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

Name: VEGGIENALE® Nürnberg 31. Oktober/01. November 2026
Start: 2026-10-31T10:00
Location: Ofenwerk

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 →SeptemberGreek islands: warm sea, half the July crowd.Read the September guide →OctoberNowFoliage 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 October

Happening in October 2026

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

Festivals worth planning around

Curated by Locals Insider

Early OctoberAlbuquerque Balloon FiestaAlbuquerque, New Mexico

Nine days and more than 500 hot-air balloons — the dawn mass ascensions and the evening glows are the two things to be there for; arrive before 5 a.m.

New Mexico guide →

First weekend of OctoberOktoberfest closing weekendMunich

The final weekend of the Wiesn is its busiest — a gun salute from the Bavaria steps closes it on Sunday at noon; if you only have one day, make it a weekday.

Germany guide →

Late October / early NovemberDiwaliIndia

The festival of lights across five days — Jaipur’s markets are lit end to end, Varanasi’s ghats glow, and fireworks go on well past midnight; book flights early, the whole country travels.

India guide →

Mid-OctoberFrieze LondonRegent’s Park, London

The contemporary art fair in Regent’s Park, with Frieze Masters alongside and the sculpture park free to walk; the galleries across Mayfair open late all week.

United Kingdom guide →

On sale now

Ticketed events, October 2026

10OctSat

Tenement Trail 2026

Various Venues · Glasgow, Great BritainAlternative

10OctSat

I La Vieja Guardia Metal Fest

Sala Filomatic · A Coruña, SpainMetal

17OctSat

Strummingbird Newcastle | 2026

Foreshore Park · Newcastle East, NSWMusic

21OctWed

okgiorgio, Fakear + more names TBA

Benelux Bar · Amsterdam, NetherlandsMusic

This is a Mobile Only show. The ticket prices for this event can be found here (at 'Experiences').

24OctSat

Long Beach Symphony POPS: The Ultimate Eagles Experience

Long Beach Arena-Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center · Long Beach, CAClassical

31OctSat

VEGGIENALE® Nürnberg 31. Oktober/01. November 2026

Ofenwerk · Nürnberg, GermanyFairs & Festivals

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 65 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.