The 20 best places to travel in 2026

Oulu, Finland

Why go: An Arctic city in full creative bloom for its 2026 Capital of Culture year

Located just below the Arctic Circle, Oulu is stepping into the spotlight in 2026 as one of Europe’s Capitals of Culture – a milestone that promises to reshape how travellers see the quieter north of Finland. This accolade just adds to its growing list: the city already hosts the World Air Guitar Championships and is the self-declared winter-cycling capital of the world.

From January, the city and surrounding villages will host a year-long cultural programme that feels more like an evolving festival, with parties, pop-up performances, art installations and exhibitions. One highlight is the Arctic Food Lab, which brings Oulu’s Nordic-Arctic flavours to the fore through tastings and special dinners showcasing ingredients shaped by the region’s extreme soil and seasons. Another centrepiece is Climate Clock, a seven-piece public art trail created by leading Finnish and international artists in collaboration with scientists. Each installation reflects themes of creativity, climate change and our connection to “nature’s time”, echoing the city’s broader effort to encourage slower, more mindful travel. 

Beyond the cultural programme, there are windswept islands to explore, sunset walks beside lighthouses and – of course – the quintessential Finnish sauna culture. In 2026, the region’s blend of frontier nature, Arctic heritage and cutting-edge creativity makes this low-key northern hub one of Europe’s most intriguing destinations. – Laura Hall

Getty Images

Philadelphia, US

Why go: The US’s 250th celebration and a big year for sports 

The United States was born in Philadelphia on 4 July 1776. In 2026, the city again takes centre stage as it celebrates the nation’s 250th anniversary with a year-long programme of history, sport and art.

A major highlight is 52 Weeks of Firsts, a citywide series marking 250 years of Philadelphia’s pioneering spirit. Each Saturday, a different neighbourhood hosts a “First-ival” celebrating a Philly innovation or landmark – from the invention of bifocals to the founding of Mother Bethel AME Church, the oldest parcel of land in continuous African American ownership. Talks, performances and on-site activations bring these milestones to life where they first occurred.

From February to September 2026, The Franklin Institute hosts the Universal Theme Parks exhibition, offering travellers behind-the-scenes insight into the engineering and design of one of the world’s most popular theme parks.

Elsewhere, Mural Arts Philadelphia, the nation’s largest public art organisation, will run more than 50 artist-led workshops as part of Printmaking by the People, where visitors can join free events and help inspire a new mural reflecting what democracy means today. Guided mural tours led by local artists directly fund community art programmes and education initiatives.

Sports fans should also take note: Philadelphia is hosting FIFA World Cup matches, the MLB All-Star Game, parts of the NCAA March Madness tournament and the PGA Championship. Add in RockyFest, marking 50 years since Rocky Balboa ran up the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, and travellers will find a city brimming with history, creativity and pride. – Mizuki Uchiyama

Nigel Young, Fosters and Partners

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Why go: A new era for Cambodia’s capital, with creative, sustainable openings reshaping the city

Mondulkiri’s conservation tourism

“A six-hour bus trip from Phnom Penh, [find opportunities] to connect with nature. At Jahoo wildlife tours, local guides lead dawn treks to spot gibbons swinging overhead. The Elephant Valley Project is an ethical sanctuary where rescued animals roam freely, without rides or tricks.” – Kaitlyn Brajcich, Sustainable Travel International

Phnom Penh is having a moment. Long overshadowed by Siem Reap, the capital is stepping confidently into 2026 with the launch of the new Techo International Airport, Cambodia’s largest-ever infrastructure project. The futuristic terminal – bedecked with a giant silver Buddha – is expected to improve international access throughout 2026, with new routes from the UAE, Turkey, China and Japan, making the city easier to reach than ever.

On the ground, Phnom Penh is changing fast. The city that had just one traffic light 15 years ago is now a showcase for sustainable urban tourism, from its new Chaktomuk Walk Street – a pedestrianised riverfront street that turns into a weekend festival of Khmer street food, local crafts and live music – to the electric tuk-tuks owned by the newly opened Rosewood Phnom Pehn hotel that are being used to ferry guests around the city. 

The city’s welcoming feel is no accident, thanks to Cambodia’s pioneering late architect, Vann Molyvann, who stated that no building could rise higher than the Royal Palace. His legacy is suddenly everywhere in 2026: Molyvann’s former 1960s home has reopened as a design-focused cafe and mini-museum inspiring the next generation of Cambodian architects, while other Modernist buildings are being restored by young creatives.

