. But for now, a visit to this city offers a riot of culinary and cultural pleasures. In 2023, the island’s third-tallest skyscraper will open, and the Taiwan Lantern Festival , a beloved tradition in which thousands of glowing lanterns float skyward in tandem, will return to Taipei after more than two decades.

Taipei’s future is uncertain. But in 2023, it remains an ideal place to gape at the sheer power of human innovation.

— Debra Kamin

El Poblado  Copied to clipboard!

Medellín, Colombia

A chic shopping district, pulsing nightlife and rainbow-colored macaws Read more

Federico Rios for The New York Times

A bartender, wearing an apron and standing in front of a large mirrored array of alcoholic beverages, slides an orange and green drink toward the viewer.

El Poblado, Medellín, Colombia

In the 1600s, Spanish settlers established El Poblado, “the village,” along the Medellín River. Eventually, the larger city of Medellín grew to the north, and El Poblado became a rural getaway for wealthy Colombians.

Today, it is once again a center of activity. The grid of two- or three-story homes has blossomed with shops and restaurants, interspersed with boutique hotels rising above the treetops. Nearby, gushing waterfalls and rainbow-colored macaws add to the lush tropical vibe.

An afternoon roaming the neighborhood, popping into Mon y Velarde for menswear or Makeno for artisanal home goods, followed by coffee at Pergamino or modern Colombian cuisine at Oci.Mde , is a worthy entry on any South American traveler’s bucket list. Stay out late enough to see the area transform into the pulsing heart of the city’s nightlife, with D.J.s on the rooftops and dance parties in the streets.

Lausanne  Copied to clipboard!

Switzerland

Spectacular views of Lake Geneva and an exploding architectural and artistic scene Read more

Clara Tuma for The New York Times

Looking down onto a cityscape from above, cars are driving down a bustling retail main street and apartment buildings are above the shops. A church steeple is seen in the distance.

Lausanne, Switzerland

Already blessed with a sublime Lake Geneva location and dramatic mountain views, Lausanne, Switzerland’s fourth-largest city, has been adding architectural and artistic beauty to its repertoire as well.

Known as Plateform 10 , the city’s three-year-old arts district recently inaugurated a bold new building that resembles an artfully cracked block of white stone for a pair of museums. Photo Elysée is dedicated to exhibiting photography in all its forms, while MUDAC is a haven of five creative outlets: design, glasswork, ceramics, jewelry and graphic art. The two institutions join the new home of the city’s international art museum, the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts , which moved into its ridged, rectangular building in 2019.

Methana  Copied to clipboard!

A hike, a stroll or a run into the bronze age followed by a soak in an ancient tub read more.

Two runners, a man and a woman, are seen from behind as they are running along a rocky mountain trail, at the very edge of the cliff. They are dressed in black and gray and the blue sea and a mountain are seen in the distance.

Methana, Greece

Athens’s nearest active volcano, Methana, sits on a peninsula of the same name some 30 miles southwest of the Greek capital. Though largely unknown to tourists, the area is slowly evolving, in part because of its increasing popularity as a hiking destination.

In recent years, groups of locals have managed to reopen and map old walking paths, some of which date back to the Mycenaean Era, creating hiking trails that attract visitors from around the world. (So far, more than 18 miles have been cleared and marked.) The Methana Volcano Challenge , first organized in 2021, offers a trail run across the peninsula’s sloping landscape.

Visitors to this volcanic peninsula can also enjoy several hot springs, the most interesting of which is an ancient (and recently renovated) tub known as the Pausanias Baths near the village of Agios Nikolaos.

— Demetrios Ioannou

Louisville  Copied to clipboard!

A rising l.g.b.t.q. scene with quilts, drag shows, the derby and, of course, bourbon read more, louisville, kentucky.

One of the oldest cities west of the Appalachian Mountains, and arguably among the most beautiful, Louisville somehow flies under the radar. This despite its graceful 19th-century park system , designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, and its bourbon-fueled convivial spirit.

Today, its L.G.B.T.Q. scene is also thriving, with hot spots like Chill Bar and Play Dance Bar , which hosts regular drag nights featuring touring artists. (The city has also earned top marks from the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index for seven years running and is home to two new L.G.B.T.Q. community centers.) This spring brings Hotel Genevieve , from the Texas-based Bunkhouse Group, which offers Louisville-inspired touches like décor that pays homage to the city’s rich quilting heritage, an on-site market selling work from local artists and bourbon selections from neighboring Rabbit Hole Distillery .

Make plans for 2023, because the city might not stay below the radar much longer: 2024 will draw the masses for the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby.

— Paul L. Underwood

Manaus  Copied to clipboard!

River-to-table cuisine and ancestral recipes in the heart of the amazon read more.

A fish, cooked whole, sits on a small plate beside a sliced lime. Two additional bowls — filled with colorful food — sit beside the plate, as does a glass filled with a yellow-green drink.

Manaus, Brazil

Michelin-starred restaurants in São Paulo use Amazonian ingredients to appear exotic, but in Manaus, where you can sip steamy gourds of tacacá from a stand in front of the Teatro Amazonas or wander past plastic bottles of tucupi, the juice squeezed from grated cassava, in Adolpho Lisboa Municipal Market, Amazonian ingredients are a fact of life.

At the Indigenous-owned Biatüwi , a restaurant that pays homage to ancestral recipes and cooking techniques, drinks are made from fermented purple yams, and chiles are used to purify river fish in piquant stews like quinhampira.

Then there’s the chef Felipe Schaedler, who has helped threatened Yanomami communities commercialize their native mushrooms and runs two restaurants of his own: Banzeiro and Moquém do Banzeiro . Steering away from traditional preparations, Mr. Schaedler reimagines ingredients like lemon-grass-flavored ants and tambaqui ribs in a modern format, as do the bistros Caxiri , set in a colonial building overlooking Largo de São Sebastião, a grand plaza, and Fitz Carraldo, in the boutique hotel Villa Amazonia .

Vilnius  Copied to clipboard!

A 700-year-old survivor ready to party like there’s no tomorrow read more.

Gordon Welters for The New York Times

A man sits above a river, his feet dipping into the water, on a two-seated chair that is suspended about ten feet below a decorative bridge. Atop the bridge, three people look down at the man. Behind them is what appears to be a collection of residential buildings.

Vilnius, Lithuania

Lithuania’s cobblestoned capital has a long history of bootstrap survival. Occupied once by the Nazis and twice by the Soviets, Vilnius has a story that is complex and fascinating to explore. Its architectural riches span from Gothic to Renaissance to Baroque; grand churches rub shoulders with quaint timber homes on leafy streets.

In 2023, the resilient city celebrates its 700th birthday with a full year of revelry. A light festival , free music performances and the first Vilnius International Biennial are all on the calendar. Artificial intelligence will resurrect one of the city’s first operas from the 17th century, and an exhibition space will allow visitors to virtually explore Vilnius’s streets as they looked more than 200 years ago.

Ringing in its eighth century, Vilnius reminds travelers that, when viewed through the long lens of history, our own uncertain times are fleeting.

Macon  Copied to clipboard!

1,100-year-old native american mounds and deep rock ’n’ roll roots read more.

A pathway leads into a large mound of earth, perhaps around 10 or 15 feet tall at its peak and covered with neatly manicured grass. The mound has a large opening framed with wooden logs.

Macon, Georgia

The area around Macon has been home to multiple Native American tribes for 12,000 years. That history will be acknowledged this year, when Georgia is expected to get its first national park: The Ocmulgee Mounds, some of the most significant prehistoric Indigenous mounds in North America, date to the year 900, and are now a national historical park .

The national park will include the Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge , for a total of 50,000 acres, and offer a network of exquisite hiking trails and artifacts from American Indian culture. Management will be shared by the Muscogee Nation and the National Park Service.

Additionally, the city, whose musical roots run deep — Little Richard, the Allman Brothers and Otis Redding all got their start here — is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a new 10,000-seat amphitheater . Visitors can check out the Hotel Forty Five , a boutique hotel that opened downtown last year and that was named both for the angle of the street on which it sits and as a nod to musical history.

— Ondine Cohane

Madrid  Copied to clipboard!

Kicking off a worldwide tribute to picasso in a place that’s a masterpiece unto itself read more.

Emilio Parra Doiztua for The New York Times

If art is a universal language, as travel often reveals, Pablo Picasso’s antiwar “ Guernica ” may be one of its most potent symbols.

The Spanish and French governments recently announced the Picasso Celebration 1973-2023 in front of the famous painting at the Reina Sofia museum, kicking off a transnational commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the artist’s death. The worldwide tribute, from Madrid to Paris to New York City, includes some 50 exhibitions, many of which explore the artist through the lens of the present day. Madrid leads the way, with tributes throughout the year, including “Picasso. The Sacred and the Profane” at the Thyssen-Bornemisza ; “Picasso 1906. The Turning Point” at the Reina Sofia ; and an exhibition exploring Picasso and El Greco at the Prado .

During Picasso’s anniversary year, it’s worth noting that the city’s artistry isn’t just within its museums, but outside as well: Madrid’s cultural core is an urban masterpiece of art, nature and light, and in 2021, the entire area of the Paseo del Prado and verdant Parque del Buen Retiro, called “Landscape of Light,” was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Grand Junction  Copied to clipboard!

A bonanza of canyons, arches and cliffs, without the hordes of tourists read more.

Sharp orange-red sandstone cliffs contrast with the deep blue of the sky in the background. The cliffs, dramatically steep at the top, give way to gentler slopes of eroded material below.

Grand Junction, Colorado

On Colorado’s Western Slope, arid Grand Junction offers attractions similar to those of Moab, Utah, the gateway to Arches National Park, without the throngs.

The area around the Colorado alternative has the second-largest concentration of natural arches in the country in Rattlesnake Canyon, where some 35 sandstone spans are part of the roughly 123,700-acre McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area , reachable via off-road vehicle or a strenuous 14-mile round-trip trek. More convenient hiking trails in the Colorado National Monument — where geologic uplift and erosion formed monoliths of the same Entrada sandstone found at Arches — lie within about 10 minutes of town.

The 2021 opening of the Palisade Plunge adds a 32-mile descent — from the world’s largest flat-topped mountain, 10,000-foot Grand Mesa, down to the Colorado River — to the area’s biking challenges. All trails lead back to downtown Grand Junction, filled with shops, craft breweries, locavore restaurants and wine-tasting rooms from area vineyards.

La Guajira  Copied to clipboard!

An unspoiled land of orange-sand beaches and flamingo-lined lagoons read more.

Four figures, silhouetted against a dark orange-blue sky, are standing atop a hillside, with the ocean in view in the distance on the right.

La Guajira, Colombia

The remote and arid La Guajira peninsula, straddling Colombia’s border with Venezuela, remains largely unknown to international tourists — in spite of its dramatic salt flats, flamingo-lined lagoons and orange-sand beaches.

Terrorist activity made this area mostly off limits until 2016, but eco-minded hotels, including La Casa del Pavo Real and Hotel Waya Guajira , have spread along the peninsula, relying on increased flights to Riohacha, the regional capital, and nearby Santa Marta.

This region is the home of the Indigenous Wayúu people, who have expressed concerns that giant development projects may irreparably alter their ancestral lands. Tour operators visit Wayúu weavers known for their chinchorros, the colorful hammocks that take months to make, and their rustic kitchens, where cooks like Zaida Cotes showcase traditional cuisine based on salted fish, goat meat and purple corn.

Bergamo and Brescia  Copied to clipboard!

Open-air theater, art, music and a plateful of local delicacies in a cultural crossroads read more.

Andrea Wyner for The New York Times

An ancient city with pretty red roofs and facades of white and yellow sits in the foreground. In the distance are rolling forested hills and mountains.

Bergamo and Brescia, Italy

Milan may outshine Bergamo and Brescia , but in 2023 a spotlight will fall on these two Lombardy cities after they were jointly named the Italian Capital of Culture . More than 100 art projects, music and theater events (some open-air), nature walks and new bike routes are ​meant to map a way forward after the tragic headlines this northern region generated in 2020, when it was more ravaged by the coronavirus than anyplace else in Italy.

Bergamo is distinctive for its ancient, walled Città Alta (Upper Town) and modern Città Bassa (Lower Town), the two connected by ​narrow roads, a funicular and a footpath. Brescia, around 30 miles southeast , is a handsome crossroads of Roman, medieval and Renaissance sites .

Outstanding food is another draw — it’s Italy, after all — with menus in both areas featuring creamy, nutty polenta taragna and variously stuffed crescents of casoncelli swirled with butter and sage — little pasta miracles that prove how good life can still be.

— Julie Besonen

American Prairie  Copied to clipboard!

A vast, and growing, swath of nature where you can still feel tiny read more.

Janie Osborne

A dark-brown buffalo grazes through a field of light-yellow grasses, forming a striking contrast. In the distance, a row of trees showcases variously colored leaves: green, yellow, orange.

American Prairie, Montana

With its wide-open skies and boundless horizons, American Prairie is ideal for visitors seeking a respite from the fast pace of modern life. A vast nature preserve founded by a Montana nonprofit, A.P. has been accumulating grasslands since 2004. It currently consists of 455,840 acres — and the preserve continues to expand by acquiring private properties that connect to surrounding public lands. The goal: to create a contiguous, three-million-acre reserve and restore a disappearing ecosystem.

A.P. offers a broad range of activities, including leisurely walks, cross-country skiing and expert-level hiking, biking and paddling. Paved roads lead to Antelope Creek Campground, which features an interpretive trail and distant views of the Little Rockies. Buffalo Camp, accessible by gravel roads and situated among the reserve’s largest bison herd, is a little farther off the beaten path and provides a chance to see a buffalo jump, a cliff traditionally used by Indigenous peoples to harvest bison.

— Janie Osborne

Eastern Townships  Copied to clipboard!

A leisurely journey through the countryside with stops for wine, cheese and poutine read more.

An abbey — several stories tall, built from light-colored stone and showcasing a deep-green roof — is dusted with snow and sits among snow-covered trees.

Eastern Townships, Quebec

This is slow travel at its best: Pedal across the quiet Quebec countryside, refueling on local cheese, wine and, yes, poutine. Montreal and Quebec City are the stars of the region, but the bucolic, lake-laced terrain between them is often relegated to fleeting glimpses from the windows of a rental car.

The Eastern Townships — Canada’s New England, with French flair — deserves a visit all its own, and especially now, with the recent debut of the Véloroute Gourmande . The 150-mile cycle route traces the Route Verte and Trans Canada Trail across this charming region dotted with flower-festooned villages, and features more than 100 epicurean stops along the way, from farmers’ markets to maple groves to fromageries to vineyards.

Try the lush, sweet vin de glace (ice wine), made from ripe grapes that have frozen naturally on the vine, at Le Cep d’Argent , and the buttery Brise des Vignerons at the family-run Fromagerie des Cantons , one of the first in the area to develop cheese exclusively from Jersey cows, a nod to the region’s British influences.

New Haven  Copied to clipboard!

Connecticut

A home to tinkerers and rebels, and a treasure trove of contemporary art and architecture Read more

New haven, connecticut.

Connecticut’s third-largest city is a historic, mostly walkable and bikeable seaside town with distinctive neighborhoods, an encyclopedic collection of great American architecture, a thriving cultural life and one of the best food scenes in the country for a city of its size (134,000).

Founded in 1638, it’s a place where people have always tinkered with, mused about and challenged the status quo, which is why the New Haven Preservation Trust is now looking at saving the modernist buildings of the 1970s, which many see as disastrous examples of urban renewal. Discover one of the best of these brutalist concrete buildings by checking into the new Hotel Marcel , named for its architect, Marcel Breuer. Recently renovated, it’s become the first completely solar-powered, energy-neutral hotel in the United States.

Check out NXTHVN , a cutting-edge, community-focused arts center founded in 2019 in two abandoned factory buildings in the Dixwell neighborhood that has become the heart of a vibrant African American artists’ community. And then treat yourself to a great meal — maybe crispy artichokes with Parmesan aioli and pork belly with Tuscan cabbage and apple mostarda — at the recently opened Villa Lulu .

The Black Hills  Copied to clipboard!

South Dakota

Pine forests, powwows and a climb up to Crazy Horse’s giant granite face Read more

Benjamin Rasmussen

On top of a high rocky overlook, with green fields visible far below in the distance, three trees are covered in many dozens of prayer cloths, which have been tied to the trees’ trunks and branches.

The Black Hills, South Dakota

The Lakota people trace their creation to the He Sapa, or Black Hills, a mountain range of dramatic peaks and pine forests in an area that is South Dakota’s chief tourism attraction.

Now, representatives of all nine tribes in the state — working as the South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance — are having a say in how to experience Native American sites with the publication of a new tribal nations’ visitors guide , including destination suggestions and tips on visitor etiquette. The assembly helped identify the Great 8 , eight sites and experiences — among them powwows, or dance celebrations — that are significant to Indigenous culture, with a concentration in the Black Hills. These include Bear Butte State Park where hiking trails may lead past prayer cloths tied to trees, 7,244-foot Black Elk Peak, the state’s highest, and the Crazy Horse Memorial .

The massive sculpture of the Lakota warrior turns 75 next summer, when the biannual Volksmarch will allow hikers to ascend the carving, still under construction, and stand beneath Crazy Horse’s more than 87-foot-tall granite face.

Sarajevo  Copied to clipboard!

Bosnia and Herzegovina

A living museum of resilience where empires and cultures have long intersected Read more

Todd Heisler/The New York Times

A town center is seen from above at night, with the main high street illuminated as it runs between the dark building and surrounding apartments. There are people walking in the street, churches glowing as they rise from the other buildings, and the surrounding mountains in the distance are dotted with lights from many homes.

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo’s history lives in the present. There is the Latin Bridge, where a certain archduke was assassinated, catalyzing World War I. There are buildings still pockmarked by shells from the siege three decades ago. And there is the intricate interplay of empires, from the Ottoman to the Austro-Hungarian, that allows visitors to tour a mosque, a cathedral, an Orthodox church and a synagogue all within a few blocks.

These layers of history, of course, can detonate as easily as they can coexist. Bosnia’s multiethnic capital remains on edge. Look up to the hills, and there are the artillery positions built on the grounds of the 1984 Winter Olympics. But Sarajevo’s splendor comes from this intrusion of the past. It remains a living museum that hints at how a Ukraine or a Syria cannot only survive but perhaps one day flourish anew.

— Hannah Beech

best travel for 2023

Design and Production

Sean Catangui and Gabriel Gianordoli

Danial Adkison, Stephen Hiltner, Suzanne MacNeille, Morrigan McCarthy, Fiona Murray, Nancy Ramsey, Tacey Rychter and Amy Virshup

Photo Editing

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Baden Copeland

Corrections

A photograph with an earlier version of this article misidentified the city shown in the image. The photograph depicted the province of Tarragona, Spain, not the city itself. The image has been replaced.

The article also misstated the size of the Barrio Viejo neighborhood of Tucson, Ariz. It is more than 150 acres, not 150 blocks.

A photograph with an earlier version of this article misidentified the location in the image. It is Keelung, Taiwan, not Taipei.

best travel for 2023

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The 12 Best Places to Travel in 2023

By Elise Taylor

Wondering what the best places to travel in 2023 are? Us too—so we decided to ask a panel of hospitality experts to find out.

Their answers were quite literally all over the place (which, in this case, is a very good thing). After re-opening their borders after years of COVID-19 closures, trips to the Asian and Australian continents are set to make a roaring comeback, with countries like Japan and Singapore leading the way. Also trending? What Virtuoso managing director Misty Belles calls “isolation with intention” vacations, where travelers go to remote—and remotely populated—locations to get away from it all. Pack your bags for the Yukon, Chilean Patagonia, or Greenland.

Then there are the hotel openings. One classic city, in particular, is seeing the arrival of several new high-end properties, adding refreshed intrigue to this already popular European destination.

Below, find 12 places that are already trending for 2023.

Antigua Guatemala.

While Guatemala has long sat in the shadow of more widely-visited Latin American counterparts, this is a misstep: it offers a veritable ‘best of’ without the masses, and is one of the most culturally-rich LATAM destinations, and time for its moment in the spotlight. Visit Guatemala expressly to absorb the magnificent natural beauty of the surroundings, but also to connect deeply with its people. Newly-opened, luxurious, and intimate Villa Bokeh is a game-changer for Antigua and marks one of the more elevated luxury hotel offerings to date. -Tom Marchant, co-founder of Black Tomato

Yukon Territory, Canada

Yukon Territory Canada.

Stemming from a desire of our travelers to experience more off-the-beaten-track discoveries, and also lifeways, we’re exploring Canada’s Northwest Territories and the Yukon, an unfettered and mostly undiscovered part of Canada. The Northwest Territories are teeming with wildlife, Indigenous-owned lodging, and exceptional positioning to—season-dependent—witness the majesty of the Northern Lights; the Yukon is marked by historic landmarks, rich culture, and dazzling landscapes. What makes it most special, however, are the local people you will meet along the way. -Tom Marchant

East Greenland.

