Lonely Planet: Best in Travel 2026
29 of this year's honorees, each with Soar's seasonal window, budget tier and travel-style read.
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Acadia National Park, USA Granite coast and blazing maples in crisp Atlantic autumn -
Arequipa, Peru White-stone city under volcanoes, sunny gateway to Colca Canyon -
Barbados Turquoise west-coast bays and Bridgetown rum, dry sunny winter -
Cádiz, Spain Roman ruins and Atlantic beaches, roaring February Carnaval -
Cartagena, Colombia Walled Caribbean old town, breeziest and driest December to March -
Chobe, Botswana Dry-season elephant herds massing along the Chobe riverfront -
Cusco, Peru Inca capital and Machu Picchu gateway, clearest May to September -
Helsinki, Finland Design-district saunas and island-hopping in white-night summer -
Ikara-Flinders Ranges, Australia Ancient Wilpena amphitheatre and outback silence, mild-winter walks -
Jaffna, Sri Lanka Tamil north of temples and crab curry, dry when the south rains -
Jeju Island, South Korea Volcanic craters and lava-tube coast, green tea fields and spring hikes -
Lapland, Finland Aurora season under glass igloos, deep-winter Arctic silence -
Mancora, Peru Peru's warm north-coast surf beach, sunniest December to March -
Mexico City, Mexico Aztec ruins and world-class tacos, jacaranda-purple spring -
Okavango Delta, Botswana Flood-season waterways and dry-season wildlife, safari at its peak -
Oulu, Finland Northern lights over the Arctic coast without Lapland prices -
Phuket, Thailand Limestone bays and beach clubs, calm sunny high-season swims -
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala Highland markets and volcano trailheads, clear dry-season mornings -
Quy Nhon, Vietnam Quiet crescent beaches and Cham towers, warm dry-season sea -
Réunion Volcano hikes and forested cirques, clear cool dry-season trails -
São Paulo, Brazil Sprawling art museums and Liberdade ramen, mild dry-winter days -
Sardinia, Italy Turquoise coves and nuraghe ruins, warm swimmable early-autumn sea -
Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia Blue-and-white cliff village above the Gulf, mild sea-breeze season -
Siem Reap, Cambodia Sunrise over Angkor Wat's towers, clear cool dry-season mornings -
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, USA Painted badlands and wild bison, cool golden autumn drives -
Tipperary, Ireland Rock of Cashel above green valleys, soft-lit spring hikes -
Tozeur, Tunisia Date-palm oasis and film-set dunes on the Sahara's edge -
Utrecht, Netherlands Amsterdam's mellow cousin: wharf cafes below the canals, no tour boats -
Wairarapa, New Zealand Martinborough pinot cellars and dark-sky nights, golden-vine autumn