A new wave of Gen Z-led sustainable boutiques, distilleries and third-culture coffee shops reflects a growing homecoming movement among young Cambodians. Visitors can sip award-winning spirits made from local botanicals, taste Khmer dishes once banned during the war and wander leafy lanes lined with heritage shophouses. – Claire Turrell

Visiting Cambodia

In light of the Cambodia-Thailand conflict, the US State Department and UK Foreign Office have issued warnings to travellers looking to visit locations near the border. Phnom Penh and the country’s major destinations remain unaffected, but travellers should check current advisories before visiting.

Getty Images

Guimarães, Portugal

Why go: The birthplace of Portugal – and Europe’s Green Capital for 2026

Just 65km inland from Porto, Guimarães is astonishingly under the radar for a city considered the 12th-Century birthplace of Portugal and its first capital. Its beautifully preserved medieval core is a tangle of cobbled squares and lanes dotted with grand palaces and terraced restaurants, from Michelin-starred spots to laid-back eateries and craft beer bars. A short drive away, the nearby site of Citânia de Briteiros is a dramatic ancient hilltop settlement dating back to 9th Century BC. 

But Guimarães is no museum piece. The city has a youthful, creative energy thanks to being one of Portugal’s oldest university towns, with nearly half the population younger than 30. Contemporary culture sits comfortably alongside its medieval streets: futuristic galleries built for its 2012 European Capital of Culture title mingle with museums in ancient cloisters and hipster spots carved out of old factories.

In 2026, Guimarães celebrates both 25 years of Unesco World Heritage status and its new title as Europe’s Green Capital – recognition of two decades of sustainability work embedded across the city. Wander newly created green city oases and artfully repurposed heritage buildings or stroll along the banks of restored riverbanks, with a fleet of electric buses linking the projects together. It’s a forward-thinking, quietly confident city – and one of Europe’s most compelling surprises for 2026. – Norman Miller

Alamy

Samburu, Kenya

Why go: Crowd-free landscapes, rare wildlife and Kenya’s newest astro-experiences

Beyond the bustle of Nairobi and the traffic jams of the Masai Mara lies Samburu County, a remote swathe of northern Kenya that has long prioritised its environmental and community-led conservation efforts. In 2026, the often-overlooked region is sharpening its focus on impact-driven adventure with a new astrotourism project, two conservation-driven camp openings – Basecamp Samburu and Soroi Samburu Lodge – and ongoing work on a climate change action plan that prioritises reforestation and renewable energy. 

Travellers arriving at the semi-arid landscapes along the Ewaso Nyiro River will find an ever-increasing crop of conservancies and projects showcasing the traditions of the Samburu (Lokop) people. At Soroi Samburu Lodge, which will be fully open by mid-2026, guests can visit local projects and swap stories with Samburu members around the fire. 

Wildlife conservation remains central across Samburu’s nine conservancies, including the “Samburu Special Five”, a collection of rare animals endemic to northern Kenya. Track black and white rhinos with Saruni Basecamp – both populations have grown in the last year – or help care for orphaned elephants at the community-owned Reteti Elephant Sanctuary and learn about conservation at its education-focused visitor centre. 

Night-sky enthusiasts can explore the wonders of the cosmos with Samburu Sopa Lodge’s astrotourism project, a first-of-its-kind endeavour that launched in September 2025. Listen to ancient star lore from Indigenous guides, join astrophysicists at Kenya’s first astrotourism planetarium and sleep under the equatorial sky on Basecamp Samburu’s designated star beds, with constellations visible from both hemispheres. – Alicia Erickson

Getty Images

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Why go: Experience the festive buzz of a city reborn

In 2026, Santo Domingo is ready to celebrate. Selected to host the 25th annual Central American and Caribbean Games from 24 July to 8 August, the oldest European city in the Americas is preparing for an influx of athletes from 37 countries to compete in the 100th anniversary of the competition.  

The city has been busy preparing. In 2025, the 16th-Century Zona Colonial underwent a major renovation that included the restoration of 15 heritage facades and 11 cobblestone streets. The Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center has also been updated, with a tactile paving strip to guide visually impaired visitors as part of an effort to make both the Games and the city more inclusive.   

Visitors should explore the city’s nearby white-sand beaches and world class music scene. Santo Domingo is the beating heart of merengue and bachata culture, which provide a throbbing soundtrack to its February Carnival celebration and multi-day summertime Merengue Festival. The Isle of Light festival returns in March, and making a much-anticipated comeback after a 10-year hiatus is the city’s Presidente Festival – one of Latin America’s emblematic music events, showcasing major Dominican and Latin American talent.