While Antarctica became the 2022 darling of adventure travel, look to the Arctic to be the next “must-see” spot. Iceland and now Greenland both offer “isolation with intention”—an opportunity to escape crowds and explore your own personal limits—and it’s where people will head next for unspoiled beauty and a glimpse at the Northern Lights. -Misty Belles, managing director at Virtuoso

Málaga, Spain

The Malga cityscape.

By Daniel Rodgers

This 77-Year-Old Bride Wore a Custom Attersee Suit for Her Manhattan Wedding Celebration

By Lilah Ramzi

Those Paparazzi Photos Won’t Stop the Princess of Wales Conspiracy Theories

More Airbnb guests searched Málaga for 2023 travel than any other city in the world. Málaga has enjoyed a cultural renaissance in the last decade, making it a lively cultural hub on the beautiful Costa del Sol. Several new museums have opened there, including the Pompidou Center, a modern art treasure housed in a multi-colored glass cube. The street art scene is just as incredible, with colorful murals blanketing entire neighborhoods. -Catherine Powell, Global Head of Hosting for Airbnb

Benguerra Island, Mozambique

A dhow on the shores of Bazaruto Island Mozambique.

Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago comprises five islands, renowned for their white beaches and diverse marine life. The second largest of them all, Benguerra, has quietly emerged as a wild and stealthy upscale getaway. Stay at the newly opened Kisawa Sanctuary , or at andBeyond Benguerra Island—either way, you’ll enjoy a truly remote tropical getaway where the shoreline stretches for miles without a person, or building, in sight. Take a ride on a dhow , a traditional African fishing boat, or ask your lodge to take you dugong (a rare sea cow) spotting. -Elise Taylor

Basilicata, Italy

Matera at sunrise.nbsp

Already ticked Puglia and Sicily off the bucket list? As an obsessive explorer of southern Italy, my money’s on Basilicata as the up-and-coming region to keep an eye on (and ideally, visit) in 2023. Travelers may already be familiar with the ancient caves, winding hilltop streets, and crumbling Baroque churches of Matera—the town also served as the backdrop for a high-adrenaline car chase in the most recent Bond film,  No Time to Die —but this still-unspoiled region also boasts pristine beaches, a fascinating history, and lip-smackingly fresh seafood. Looking for the perfect base? Head to Maratea, the so-called “pearl of the Tyrrhenian” where the founders of Puglia standout Borgo Egnazia have opened the charming five-star Santavenere Hotel. - Liam Hess, Vogue living editor

Kawaguchiko Lake Japan.

Japan is on everyone’s list and the pent-up demand is incredible. Pre-pandemic, this was the “it” destination, so you have residual demand from those who previously had to cancel their plans, combined with new interest for the cultural experience that Japan offers. -Misty Belles

Edinburgh, Scotland

A view over Edinburgh.nbsp

The city of Edinburgh may have been founded in the 1200s, but over 800 years later, it shows that it still has some new surprises. The recently opened Gleneagles Townhouse effortlessly mixes traditional and modern touches: abstract art hangs under a 19th century decorative dome, and a restaurant serves both avant-garde cocktails and a Sunday roast. Later this year, the city will welcome the luxury boutique hotel 100 Princes Street, whose interior is inspired by Alexander McQueen, as well as Richard Branson's Virgin Hotel. - Elise Taylor

Douro Valley, Portugal

Vineyards surrounding the River Douro.nbsp

If you’re looking for some of the most eye-popping scenery (and delicious wine) in all of Europe, head to the lush, dramatic slopes of northern Portugal’s Douro Valley this coming year. The heart of the region is just an hour or two drive east from Porto, with the car journey alone serving as a highlight: taking the narrow, snaking roads that descend from the mountains feels like entering another world entirely, as you pass through the idyllic vineyards and charming villages that dot its hillsides. There’s plenty of history here, too—the ancient pilgrimage town of Lamego with its grand tiled staircases and majestic churches is a highlight—as well as a growing list of luxury properties, with the Six Senses here being particularly spectacular. But more than anything, it’s a place to kick back, relax, and enjoy the good life, Portugal-style. -Liam Hess

Marina Bay Singapore.

With such little access in the past two years, it is on the top of my list to go and visit again. The food, the people, and combination of nature and city is a must for anyone that wants to have an amazing time. It is especially exciting if you are able to be in town for the Singapore Grand Prix—the city becomes electric. -Victor Sanz, Tumi Creative Director

Patagonia National Park, Chile

Cuernos del Paine Patagonia Chile.

In 2018, Chile set aside 11 million acres of land for national parks aided by the largest private land donation from a private entity to a country. The conservation effort of the Tompkins Conservation Foundation (named for philanthropist and entrepreneur Doug Tompkins of North Face and Esprit legacy) helped pave the way for Chile to greatly expand conservation of the pristine Patagonia wilderness. Today, covering over 750,000 acres in the austral region of Aysén, the Patagonia National Park is formed by land donated to Chile, and is part of the new Patagonia National Parks Network. What makes this area stand out is the inherent biodiversity and remoteness—it’s not easily accessible and squarely under the radar, miles away from the more visited parts of Argentina’s Patagonia. The newly opened Explora Lodge is where to kick off your Chilean adventure, while in Santiago, post up at the newly opened and discreetly elegant Hotel Magnolia and in the Atacama at Tierra Atacama. -Tom Marchant

Rome, Italy

A view of Rome.

Rome is seeing a boom of luxury hotel openings this year, from the Edition, to the Bulgari, to the Six Senses. The Eternal City is always a classic place to visit, but these highly anticipated properties—many of them with a modern edge—will only reinvigorate interest. -Elise Taylor, Vogue senior living writer

More Great Living Stories From Vogue

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An aerial view of Karpathos and the surrounding sea

  • BEST OF THE WORLD

25 breathtaking places and experiences for 2023

Looking for your next adventure? You’ll find it on our annual list of the world’s best destinations for travelers.

Travel inspiration is everywhere you look. The question is where to go next. Here’s our annual list of superlative destinations for the year ahead—places filled with wonder, rewarding to travelers of all ages, and supportive of local communities and ecosystems. Reported by our global editors and framed by five categories ( Community , Nature , Culture , Family , and Adventure ), these 25 destinations for 2023 are under the radar, ahead of the curve, and ready for you to start exploring.

Community: Where conservation benefits everyone

A man visits and leans on the Profitis Ilias chapel overlooking the sea

Discover Karpathos, Greece, a surprising and sublime spot in the Dodecanese Islands , where women-led ventures are leading the charge in sustainable tourism. Spend a long weekend in Milwaukee, Wisconsin , a vibrant Great Lakes city that celebrates its cultural community as much as its breweries. Experience how long-held traditions and contemporary perspectives intersect, with Indigenous tourism outfitters in Alberta, Canada . Board a new high-speed train that makes lesser known regions of Laos accessible to tourists and brings economic opportunities to locals. Head to Ghana to explore Black heritage and hang out with a fashion-forward crowd in the capital, Accra. ( Learn more about how these Best of the World destinations support their communities. )

Nature: Escapes to wild, beautiful places

A zebra herd exits a deep spillway on the Selinda Reserve

Marvel at the biodiversity of Botswana —as well as the programs to rehabilitate endangered species, create wildlife corridors, and develop community-owned tourism projects. Linger in the   Scottish Highlands , where a rewilding movement is aiming to restore the original landscape and native flora and fauna. In Slovenia , a longtime leader in sustainable tourism, set off on new gastrotourism biking routes that visit farms, vineyards, cheesemakers, and other food producers. Big Bend National Park   brings to life the frontier legend of Texas—but the landscape will also surprise you. In the Azores ,   applaud   award-winning sustainability programs that conserve the natural wonders of this volcanic archipelago known for whale watching and thermal springs.   ( Delve into our best destinations for nature lovers. )

Culture: Places where history and heritage rule

Portrait of Dr. Mohamed Abdel Moneim Megahed, Egyptian Archaeologist, inside the tomb of Khoi in Djedkare Cemetery at the Archaeological Area in Saqqara

Visit King Tut’s new home in Egypt at Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum and see Luxor’s Avenue of the Sphinxes. Tap into the creative energy of Asia’s top film festival and sip craft beer in Busan, South Korea , the nation’s second largest city. Make a pilgrimage through history along Italy’s Appian Way , Europe’s ancient “superhighway.” Explore culture and history—with a side of Low Country cuisine—at the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Caroli na . See one of the world’s largest assemblages of stone statues at Longmen Grottoes , a UNESCO World Heritage site in Henan Province, China.   ( Here’s how to visit these Best of the World destinations .)

Family: Inspiring journeys for all ages

A train in Switzerland runs on the track along the coast through the wine country

In Switzerland , ride the rails to quaint Alpine towns for chocolate, hiking, and skiing. Help save the turtles in Trinidad & Tobago , one of the most important leatherback turtle rookeries in the world. In San Francisco, California ,   gather around a campfire with Golden Gate views at Presidio Tunnel Tops and hike the urban Crosstown Trail.   Go birdwatching in the avian paradise that is Colombia , the enchanted land of Disney’s Encanto.   Visit the playing grounds of a storied soccer team in Manchester, England —and be inspired by the city’s art scene as well.   ( Explore more of these family-friendly destinations .)

Adventure: Adrenaline-pumping outdoor excursions  

Aerial view of the Hanan zone (high) and the hurin zone (low) of the Choquequirao arqueological center

Trek to Choquequirao, Peru ,   an isolated Inca site that’s under the radar—but soon to be more accessible. In New Zealand , the country that invented bungee jumping, rekindle your sense of adventure post-pandemic. Get your adrenaline rush in less visited areas of the popular adventure state of Utah . In Austria , hike the cross-country Bergsteigerdörfer network of mountaineering villages to sample local culture. Finally, add Revillagigedo National Park, Mexico , to your itinerary. Its protected waters, supported by National Geographic’s Pristine Seas initiative, hold one of the largest aggregations of sharks and manta rays in the world.   ( Dive deeper into these adventure trips. )

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  • World's Best

The World's Best Awards 2023

The year's top islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by the readers of Travel + Leisure.

Since 1971, Travel + Leisure editors have followed one mission: to inform, inspire, and guide travelers to have deeper, more meaningful experiences. T+L's editors have traveled to countries all over the world, having flown, sailed, road tripped, and taken the train countless miles. They've visited small towns and big cities, hidden gems and popular destinations, beaches and mountains, and everything in between. With a breadth of knowledge about destinations around the globe, air travel, cruises, hotels, food and drinks, outdoor adventure, and more, they are able to take their real-world experience and provide readers with tried-and-tested trip ideas, in-depth intel, and inspiration at every point of a journey.

  • Resorts + Safari Lodges

Transportation

  • Islands + National Parks
  • Spas + Vacation Rentals

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  • FAQ + Methodology

Few travelers are as insightful or engaged as the readers of Travel + Leisure , which is why our annual World’s Best Awards are considered the travel industry’s most trusted rankings. Each year, you share your opinions on a broad range of experiences based on recent trips you’ve taken. For 2023, we have a whopping 122 lists of reader favorites, including two brand-new categories: trains and luxury villa rental companies.

For this 28th edition of the awards, hundreds of thousands of votes were cast in an extensive survey that was open Oct. 24, 2022, through Feb. 27, 2023 via a secure website that was maintained and monitored by our research partner, Proof Insights. Respondents had the option to rate airlines, airports, car-rental companies, cities, cruise ships, destination spas, hotels, hotel brands, islands, luxury villa rental companies, safari outfitters, tour operators, trains, and U.S. national parks based on a number of characteristics for which they could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.

After the survey closed, T+L and Proof Insights screened the responses to identify fraudulent votes, which were eliminated from the final tallies. You can read more about how voting works below in the survey methodology.

Cheers to you — and to this year’s winners!

Resorts + Safari Lodges

Islands + national parks, spas + vacation rentals, faq + methodology.

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The Best Places to Travel in 2023

Start planning your 2023 travels to these 12 places—the most creative, delicious, and soul-reviving destinations of the year..

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It’s our favorite time of year: the Where to Go season, when AFAR reveals our list of the ultimate places to travel in the coming year. How to choose? Our editorial team reached out to writers, reporters, and correspondents around the world and curated 12 global destinations for 2023 that feel poised for a “moment": creative cities, seaside villages, national parks, and other places where wonder prevails. Read on and prepare to start wandering...

AFAR Where to Go 2023 Tasmania

Located 150 miles south of Melbourne, Tasmania is teeming with adventure and beauty.

Sean Fennessy

1. Tasmania, Australia

Across this secluded and beautiful island state near Melbourne, irreverence and experimentation reign.

It was my first trip to Australia—my first trip abroad —in 2001, and I arrived in Melbourne a green-as-they-come university student, all nerves and adrenaline, ready to pounce on whatever adventure lay before me. Show me the city! I screamed silently at our study-abroad orientation leaders. Let me loose! We visited the Coney Island–like neighborhood of St. Kilda on the south shore, learned the finer points of Australian rules football, and ferried to nearby Phillip Island, site of a nightly parade of pint-size penguins that dashed from sea to land at dusk, prompting a chorus of “awwws” from everyone with a heart.

Those points of interest were lovely but ... safe. Introductory. What if I had realized that a couple of hundred miles off the coast of Melbourne was an island known for its irreverent art? For its stark and dramatic natural beauty, its world’s-best single-malt whisky, and seafood so fresh, it asks you about the catch of the day. What if I had visited Tasmania?

For the full story from Laura Redman, read Eclectic Art, Fresh Seafood, and Wild Landscapes—Why Your Next Trip Should Be to Tasmania .

AFAR Where to Go 2023 Ruaha National Park

Asilia camp administrator, Leena Lulandala, using telemetry to track collared animals in Ruaha National Park.

Photo by Greg Funnell.

2. Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

In a remote corner of Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park, travelers can find an abundance of wildlife without the crowds—and help with important conservation work.

Sprawled across 7,700 square miles in southern Tanzania, Ruaha is the country’s second-largest national park. Yet it draws only a tiny fraction of Tanzania’s safarigoers, who flock in much larger numbers to the more famous Serengeti in the north. But low visitation rates make biodiverse Ruaha a wildlife enthusiast’s dream: This vast landscape of habitats, ranging from savannas to wetlands, feels like a private game reserve, and travelers can go days without seeing another vehicle.

In one of the park’s less-visited corners, you’ll find the Usangu wetlands , site of a former hunting reserve and home to the Wasangu tribe for centuries. The wetlands feed the Great Ruaha River, a critical water source for people, animals, and hydroelectric dams that supply energy to much of the country. Wildlife audits have revealed populations of cheetahs, leopards, and lions. Topi antelope can exceed 1,000 animals in one herd.

In 2017, the Tanzania National Parks Authority , Tanzanian Wildlife Research Institute , and safari lodge company Asilia Africa came together to introduce a tourism model where revenue from visitors helps fund research, management, and conservation. Asilia’s Usangu Expedition Camp , which opened in 2022, is the only place to stay for more than 30 miles in any direction. Its four high-ceilinged rooms feature enormous beds, rain showers, and wraparound mesh walls that provide views of acacia-dotted wilderness. The lodgings make a stylish base for exploration in two upcycled vehicles that run on ethanol created from the cane waste of a nearby sugar plantation. Guests pitch in on data collection from camera traps by day and thermal monocular cameras by night.

The area’s conservation story is brought to life by the mostly local staff, including Wasangu guide trainee Anderson Pakomyus Mesilla, whose family roots in Usangu run generations deep. “I’m helping to conserve my ancestral home, but this wetland also supplies electricity to a large part of the country, including my village,” he said. “We all benefit from conserving the source of the river.” —Jennifer Flowers

>> Watch the video: What it’s Like to Safari in Ruaha National Park

AFAR Where to Go 2023 Graz, Austria

Vienna, Salzburg, Linz—take a trip to Austria’s best kept secret, Graz.

Photo by Felix Bruggemann

3. Graz, Austria

A DIY spirit brings a historic city to life in a riot of yoga, silent discos, and avant-garde music.

Just over 100 miles south of Vienna, amid the surprisingly Mediterranean climate of the Styrian wine region, sits Austria’s second-largest city. Here, a fairy-tale jumble of baroque and Renaissance buildings clusters at the base of the Schlossberg, the hill that was once Graz ’s ultimate defense. Back in medieval days, a daunting fortress stood at its summit; Napoleon had it destroyed, but the colorful facades and terracotta roofs that sprang up beneath it still shine brightly in the southern Austrian sun. On the east side of the river Mur, Graz’s past is a vivid presence.

On the west bank, however, you will find its future. What the districts of Lend and Gries lack in architecture they make up for in creativity and an entrepreneurial soul. At Bo Suppe , Arnd Hoffmann sells different flavors of homemade soup from his kitchen window (try the vegan pumpernickel Bolognese). At Managerie, Maria Reiner sells drinks and crocheted lampshades from the “kiosk shop” at the front of her apartment. Daily life revolves around the Lendplatz morning market , and small businesses thrive thanks to a fierce community spirit that manifests in a busy calendar of events and projects, such as backyard flea markets, walking tours, outdoor yoga, and knitting circles. Travelers can find out more through the Annenviertel project , which was launched by local campaigners in 2014 to breathe new life into the quarter (or “viertel”) around the shopping street of Annenstrasse. Live music at the 1930s bar Café Wolf ranges from Israeli space-rock to an improvisational autoharp trio. The Lendwirbel festival in May fills empty shop fronts with art installations, silent discos, workshops, and discussions.

The Kunsthaus Graz modern art museum , meanwhile, has inspired artists and designers to make their homes and livings here. Stroll along the main strip Mariahilferstrasse and you’ll find jewelers, fashion boutiques, and homeware shops. A spirit of social enterprise infuses the city: One of the trendiest accessory stores in town, tag.werk, has helped hundreds of young people find employment over the past two decades by teaching them crafts and life skills. Come to Graz for the history, for sure—but stay for its hopeful vision of the future. —Emma John

AFAR Where to Go 2023 the Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are home to the largest fresh water ecosystem on the planet.

Photo by Christina Holmes

4. Great Lakes, USA

From charming lake towns to expedition cruises, there are many good reasons to explore the Greats.

A native of Michigan, I have a birthright bond to the Great Lakes, the magnificent five that span two countries and eight states, from New York in the east to Minnesota in the west. Michigan, which claims shoreline on four of the five lakes, always seemed like both the center of it all and a remote peninsula, buffered by its treasures. During high school, when my family had moved to a suburban Detroit home near a smaller lake that connects the Greats, I would fall asleep to the faint bass notes of freighters’ foghorns, the songs of vast waters you can’t see across, inland seas at once familiar and strange.

All these years later, they remain a place to splash in the calm shallows each summer or brave the waves by kayak. Winter brings ephemeral ice caves and adaptations such as iceboats, or sailboats on blades. “Great” describes not just their size but their influence on culture, history, and our climate future.

For the full story from Elaine Glusac, read The Great Lakes Offer Culture, History, and One of the Most Unique Ecosystems on the Planet .

AFAR Where to Go 2023 Cambutal, Panama

Black sand beaches, big waves, and rushing rivers. There’s lots to love about Cambutal.

Photo by Hassen Salum

5. Cambutal, Panama

Adventure and community-centric tourism beckon on the southern coast of Panama’s Azuero Peninsula.

Few travelers who visit Los Santos, one of Panama’s least-touristed provinces, venture to the end of the only main road heading south. That’s where Cambutal awaits, 228 miles from Panama City—a beach town garnering much-deserved attention from Panamanians and intrepid international travelers alike.

The town sits on the shores of a never-crowded, volcanic black-sand beach with perfectly surfable waves. The surrounding jungles hold rivers, canyons, natural pools, and multitiered waterfalls.

Having spent a lot of time on the southern coast of the Azuero Peninsula during his childhood, Panama-born Bryan Goldner founded Azuero Adventures in November 2020 to help visitors safely explore the region. As Cambutal’s only registered tour operator, the company started small, with horseback rides through grassy hills to bring travelers to see petroglyphs carved by Indigenous people.

In 2022, Azuero Adventures introduced multiday trips to Cerro Hoya National Park , just west of Cambutal. Encompassing more than 80,000 acres with no direct road entry, Cerro Hoya can only be accessed by boat, on horseback, or in a 4x4 vehicle, making it one of the hardest-to-reach national parks in Panama. The mostly untouched land is known for its diverse wildlife, including the great green macaw and the Azuero spider monkey, both endangered species. Guests can stay in secluded oceanfront cabins or opt for full immersion with an overnight camping expedition that includes a hike through the cloud forest more than 4,200 feet above sea level.

