looking out over a harbour town at sunrise — Locals Insider guide to where to go

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

Where to go next, month by month: the best destinations for every season, travel ideas from the people who live there, and the tips and guides to plan the trip — from 2026's trending cities to new places worth a first visit.

Where to go, month by month

One guide for every month, with a tip from each. This month is highlighted.

JanuaryBook Lapland cabins by October; January goes first.Read the January guide →FebruaryVenice Carnival doubles hotel prices; stay in Mestre.Read the February guide →MarchJapan's blossom moves north; Kyoto peaks late March.Read the March guide →AprilSeville's Feria follows Easter by two weeks; pick one.Read the April guide →MayThe Mediterranean is swimmable from mid-May on southern coasts.Read the May guide →JuneCopenhagen midsummer is 23 June; everything closes early.Read the June guide →JulySouthern European cities empty out; the wrong month for Rome.Read the July guide →AugustDanish beach hotels fill by May; book in spring.Read the August guide →SeptemberNowGreek islands: warm sea, half the July crowd.Read the September guide →OctoberFoliage peaks early October in Vermont, late in Virginia.Read the October guide →NovemberVienna's Christmas markets open around 15 November.Read the November guide →DecemberThailand's dry season runs December to February.Read the December guide →

Happening in September

Happening in September 2026

The festivals worth planning a trip around, and the ticketed events on sale.

Festivals worth planning around

Curated by Locals Insider

Mid-Sep to early OctOktoberfestTheresienwiese, Munich

The world’s largest beer festival — fourteen big tents, brass bands and roast chicken. Table reservations go months ahead; weekday mornings still work for walk-ins.

Germany guide →

Late August / early SeptemberVenice Film FestivalThe Lido, Venice

The oldest film festival in the world, on the Lido: premieres, the Golden Lion and the season’s awards contenders. Public tickets exist for most screenings.

Italy guide →

Labor Day weekendTelluride Film FestivalTelluride, Colorado

A small, pass-only festival at 8,750 feet that keeps its line-up secret until the day before — a reliable early look at the year’s Oscar films.

Colorado guide →

Mid-to-late SeptemberMid-Autumn FestivalHong Kong, Taiwan, China, Vietnam

Lanterns, mooncakes and the year’s brightest full moon across East Asia; in Hong Kong the Tai Hang fire dragon dance is the one to see, and Victoria Park fills with lanterns.

Hong Kong guide →

Live event data via Ticketmaster Discovery. Festivals curated by Locals Insider.Refreshed daily

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 64 countries

Browse by 61 cities

Europe (38)

Paris London Rome Barcelona Madrid Lisbon Amsterdam Berlin Munich Vienna Budapest Warsaw Vilnius Copenhagen Stockholm Helsinki Reykjavik Dublin Edinburgh Florence Venice Milan Naples Palermo Athens Santorini Porto Lyon Marseille Nice Antwerp Aarhus Bornholm Valletta Sliema Belgrade Tbilisi Faroe Islands

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 (2)

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.