New luxury inaugurations for 2026 include the Hyatt Place Santo Domingo Piantini (summer) and the recently opened Ocama, a villa-only hotel overlooking Rincón Bay in the verdant Samaná Peninsula. The Ocama now arranges helicopter charter transfers from Santo Domingo to the Samaná province, a former pirate haven whose coves, rainforests and turquoise waters were declared an Ecotourism Province in May 2025. – Eva Sandoval

Diane Selkirk

The Slocan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Why go: Walk a powerful new trail that honours a defining chapter in Canadian history

Set within a valley of clear lakes and deep forests and framed by the Purcell and Selkirk mountains, the Slocan region has long drawn travellers seeking raw, rugged beauty. In 2026, the Japanese Canadian Legacy Trail – a self-guided route honouring those forcibly uprooted and confined here during World War Two – will add deeper meaning to that landscape.

Between 1942 and 1946, more than 22,000 Japanese Canadians were displaced from coastal communities and sent inland to hastily built internment sites in farmers’ fields and abandoned mining towns such as Sandon in the Slocan Valley. Despite the hardships – the loss of homes, livelihoods and community – the internees built schools, gardens, cultural spaces and support networks. Their children and grandchildren would later contribute profoundly to Canada’s civic, artistic and academic life.

Accessible by car, bike or foot, the new 60km (37m) trail follows country roads and rail trails, linking museums, memorial gardens, a lakeside internment site and community-led exhibits developed with Japanese Canadian families. Between stops, travellers can pause at farm-to-table cafes, paddle the still waters of Slocan Lake, browse craft studios, take a dip in a hot spring or practise shinrin-yoku in old-growth forest.

The trail offers a reflective, place-based way to understand a dark and pivotal chapter in Canadian history at a moment when questions of belonging feel especially urgent. For valley communities, the new initiative honours the past while sustaining the region’s future. – Diane Selkirk

Michael Peters

Uluru, Australia

Why go: A landmark anniversary – and a new way to walk on ancient, sacred land

October 2025 marked 40 years since the historic Uluru Handback returned this sacred place to its Anangu Traditional Owners – a milestone that continues to reshape how Australia engages with Aboriginal sites. The nation has come a long way since visitors were once encouraged to climb what was then known as Ayers Rock, a practice formally banned in 2019. Today, Anangu are telling their stories on their own terms and travellers can connect with this ancient land in deeper, more meaningful ways.

The biggest moment of the year will be the launch of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Signature Walk: a five-day, four-night journey linking the soaring domes of Kata Tjuta with the base of the world-famous red rock. The route traces 54km (33.5m) of Anangu-mapped trails through desert oak forest, spinifex plains and red-dune country normally closed to the public. It is also the only way travellers can sleep inside Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park – a rare privilege made possible through a decade of collaboration with Traditional Owners – staying in beautifully crafted eco-camps and a new lodge that’s been designed to melt into the desert palette. Already named one of the Great Walks of Australia, it blends sunrise hikes, stargazing decks and Indigenous-led workshops, with a share of revenue returning directly to community partners.

Beyond the trail, travellers can experience two extraordinary nightscapes: Wintjiri Wiru, the Anangu-led drone-and-light storytelling experience above the desert; and Field of Light, marking its 10th anniversary in 2026 as Bruce Munro’s now-iconic installation of 50,000 glowing stems. – Ellie Cobb

Getty Images

Uruguay

Why go: Flamingo-filled lagoons, world-class steaks and sustainability

Located between Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay is one of South America’s smallest nations wedged between the continent’s two largest. Yet despite its modest size, it offers a dazzling array of wildlife excursions, colonial architecture and windswept dunes – and has quietly become one of the region’s most progressive destinations.

An inclusive destination

“IGLTA considers Uruguay one of the most progressive countries in the world. It is lauded as one of the safest places for [LGBTQ+] travellers to visit and live.” – Jeff Greenwald, Ethical Traveler

The nation generates 98% of its electricity from renewable sources, it consistently ranks as one of the safest places for LGBTQ+ travellers and its Uruguayans by Nature campaign encourages visitors to respect the environment while supporting local communities. 

More than half of Uruguay’s roughly 3.5 million residents live in Montevideo, the vibrant capital that has the feel of a seaside resort despite remaining a busy port. Though long overshadowed by Buenos Aires just across the River Plate, Montevideo is also one of the birthplaces of tango, home to world-class steaks and hosts South America’s longest carnival celebration (lasting at least 40 days) from January to March.

Beyond the capital, the Portuguese-founded city of Colonia del Sacramento is an architectural treasure trove, while the fertile grasslands of the pampas are scattered with cattle ranches producing some of the finest beef on the planet. Uruguay’s coastline is peppered with glorious beaches, surf spots, party towns and quiet fishing villages – not to mention the flamingo-filled lagoons of Laguna de Rocha and Laguna Garzón and the rippling sand dunes of Cabo Polonio. – Shafik Meghji