With sustainable and equitable tourism at the heart of his operations, Goldner works closely with the people of Cambutal—a vision directly in line with the Panama Ministry of Tourism ’s efforts to strengthen rural and community-based tourism enterprises.

“We use local captains and local guides,” Goldner says. “The idea is not to hire people and bring resources from outside when we have such a rich community that’s already here.” —Jessica Poitevien

AFAR Where to Go 2023 Transylvania, Romania

No vampires to worry about here.

Photo by Fundatia Adept

6. Transylvania, Romania

Nature and tradition thrive in one of Europe’s last wild regions.

It’s been 125 years since Bram Stoker wrote Dracula , branding Transylvania as a dark, forbidding land populated by bloodsucking counts with an aversion to holy water. And while perhaps no other book has clouded its readers’ impression of a place in quite the same way, Stoker was right when he wrote of the region’s wild side. North of Bucharest, in the heart of Romania, Transylvania is home to one of Europe’s last great wildernesses: a sprawl of alpine meadows, ragged limestone ridges, and old-growth forests that billow across the landscape in a thick quilt of juniper, spruce, beech, and fir.

These wild mountains harbor some of the highest numbers of large carnivores—brown bears, wolves, and lynx—on the continent. The nonprofit Foundation Conservation Carpathia (FCC) is in the process of creating a vast reserve to safeguard all this for future generations—a “European Yellowstone” as Christoph Promberger, FCC’s executive director, envisions it—that will stretch for nearly 618,000 untamed acres across Romania’s Southern Carpathian Mountains .

For the full story from Keith Drew, read This Misunderstood Romanian Region Is Known as “European Yellowstone.”

AFAR Where to Go 2023 Bangkok, Thailand

Prepare to be surprised on your next trip to Thailand’s most visited city.

Photos courtesy of The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakho and The Small Dinner Club

7. Bangkok, Thailand

Ambitious young Thais are driving a creative reawakening in one of the world’s most visited cities.

From the end of an L-shaped bar I watched three chefs in black caps delicately plate 11 dishes of what appeared to be snow. Loud music masked the sounds of the busy Bangkok street outside. “OK guys, this one is titled, ‘Daft Punk Is Playing in My Mouth,’” said chef Sareen Rojanametin, setting the intriguing dish before me. Marvelously on cue, the throbbing LCD Soundsystem song “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House” burst onto the stereo.

The first bite rocked me to my core. At Small Dinner Club , which “pulls apart, questions, and reimagines Thai food,” you’re not handed a menu. The 12-course evenings are a delightful mystery accompanied by inspiration notes from the 32-year-old chef, who opened the hidden boîte in February 2022. “For me this dish represents the essence of Thai cuisine,” he wrote. I expected coconut or lime; instead I got an explosion of Thai green chile. My eyebrows started sweating. I swirled it all up: hot ice, tiny iridescent fish, watermelon, and a sumptuous black sesame sauce. These were the flavors of Thailand composed into an entirely new song. Rojanametin, who spent two years in a forest monastery before opening the restaurant, tells me, “The city has changed a lot in the last four years. People are much more daring.”

For the full story from Kathryn Romeyn, read Just When You Thought You Knew Bangkok, Thailand’s Most Visited City Changes .

AFAR Where to Go 2023 Salvador, Brazil

Experience the intersection of history and culture in Salvador, Brazil.

Photo by Luisa Dorr

8. Salvador, Brazil

Engaging with Brazil’s Black history is essential—and easier than ever in the city of Salvador thanks to new cultural offerings.

In Salvador, a port city on the northeastern coast of Brazil, history isn’t relegated to textbooks. More than 4 million people were kidnapped from Africa and forced to harvest coffee beans and sugarcane in the country—a legacy that is most evident in the state of Bahia, where 80 percent of the population is Black or mixed race. Today the descendants of those enslaved people carry on traditions through Salvador’s food, culture, and music.

Tour company Guia Negro leads English-language histori- cal outings delving into Brazil’s Black heritage, including a walk through the streets where Michael Jackson and Spike Lee shot “They Don’t Care About Us,” the 1996 music video featuring the storied Afro-Brazilian drum team Olodum. The Casa do Carnaval da Bahia is a museum dedicated to the history of Brazil’s annual carnival celebration. The City of Music of Bahia museum, which opened in 2021, invites visitors to experience more than 800 hours of Bahian music, with the goal to educate them about specific styles such as pagode , a Brazilian subgenre of samba, and axe ́, an Afro-Caribbean mash-up that originated here.

The painful, racist history of Pelourinho, the city’s old town, is preserved in its name, which translates to “whipping post.” Once the site of slave auctions, it’s now home to brightly painted houses, cobblestoned streets, and numerous restaurants. At the rustic eatery Di Janela , chef Nara Amaral serves the food that brings her joy: roasted garlic with octopus, ruby-red lobster with heavily seasoned potatoes, and traditional fare such as moqueca, a seafood stew. At Ana Célia Santos’s Zanzibar restaurant, the moqueca takes numerous forms. A vegetarian version is prepared with rice and farofa (toasted cassava flour), while another is made with shrimp, stingray, and soft-shell crab.

For late-night entertainment, visitors should go to ABOCA Centro de Artes , a theater that hosts Afro-Brazilian musicians such as Mariene de Castro and Mateus Aleluia. After all, there’s no better way to end a day in Salvador than by listening to the residents who give the city its heartbeat. —Kayla Stewart

AFAR Where to Go 2023 Sharjah, UAE

Sharjah is often overlooked by its glitzier neighbors, but this emirate has plenty to offer in terms of art, architecture, and culture.

Photo by Ieva Saudargaite

9. Sharjah, UAE

Thought-provoking art and architecture shine a light on an emirate often overshadowed by its glitzier neighbors.

Ever since I moved to the United Arab Emirates seven years ago, I’ve loved Sharjah . It may not have the biggest/tallest/highest superlatives of Dubai or the epic palaces of Abu Dhabi, but understated Sharjah is home to some of the region’s most exciting cultural institutions. And 2023 is a big year for the emirate, with headline events showcasing two of its greatest draws: art and architecture.

The 15th Sharjah Biennial runs from February to June, presenting the creations of more than 150 artists from 70-plus countries. Thirty newly commissioned pieces, including works by Moroccan photographer Hassan Hajjaj and British Palestinian multimedia artist Mona Hatoum , will be featured in a program that spans 16 venues and explores the theme “Thinking Historically in the Present.” The exhibition spaces are as intriguing as the art: from traditional coral-stone houses to the Sharjah Art Foundation ’s recently acquired 1970s-era Flying Saucer, a UFO-shaped building that once housed a French patisserie and a fast-food chicken shop.

For the full story from Nicola Chilton, read Sharjah Is One of the Most Exciting—and Overlooked—Cities in the UAE .

WTG2023-Baltimore.jpg

Baltimore is quickly becoming an entertainment and foodie destination.

Photo by Irina Sitnikova/Unsplash (left) Scott Suchman (right)

10. Baltimore, USA

Long-overdue upgrades to major downtown attractions are turning Charm City into a veritable food- and-entertainment hub.

From its early days as a thriving seaport to its current status as a seafood paradise, Baltimore is ever evolving. A $45 million overhaul of Lexington Market —billed as the oldest continuously operating public market in the country, with roots dating to 1782—recently welcomed visitors to an airy, light-filled space enlivened by 16-foot murals from local artist Ernest Shaw Jr. and photographs by Shan Wallace depicting Baltimore’s Black food culture. (This is, after all, a majority Black city.)

The developer’s gut renovation of the old market reimagined the space as a fresh version of the com- munity gathering spot it had been before it fell into disrepair. Benches flank the central staircase and serve as prime people-watching spots, while an adjacent plaza hosts events and concerts. Input from residents informed the mix of more than 40 stalls, half of them Black-owned, including the coffee shop Black Acres Roastery and the husband-and-wife-run Sunnyside Café . The market also maintains its devotion to the ocean with Faidley’s Seafood , the famous crab cake spot, and the Korean family-owned Cho’s Sea Garden .

A few blocks away, the CFG Bank Arena will reopen in time to host college basketball tournaments in February and a nearly sold-out Bruce Springsteen show in April. Its $200 million revamp, backed by singer Pharrell Williams and an investment firm cofounded by NBA star Kevin Durant, gives the 60-year-old facility the updated concessions, audio, and lighting it needs to compete with other venues in the region.

Also notable for 2023: an exhibition of Baltimore native John Waters’s personal art collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art (through April 16) and the return of Artscape , a multiday cultural extravaganza in September that, in the past, has featured wildly decorated cars. Festivalgoers can stay in the Mount Vernon neighborhood’s new literary-themed boutique hotel, Ulysses , a 116-room property whose name pays homage to both the James Joyce novel and a ship that brought Bavarian immigrants to Baltimore. —Julekha Dash

AFAR Where to Go 2023 Prince Edward Island, Canada

Prince Edward Island’s new hike and bike trail offers travelers a new way to experience the coastal idyll.

Photo by Brendan George Ko

11. Prince Edward Island, Canada

A 435-mile hiking and biking route around Canada’s small but mighty province invites visitors to travel slowly and joyfully.

Prince Edward Island, or PEI, off Canada’s eastern seaboard, is home to some of the country’s most enchanting pastoral scenery. You’ll find fields of potatoes and strawberries, beaches that stretch for miles, storybook villages (the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables was set here), red-and-white wooden lighthouses, and docks anchoring fishing boats. The Island Walk , a new 435-mile walking and cycling route circumnavigating “the Island,” as locals call it, gives travelers a unique opportunity to experience it up close.

My husband and I cycled 180 miles of the route in June 2022, starting in the compact capital city, Charlottetown, and spending six days working our way across a section in the central region of the province. From Charlottetown, we pedaled 35 miles along crushed-gravel trails, wide red-dirt roads lined with trees, and country lanes—all relatively flat. After checking into the Orient Hotel , a historic B&B in the tiny village of Victoria-by-the-Sea, we browsed in shops, talked with local anglers bringing in the day’s catch, and walked barefoot along an expansive beach with rose-colored sand at the edge of the village. The tide came in while I ate possibly the best lobster roll I’ve ever tasted—a buttery toasted roll loaded with chunks of tender fresh-caught crustacean and house-made mayo—at the Lobster Barn restaurant.

For the full story from Debbie Olsen, read Idyllic Villages, Fresh Lobster Rolls, and a New Trail—Why Now Is the Time to Visit Prince Edward Island .

AFAR Where to Go 2023 Bergamo and Brescia, Italy

In the heart of Bergamo near the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the famous Colleoni Chapel.

Photo by Andrea Frazzetta

12. Brescia & Bergamo, Italy

Find venerable history and hip cocktails in two Italian cities connected by a cycling trail.

The key ingredients of la dolce vita? Golden light beaming across ancient stones, a piazza that bustles at aperitivo hour, and streets ripe for a passeggiata (stroll) to work it all off. Enter Brescia and Bergamo, two cities in the northern Italian region of Lombardy that have been named joint Italian Capitals of Culture for 2023. If you only know them from news reports in early 2020—the two were hit hard during the pandemic—prepare to be bowled over.

Bergamo is the better known of the two; its historic Città Alta (Upper City) crowns a ridge nearly 300 feet above its more modern section. The Bergamaschi love the outdoors, and they kick back in deck chairs at the 17th-century gardens of Palazzo Moroni, which opened to the public for the first time in 2020. New tuk-tuk rides wind around the Città Alta’s UNESCO-protected 16th-century city walls. The lion- and sphinx-surrounded fountain in the main square, Piazza Vecchia, has been restored, and new walking routes through Bergamo’s layers of history connect the old and new town. Travelers and locals alike can amble through the nearby Val d’Astino, a valley filled with vineyards, wildflower- strewn meadows, and a monastery that was founded in 1107.

With a ceremonial opening in early 2023, a 47-mile bicycling route will roll from Bergamo past Lake Iseo, then through Franciacorta wine country to Brescia, the most colorful Roman city north of the Italian capital.

While Bergamo life is mainly outdoors, Brescia is inside; you’ll find gourmet pizza tasting menus at Inedito and Roman- themed cocktails at Massenzio . Try the Domitilla at the latter. Named after the wife of Emperor Vespasian, it’s a mix of berry gin with grapefruit, rosemary syrup, and egg white. Spend the night at Areadocks Boutique Hotel , where all the modern art- work and vintage furnishings are for sale. Here in northern Italy, the sweet life just got an upgrade. —Julia Buckley

A woman laying in a super bloom of golden California poppies in Antelope Valley

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where to travel in 2023

The Best Places to Travel in 2023

From Madrid to Montenegro, Turkey to Transylvania, Vienna to Venice...our curated list of the best places to visit now.

Your next trip should be:

Madrid, la maxima….

Because four new five-star hotels can't be wrong.

view of metropolis building from círculo de bellas artes, madrid, spain

Madrid may not have the sheer beauty of Paris or the antiquity of Athens or Rome. Its appeal has long been what writer Julia Reed once called its “elegant conservatism”—and unmatched nightlife. (“In Madrid,” Hemingway said, “nobody goes to bed until they have killed the night.”) It’s still true, but these days there’s a new temblor de emoción , a flutter of emotion (the closest Spanish comes to the word excitement ). “Remember, in the 1980s, after Franco died, how Madrid was the place to be?” says Virginia Irurita, of Made in Spain and Portugal, who lives in Madrid. “With La Movida, the painters, Almodóvar? That’s how Madrileños feel now.”

women on the verge of a nervous breakdown poster

The city’s cultural cachet (not that it needed more) is building: A fifth UNESCO World Heritage Site has been anointed (the tree-lined Paseo del Prado and the adjoining El Retiro, a 17th-century palace garden). Next summer Madrid’s Royal Palace (the largest in Europe) will open a new annex for the Museum of the Royal Collections. And the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum has not one but two blockbuster shows planned for 2023: Picasso and Lucian Freud.

mandarin oriental ritz in madrid, spain

On Our Radar Spain's Balearic islands just get better. Everyone's abuzz about the April opening in Majorca of the new Son Net , a 17th-century estate in a bucolic setting 15 minutes by car from Palma that has been restored and transformed into a 31-room hotel by the masterminds behind Andalucia's Finca Cortesin . Enough said.

Royal Romania…

Because the king of England will open his home to you.

best travel for 2023

The king of England’s real estate portfolio is worth billions. There is the verdant paradise at Highgrove and 192 acres of bucolic bliss at Llwynywermod in Wales. Now he has Sandringham and Balmoral, too. But where does a sovereign go to really unplug? Romania, apparently, where King Charles owns two homes in Transylvania—yes, of Dracula fame. One of them he turned into a center for traditional crafts; the other, his private country residence in Valea Zalanului , becomes a seven-room B&B when he isn’t around.

king charles bb in romania

A grand pile this is not, and that is by design—all local antiques and textiles. No TV, no WiFi, just horseback rides, nature walks, and convivial dinners during which you might drop in this fun fact: Charles is a descendant of Vlad the Impaler (so named for his preferred method of execution), who inspired Bram Stoker’s tale about history’s most famous vampire. By Leena Kim. To book a trip to Romania : Raluca Spiac , raluca@ beyonddracula.com

king charles's house in valea zalanului, romania

The Literary Maldives...

Because who says a tropical resort can't be the ultimate party school?

soneva fushi resort in maldives jaipur literary festival

Sonu Shivdasani, the founder of Soneva resorts, was turning his properties into exemplars of environmental sustainability long before it was fashionable to do so. His latest stroke of genius: bringing the Jaipur Literary Festival to the lush, beach-ringed island of Kunfunadhoo, in Baa Atoll in the Maldives—home of Soneva Fushi .

d1w3yt maldivian air taxi seaplane flying over an atoll, male, maldives

The JLF in Jaipur attracts thousands of attendees and is streamed to 10 million viewers worldwide; at Soneva Fushi’s inaugural festival last May, there were 120 attendees, spread out over 10 days (minimum stay is four days). Which meant attendees had direct access to the 34 renowned writers and artists (including filmmaker Mira Nair, novelist André Aciman, and Oxford historian Peter Frankopan). We all resided in solitary splendor (Soneva Fushi has 64 private, butlered villas), but we had meals and gala dinners together (barefoot) as well as keynote lectures, panel discussions, and musical performances.

musicians at the 2022 jlf soneva fushi

There were sunset champagne cruises to a sandbank, movie nights, and dancing. I left with new friends and a notebook full of ideas—about as vivifying as travel can get. JLF Soneva Fushi 2023 runs May 12–21.One speaker will be Priyamvada Natarajan, a professor in the departments of astronomy and physics at Yale whose specialty is the nature of dark matter and black holes. Just the thing to ponder in paradise. By Klara Glowczewska . To Book : Soneva.com

soneva fushi resort maldives jaipur literary festival

On Our Radar The Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavara has launched a trainee marine biologist program for teenagers. Six full-day modules are offered (you can choose as many as you like), working with scientists studying such topics as manta rays, turtles, coral, and the secret lives of plankton.

A Scottish Surprise…

Because you'll like the fresh takes—even on haggis.

hotel room at gleneagles townhouse edinburgh scotland new hotel

The second haggis came as a surprise. On my first night in Scotland, ordering chef Mark Greenaway’s elegant version of the country’s most famous (and often derided) dish seemed like a leap into the gastronomic deep end, something to try to get the full experience of the place. On the next night it was just because I liked it. That kind of reconsideration of classics is what’s most exciting about Scotland right now. Sure, castles, lochs, and misty mountains abound. But Glasgow and Edinburgh are sophisticated cities with extraordinary dining and cutting-edge culture around every corner. Last summer Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe celebrated its 75th anniversary with 3,300 performances by artists from 63 countries;at the Edinburgh International Festival, Gabriel Byrne premiered his one-man show, Walking with Ghosts , which recently moved to Broadway. On leafy St. Andrew Square, Gleneagles has opened its first urban property, Gleneagles Townhouse , with a member’s club and rooftop bar.

Dean Banks, the MasterChef veteran who runs fine-dining destinations including the Pompadour at the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh , is quick to call out other new favorites, such as the Finnieston in Glasgow, which specializes in sustainable seafood, and Monachyle Mhor , the boutique Highlands hotel known for its “whisky safari.” “In Scotland,”Banks says, “we are kings of touching back to our traditions.” Luckily, the rest of us are able to as well. By Adam Rathe . To book a trip to Scotland : Jonathan Epstein, Jonathan@ celebratedexperiences.com

gleneagles townhouse in edinburgh

Italy Off-Season…

Because at the end of the day, no one comes to Italy for a suntan.

venice, italy   december 17  gondolas covered with snow in san marco on december 17, 2010 in venice, italy snow has fallen across much of europe today and is expected to continue over the weekend, causing traffic chaos and disrupting christmas deliveries  photo by marco secchigetty images

Last summer Italy was, let’s be frank, almost loved to death, with congested roads, swamped sights, and sluggish service from overworked staff. Our suggestion? A do-over, but not in summer. “We are huge believers in low-season travel here,” says Andrea Grisdale, the Como-based founder of IC Bellagio . “It’s a totally different experience, and we are actively encouraging it.” No, you will not be forced to pitch a tent. For the first time, a number of hotels that used to shutter as soon as summer ended are pushing back closures. In Lake Como, the classic Villa d’Este is staying open until early January and reopening in March, as is the beautiful new Passalacqua .

passalacqua hotel on lake como italy

Following suit in Puglia is the wildly pretty Borgo Egnazia . On the Amalfi Coast, Monastero Santa Rosa stayed open into November in 2022 and is considering December in 2023. There will be more. “After a year like this one,” says Elisa Pozzoli, of Essence of Italy, “hotels are changing their mentality. And Venice in January or February is magical. You’re alone, in a ghost city.”

Something else might help ease the travails of overtourism: a handful of new five-star hotels available year-round. Six Senses Rome (GM Francesca Tozzi comes from Capri’s Tiberio Palace) opens in the spring in a 15th-century palazzo a block from the Galleria Doria Pamphilj. In Milan the 73-suite Portrait Milano , a first foray there from the Ferragamo family, has just opened on Corso Venezia, close to the fashion district but not in the thick of it. Casa Baglioni Milano , a 30-room hotel with an interior that nods to Italy’s Modernist dolce vita era, is in the heart of the city’s artsy, “local” Brera district. Both offer a way to sidestep the visitor surge, even during Fashion Week. As for the summer? Grisdale cannot be more emphatic: “We are about to enter a new era. The famous summer tradition is on its way out. No one comes to Italy for a suntan, anyway. And do you know how amazing this country is with few tourists around?” By Mark Ellwood . To book a trip to Italy : Andrea Grisdale, andrea@ icbellagio.com

st marks square venice during carnival in february

On Our Radar Hotel La Palma , Capri’s first hotel, built in 1822 and steps from the famous Piazzetta, is opening in July after a major renovation as the Oetker Collection’s first Masterpiece Hotel in Italy. One of many highlights: a private beach club at the Marina Piccola. (No word yet, though, on an extended season.)

