Where to Go in 2026: Trending Destinations, New Places & Travel Inspiration

Browse 60 country guides, take our country matcher quiz, and find your next trip — from 2026's trending cities to the new places appearing on every major travel index this year.

42 Country guides

65 Cities covered

1062 Articles published

2026 Trend data baked in

From our writers

The places we keep going back to

For me, two visits within a single year were enough to understand why so many people return to Porto Santo again and again. It's not an island of endless attractions or nightlife — its charm lies in the atmosphere, the pace of life, and the feeling of space and calm that becomes harder to find elsewhere in Europe.

— Denis Zaykovskiy in Porto Santo: Eleven Kilometres of Sand, Silence and Atlantic Light · Portugal

When you think of traveling to Brazil, if all that comes to mind are breathtaking beaches and Amazon forest adventures, São Paulo may surprise you. This megalopolis is home to more than a dozen Michelin-starred restaurants, jaw-dropping museums, and a lively Brazilian music scene.

— Jéssica Cruz in Top São Paulo Neighborhoods for Hotels, Food & Culture From a Local Journalist · Brazil

Buenos Aires boasts the best of everything — meat, soccer, literature, coffee shops, street markets, theater, and tango, to name just a few. At least that's what the porteños, or locals, will tell you — to protests from the rest of Latin America.

— Daniel Schweimler in The Best of Buenos Aires: Food, Culture & Nightlife Beyond the Tourist Trail · Argentina

From the 2026 lists

The one pick to know in each category

The LocalsInsider team follows the trends too. Here are a few things shaping where people are going this year, drawn from the 2026 lists by Condé Nast Traveler, Tripadvisor, eDreams, American Express Travel and National Geographic.

Wellness country Bhutan Six Senses · Amankora

European city to watch Oulu, Finland 2026 Capital of Culture

EDM festival Tomorrowland Boom, BE · sold out at release

Hike of the year Trans Bhutan Trail 250 miles, reopened 2022

Wellness island JOALI BEING Raa Atoll, Maldives

Anticipated opening Kanal—Pompidou Brussels, opening 2026

Best hiking country New Zealand Multi-list consensus

Where Airbnb is dead Barcelona, NYC, Singapore Bans, caps, 3-month minimums

Browse all 42 countries

Browse by 65 cities

Asia & Middle East (13)

Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Seoul Hong Kong Bangkok Chiang Mai Hanoi Ho Chi Minh City Saigon Bali Mumbai Istanbul

Americas (8)

New York Los Angeles Vancouver Mexico City Lima Medellín Buenos Aires Montevideo

Oceania & Africa (3)

Sydney Cape Town Nuuk

Off the beaten path

Not-so-obvious picks

Two of our most-read editorial deep dives in this category.

Greenland · Editor's pick

Nuuk: the world's smallest capital is suddenly easy to reach

On the edge of the ice-blue Arctic, Nuuk isn't just Greenland's capital — it's the beating heart of one of the world's most startlingly beautiful landscapes. With just over 20,000 residents, it's one of the smallest and coldest capital cities on earth, yet home to over a third of Greenland's entire population. New direct flights from Copenhagen (plus upcoming routes from New York and Chicago) have transformed access.

by Martin Danemaq Read the full Nuuk guide → Europe · 65 islands

Lesser-known European islands worth visiting in 2026

As Ibiza, Mallorca and the Canaries grapple with overtourism — Barcelona is phasing out 10,000 tourist apartments by 2028 — more travelers are skipping the obvious in favour of quieter islands that still feel authentic. Our full list spans the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Nordic seas.