Your Next Trip Should Be:

Africa in a private villa….

Because, let's face it, having the bush all to yourself is better.

africa on horseback

OL JOGI , KENYA.

ol jogi, kenya

A 58,000-acre onetime cattle ranch on the Laikipia Plateau is now a private conservancy with serious game viewing. Owned by the art-dealing Wildenstein family, Ol Jogi can be booked for up to 22 people. Don’t let the thatched-hut-style exterior fool you: Inside it’s over-the-top French château luxury. Great perk: the underground hide, reached through a tunnel, which overlooks a rhino-luring salt lick.

SINGITA’S MALILANGWE HOUSE , ZIMBABWE.

singita malilangwe houses, kenya

This 5-bedroom villa in the 130,000-acre Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve is close enough to Singita’s Pamushana Lodge that you can walk to the main camp, but it’s isolated on a hilltop, with gorgeous views of huge boulders, red soil, and golden msasa trees. On offer: classic game drives as well as ancient cave rock art sites and “water safaris” to see fish eagles, hippos, and crocodiles.

COTTARS BUSH VILLA , KENYA.

cottars bush villa, kenya, mara, safari

Charles Cottar set up his safari business in the Mara back in 1919. Great-grandson Calvin and his wife Louise now run it, retro associations intact: canvas, Persian rugs, and dark wood furniture. The new 5-bedroom bush villa, built entirely by hand, sits on a hill like an old farmhouse, but it has all mod cons, including an 82-foot-long pool. Ask to be guided by the all-female ranger team, the only such in the Mara.

FARMHOUSE AT THE FARMSTEAD , SOUTH AFRICA.

farmhouse at the framstead, part of royal malawane lodge south africa

Onetime fashion exec Liz Biden converted her country getaway in Greater Kruger into the Royal Malewane lodge 23 years ago and has since expanded her footprint. The nearby Farmstead now has a stand-alone 7,000-square-foot villa with a kids suite and a pool that sticks out right into the bush. Her background is evident in the exuberant decor; even the laundry comes packaged in scarlet netting, tied with a big red bow. Royal Malewane’s guides are standouts: Several have earned the title master tracker, a rarity in safari.

CHEETAH PLAINS, SOUTH AFRICA.

cheetah plains interior with art, south africa

These three ultramodern 4-bedroom homes (booked individually or together) are remarkable for their especially game-rich location in private Sabi Sand reserve, adjacent to unfenced Kruger National Park. (The near-silent electric 4X4s help too.) As for the amenities: Each comes with a heated pool, wine gallery, chef, sommelier, and full-time spa therapist.

KATAZA HOUSE, SINGITA KWITONDA , RWANDA.

kataza house, rwanda

This 4-bedroom villa is the only luxe safari house close to Volcanoes National Park, home of the mountain gorillas. Building materials and decor were procured locally; there are ebonized tables, eucalyptus wood screens, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking three huge volcanoes. Deborah Calmeyer of Roar Africa calls it a “spiritual experience like nowhere else in Africa.” By Mark Ellwood. To book any of the above African villas : Deborah Calmeyer, deb@ roarafrica.com

singita pamushana lodge game drive vehicle safari zimbabwe

La Belle Bourgogne…

Because of the wine, bien sur. And some fine new bolt holes.

village of pulignymontrachet in burgundy france

They don’t call parts of Burgundy the Côte d’Or just for its fall foliage. “Anyone interested in wine will eventually end up here,” states Dennis Sherman, a 40-year resident who runs a wine brokerage business near Beaune. “It’s the simplicity of the single grape variety with the complexity of the soil—the wine has incredible depth and substance.” But ending up here hasn’t been all that easy: The higher-end accommodations have long been largely on barges on the region’s waterways. Now, however, two rival ultraluxe hoteliers are opening properties.

como le montrachet

American expats Denise Dupré and Mark Nunnelly who run the five-star Royal Champagne hotel in that region, are reinventing the Clos de la Commarainen estate as a 23-room hotel in a 12th-century château (connected to the dukes of Burgundy) and anchored by its 10 acres of Pommard Premier Cru. It will form the basis of a revival of winemaking here, something that last took place 20 years ago. Arriving at the end of 2023 is COMO Le Montrachet , an albergo diffuso–style hotel nestled around a charming village square a few miles south of Beaune (Christina Ong’s fourth European site).

pulignymontrachet

The lodging shortage solved, another issue persists. (Great pleasures are often hard won.) And that is access to Burgundy’s prized small-batch production. According to Philip Haslett, of Kairos , who organizes trips throughout France, “The winemakers here aren’t as visitor-ready as those in Champagne or even Bordeaux. The farmers are not turning up in a BMW—they’re the real deal, so it doesn’t matter who you are, because they don’t have anything extra to sell.”

Which is why Haslett works with guides who have deep roots here, such as Youri Lebault of Bourgogne Gold Tour, who specializes in opening near-impossible cellar doors (guiding is essential due to Burgundy’s fragmented, jigsaw-like terroir, which is carved into patches known as climats ). “Yesterday,” he said, “I ended my two-day wine tour in a private cellar in the Côte de Beaune, alone with my clients, smelling the wine from the barrel and tasting it with a pipette.” By Mark Ellwood. To book a trip top France : Philip Haslett, Philip @ kairos-travel.com

como le montrachet hotel in puligny montrachet burgundy france

Your next trip should be...

Yes, panama….

Because it's about to pop and it has three attractions no other country in Central America or the Caribbean can claim.

1. The Old Town

la compania hotel's santuario restaurant old town panama city

One of the best-restored and most delightful historic districts in the region, dating back to 1673, with a sophisticated new hotel, La Compañia (a hot spot for locals and international travelers), and a real foodie scene: Peruvian-Panamanian, French-Panamanian, patisseries, and coffee and cigar bars.

2. The Canal

crossing the panama canal

Human ingenuity is on full display along this 40-mile engineering marvel, which connects the Atlantic with the Pacific and divides North and South America. A must day trip from the Old Town, it’s also a good jumping-off point for hikes in the Anton Valley and visits to the Emberá indigenous community.

nayara bocas bali resort

Nayara’s Bocas del Toro , in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, is a luxe perch from which to explore Panama’s astonishing biodiversity. Prep at the Frank Gehry–designed biodiversity museum in Panama City. By Michael Clinton . To book a trip to Panama : Pierre Gedeon, pierre@ costa-adventures.com

isla escudo bocas del toro panama nyara bocas bali

On Our Radar: An environmentally minded billionaire owner, Louis Bacon, has turned an archipelago of 14 islands off Panama’s Pacific coast into an a all-inclusive luxe retreat, Isla Secas . It guarantees total privacy (it sleeps just 24), real adventure, and untouched nature. Thirteen of the islands will remain undeveloped.

A Turkish Delight…

Because jetting to Bodrum is swell, but sailing to Kaunos in a gulet is better.

süreyya teras lounge

A couple of years ago Emily Morrison, a former New Orleans commodities trader, visited Turkey for the first time, suntanning in Bodrum and hot-air-ballooning over Cappadocia like a latter-day Jules Verne. At the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, that tortuous labyrinth from the 15th century, she had a career epiphany while sorting through textiles, so she left her job and started a lifestyle brand, Elysian by Emily Morrison , back home, collaborating with Turkish artisans on decorative wares, footwear, and clothing. “What I experienced was the people of Turkey,” she says. “The hospitality, the craftsmanship, the culture.”

suzani textiles

Now she returns several times a year. And Morrison’s not alone: American travel to Turkey in the first half of 2022 skyrocketed 77 percent over the same period in 2019, according to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Post-pandemic, the number is poised to climb in 2023, as the country marks its 100th anniversary as a republic.

“It took many years, but things have definitely changed,” says Karen Fedorko Sefer, founder of Sea Song Tours , who arrived in Turkey in 1998 and organized Morrison’s original visit. “The key was developing infrastructure to accommodate demanding luxury travelers.” Turkish Airlines invested in U.S. hubs (three daily flights out of JFK, two from LAX), and elite lodgings boomed: A Four Seasons and a Mandarin Oriental opened on the Bosporus, followed by the newly restored Four Seasons in historic Sultanahmet. The Peninsula Istanbul and Japan’s Okura Spa & Resort Cappadocia are expected in 2023.

a room at the soon to open peninsula istanbul

And it’s not just cities that are thriving: Thanks to Turkish Airlines’ vast network of domestic flights, jetsetters are discovering the cradle of civilization in Asia Minor. Though why go by air to the ruins of Kaunos or the shipwrecks of Monastir Bay when a gulet is an option. A very posh option. Turkish sailing yachts are, Sefer says, “second to none.” By Erik Maza .

To book a trip to Turkey: Karen Fedorko Safer, fedorko@ seasong.com

the new mosque, istannbul

On Our Radar: This past October, Michelin Guides published its first list of 53 Istanbul restaurants . Why it took this long, given the city’s Byzantine and Ottoman epicurean traditions, is a mystery. But never mind: It’s a whole new impetus to visit. The star of the list, with two stars, is Turk Fatih Tutak .

A Montenegro Odyssey…

Because it's the Med without the crowds.

kotor bay in montenegro, the village of perast and the bell tower of the church of saint nicholas the two islands are saint george and our lady of the rocks with the roman catholic church of the same name

Byron called the 182-mile stretch of Montenegro’s Adriatic coast “the most beautiful encounter between land and sea.” No wonder. Riven with fjords, dotted with tiny islands and ancient towns (such as Kotor, Budva, and Perast), and lined with 45 miles of beach, the little country has been quietly turning into a niche destination for yachting holidays, a Croatia without the crowds. “It’s Norway, but it’s warm!” proclaims Paola Scalabrino, a charter specialist with Monaco-based Yachtzoo . “And it’s for people who want beautiful anchorages but don’t need to be in port every night, out clubbing.” If you want a land perch, One&Only Portonovi , near a new marina, is the sole five-star resort option (ever since the Aman Sveti Stefan closed amid a local controversy over beach rights). And, opening this spring, in an 1850s Austro-Hungarian fortress, is the boutiquey 32-room Mamula Island , which comes with a fleet of boats you can use on demand. By Mark Ellwood . To book a trip to Montenegro: Ala Osmond, Ala@ exeterinternational.com

mamula island hotel montenegro yachting

A Viennese Waltz...

Because the new museums are magnificent and you get to pack your dancing shoes.

lichtenstein city palace ballroom vienna austria

Mention Vienna and what comes to mind are pastries and paintings, sacher-torte and Schiele—a place worth a pit stop between Prague and Budapest. But the grand onetime imperial capital is starting to shed its gilded cobwebbiness. A permanent home has just opened for the Austrian billionaire Heidi Goëss-Horten ’s 700-strong collection —of Picassos, Chagalls, Basquiats, Warhols, Richters, and Baselitzes. The two-year-old Albertina Modern , Austria’s answer to the Tate , will showcase in spring 2023 American artist Alex Katz in a major retrospective.

rosewood vienna

On the hotel front, the 150-year-old Sacher has some competition. Rosewood Vienna opened last summer in a former bank in the heart of the city’s pedestrian district. The onetime Ring Hotel, on the Ringstrasse, will reopen in early 2023 as the Amauris Vienna . The locally owned and operated Leo Grand is a pretty boutique spot a few steps from St. Stephen’s Cathedral. And a Mandarin Oriental is coming as well (to an Art Nouveau building on Riemergasse).

But there’s one tradition that Gwen Kozlowski, president of Exeter International , is keen to see preserved: the balls. “They are truly like nowhere else, and superformal.” Skip the ones around New Year’s and focus on the distinctly Viennese ones at Lent. The most prestigious are the Opera and Philharmonic balls. “They’re hard to wrangle tickets for, but if you’re serious, we can usually make it happen.” By Mark Ellwood. To book a trip to Austria: Gwen Kozlowski, Gwen@ exeterinternational.com

dancers at the vienna opera ball circa 1960 austria

A Cool Cruise…

Because swanning around on a gorgeous ship is as good as it gets.

A JAMES BOND–IAN FANTASY (ON SCENIC ECLIPSE ).

scenic eclipse

The first ultraluxe expedition ship, Scenic Eclipse, from the Australian brand Scenic, turned heads for its megayacht style and 007-esque toys. Now comes Scenic Eclipse II . Both will go to the Arctic and Antarctic, but in 2023 Eclipse II will also visit Euro yachtie hangouts (Capri, Hvar, Ibiza, and more) and explore the Pacific—the gorges of Australia’s Kim- berley, Indonesia’s Spice Islands, and Raja Ampat.

scenic eclipse cruise ship antarctica adelie penguins

AN ARCTIC ADVENTURE (ON COMMANDANT CHARCOT ).

ponants commandant charcot expedition cruise ship

Until now, reaching the North Pole has never been a breeze. But next summer Ponant’s hybrid-powered icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot , will make four 15-night trips there. Outside is a silent world of polar bears and pack ice; onboard it’s all expedition-chic (an Alain Ducasse restaurant, a dernier-cri spa, floor-to-ceiling windows). The best part: knowing you’re farther north than anyone else on earth.

two polar bears on a small ice floe surrounded by water and ice mother and two years old cub symbolic for climate situation in the arctic copy  space

AN ART TOUR OF THE BALTIC (ON VIKING OCEAN ).

young woman on the beach painting by edvard munch displayed as part of munch moments on the artrium screen aboard the viking ocean cruise ship

Without St. Petersburg, a cruise around the Baltic might feel like seeing Athens without the Acropolis. Not so. Scandi-chic Viking has a fix for art lovers next summer: a series of 14-night ocean sailings between Bergen and Stockholm, with guided tours of major museums and works of architecture. One highlight: a private viewing in Oslo of Edvard Munch’s haunti ng masterpiece The Scream . By Sue Bryant. To book a cruise : Ashton Palmer, Ashton@ expeditiontrips.com ; Tom Baker, Tom.Baker@ cruisecenter.com ; Mary Jean Tully, travel@ tullyluxurytravel.com

the scream by edvard munch

On Our Radar : Other lines are plying the Baltic too: Silversea’s 14-night roundtrip from Copenhagen stops in Stockholm, Tallinn, Helsinki, and Gdansk. Regent Seven Seas’ 10-night cruise sails June 30 from Copenhagen to Stockholm, with stops in Berlin, Gdansk, Tallinn, Helsinki, and Art Nouveau–rich Riga.

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Lifeguard station in shallow water on sandy beach

Where to go on holiday this year: 23 great travel ideas for 2023

From Croatia’s dramatic sinkhole lakes to rewilded glens in Scotland, our travel writers pick fun and sustainable adventures for the coming year

Fuseta, Portugal Holiday peace in eastern Algarve

If you’re longing for a desert island, head to Fuseta, an almost empty spit of white sand in a turquoise sea that could be in the Indian Ocean (just a little more bracing). This is a relatively unspoilt fishing town about 12 miles east of Faro. It’s small and in summer has wonderful open-air restaurants grilling fish by the harbour. A locals’ favourite is Casa Corvo , where it’s hard to spend more than €18 for straight-from-the-sea dourada (sea bream) on the charcoal grill. Get to the mercado municipal early enough and you may see fishermen unloading their boats.

Fuseta has access to some of the best beaches in the Algarve, along the islands and inlets of the Ria Formosa. A small, inexpensive ferry runs to Fuseta Island, but a couple more euros buys a water taxi ride to deserted beaches such as Praia da Barra Velha or Praia do Homem Nu (“naked man beach”). Praia da Fuseta-Ria, near town, has warmer inlet waters, and sometimes boats selling doughnuts. A 10-minute drive away, Vila Monte (doubles from £150 B&B) is a boutique farmhouse with lovely pool, amazing breakfasts and a view to orange groves and the Moncarapacho hills. Paulo Anunciação

Night trains, Liguria, Italy To the Cinque Terre – while you sleep

The village of Riomaggiore at night.

The revamping of Europe’s night-train network is gathering pace. Many new sleepers started running last month, among them Basel to Dresden and Stuttgart to Venice. The new overnight train from Munich to Liguria is 15 hours of railway heaven and the perfect way to the Cinque Terre coast.

Travel by day from London via Paris or Brussels to Munich to join the 20.09 to La Spezia Centrale. Cruise south while you sleep, then enjoy breakfast in your compartment as the train slips by the dramatic monastery at Certosa di Pavia. A few minutes later, you’ll cross the River Po before taking to the hills, then dropping steeply down the coast at Genoa. The best is yet to come as the railway skirts the Ligurian coast with fine views of Cinque Terre villages such as Riomaggiore before arriving in La Spezia at 11.10. A shared sleeper compartment for two from Munich starts at €199.80. Book online at nightjet.com or raileurope.com . Nicky Gardner

Kranj, Slovenia Sustainable city break – with a canyon

Picturesque view of the ancient Slovenian town of Kranj.

Slovenia prides itself on its green credentials, which were boosted further when Kranj, its third-largest city, was given 2023’s European Destination of Excellence award for its sustainable tourism. It’s in the Slovenian Alps, halfway between Ljubljana and Lake Bled, and the 30 metre-deep Kokra river canyon runs through the heart of the city. The Kokra flows into the Sava to the south, where shaded riverside paths are a peaceful place to walk.

Beyond the church spires and terracotta rooftops of Kranj’s Renaissance townhouses rise the soaring peaks of Triglav, Grintovec and Stol mountains. A hike up to Šmarjetna Gora to the west brings even better views. In the handsome old town, cafe terraces fill mainly pedestrianised streets of pastel-coloured townhouses, one of which is home to Actum Hotel . Its pleasingly ornate rooms start at €83 B&B, but there’s a superior suite with hot tub from €143. Mary Novakovich

North of England culture Museums and galleries from Liverpool to Northumberland

Yayoi Kusama with giant polka dot balls

The north continues to fizz and pop, with exciting regeneration projects reaching completion and lots of hot tickets for cultural events as well as new hotel openings. Manchester Museum reopens in February, after a £15m redevelopment, with a sizeable extension including a new exhibition hall and visitor facilities clad in green-glazed tiles in homage to the Victorian and Edwardian buildings across the city.

In June, Manchester’s Factory International , set to be a flagship cultural centre, launches with a bang, showcasing the work of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, with plans for an immersive experience including giant dolls and eye-popping polka-dot spheres.

From spring, the Treehouse Hotel in the formerly dilapidated 15-storey Renaissance hotel in Deansgate will open its doors, with a new rooftop bar as well as the promise of excellent cuisine at two restaurants.

Liverpool will host Eurovision 2023 on behalf of 2022 winner Ukraine, with nine live shows (from 9 May). And the 12th Liverpool Biennial , the UK’s largest contemporary art festival, takes place across the city’s public spaces, galleries and museums from 10 June to 17 September.

In Northumberland, to mark the 125th anniversary of the death of Lewis Carroll, all 15 rooms at the new Tempus hotel in the grounds of Charlton Hall have been inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Over in County Durham the Faith Museum opening in autumn at Auckland Castle, claims to be the first museum in England to explore the story of religion in Britain. Nazia Parveen

Spetses, Greece Glass Onion’s stylish island

Daniel Craig on Spetses in Netflix’s Glass Onion

It’s easy to see why there’s a buzz about Spetses. For two years in a row the Argo-Saronic isle has featured in Hollywood hits. First came The Lost Daughter, the drama based on the Elena Ferrante novella; then Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery , a new whodunit romp featuring Daniel Craig. The picturesque island is bracing for an even bigger bounce in 2023.

“We’re all feeling blessed to live here,” says Yannis Manitaras, 74, who was born and bred on Spetses.

The trailer for Glass Onion opens with the Poseidonion Grand , an elegant hotel overlooking the waterfront. The brainchild of the Spetsiot tobacco magnate Sotirios Anargyros, the luxury hotel put the pine-clad isle on the tourist map in the 1920s, attracting a mix of Athenian high society and European aristocracy.

But the island’s old-world feel, neo-classical architecture, horse-drawn buggies and absence of cars have long made it a favourite for Athenians. And there are still bargain places to stay (the boutique Oltremare Inn has doubles from £110 B&B). It’s just over two hours by ferry from Athens’ Piraeus port. Helena Smith

Imotski lakes, Croatia Explore the Dalmatian lake district

Blue Lake, near Imotski in southern Croatia.

A half-hour’s drive east from the Adriatic resort of Baška Voda is one of Croatia’s loveliest inland regions. Eleven lakes dot the karst landscape surrounding the town of Imotski , with the most dramatic, Blue Lake, bordering the town. Scrub-covered limestone cliffs rise from an enormous sinkhole filled with vivid blue water. This lake is swimmable by those who follow a serpentine path to the valley bottom. Along with Biokovo nature park , Imotski’s lakes are a contender for gaining Unesco status in 2023.

There’s plenty to do here: kayaking the Vrljika River, hiking the hills, taking in views from Imotski’s medieval Topana Fortress and touring vineyards. The stylish Boutique Rooms 76 has doubles from £56 room-only. MN

Margate, England Food and film on the north Kent coast

Margate bay view with fireworks

Margate will make news again this month with the release of Sam Mendes’s 1980s-themed flick Empire of Light . A new downloadable map (available on the Visit Thanet website from January) will allow visitors to navigate film locations, starting with free-to-enter Dreamland. Its kitsch-kicks roller disco (featured in the film) reopens in April, as does the theme park proper – with a new rollercoaster.

Olivia Colman, who stars in the film, liked Margate’s “three amazing restaurants”. We can think of six worthy of such praise, including the one within in the box-fresh Fort Road Hotel , headed by River Café alumna Daisy Cecil; locals’ favourite Dive for tacos; and the newbie Staple Stores for “cruffins” (a cross between a croissant and a muffin).

Margate’s art HQ, Turner Contemporary , will be the first UK venue to host Sonia Boyce’s award-winning multimedia installation Feeling Her Way (4 Feb-8 May). An ever-growing number of satellite galleries will fill a weekend of wandering, but be sure to include the eccentric new Crab Museum . Damien Gabét

Ridgeway trail, England Favourite hiking route turns 50

View over hills in sunshine

Of the 16 national trails in England and Wales, the Ridgeway Trail , which partly follows a prehistoric path, is a cracker, and is 50 years old this year. It runs for 87 miles from Avebury in Wiltshire through the North Wessex Downs and Chilterns to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. It’s probably one of the oldest routes in Britain.

Sections run through ancient beechwood holloways in the Chilterns, and a path links Wayland’s Smithy (a stone age tomb more than 5,500 years old, which can be entered and explored for free) and the mystical Uffington White Horse. Other stretches run across chalk downs to Avebury, home to the largest stone circle in Europe, all following the old ways of ancestors who shaped this landscape.

The Ridgeway is also a haven for wildlife, from rare moths to birds of prey and skylarks. This year’s special events include guided trail runs, family science days, arts competitions and history talks. Every Sunday night, a new #Ridgeway50 story will be shared online, with secret histories, spotting challenges and inspiration to discover something new. Mary-Ann Ochota , archaeologist, broadcaster, walker and patron of the Ridgeway Trail’s 50th anniversary

Ancient cultures, Turkey New life and old civilisations

Carved buildings at the ancient site of Gobekli Tepe.

Off-limits until recently on account of its proximity to war-torn Syria, Turkey’s Kurdish and Arabic south-east has exploded in popularity, with visitors flocking particularly to the cities of Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa (usually called Urfa).

The Upper Euphrates Basin – the fabled Fertile Crescent – is rich in Roman, Arab, Crusader and Turkish culture. But its trump card is its neolithic remains, especially at the Unesco site of Göbekli Tepe ( Taş Tepeler ) near Urfa, where excavations have uncovered exquisite carved stone circles more than twice as old as Stonehenge.

There’s much more to the region, not least Gaziantep and Urfa’s atmospheric bazaars. Both cities boast outstanding archaeological museums (Urfa is home to the world’s oldest statue, dating from about 10,000BC). The supposed birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, Urfa is a pilgrimage site, but it’s also known for its sira gecesi (raucous alfresco evenings of live music and dancing) and as Turkey’s foodie mecca, full of baklava shops and renowned restaurants. The visitor influx has led to the reopening of mothballed hotels such as Anadolu Evleri , a period townhouse in Gaziantep’s old quarter. Jeremy Seal

Donatello’s genius, Italy A Tuscan sculpture crawl

Donatello’s exterior pulpit on Prato cathedral, Tuscany.

The V&A’s upcoming exhibition Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance may inspire many to visit the birthplace of the “greatest sculptor of all time”. From the Uffizi Gallery to Brunelleschi’s cathedral, there are myriad Donatello sights in Florence, but the artist worked all over Tuscany during his long life, and cheap public transport allows a sculpture crawl of several Renaissance glories.

Among the wonders in Prato, 23 minutes away by train, is an unusual exterior pulpit on the cathedral’s south-east corner, decorated in white marble by Donatello. One of the main sights in Lucca, about one hour west, is the Guinigi Tower, with a group of large oak trees growing on its top. That family’s summer residence, Villa Guinigi, is now a museum, home to a tender pair of terracotta madonna and child sculptures made when the artist was barely out of his teens.

In Pisa, crowds flock to the cathedral and leaning tower, but in the city centre proper, a 15-minute walk away, San Matteo museum’s stunning collection includes a gilded bust of San Rossore by Donatello, said to contain the saint’s actual skull.

Donatello moved to Siena for three years in the mid-1400s and made several dramatic bronzes for the San Giovanni baptistry , plus sombre “virtue” statues Hope and Faith, and cheery putti (cherubs). Last stop Arezzo is slightly off the tourist trail but has a splendid medieval square, and a cathedral housing a luminous Mary Magdalene fresco by Piero della Francesca as well as Donatello’s marble relief of the baptism of Christ.

There are EM Forster views from Fiesole, up the hill from Florence, where Pensione Bencistà (doubles from £130 room only), a converted medieval convent, has been welcoming guests since 1927. It reopens in April after a winter refurb. Liz Boulter

Foodie fun, Hauts-de-France Fine cuisine just over the Channel

Selection of handmade cheeses on display in Montreuil sur Mer France.

The northern region of Hauts-de-France has been named European Region of Gastronomy 2023 for its enticing food experiences. Among the many initiatives are a route de la bière between the many craft breweries, cheese tastings, markets, food festivals, tours and workshops.

Lille is a good first stop: along with its craft beer and waffles, it has star chef Florent Ladeyn giving a modern, eco-friendly spin on Flemish cuisine. He sources all ingredients for canteen-style bistros Bloempot and Bierbuik-Bloemeke and the Michelin-starred Auberge du Vert Mont , at Boeschepe, from within a 50km radius.

Montreuil-sur-Mer has long been a gourmet hotspot. The Saturday market offers cheese, wine, chocolate and coffee, and restaurants include several from star chef Alexandre Gauthier. His newest venture, Sur Mer, will open in Merlimont in spring. Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy a trip to Ch â teau de Chantilly for a taste of the true, decadent whipped crème de Chantilly, and can even learn to make it at fun workshops in the Atelier de la Chantilly ice-cream parlour. Carolyn Boyd

Affric Highlands, Scotland Rewilding in action

Blue loch with autumn trees reflected in water

Scotland is leading the way when it comes to “rewilding” initiatives, with myriad efforts to rebuild ecosystems. The most ambitious is Affric Highlands, a 30-year initiative on 500,000 acres of land between Loch Ness and Kintail. Launched by charity Trees for Life , Rewilding Europe and a coalition of communities and landowners, it’s the biggest project in the UK and aims to take nature recovery to a new level, restoring forests and habitats and benefiting wildlife from golden eagle and osprey to otters and mountain hare.

Within this area lies Trees for Life ’s 10,000 acre Dundreggan Rewilding Estate, where the world’s first rewilding centre will open in spring. The aim is to encourage people to experience the forests, and learn about their history. Dundreggan is a base for conservation volunteers, but there will be new accommodation at the centre as well as workshops and talks. Jane Dunford

Copenhagen, Denmark Architecture, art and food

Opera Park, on the waterfront in Copenhagen.

Fans of sustainability, livability and design should make a beeline for Copenhagen in 2023, when it will be Unesco capital of architecture. Events, showcases and talks will take place all year; the best place to start is the Danish Architecture Center , which hosts a new exhibition on Danish architecture from 24 March. On the harbour, public pavilions will showcase the work of architects specialising in sustainability. Also by the water will be Opera Park , an urban green space designed for climate resilience.

Two events to look out for are Open House Copenhagen in March, which offers a peek into stunning buildings normally closed to the public, and the Architecture Run in February, July and September, a 5km route through museums and architectural gems.

Other reasons to visit include an upcoming digital art exhibition Refik Anadol – Nature Dreams in the south of the city, and a growing Asian food scene. In Christianshavn, new apart-hotel Kanalhuset (doubles from £75 room-only) is a pocket-friendly place to stay. Laura Hall

Leipzig, Germany Classical music and modern art

Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig.

Leipzig may feel low-key in comparison with Dresden, but it has plenty to offer the curious traveller, from historic sites such as the Monument to the Battle of the Nations to buzzy nightlife. Wagner was born here, Bach, Mahler and two Schumanns lived and worked in the city, Goethe wrote some of Faust in the Auerbachs Kellar restaurant, and Schiller wrote Ode to Joy in the city too. These legacies can be enjoyed at museums as well as festivals including the Mahler Festival (11-29 May) and Bachfest (8-18 June). Leipzig’s ambitious “Whole city as a stage” campaign, will increase its cultural offerings throughout 2023.

Leipzig has become a contemporary art hub thanks to the Spinnerei , a 19th-century cotton mill turned into 13 galleries and hundreds of artists’ studios. The complex also has an indie cinema, a restaurant, a beer garden and tours. Don’t miss the Palm Gardens , with 19th-century bridges, pavilions and a theatre in an old petrol station. Eisenbahnstrasse in Volkmarsdorf offers multicultural food options, and Karl-Liebknecht-strasse (KarLi for short) is the street for bar-hopping. Paul Sullivan

Málaga, Spain Picasso sites, sea and sardines

man looking at paintings in museum

To mark the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death, on 8 April, galleries across Spain are planning special exhibitions: eight in Madrid, three each in Barcelona and Málaga, and one each in A Coruña and Bilbão. Málaga, the artist’s birthplace, is particularly proud of its famous son. The Picasso Museum Málaga – also celebrating its 20th anniversary – has Picasso: Matter and Body (8 Aug-10 Sept) and Echo of Picasso (2 Oct-24 March 2024), and the Picasso Birthplace Museum is showing The Ages of Pablo (21 Jun-1 Jan 2024). Fans can also visit the church where he was baptised, the site of his school and the Malagueta bullring, where he watched bullfights with his father.

Málaga has more to offer art lovers than Picasso, though. Its 40 museums and galleries include the Pompidou Centre of Málaga , opened in 2015 in a striking cube by the waterfront; the Carmen Thyssen Museum of 19th-century Spanish painting; and the free Contemporary Art Centre of Málaga . The latter is in Soho, the city’s vibrant street-art district, which also has independent restaurants and shops, and a monthly makers’ market.

Art aside, the capital of the Costa del Sol has 16 beaches; historic sights such as the “one-armed” cathedral, Gibralfaro castle and the 11th-century Alcazaba; and local favourite espetos de sardinas (sardines on a skewer). Rachel Dixon

Canfranc, Huesca, Spain Railway ‘cathedral’ becomes a hotel

long station building with mountains behind

What was once an unlikely location for Europe’s second-largest railway station will become a destination hotel 910 metres up in the Spanish Pyrenees when it opens on 1 March. Canfranc Station Royal Hideaway hotel occupies the pharaonic station, whose various misfortunes earned it the epithet “the Titanic of the mountains”. When it was conceived in 1853, Spain wanted to show it was capable of a building on the scale of Europe’s great railway cathedrals, but by the time it was completed in 1928 it was outmoded.

During the second world war it served as a discreet place for the Nazis to hand over gold in exchange for Spanish tungsten, vital in tank production, and was also a crossing point for Jewish refugees fleeing Vichy France. The spectacular station, with its 365 windows and 200-metre-long platform, ceased to operate in 1970, but much of the original detail has been conserved in the 104-bedroom hotel (doubles from €230 room-only) with two restaurants and spa, all amid snow-capped mountains. The area is great for rock climbing, the Camino de Santiago runs through the village, and there are several ski stations nearby. It’s worth taking the scenic 16 mile train ride to the medieval town of Jaca. Canfranc can be reached by rail from Zaragoza (trains run twice daily). Stephen Burgen

Rugby World Cup, France Touch down in nine great cities

Beach in sunshine with city

In September and October the Rugby World Cup will take over nine host cities, including Lille, Nantes, Nice and Lyon. England and Scotland fans heading to Marseille for their teams’ first matches on 9 and 10 September will catch the late summer sun in this city known for beaches, and diverse culture. Wales and Ireland fans in Bordeaux that weekend can enjoy the city’s wine bars , its atmospheric Chartrons district, Cité du Vin wine museum and the relatively new Bassin des Lumières art-based light show set in a former second world war German submarine base.

There will be a lively atmosphere in all the stadiums, but the crowds in Bordeaux and Toulouse will be particularly impassioned. Toulouse is known as the Ville Rose for its old town’s pink bricks, and its student population adds to its vibrant nightlife.

Fans without tickets to its Stade de Toulouse can watch matches at Chez Tonton on Place Saint-Pierre, on the banks of the Garonne. By day, they can take a Taste of Toulouse food tour; have their minds boggled at the space centre Cité de l’espace ; and admire the giant robotic creations at the Halles de la Machine . The giant robots’ creators hail from fellow host city Nantes , whose own collection includes a giant robotic elephant and three-storey, ocean-themed carousel. CB

Stranraer to Eyemouth cycle route, Scotland Southern stunner for two wheels

Brightly dressed cyclists riding over stone bridge in hilly scenery

The rolling hills and ancient abbeys of the south of Scotland are often overlooked by visitors making a beeline for the Highlands, but a new 250-mile coast-to-coast cycle route, from Stranraer to Eyemouth, will remind people of the beauty at the bottom of the country. The route, which weaves from west to east on quiet roads, will take riders to Newton Stewart and the Galloway Forest Park, the UK’s first Dark Sky Park. From there, a maze of leafy minor roads, with views over the Southern Uplands, lead to the 18th-century market town of Castle Douglas, Dumfries, where Robert Burns spent his final years, and the old mill towns and ruined abbeys of the Scottish Borders, following the River Tweed past Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford and a plethora of Mary Queen of Scots history. The trail finishes in the harbour town of Eyemouth, and is set to open in time for the UCI Cycling World Championships, running in Glasgow and around Scotland in August.

“The south of Scotland has a lot to offer, from Abbotsford and the abbeys to cultural events like book festivals,” says Markus Stitz, of Bikepacking Scotland . “The enthusiasm of the local people and their hospitality make it a wonderful area to explore.”

The south is already well known among mountain bikers for the 7stanes trail centres dotted around the region. It’s hoped that the new route will show that road cycling is just as remarkable. Stuart Kenny

Alpine climbing, Austria Mountaineering village escapes

snowy lakeside village at dusk

The beauty of the Alps has long been exploited for the mass tourism market. Grand hotels, second homes, tacky ski resorts and a dense network of lifts are some of its many unaesthetic consequences. But not everybody longs for a sixth schnapps at a slope-side watering hole to the latest après-ski hit. For those who wish to enjoy the natural scenery in peace, away from consumerism and concrete, the Mountaineering Villages are the ideal choice.

This association of holiday destinations, managed by the Austrian Alpine Club , promises a “pure” mountain experience. The 36 villages in Austria (as well as in neighbouring Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Slovenia) are so small and sparsely populated that even locals would need a map to locate some of them. Nevertheless, the inhabitants strive to maintain their culture and traditions. Here, visitors stay in accommodation provided by the inhabitants and small businesses, instead of purpose-built chalet villages.

The mountains have to be climbed with one’s own legs, at one’s own pace – cable cars are a rarity. This is the perfect escape for frazzled city dwellers. I ask Bernhard, a visitor from Vienna, what there is to do in the Styrian municipality of Krakau. “Well, hiking”, he says. And when it rains? “Hiking in the forest.” The lodgings are simple, the population a bit reserved (lacking the professional friendliness of large tourist hubs), the mountain huts are excellent and the scenery formidable.

The association’s website gives detailed descriptions of mountain tours, a list of partner companies and an outline of the history of the area. “It is wonderful: there is nothing going on,” is how Aline, a Viennese woman in her mid-30s, sums up Krakau. She made a stopover in the mountains on her way from Vienna to Italy. Walking is the only thing on the agenda. And if it rains? “Pack a book”. Christopher Brennan

Dún Laoghaire harbour baths, Dublin Chilly dips plus fish and chips

The lighthouse at Dún Laoghaire, Dublin by night

For many intrepid Dubliners as well as visitors to the city, the idea of a sea swim at the Forty Foot promontory in Dún Laoghaire incites near-religious zeal. From late last year, another location has inspired a cult-like following among cold-water lovers in the Irish capital: the Dún Laoghaire Baths, reopened after a 25-year hiatus. A perfectly sited bronze sculpture of 1916 revolutionary Roger Casement towers skywards from the tip of a new 35-metre jetty. He casts his wide gaze over a new design for the area that includes gazebo, cafe, artists’ studios, changing area and beach garden.

After a bracing dip, cross the road to join the queue at Teddy’s for Dublin’s most popular 99 ice-cream cone. Newly opened bike lanes follow much of Dublin’s coastal trail, leading to the Martello Tower in Seapoint, another bathing spot that draws a loyal crowd at high tide. Nobel-prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney lived in Sandymount – that beach is the setting for his three-line poem The Strand. The coastal trail continues to Ringsend and the candy-striped Poolbeg Towers, the city’s unofficial symbol. Stretching three miles out to sea, the Great South Wall was the world’s longest sea wall when it was built in 1731.

Over the Liffey, the trail continues north to windswept Dollymount Strand, where kite surfers perform aerial acrobatics, and on to the cliff walk at Howth Head, finishing at Howth village, for some of Dublin’s best fish and chips. Skerries, in the far north of the county, completes the trail, where waterside pub Stoop Your Head serves Dublin Bay prawns and excellent Guinness. Fergal McCarthy

Versailles, France Marie-Antoinette for a day

Emilia Schüle as Marie-Antoinette Versailles gardens

With the BBC’s thrilling new drama about Marie Antoinette – starring Emilia Schüle as the 14-year-old future French royal – airing on BBC Two on Thursday nights in January and February, the Sun King’s dazzling abode is the p(a)lace to visit this year.

Apart from the lure of discovering sites linked to the controversial Austrian queen, perhaps the best reason to visit Versailles in 2023 is a thrilling immersive experience that gives visitors the chance to play Marie-Antoinette for the day. Staying at the new Le Grand Contrôle hotel , they can learn the queen’s beauty secrets at a fragrance workshop, then wander in the landscaped gardens of the Petit Trianon, where she once sought refuge from courtly etiquette, before dressing up in one of the elaborate pannier gowns and towering flour-powdered wigs seen in the BBC series (which premiered on 29 December). Heidi Fuller-Love

Appian Way, Italy The first Roman road

The Appian Way south of Rome, with original Roman flagstones.

It was known as the queen of roads – regina viarum . Completed in 190BC, the Appian Way runs for 350 miles from Rome to Brindisi, and the whole route is up for Unesco recognition this year. Named for magistrate Appius Claudius Caecus, it was ancient Rome’s first highway, and a marvel for its time, with expertly laid flagstones making a truly all-weather surface. But over the centuries most of this disappeared under farmland and villages – or evolved into the SS7 main road.

In 2015, photographer Riccardo Carnovalini and writer Paolo Rumiz used old documents and satellite images to walk the entire Appian Way (GPX of the route is available here ). It is not an easy route to follow, though, which is why the Ministry of Culture has set aside €20m to develop the Appian Way into, it hopes, a pilgrimage route to match the Camino de Santiago, with refreshment and lodging stops.

While its beginnings at Rome’s Forum are long lost, an arrow-straight walkable section can easily be reached by bus (no 118). Near the tomb of Cecilia Metella, at the three-mile mark, the first of the original flagstones are visible, often with cartwheel grooves.

This year the road is being restored near Benevento in Campania, and Mesagne in Puglia. Follow progress on camminodellappia.it , and plan a walk to save the past for the future. LB

Skye, Inner Hebrides, Scotland Wild wilderness comfort

Nordic saunas and plunge pool at the Bracken Hide Hotel

Wildlife, dramatic scenery, lace-like coast … there are lots of reasons to visit the Isle of Skye, but 2023 ups the accommodation ante with the opening of the Bracken Hide , a cool wilderness hotel. Forty-five en suite cabins dot the 52-acre site, and guests can gather at the Hub (home to Frasers restaurant , a whisky bar, a lounge and screening and games rooms).

It’s very eco-friendly, with cabins clad in sustainable timber and hand-dived scallops and local venison on the menu. There are Nordic saunas, plunge pools, a wild swimming pond and views across Loch Portree and the Sound of Raasay.

Run by the duo behind Skye’s Cowshed Boutique Bunkhouse, the Bracken Hide marries hotel comfort with cabin wildness. Skye Adventure is a partner, offering activities from kayaking to climbing, and Portree is within walking distance. It opens in March (booking now), from £150 B&B for two. JD

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Sound On, Noise Off: The 7 Best Travel Headphones to Take on Your Next Trip

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

At a Glance: The Best Travel Headphones

  • Best Overall: Sony WH-1000MX5
  • Best Noise-Cancelling: Bose QuietComfort Ultra
  • Best Sound: Bang & Olufsen Px8
  • Best Under $150: Soundcore by Anker Space Q45
  • Most Durable: Sennheiser Momentum 3
  • Best Audiophile Sound: Bowers & Wilkins Px8
  • Most Compatible: Shure AONIC 50 (Gen 2)

Traveling and daily commutes can be stressful, to say the least. Often, the culprit is noise — be it a plane engine, crying babies, or loud road-trip companions. But with a pair of the best travel headphones , flights, road trips, and train rides can quickly become a peaceful time with your favorite music, podcasts, and movies.

Related: Tune Out to Jet Off: These Are the Best Noise-Cancelling Earbuds for Travel

Because so many people are now finding tranquility with a pair of noise-reducing headphones , dozens of brands are making solid options with travelers in mind. But only a handful of these headphones can offer the crispness, full bass, and effective noise-reduction that audiophiles and frequent flyers are looking for.

The Best Travel Headphones to Buy Right Now

1. sony wh-1000mx5.

BEST OVERALL

Sony’s WH1000MX5s aren’t just the best headphones for travel – they’re also our number one pick for some of the best noise-cancelling headphones in general. Their predecessor, the WH-1000XM4s, were great, but the WH-1000MX5s introduce some slight improvements to make them the best in the business.

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Noise-cancellation was central in the WH-1000MX5s development, as the headphones boast industry-leading noise cancellation, now with the Auto NC Optimizer. Eight microphones pick up ambient noise, run it through a Noise-Cancelling Processor — we’ve been on several flights wearing these, and there’s truly minimal outside sound whether you’re in a busy airport or on a road trip .

These stellar headphones also offer multipoint pairing, which lets you connect to multiple devices at once. This means you can seamlessly switch between, say, Netflix on your laptop and a call on your phone. This is just one of the WH-1000MX5s several convenient features, which also includes auto-pausing when you speak. Plus, the headphones feature incredible 30-hour battery life, plus three hours of battery with a quick three minute charge.

2. Bose QuietComfort Ultra

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As expected from premium headphones, sound quality with the QuietComfort Ultras is crisp and deep thanks to active EQ. You also get plenty of customizability with the sound through the Bose app. In terms of comfort, the QuietComfort Ultras get top marks as well with a lightweight, half-pound build and enough padding for hours of use while catching a long flight or grinding in the office (and with a pricey piece of tech, this is a major plus). Plus, they’ve got a stellar 24-hour battery life (18 with immersive audio turned on), so they’ll last through the longest hauls of your travels.

3. Bowers & Wilkins Px8

When celebrated audio companies try their hand at high-end headphones, it doesn’t always work. With Bowers & Wilkins , it did, and their latest PX8 headphones are the proof.

Soft earcups and a large, cushy headpiece make the Px8s comfortable enough for long-period usage, but the headphones’ real strength is audio quality. Beefy 40mm drivers and tuning by the B&W experts provide seriously good sound — no matter what type of music or movie you’re watching.

The Px8s are also very impressive technology-wise with a six-microphone setup for capturing and adapting to outside noise. They have what B&W calls “Ambient Pass-Through,” which is meant to relay the important stuff like conversational noises (so the plane engine will be silenced but you might catch the flight attendant’s drink offer). Plus, the headphones feature multipoint pairing for connecting to multiple devices at once.

For their sound quality alone, we recommend these headphones, but the added ANC and lengthy battery life makes these a great choice for travel .

4. Soundcore by Anker Space Q45

Traveling is pricey, but the best travel headphones don’t have to be. Case in point is these Soundcore Q45 headphones from Anker . At $150, the headphones are much more affordable than our other picks, but their sound quality and noise cancellation powers punch far above their price point.

In an effort to communicate better with your audio streaming device, the Q45s use LDAC technology to enhance Bluetooth files. Inside the cans are 40mm silk-diaphragm drivers, which lend enough bass for thumping hip-hop and full orchestral riffs. Noise cancellation, meantime, comes from two microphones on each earcup that pick up sound and adapt to block it out.

Other features we like about the Q45s are wearer detection (which turns off audio when you take off the headphones) and an exceptionally lightweight build. This lightness is both comfortable for long sessions and helpful when it comes to keeping luggage weight to a minimum. Overall, the headphones offer perhaps the best value of any travel headphones.

5. Sennheiser Momentum 3

Don’t get us wrong, the comfort factor is still there thanks to a headband made from genuine sheepskin leather and soft ear cushions with plush memory foam. Compared to Sennhesier’s newer Momentum 4s, we prefer the hard plastic and metal design of these headphones , especially with their sturdy frame and matte steel arms that can withstand being tossed around any carry-on bag.

Instead of plastic toggles, the Momentum 3s feature a rubberized material three-button interface that lets you quickly switch between listening to music and making phone calls, activating voice assistance, and adjusting the volume.

Sound performance is also stellar under the hood as well , with a 42-millimeter dynamic driver and an internal audio equalizer you can adjust from the Sennheiser app. Active noise cancellation and transparency mode also make it easy to wear these headphones out into the world and not worry about being interrupted while you’re playing your tunes or missing an important announcement in a train station or airport.

6. Bang & Olufsen H95

If you’re looking for a pair of luxury headphones fit for first class, check out these Bang & Olufsen H95s . The real upgrade with the H95s is in design quality, with the headphones sporting memory foam earcups, a leather headpiece, and anodized aluminum discs on the earcup exterior. These upgrades translate to more comfort (from the memory foam), an extremely elegant look, and lasting quality.

But the H95s aren’t all looks. Bang & Olufsen has equipped the headphones with Advanced Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) which discerns and effectively blocks outside noises of different frequencies using eight microphones. And when you feel like hearing the world around you again, swipe the left earcup to activate transparency mode. The earcups also feature intuitive touch controls for pause/play, switching tracks, and so on. Further sound customization is available via the Bang & Olufsen app.

7. Shure AONIC 50 (Gen 2)

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Sound quality is very impressive with the Aonic 50s , largely thanks to the headphone’s 50mm drivers (hence the name). What’s more, the Shure headphones sound good with almost any input music as they support a very wide range of codecs. No matter what you’re listening to, expect balanced, full sound at every frequency.

Thanks to memory foam earcups, the Anoic 50s are prepared to sit comfortably on your head for long flights, road trips, and work sessions. The headpiece is also nice and chunky to avoid discomfort up top. Plus, since the design is foldable it makes it easy to carry them on the go.

You get two settings — “active noise-cancellation” and “environment mode” — but the latter (which lets in some outside noise) features multiple levels ranging from minimal noise to essentially transparent. This can be controlled via the ShurePlus PLAY app, while onboard buttons offer basic controls. You’ll also get up to 45 hours battery life with quick charge capabilities, more than doubling its runtime from the prior generation.

Buying Guide: How We Picked the Best Travel Headphones

Even top-of-the-line headphones have some variation in features and quality. Here are a few considerations we kept in mind while choosing the best travel headphones for your needs.

Noise-Cancellation : Not all noise-reduction systems are made equal. The headphones in our roundup all boast the maximum level of noise-cancellation, but some have more adjustability. This will allow you to customize noise reduction to your setting and needs (for example, transparency mode while walking down a busy street).

Comfort : The best travel headphones should be comfortable enough to wear for hours. But not all cans have the same level of comfort: some have softer ear cups and headpieces, while others are more lightweight. We’ve chosen brands that have taken extra steps to make their headphones as comfortable as possible, like adding memory foam or leather padding to the headset.

Battery : We’ve picked headphones with industry-leading battery life of at least 24 hours (or, about enough for two long-haul flights). Still, there’s some variation, and if you’re constantly on the go, a large battery of up to 40-50 hours is a must-have.

Microphone : All the headphones above have mics for making calls or talking to virtual assistants (i.e. Alexa, Siri, etc), but some have engineered their mics to block out ambient noise as well. This means your call recipient will actually hear your voice — and not the loud airport chatter around you.

Durability : Sadly, your new headphones are bound to be dropped, bumped, or caught in the rain while traveling. For this reason, we picked travel headphones with at least an IPX4-5 water resistance and a somewhat rugged build.

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The 13 best walking shoes for travel in 2024.

Discover your ideal pair for every type of adventure and terrain.

The Best Walking Shoes for Travel

Close-up of tennis shoes on sidewalk in city.

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Every trip involves some amount of walking, whether across a large airport, down winding cobblestone streets on a tour or along a rocky nature trail. You always want to be prepared with the right shoes to tackle any short stroll or long walk so painful feet don't ruin your vacation plans.

The best walking shoe will be different for every traveler, depending on your shoe preferences and needs. Those with flat feet may need more arch support, for example, while other travelers may be in search of a stylish shoe that's still comfortable. For tips from podiatrists on how to select the best shoe for you, consult the FAQ section at the bottom of this page.

Whatever type of walking shoe you seek, here are some of the top recommendations from experts and consumer reviews to make your travels comfortable.

Women's

Best sneakers overall: asics gel-contend.

  • Jump to expert insights ↓

Best Slip-on Sneakers: Vans Slip-On Shoe

Best sandals: ecco yucatan sandal, best loafers: cole haan loafers, best sustainable: allbirds wool runners, best for hiking: merrell moab 3, best water shoes: chacos z/ sandals, best for support: hoka bondi 8, best color variety: brooks ghost 15, best for extended sizes: new balance fresh foam x 1080.

  • Jump to traveler insights ↓
  • Best White Sneakers: adidas Grand Court 2.0 Sneaker

Best for Women: Naturalizer Morrison Sneaker

Best for men: orthofeet edgewater stretch.

(Note: Prices and availability were accurate at the time of publication; they may fluctuate due to demand or other factors.)

ASICS Gel-Contend in black against white background.

Courtesy of ASICS

What makes them stand out: These shoes are ideal for travelers and runners alike, offering all the cushioning and support you need while on the go. The jacquard mesh top of the shoe makes the ASICS Gel-Contend particularly breathable and flexible. The shoes are designed to support your feet and absorb impact as you run or walk, with the brand's rearfoot GEL technology, AmpliFoam midsole and OrthoLite sockliner for cushioning.

These walking shoes come in options for men, women and children of various ages, as well as more than a dozen colors, and the price is hard to beat for such a quality shoe. Other popular ASICS running shoes include the Gel-Excite and Gel-Venture .

What our editors say:

They are super comfortable. I wear them for all of my trips and they are durable. Plus, they go up to a women's size 12 with options of both narrow and wide for people like me with big wide feet. – Suzanne Mason , Editor

I love ASICS for just straight-up sneakers. They're comfortable and last forever. – Erin Evans , Managing Editor

Price: $70 or less

Vans Slip-On Shoe in black against white background.

Courtesy of Vans

What makes them stand out: The iconic Vans Slip-Ons are easy to dress up or down for any occasion, making them a versatile option to toss in your carry-on . The uppers come in many different materials and designs, from classic black perforated leather to a floral textile design to a leopard canvas print. These slip-on shoes have supportive padded collars, rubber waffle outsoles and elastic side accents. You'll find a large range of sizes for both women and men.

I'm a big fan of the Vans Slip-On Shoes. I wore them for years on trips throughout Europe and on various weekend getaways. – Erin Evans

What makes them stand out: If you're headed somewhere warmer and want to give your feet space to breathe, opt for a sandal style. The ECCO Yucatan Sandal, with versions for women and men, uses various materials to make a supportive walking shoe. Cushioning is provided by the lightweight sole and EVA footbed; there's also a leather upper, neoprene lining and rubber outsole to give you a good grip. Color options range from a bright chili red or light blue to more neutral shades like gray or black.

What our contributors say:

These are my go-to sandals for summer trips to Europe, the Caribbean or any other destination. They are super lightweight and they're comfy right out of the box. I like the way the rubber bottoms grip any surface (including slick rocks), and I appreciate the added stability of the adjustable ankle straps, especially when navigating cobblestone streets or hiking trails. I've owned at least 15 pairs over the years (in nearly every color) and will continue to buy them as they are the only sandals I can wear all day with no fatigue. – Gwen Pratesi , Travel Contributor

Price: $140 or less

Cole Haan Loafers (women's) in gold against white background.

Courtesy of Cole Haan

What makes them stand out: If you prefer a fashionable loafer to a sneaker, especially for any business travel, Cole Haan's various loafer options are a great choice. The Women's ØriginalGrand Platform Venetian Loafers have an elevated platform wedge outsole with FlowerFoam (at least 25% dandelion rubber) and come in colors such as gold or black. For men, consider the classic Men's 4.ZERØGRAND Loafer, made with a TPU outsole and deep rubber flex grooves. The layers of foam in Cole Haan loafers can provide your feet with all-day comfort, and the uppers are made from stylish leather.

I love the blend of comfort and versatility in these loafers. They are comfortable for long days of exploring and work well on a variety of surfaces, from airports to cobblestone streets. I really appreciate that the style can be dressed up, paired with business attire for a work meeting or worn casual with jeans. – Rachael Hood , Senior Editor

Price: $220 or less

Allbirds Wool Runners (men's) in gray against white background.

Courtesy of Allbirds

What makes them stand out: Allbirds Wool Runners, designed for both men and women, get their name from the soft merino wool that the upper and heel lining are made from. The thermoregulating material is sustainably sourced using regenerative agriculture and carbon-reducing practices; it also makes for a cozy, itch-free fit around your foot. These lace-up sneakers are especially useful for cool weather vacations, but the similar Allbirds Tree Runners are a great lighter option for warm climates.

My Allbirds Wool Runners are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. They require zero breaking in and look great with a bunch of different outfits. I've worn them through multiple airports and to tour around big cities all day. They are like walking on a cloud, and I never have any foot pain! You can wear them with or without socks, and they are machine-washable, which is the cherry on top. – Nicola Wood , Senior Editor

Price: $98 or less

Merrell Moab 3 (men's) in olive against white background.

Courtesy of Merrell

What makes them stand out: These shoes have received plenty of accolades for being durable hiking shoes, especially because they're designed to handle rugged terrain. The Merrell Moab 3 has laces, webbing and a mesh lining all made from recycled materials. The rubber heel and toe cap are designed to protect your feet, while the outsole gives you traction and the Merrell Air Cushion technology absorbs impact. Extra ankle support provides stability when you're navigating uneven terrain. What's more, the contouring footbed offers maximum comfort and the leather on these shoes is gold-rated (which means it's been responsibly sourced; the designation is the highest rating from the Leather Working Group).

I can't emphasize enough how comfortable these shoes are. I've brought them on several trips, including a few weeks in New Zealand, and while I love them for hikes, I just as often find myself putting them on to go for a casual walk in the city. I also love that even though they're lace-up, I can pretty much always just slip them on without using my hands. – Catriona Kendall, Editor

Price: $120 or less

best travel for 2023

Tips on Trips and Expert Picks

Travel tips, vacation ideas and more to make your next vacation stellar.

Chacos Z/ Sandals (women's) in blue and black design against white background.

Courtesy of Chacos

What makes them stand out: You can't really go wrong with any pair of Chacos sandals, as they're all fairly similar and built to last. These versatile, durable sandals are perfect for adventure travel and water activities, as the rubber outsoles give you traction in various types of terrain and the contoured arch support cradles your feet.

Chacos have adjustable straps that wrap around your feet, but you can choose from different strap widths based on your preference. Some Chacos, such as the ZX/2 and Z/2 styles, have a toe loop for a bit more support, while the ZX/1 and Z/1 sandals do not have one. Another consideration is how much cushioning you want: Unlike the Classic options, the Cloud styles are equipped with cushioning.

I've had my pair of ZX/1 Cloud Chacos for years and they're my favorite hiking sandal. They're durable, comfortable and stylish, and they're especially handy when water-based activities are involved. For example, my Chacos were perfect for walking along the rocky bottoms of the cenotes (swimming holes) I explored on a recent trip to Mexico. – Leilani Osmundson , Senior Digital Producer

Price: $105 or less

HOKA Bondi 8 (women's) in sand color against white background.

Courtesy of HOKA

What makes them stand out: Treat your foot to the ultimate cushioning with a pair of HOKA Bondi 8 sneakers. This mesh style has a higher bed of plush cushioning than other HOKA shoes, with an extended heel design for balance and a lightweight OrthoLite foam sockliner. Multiple parts of this shoe are made from recycled materials, and the American Podiatric Medical Association grants its Seal of Acceptance. You have your pick of myriad colors and sizes in both men's and women's.

HOKA shoes are the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. They are great whether you're running a 10K or running around all day sightseeing on vacation. I've had several pairs, my favorite of which is the Women's Bondi 8. I love the fun colors, too! I also like supporting them because they intentionally work on reducing their environmental impact. – Sharael Kolberg , Travel Contributor

Price: $165 or less

Brooks Ghost 15 (women's) in black and white against white background.

Courtesy of Brooks

What makes them stand out: These beloved running shoes are named for the director of product management at Brooks, who was known for going on nighttime runs, but they're also a great option for walking and sightseeing. The air mesh upper is made from recycled materials, while the midsole has a soft, lightweight cushioning. Sizes range from 5 to 13 for women and 7 to 15 for men. You can also choose from four width sizes between narrow and extra wide – not to mention dozens of color combinations.

These are running shoes but I wear them everywhere, from half-marathons to surviving Disney and Universal. Seriously, I wear them 90% of the time I step outside. – Leilani Osmundson

New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 (men's) in black against white background.

Courtesy of New Balance

What makes them stand out: New Balance is a brand often recommended by podiatrists for its high-quality shoes for walking and running. The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 – the latest version of which is v13 – has an impressive range of sizes to accommodate travelers. Width choices include narrow, standard, wide or X-wide. The men's sizing runs from 7 to 16, while women's sizes span 5 to 13. This shoe is breathable and supportive with an air mesh upper and a Fresh Foam X midsole. This shoe also has a Seal of Acceptance from the American Podiatric Medical Association because it promotes good foot health.

Travelers appreciate: Reviewers recommend this shoe if you're on your feet all day or doing a lot of walking and running, saying the comfort and quality are unmatched. Some also say the shoes provide good arch support for flat feet.

Best White Sneaker: adidas Grand Court 2.0 Sneaker

adidas Grand Court 2.0 Sneaker (women's) in white against white background.

Courtesy of adidas

What makes them stand out: For a classic white sneaker that you can wear for a variety of occasions, these adidas tennis shoes are a great option. Your feet are cushioned by a Cloudfoam Comfort sockliner, and the rubber outsole gives you good traction. The synthetic leather upper is made partly from recycled materials as well. Choose from several different colors for the stripes on the sides of these white shoes.

I panic-bought these white sneakers to go with various outfits before a trip to Europe. Even though I had no time to break them in, they were instantly comfortable. These white sneakers lasted for miles as I walked all around London for days, and they matched well with everything. The exterior is easily wipeable whenever they get a little dirty. I couldn't believe how immediately comfortable they were and how I got no blisters or sore feet as I wore them on my trip. They're now one of my go-to everyday shoes as well for running errands. – Erin Evans

Naturalizer Morrison Sneaker in white against white background.

Courtesy of Naturalizer

What makes them stand out: These simple sneakers are a staple for many travelers, as they come in various sizes, widths, colors and materials. Whether you choose white leather or gray suede, the Naturalizer Morrison Sneaker is a casual and practical lace-up shoe for women that's still fashionable. In addition to its nonslip outsole, the inside is designed to meet the contours of your feet while you're on the go.

I got them on a Thursday and wore them around New York City that entire weekend with no blisters or breaking in needed. So far they've held up well and are really comfy. – Elizabeth Von Tersch , Senior Editor

Price: $99 or less

Orthofeet Edgewater Stretch in black against white background.

Courtesy of Orthofeet

What makes them stand out: These athletic shoes for men are specifically designed to protect sensitive feet and relieve pain for men with a number of orthopedic conditions. The Orthofoot Edgewater Stretch comes with orthotic insoles that have a removable arch support as well as a slip-resistant rubber outsole and an ergonomic, well-cushioned sole. The roomy toe box and stretchy fabric upper are especially useful for travelers with wide feet or foot problems such as bunions. There's an inclusive size range, with four width options from standard to XX-wide.

Travelers appreciate: Reviewers say the excellent design of these sneakers creates a cloud-like walking experience, with many calling the Edgewater Stretch the most comfortable shoe they've ever owned.

Price: $145 or less

Frequently Asked Questions

No matter where in the world you want to go, your travels will likely involve some amount of walking as you explore new cities and natural wonders.

"The dirty little secret of travel, especially air travel, is the true amount of walking involved just getting to the destination," says board-certified podiatrist Ernest L. Isaacson, of Paragon Podiatry . "For instance, airports are cavernously large, and it's not unusual to walk a mile or more just to get to the gate after spending what can seem like an eternity in a long security line."

If you don't bring the right footwear, walking can become painful, limiting what you're able to do on your vacation.

"Investing in high-quality shoes ensures durability, support, and overall foot health during your travels," says Maggie Trevillion, founder of Callen Olive, a luxury leg and foot skincare brand, and podiatrist at Walk This Way Podiatry . "Quality shoes are designed to withstand the rigors of exploration, offering better cushioning, stability and traction. They can help prevent foot fatigue, blisters and other discomforts, allowing you to explore your destination with confidence and gusto."

Quality walking shoes are important for more than just your feet, too: "Wearing proper walking shoes with adequate cushioning and support helps to distribute the body's weight evenly, reducing the strain on our feet, ankles, knees and hips," according to Daniel Pledger, podiatrist and founder of ePodiatrists .

When weighing your options, Trevillion recommends looking for the following features:

  • Comfort , including cushioning and arch support
  • Breathable and durable material , with features like sturdy outsoles
  • Lightweight build , for easy packing
  • Traction , with rubber or multidirectional lug soles to give you a good grip
  • Versatility , so you can use one pair of shoes in different environments

Pledger emphasizes the importance of arch support in your walking shoes. "This helps to maintain the natural alignment of the foot and reduces the risk of arch-related problems like plantar fasciitis," he says. He also recommends a well-cushioned midsole to absorb the impact as you walk; a supportive heel counter for stability; and a flexible outsole, which will allow for natural foot movement.

Follow your instincts as you try on shoes. "The shoe that feels most comfortable in the store is probably the best shoe, whatever style that may be," Isaacson says. "And if it's not comfortable in the store it's not going to magically conform to the foot in the bag on the way home."

With so many shoe brands on the market, your choice will ultimately come down to personal preference and foot characteristics. There is no one shoe that will work for every foot.

Pledger's patients, for example, offer consistent positive feedback for shoes from New Balance, ECCO and Merrell. Even still, "I would caution against blindly following brand recommendations without trying on the shoes and assessing their fit and feel," Pledger says.

Trevillion also recommends ECCO and New Balance, adding that KEEN and Salomon also have great options for challenging terrain. These brands are all praised by travelers worldwide, but don't be discouraged if the shoes that work for others just don't fit your shoe preferences. At the end of the day, you're the one who has to wear them, so try out different options if you need to and discover what features suit you best.

When searching for your perfect walking shoe, look at the following:

  • Outsole: This is the bottom of the shoe that will have direct contact with the surface you are walking on. It should be flexible and shock-absorbing. A sturdier outsole will provide more stability for a variety of pavements.
  • Insole: This is the interior bottom of the shoe. You'll want a comfortable fabric to prevent your foot from rubbing, as well as cushioning and support.
  • Midsole: This is the area inside the shoe where the arch of your foot rests. Having a strong foundation here is key for foot alignment and proper support.
  • Upper: This refers to the fabric and construction of the portion of the shoe that will cover the top and sides of your foot. The fabric type will determine breathability, durability and if it will repel water.
  • Heel cup: This is the area where your heel sits inside the shoe. It should be secure for walking and may have additional cushioning for shock absorption.

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Catriona Kendall is a frequent traveler who knows well the importance of a comfortable walking shoe. Having weathered blisters and other foot pain from wearing the wrong shoes to hike up a mountain or explore the streets of Europe, she now makes sure to pack her Merrell and Allbirds sneakers each time she travels. Kendall wrote this article with the help of personal experience, extensive research and recommendations from experts.

You might also be interested in:

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Vote for your favorite road cycling event!

USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards

First organized as a sport more than 150 years ago, road cycling events remain a popular way for professionals and enthusiasts alike to compete against the backdrop of some of the United States' most stunning scenery. These 20 road cycling events have been selected by an expert panel as the best in the country, and now it's your turn to decide the winners. Which road cycling event would you most like to try? Vote for your favorite once per day until voting ends on Monday, March 25 at noon ET. The 10 winners will be announced on Friday, April 5.   Read the official Readers' Choice rules .

First organized as a sport more than 150 years ago, road cycling events remain a popular way for professionals and enthusiasts alike to compete against the backdrop of some of the United States' most stunning...   Read More

Best Road Cycling Event Nominees

America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride

America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride Lake Tahoe, California

Belgian Waffle Ride San Marcos

Belgian Waffle Ride San Marcos San Marcos, California

Big Dam Bridge 100

Big Dam Bridge 100 Little Rock, Arkansas

Blue Sky Hill Climb

Blue Sky Hill Climb Idaho Springs, Colorado

El Tour de Tucson

El Tour de Tucson Tucson, Arizona

Enchanted Circle Bicycle Tour

Enchanted Circle Bicycle Tour Red River, New Mexico

Hotter'N Hell Hundred

Hotter'N Hell Hundred Wichita Falls, Texas

La Crosse Omnium

La Crosse Omnium La Crosse, Wisconsin

LoToJa Classic

LoToJa Classic Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming

Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb

Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb Gorham, New Hampshire

RAGBRAI LI

RAGBRAI LI Iowa

Redlands Bicycle Classic

Redlands Bicycle Classic Redlands, California

Ride Santa Barbara 100

Ride Santa Barbara 100 Santa Barbara, California

Ride the Rockies

Ride the Rockies Colorado

Six Gap Century

Six Gap Century Dahlonega, Georgia

TD Five Boro Bike Tour

TD Five Boro Bike Tour New York City, New York

Tour de Summerlin

Tour de Summerlin Summerlin, Nevada

Tour of America's Dairyland

Tour of America's Dairyland Wisconsin

Vermont Gran Fondo

Vermont Gran Fondo Bristol, Vermont

Wilmington Grand Prix

Wilmington Grand Prix Wilmington, Delaware

About 10best readers' choice awards.

Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best .

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Brittany (Bevis) Vermeer  is a writer,...   Read More

Brittany (Bevis) Vermeer  is a writer, photographer, and media specialist with 15+ years of experience in the world of sports journalism. She and her husband are triathletes who live in Florida, and she chronicles their multisport adventures on her blog, Triple Threat Life.  

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Dave is an international travel writer and founder of Dave’s Travel Corner, a premier travel resource since 1996. He is well-traveled (180 countries & territories); while on the road he enjoys the outdoors, backpacking, mountain climbing, meeting people, and experiencing other cultures.   In 2006, he conceived the  Napa Wine Project , a challenging endeavor to visit, taste with and extensively write about every winery in Napa Valley, California. He has now completed 1,100+ visits and written reviews of Napa wineries & producers.

Dave Thompson

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Gale’s first Olympic experience was as the personal cycling coach for an individual cyclist at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. In 2004 Gale was selected from a small number of top coaches to be the 2004 USA Triathlon Olympic Coach for both the men's and women's triathlon teams for the Athens, Greece Olympic Games. This honor was in addition to the selection by USA Triathlon to serve as the 2003 Pan American Games Coach for both the men's and women's teams.  She uses these experiences to provide training for athletes of all levels. She was honored by being selected as one of Men's Fitness Magazine's top six online trainers for providing dedicated workouts and advice for athletes. You can find out more about Gale  at this link.

Gale Bernhardt

Hilary Topper

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Hilary JM Topper, MPA, is a renowned author and entrepreneur. She has penned two successful books on social media marketing, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Social Media,” published in 2008, and "Branding in a Digital World,” first published in 2019 and updated in 2023. She also wrote a compelling memoir/self-help book, "From Couch Potato to Endurance Athlete," published by Meyer & Meyer Sports in 2022. In addition to her literary achievements, Hilary serves as the CEO of HJMT Public Relations Inc., and the president of HJMT Media Company LLC. Under her leadership, these companies produce two engaging blogs – NY Lifestyle Blog (HilaryTopper.com) and  ATriathletesDiary.com . Beyond her blogging endeavors, Hilary hosts two podcasts, "Hilary Topper on Air" and "Hilary Topper on Air: The Endurance Sports Edition." Her expertise in digital communications extends to education, where she imparts her knowledge as an adjunct professor at Hofstra University. As an influencer on social media, Hilary works with brands to promote their products on platforms like Instagram. Currently, she is working on her fourth book. 

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Zach Nehr is a freelance writer, professional cyclist, and the owner of ZNehr Coaching . He writes about everything related to bikes and endurance sports, from product reviews and advertorials to feature articles and pro data analytics. You can find Zach’s articles in Cyclingnews, Outside, Velo, TrainingPeaks, and more. You can follow Zach on Instagram  and  LinkedIn .

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A collage of anime that have aired throughout the winter 2024 season

Filed under:

  • What to Watch

The best anime of 2024 so far

From dungeon-crawling cooks to braggadocious super robots

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2023 was an exceptional year for anime . And if the first weeks of 2024 are any indication, audiences can likely expect another great year of terrific shows.

From new seasons of returning favorites like My Hero Academia , Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba , Sound! Euphonium , and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation to exciting new premieres like Delicious in Dungeon , Kaiju No. 8 , Dragon Ball Daima , and Lazarus , anime fans have a lot to look forward to in 2024.

To help you keep up with everything that’s coming out this year, we’ve gathered a quorum of Polygon’s resident anime lovers to create a list of the year’s best in anime. For clarity and convenience, these shows are presented in reverse chronological order, so the newest releases will always show up first. We’ll be updating our list periodically, season by season, so check in regularly to see what new, what’s hot, and most importantly of all — what’s best. Enjoy!

Bucchigiri?!

A close-up shot of a black-haired anime boy blushing with pink-ribboned bells and baby chickens surrounding his expression.

Where to watch: Crunchyroll

Sk8 the Infinity director Hiroko Utsumi is back with yet another original anime series. This time it’s a fantasy comedy about Araji Tomobishi, a shy young student who transfers to a new school filled with roughnecks and gangsters. Worse yet, he gets possessed by a powerful genie whose power inadvertently pits him between two of the strongest gangs in his school. To top it off, the poor guy just wants to lose his virginity, and instead he just ends up accidentally punching people, getting himself into increasingly deadlier and more precarious situations.

If you’re looking for a nonsensical action comedy with over-the-top antics, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure -esque battles, and memorable character designs, Bucchigiri?! is an absolute delight. —Toussaint Egan

Brave Bang Bravern!

A blue horned robot staring at a red and white robot as it poses dramatically with an animated logo graphic holographically projected behind it.

Fans of last year’s Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury , rejoice: There’s another great giant robot anime to watch this year, and once more, it’s also easily one of the funniest anime comedies of 2024.

Directed by veteran mecha anime director Masami Ōbari, Brave Bang Bravern! follows the story of Isami Ao and Lewis Smith, two mech pilots who meet during a joint American-Japanese military exercise in Hawaii. When their military base is besieged by an extraterrestrial threat, all hope seems lost — until a gigantic humanoid robot named Bravern comes to save the day... but only if Isami agrees to pilot him.

Where exactly did Bravern come from, though, and how does he know who Isami is? The answer, for right now at least, is don’t worry about it — just vibe! A big-hearted parody of “super robot” anime with explosive action, fun characters, and intense homoerotic overtones, Brave Bang Bravern! is an early contender for one of my favorite anime of 2024. —TE

Metallic Rouge

A woman standing in a forest of glowing alien-like plants, surrounded by a halo of light as intricate circular symbols bath the upper half of her body in Metallic Rouge.

Bones, the critically acclaimed studio behind popular anime like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood , Eureka Seven , Mob Psycho 100 , and My Hero Academia , is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. What better way to celebrate the iconic production house than with an all-new original anime that combines tokusatsu-inspired action with a byzantine sci-fi conspiracy plot?

Set in a future where humanity has colonized the inner solar system and androids known as “Neans” serve their every beck and call, Metallic Rouge follows the story of Rouge Redstar — a Nean with the ability to disguise herself as a human who is dispatched to Mars on a top-secret mission. Along with her partner Naomi Orthmann, Rouge battles against a terrorist faction of androids bent on toppling society, all while transforming into a superpowered armored battle form known as “Metal Rouge.”

Co-written by Yutaka Izubuchi ( RahXephon ) and Toshizo Nemoto ( Log Horizon ), the series feels like a pitch-perfect throwback to the aesthetic and storytelling of early-aughts sci-fi anime, complete with wild left-field plot twists, dense world-building, and a New Jack Swing-inspired bop of a theme song . It’s certainly an entertaining watch, one which demands repeat viewings in order to pick up on every new detail and clue the series manages to throw at its audience. —TE

Solo Leveling

A black-haired anime boy in a blue hoodie with blood stains on his face holding a sword in a dark hallway.

Going into Solo Leveling , I didn’t know anything about it other than it was one of the most anticipated anime releases of the season; I didn’t even look up the premise before diving in. By the time the credits rolled on the third episode, I honestly still couldn’t have told you what precisely was happening in Solo Leveling , but I did know I was hooked.

Blending typical fantasy adventure beats with video game elements, Solo Leveling is a unique and thrilling take on the typical zero-to-hero narrative. Sung Jin-woo is not the most dynamic protagonist, I must admit, but the spectacular animation, impeccably choreographed action, and relentlessly paced storytelling always leaves me itching to smash play on the next episode. —Sadie Gennis

Delicious in Dungeon

A group of adventurers in various outfits and armor dissecting a mushroom monster to cook in Delicious in Dungeon.

Where to watch: Netflix

Delicious in Dungeon (also known as Dungeon Meshi ) is the anime this year, sporting a fun cast of characters and a delightful plot: As a crew of adventurers makes their way through a dungeon to save one of their fallen mates, they are trying to save money by eating the creatures they slay. It turns out that the critters down in this labyrinth are more edible than expected . Along the way, the gang learns a lot about the dungeon and the people inside of it through analyzing the creatures they slay and eat.

The author behind Delicious in Dungeon , Ryoko Kui, has a clear love for the fantasy genre, as you can really see her attention to detail when it comes to fantasy races, designs, and world-building that would rival even the best Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters. All of the characters are charming in their own ways, and each episode will leave you more excited for the next one. —Julia Lee

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These easy-to-install sensors help you protect your home.

best gas leak detectors

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Our top picks

Nighthawk Plug-in Carbon Monoxide and Explosive Gas Detector

Best Overall Gas Leak Detector

Kidde nighthawk plug-in carbon monoxide and explosive gas detector.

Propane and Natural Gas Detector

Best Value Gas Leak Detector

Eg air propane and natural gas detector.

Natural Gas Alarm

Best Natural Gas Leak Detector

Denova detect natural gas alarm.

GSD600 Gas Leak Detector

Best Handheld Gas Leak Detector

Amprobe gsd600 gas leak detector.

Nest Protect

Best Smart Gas Leak Detector

Google nest protect.

View Plus

Best Digital Gas Monitor

Airthings view plus.

Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm

Best Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detector

First alert combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarm.

30-442-P-WT Propane Gas Alarm

Best Gas Leak Detector for RVs

Mti industries 30-442-p-wt propane gas alarm.

The engineers and product analysts at the Good Housekeeping Institute have been testing the best home safety tools and gadgets for years, from top-rated smoke detectors to home security cameras , smart locks and more. When selecting the best gas leak detectors, we exposed test units to gas and assessed their responsiveness. We also considered each detector's ease of set-up, the intuitiveness of companion apps, integration with smart home devices and more. Our picks are based on our expertise in the category and include gas leak detectors from top-performing brands in Lab tests as well as positive consumer reviews. Once you’ve checked out our selections, continue scrolling to learn more about gas leaks, which type of detector is right for your home and some key tips on how to install gas leak detectors. For more top-tested products to help keep your home safe, consult our guide to the best fire extinguishers .

The Nighthawk does it all with the ability to detect combustible gases like methane and propane as well as carbon monoxide (CO) . "I especially like the built-in extension cord, which lets you plug the device into a low outlet but also mount it higher, where natural gas and carbon monoxide gas leaks rise," says DiClerico. However, he explains that since propane is heavy and sinks, you will need additional units if you're looking to detect all combustible gases simultaneously in your home. He also emphasizes that you'll need to use the extension to reliably detect natural gas.

Our experts like that the unit's digital display makes it easy to see the level of CO, and the peak level of CO detected will be saved in the device’s memory. In addition, the battery backup keeps the unit working even if there is a power outage. We also appreciate the Nighthawk's loud alarm and easily accessible reset button if triggered in error.

While our engineers haven't yet tested the EG Air in the Lab, its value is tough to beat and we love that it includes a 6-foot extension cord so you can plug it into an outlet and mount it near the ceiling to detect natural gas or near the floor to detect propane.

When you first turn it on, the device will take about three minutes to go through a warm-up and self-test sequence. The easy-to-read LED display then registers any concentration of combustible gas, but if the concentration rises above 5%, it triggers a flashing red light and voice alert as well as a loud alarm. "The combination of siren, light and voice alarm provides an added layer of safety, especially in homes with children or the hearing-impaired," says DiClerico.

Amazon reviewers say they felt reassured by the digital display and liked how easy it is to confirm it was working by following the manufacturer’s suggestion of testing the detector with an unlit butane lighter. The downsides are that there is no battery backup in the event of a power outage and it does not detect carbon monoxide.

The battery-powered Denova Detect eliminates the nuisance and eyesore of a dangling cord. Moreover, it can be mounted higher up on the wall, helpful since natural gas is lighter than air and therefore rises towards the ceiling in enclosed spaces. The UL 1484-listed gas detector runs on a pair of lithium batteries with a claimed run-life of 10 years. “The device is easy to set up and mounts to the wall with the provided anchor and screw,” says DiClerico, who is in the middle of an extended field test at his home.

According to the brand, the advanced sensor technology embedded in the detector operates at a very low threshold, meaning you’ll be quickly alerted to any potential gas leaks. We also like that the voice alerts deliver loud, clear warnings in both English and Spanish. Just keep in mind that it's only able to detect methane, so you'll need another detector to pick up on other gases, including carbon monoxide.

Need a quick solution? The lightweight and portable Amprobe GSD600 automatically calibrates when you turn it on and is ready for use in less than a minute. The flexible, handheld probe, which is just over 17 inches long, sucks air through the hose and allows you to check appliances and piping in your house, even in hard-to-reach areas, to pinpoint the precise source of a potential gas leak .

"This is a good option for homeowners who are remodeling and want to make sure their new gas-fired equipment has been properly installed," says DiClerico. A strip of LEDs will light up, and the unit will set off an audible alarm if any gas is detected — additional lights lit on the scale and more frequent beeping indicate a more concentrated presence of gas. The most effective gas leak detectors are sensitive even to minor gas leaks, and this handy device, although pricey, can detect levels as low as 40 parts per million. Keep in mind that it doesn't detect carbon monoxide.

The perfect addition to your smart home, "the Nest Protect is among our top-rated smoke and CO detectors based on its intuitive design and user-friendly interface," says DiClerico. "Plus, Nest is a trusted brand in the smart home category." It's conveniently equipped with voice alerts and informs you of the location of the alarm, while also sending alerts to your phone. That means, in the event of a false alarm (burnt toast, anyone?), you can silence it directly from your phone.

Different light colors on the unit let you know if the device is working or if there is a possible problem or an emergency. Also unique is that a motion detector triggers it to softly light up as you walk underneath it in the dark, so it also functions as a night light (you get to choose the level of light). The unit is battery-powered or can be hardwired, and our pros love that it syncs wirelessly with other devices. We especially appreciate that no monthly subscription is needed. Though you will need an additional unit that detects other types of gases aside from carbon monoxide.

Digital air monitors are relatively new to the home safety category, but our experts like the blanket protection they provide. One of the best we've tested is the Airthings View Plus — so much so that we awarded it a 2022 Good Housekeeping Home Reno Award .

The battery-powered device monitors carbon dioxide and radon, as well as particulate matter from cooking fumes and airborne chemicals from household cleaners. What the Airthings does not monitor is carbon monoxide, nor is it a replacement for smoke alarms. (Note: Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is a gas that's produced by human breathing, among other sources; it's a good measure of air stuffiness in your home and can cause headaches and dizziness at elevated levels. Meanwhile, carbon monoxide, or CO, is a potentially deadly gas produced by fuel-burning appliances and cars.)

Airthings also works as a home weather station , tracking outside climate conditions like temperature and humidity. The data is sent straight to an app on your phone, enabling users to monitor their homes’ indoor air quality remotely. Our testers found the View Plus easy to set up and view data. “I liked getting air quality alerts on my phone, especially with young kids in the house,” said one tester.

This First Alert alarm detects carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke, which is convenient, but it has two additional features that our experts also value. First, as you may need to have more than one of these alarms installed in your home, they can be wirelessly interconnected in a safety network so that when one is triggered, they will all activate. Second, during the set-up, you can program each device with the name of its location (e.g., basement or kitchen), and when the alarm triggers, the voice alert will tell you the location of the problem. Our experts found set-up easy and we like that one button lets you quickly silence a false alarm or test the unit. It's also worth noting that when the battery is low and needs to be replaced, all devices in the network will sound a warning.

Ideal for RVs and camper vans, this compact propane gas alarm is powered by 12vDC from your vehicle and triggers when it senses a propane gas leak . Our engineers haven't tested it firsthand, but it has many features we look for in low-voltage devices, including straightforward installation, assuming you have experience with basic wiring.

An indicator light changes color to let you know if the device has power, if it has detected a leak or if it needs replacing. The loud alarm can be tested or silenced with a single button, and it'll trigger a second time if the space has not been adequately ventilated and a leak is still detected. If you’re looking for a kit that not only detects a propane leak but shuts off the gas supply too, take a look at MTI's 70 series kit (currently out of stock).

How we test gas leak detectors

"

Our team of product analysts, home improvement experts and engineers drew on five decades of combined experience to identify brands with proven track records for reliability and performance. We then zeroed in on the specific products that you're most likely to find in stores and online.

Our engineers spent many hours reviewing each unit's technical data to ensure it meets various industry standards, including UL certification . To test gas leak detectors, we exposed detectors to various gases to ensure that alarms were triggered quickly and effectively. To assess each unit's usability, we evaluated its ease of set-up, the intuitiveness of any companion apps and how easily it integrates with other smart home products (if applicable).

What to look for when buying a gas leak detector

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✔️ Type of gas: It’s important to understand which gases can be detected by the device and which won’t be. Some detectors can identify more than one gas and some can detect smoke. But don’t make the incorrect assumption that a CO detector will also detect a natural gas leak: Unless it specifically says it will, it won’t.

✔️ Power source: Make sure the device has an indicator so you know it’s being powered. Our pros advise testing your installed detectors every month and replacing the batteries at least once a year. Pro tip: Choosing to replace them on New Year’s Day is always a good annual reminder. Also, keep in mind when shopping that some devices are sealed units that must be completely replaced when the battery fails.

✔️ Expiration date: Many units are only designed to function effectively for a certain amount of time (e.g., five years, seven years, 10 years). Make a point of replacing the device in advance of the expiration date.

✔️ UL-Listed: For peace of mind and better assurance of functionality and operational safety, look for a gas leak detector with a UL-Listed certification. This indicates that the unit has been tested by and meets the safety standards of the Underwriter Laboratories, a third-party organization that conducts rigorous independent research and analyzes safety data to develop standards to guide the safe, sustainable commercialization of evolving technologies.

✔️ Sensitivity: The greater the sensitivity, the easier it'll be for your gas leak detector to identify the source of the leak. We recommend looking for adjustable sensors.

✔️ App-based alerts: Some devices can send data via an app to your smartphone, via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, to let you monitor the situation even if you’re not there.

✔️ Smart home integration: If you already have other smart home gadgets, consider a gas leak detector that's compatible so it can easily integrate into your smart home ecosystem and boost your home security even further.

Which type of gas leak detector is best?

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Gas leak detectors come in various shapes and forms, though you'll commonly find stationary devices installed in homes. Our pros recommend this type for their ease of use, effectiveness and ability to detect a range of gases. To help you choose the right gas leak detector for you, we describe key features and differences among different types ahead:

  • Stationary devices: These gas leak detectors are installed either on the ceiling or high up on a wall or in another specific location as directed. They sense toxic gas leaks (like carbon monoxide) or combustible gases (like propane or natural gas); some units also detect smoke. They run continuously and are either battery-powered or hardwired to the home’s electrical system. If the device is plugged into an outlet, it should come equipped with an extension cord so that the sensor can be installed higher up on the wall to detect various gases.
  • Handheld probe : These sniffer devices detect combustible explosive gases in the area near the probe and display the concentration of gas on a meter. They can be used as a safety check if you have just installed a gas appliance and you suspect a potential gas leak from the piping. These units don’t run continuously, and cannot sense carbon monoxide and therefore cannot be used in place of carbon monoxide or smoke detectors.
  • Spray : A gas leak detector spray is only effective if you manage to spray it on exactly the spot where the potentially explosive gas leak is occurring. It works the same way as spraying soapy water on a tire that's losing air. It's for this reason that our pros caution against using spray gas leak detectors.
  • Pens : A gas leak detector pen senses combustible gas. We advise against this type of detector since it has to be very close to the source of the gas leak to detect it, which is extremely dangerous. It also doesn’t detect carbon monoxide and will not operate continuously.

Everything you need to know about installing a gas leak detector

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Throughout your home, you may need multiple gas leak detectors, especially if you have more than one bedroom or multiple floors. Though most of the sensors we recommend will operate continuously, usually for years, to alert you if a gas leak is detected, they're not designed to identify the exact source of a leak. Utility companies strongly caution homeowners against searching for the source if they have been alerted to a potential gas leak.

  • Follow the manufacturer's instructions on where to put a gas leak detector. Whether the device is plugged into a wall outlet or is battery operated and mounted on a wall or ceiling, detectors must be installed in an optimal location so that they have the best chance of detecting a gas leak and alerting you. For example, you'll install a natural gas (methane) detector near a gas appliance. Since natural gas and carbon monoxide are lighter than air and rise, detectors should be placed higher in a room. Meanwhile, propane is heavier than air and sinks, therefore the sensor should be situated lower.
  • You may need additional sensors placed strategically around your home. According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), carbon monoxide detectors should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home as well as other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards.
  • Interconnect your devices. Per the NFPA, for the best protection, you should interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home, so that when one sounds, they all sound.
  • If you are hard of hearing , some smoke/CO alarms are equipped with a strobe light which turns on when the alarm is triggered. A bed-shaker can be set up to be activated by the alarm to awaken and alert someone who may have removed their hearing aids for the night. The Red Cross has a program to install a limited number of specialized bedside alarms for those who cannot afford them.

What are the different types of possible gas leaks?

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Here are some of the most common offenders to watch out for when it comes to the air in your home :

  • Combustible gases: Natural gas, mostly comprising methane and propane, has an additive called mercaptan that smells like rotten eggs — but if you’re not in the immediate area where the source is, you might not smell that leak until it’s catastrophically too late. Combustible gas detectors use catalytic and infrared sensors, and since propane gas is heavier than air, detectors should be placed low to the ground.
  • Toxic gases like carbon monoxide : Exposure to high levels of colorless, odorless carbon monoxide (CO) from a leaking appliance or a vehicle running in an attached garage is harmful, and can be fatal. These gases are lighter than air, so detectors should be placed high in a room to detect potential leaks. Toxic gases are identified by electrochemical and metal oxide semiconductor technologies.
  • Radon : While a concentration in your basement or crawl space won't cause your home to explode the way propane or natural gas can, radon is radioactive and is the second leading cause of lung cancer , according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

What to do if you detect gas at home

"

✔️ Evacuate the house immediately if you notice that rotten egg smell of a potential combustible gas leak (natural gas or propane), and call your gas company from outside the home. Utility companies advise that if you suspect a gas leak in your home, do not attempt to identify the source of the leak.

✔️ If the carbon monoxide detector sounds, ensure everyone (including pets) is accounted for and outside or in a well-ventilated space, and call the local fire department. Let them advise you when it’s safe to reenter the home.

✔️ Avoid turning anything on or off. That goes for light switches, appliances, thermostats and even a doorbell. The action of turning something on or off could cause a spark, which could ignite flammable gasses.

✔️ Do not ventilate the home. Let the fire department or utility company try to identify the source of the leak first.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

"

For over 120 years, the Good Housekeeping Institute has provided expert tips and product reviews on all things safety-related for your home, including gas leak detectors.

Lynn Redmile is the original author of this story and a contributing product reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she has been evaluating various household products, from robot vacuums to water leak detectors , since 2012. She worked closely with former Chief Technologist & Director of Engineering Rachel Rothman when making her recommendations. Dan DiClerico , the director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab provided insights into detector technology as well as the maintenance of gas equipment and has been writing about home safety and improvement for more than 20 years.

This guide was most recently updated by GH Institute writer and product analyst Olivia Lipski , who covers everything from tech to home, fitness, travel, outdoor and more for GH.

Headshot of Lynn Redmile

Lynn Redmile (she/her) is a contributing product reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she's been evaluating nutrition, fitness, beauty, textiles, home, pet, and cleaning products since 2012. She brings over 30 years of data analysis and project management experience to the role.

Headshot of Dan DiClerico

Having written thousands of product reviews and how-to articles on all aspects of home ownership, from routine maintenance to major renovations, Dan (he/him) brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his role as the director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute . A one-time roofer and a serial remodeler, Dan can often be found keeping house at his restored Brooklyn brownstone, where he lives with his wife and kids.

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  • Best overall
  • Best for arch support
  • Best travel-friendly
  • Best sustainable
  • Best for wide feet
  • Best luxury
  • Best for formal events
  • Best for work
  • Best Mary Jane

What to prioritize when shopping for flats

The 9 best flats in 2024, tested and reviewed.

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One of the most cliché-but-true pieces of fashion advice we've all heard is this: Have at least one good pair of flats. Heels are fun and all, but flats are the shoes you can really live your life in. They're essential when putting together the best workwear outfits , and make for the best travel footwear since they take up so little space in your luggage. 

To use another cliché, comfort is key here. Your flats should be easy to break in and provide ample support for your arches (or lack thereof). The most comfortable flats I own are Rothy's The Point II , which feature their signature "In Love" padded insoles. I also love how they're easy to fold up and pack in my tote.

Executive editor Sally Kaplan's top pick is the ultra-popular Everlane Day Glove Flat , which she stands by even after years of testing countless other flats. "They wear beautifully, are super easy to clean (just wipe them down with a damp cloth and maybe a little hand soap if necessary), and they mold to your feet like malleable leather socks." Below are more of our style editors' favorite flats to get you from work, brunch, Paris, and everywhere in between. For more styles featuring a signature bow, see our guide to the best ballet flats .

Best overall: Everlane Day Glove

best travel for 2023

Everlane's leather Day Glove flat is an almost (but not quite) ballet slipper guaranteed to go with just about all your clothing, and it's a staple of nearly every style writer and editor on our team. We wrote up a full review after test-driving these flats, and they remain an  all-time favorite . "Everlane's Day Glove flats are much more comfortable than any other flats I've tried," writes former deputy editor Malarie Gokey, "They actually fit my foot and move with me — not against me."

The leather molds to the foot, so not only will the flats last, they'll get more comfortable over time. The shoes also feature pull tabs, ventilation holes, and comfy insoles to eliminate some of the most common comfort-related issues flats pose. The Day Glove flats come in tons of colors, including classics like black and white as well as some fun shades like cobalt blue or lime green.

They cost $135, and while not inexpensive, it's a steal for shoes that will last you for as long as these do. Several of us have been wearing the same pair for years, with plenty of life in them left. — Sally Kaplan

Read more in our full Everlane Day Glove review , or read up another one of our favorites in our full Everlane Day Ballet Flats review .

Best for arch support: Naturalizer Vivienne Flat

best travel for 2023

Having high arches has deterred me from shopping for ballet flats in the past. I'm guilty of wearing sneakers where they don't belong. But as much as I love my tennis shoes, they're owed a break now and then. 

One of the most common orthopedic conditions is sore arches. Vivienne flat remedies those pains with ample arch support, yet still maintains a sleek ballet flat silhouette. Naturalizer, which belongs to the same brand family as Dr. Scholl's, designed the Vivienne to be as comfortable as grandma's orthos without the chunky rubber sole. 

The Vivienne in particular contours the foot effortlessly with a U-shaped topline and subtle 3/4" padded heel. These flats slip on and off with ease, making them an ideal chic errand-day shoe. Naturalizer offers this flat in hard-to-find sizes and wide fits for a custom-made feel. The Vivienne comes in 10 colorways, and at this price point, I can justify buying a couple pairs to cover my bases.  — Gabrielle Chase

Best travel-friendly: Allbirds Tree Breezer

best travel for 2023

Allbirds is probably better known for its Silicon Valley uniform-mandated sneakers like the Wool Runners and Tree Runners . But when you don't want to wear sneakers but still need the same comfort and support, you're better off with its flats, the Tree Breezer.

These are the flats you'll want to pack in your suitcase because a) they're very light and you can fold them up to maximize packing space, and b) you can walk around in them all day long.

Quell any fears you have of hobbling through a walking tour or calling it an early night because your feet have become one giant blister. The Breezers have bouncy outsoles made from sugarcane and soft, odor-minimizing merino wool-lined insoles. The knit collar wraps onto your foot securely, and the rest of the shoe's knit body is breathable and feels silky smooth against your skin. Plus, they're machine-washable, so they're easy to take care of even if you get them all grubby on your trip.

Since the style is more sleek and formal than Allbirds' other shoes, they won't look out of place in a dressier environment. Instead of packing multiple pairs of shoes, you can just bring your all-in-one Tree Breezer flats. If you don't have a chance to try them first before you board your flight, don't worry — most of the Insider Reviews team didn't need to break them in . — Connie Chen

Read more in our full Allbirds Tree Breezer review and our comparison between Allbirds vs Rothy's flats .

Best sustainable: Rothy's Flat

best travel for 2023

Shoe brand Rothy's was born out of the desire to repurpose wasteful, single-use plastics into something beautiful and practical. All of its knit shoes are made from 100% post-consumer plastic water bottles, which are hot washed, sterilized, then fused into a fiber that is knit into yarn. 

The insoles contain recycled foam, while the rubber soles are carbon-free. The adhesives used are non-toxic and vegan. Even the packaging is made from post-consumer recycled materials and is biodegradable.

The lofty challenge of reducing your impact on the planet feels more manageable when you start with the things you use in your everyday life. Thanks to Rothy's, the endeavor won't compromise style or comfort.

Rothy's Flat is the choice for many modern working women because it boasts zero break-in time, a sleek look, and moisture-wicking breathability. You'll feel the difference immediately after slipping your feet in; the flats are very light and flexible, with a bit of give, and there aren't any uncomfortable seams or edges. They come with either round, square, or pointed-toe silhouettes.  

Keeping them in top shape is as easy as throwing them in the washing machine. You can also buy extra insoles to help prolong their life. After wearing them often (and you will because of their versatility), you might wonder if they'll actually hold up. But we've been wearing and washing our pairs for more than a year and they look and feel as good as they did on day one. — Connie Chen

To learn more, see our full Rothy's Flat review .

Best for wide feet: Margaux Demi

best travel for 2023

Ballet flats look deceptively simple. You know if you're reading this guide that it's hard to get the fit just right — some pairs gape, while others rely on uncomfortable heel elastics to stay on your foot. 

You won't encounter this problem with Margaux. It makes flats in a large range of sizes (from 3 through 14), including half sizes. Instead of suggesting you size up or down for wide and narrow feet, the company ensures fit precision by offering each size in Narrow, Medium, and Wide widths. There's also a made-to-order option for a truly custom fit. 

The Demi Flat from Margaux is a simple and elegant ballet flat. Senior editor Sally Kaplan, who has tried both Medium and Wide pairs of the flat , realized, "With all the walking I do, my feet end up swelling a bit, and the wide pair is more comfortable for long days out."

They feature plush foam padding to give your foot some support, as well as a small heel so you're not walking completely flat on the ground. The bow at the top of the shoe is adjustable in case you want to give your foot even more breathing room. 

You can get the flats in two luxuriously soft and flexible materials, Italian suede or Italian Napa leather, which each come in a small selection of colors that show off the materials beautifully.

Though they're more expensive than average at $225 a pair, the way we see it, it's better to own one pair of really well-made flats than five pairs of fun ones that fall apart quickly. — Connie Chen

Read our full Margaux Demi Flat review to hear more specifics about why we love them. 

Best luxury: Mansur Gavriel Dream Ballerina

best travel for 2023

There's something to be said for splurging on a really gorgeous pair of designer heels that you only wear on special occasions, but honestly, I've always felt that it makes more sense to spend that money on a practical pair you'll get more wear out of. A beautiful ballet flat that'll never go out of style is exactly the kind of shoe that deserves the designer treatment.

We think Mansur Gavriel's Dream Ballerinas are the absolute best designer flats out there. The $395 price tag isn't so unreasonable when compared to flats from brands like Chanel ($750+) or Louboutin ($500+), and the comfort rivals that of Everlane's Day flat , our best-overall pick on this list. 

The lambskin leather is buttery soft and the insoles provide enough cushion that the flats wear almost like a loafer. The bow on the shoe is actually functional, so you can use it to tighten or loosen the opening. The bottom of the shoe has just enough traction that I feel comfortable on slippery tile surfaces, which can't be said for other slick-bottomed designer pairs I've ultimately passed over. Ultimately, these flats have it all. And even after having tested every other pair of flats on this list, I can confidently say these are worth the cost.

As far as sizing goes, I am usually somewhere in between a 7.5 and 8, and I ordered a size 38 (the European equivalent of an 8). Mansur Gavriel's site says to order a full size up from your usual size, but in my experience, it's better to opt for either your true size or one half size up if you sometimes find your true size to be tight in other brands. — Sally Kaplan

Best for formal events: Betsey Johnson Jude Ballet Flat

best travel for 2023

Weddings, prom, galas— evenings I associate with shoes that give me blisters just thinking about them. A pair of flats that don't compromise on glamour are key when dressing for events that entail long nights on the dance floor. 

Designed by the original queen of maximalism Betsey Johnson, the Jude flats feature heel to toe rhinestones. The satin upper will be gentle on your skin, and the pointed toe is subtly elongated to prevent any pinching.

A glittering half-inch block heel creates just enough lift to support standing for extended amounts of time. Johnson designed these as part of a wider collection of flats featuring slight variations in silhouette, which all come in a range of precious metal tones to match with your jewelry. Considering the detailed rhinestone embellishment, their price is a reasonable amount to spend on a shoe reserved for special events. — Gabrielle Chase

Best for work: Marks & Spencer Suede Stain Resistant Flat Ballet Pumps

best travel for 2023

Take a look around the next time you're in the elevator at the office. Someone is bound to be clad in ballet flats, no matter what's on the agenda that day. Marks & Spencer's Suede Stain Resistant Flat Ballet Pumps are a versatile shoe option that is easily styled with workwear. You'll also notice they bear a significant resemblance to Chanel's iconic ballerinas , but at a fraction of the price. 

The Marks & Spencer flats feature patented Insolia Flex technology. This is meant to create a balance between the sole of the shoe and your foot's natural padding, so they're well suited for standing for extended amounts of time. The pretty bow detail makes them deceptively dainty despite the support they provide. 

The interior is padded with an antibacterial liner to spare any embarrassing odors that naturally occur when forgoing socks. And when you're commuting on a rainy day, you need not jeopardize looking neat and professional. The Marks & Spencer flats have a water-repellent, stain-resistant exterior to help keep them looking fresh and new. This simple suede option pairs well with outfits in year-round weather conditions. — Gabrielle Chase

Best Mary Jane: Vivaia Square-Toe Margot Mary Jane

best travel for 2023

Mary Janes have seen a sharp uptick in the wake of the coquette trend, but this sophisticated version has a square toe that adds more dimension to the classic silhouette. The Margot Mary Janes are extremely comfortable, and I sustained zero blisters while breaking them in.

I took these on a long walk over concrete, and the padded insole felt plush and supportive, so I'd recommend them if you suffer from sore arches. 

I also compared Rothy's Mary Janes to Vivaia's, and while both brands claim to take a sustainable approach to women's footwear, I preferred Vivaia's attention to detail in their design. They run slightly wide, but because their strap is adjustable, it won't pose any issue to people with narrow feet like mine.  I learned the hard way that this pair isn't ideal for wearing in heavy rain, but the breathable material is thankfully machine washable. The flexible upper is made from upcycled water bottles, and they're easy to fold up and pack in a tote bag.  —Gabrielle Chase

Read more in our full Vivaia shoes review . 

Know your true size. Flats are an intimate category of footwear since they're typically worn without socks. Take your best fitting shoes and check out where they're made.This will inform your knowledge of how different countries size up or down in comparison and help you find the closest match. 

Assess your shape. Whatever your silhouette, the shape of the flats you wear can make or break the fit, even if the length is correct. Notice the curve of your toes and try to find flats that won't squish them or leave gaps. Some toes are squared off, some rounded, others come to a point at the second toe. Your best chance at the right fit will depend on how your flats resemble your shape. 

Where to wear: If you're shopping for a one-night-only kind of flat versus an everyday pair, or if you're in a climate that relies on temperature-controlled materials, consider how your new flats will hold up. Your mode of transport when commuting to your destination also plays a part. Walking on asphalt to the office will have a different lasting effect on a pair of flats than stepping out of a limo once you've reached the function.

You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here . Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected] .

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