Lonely Planet: Best in Travel 2026
29 of this year's honorees, each with Soar's seasonal window, budget tier and travel-style read.
Acadia National Park, USAGranite coast and blazing maples in crisp Atlantic autumn
Arequipa, PeruWhite-stone city under volcanoes, sunny gateway to Colca Canyon
BarbadosTurquoise west-coast bays and Bridgetown rum, dry sunny winter
Cádiz, SpainRoman ruins and Atlantic beaches, roaring February Carnaval
Cartagena, ColombiaWalled Caribbean old town, breeziest and driest December to March
Chobe, BotswanaDry-season elephant herds massing along the Chobe riverfront
Cusco, PeruInca capital and Machu Picchu gateway, clearest May to September
Helsinki, FinlandDesign-district saunas and island-hopping in white-night summer
Ikara-Flinders Ranges, AustraliaAncient Wilpena amphitheatre and outback silence, mild-winter walks
Jaffna, Sri LankaTamil north of temples and crab curry, dry when the south rains
Jeju Island, South KoreaVolcanic craters and lava-tube coast, green tea fields and spring hikes
Lapland, FinlandAurora season under glass igloos, deep-winter Arctic silence
Mancora, PeruPeru's warm north-coast surf beach, sunniest December to March
Mexico City, MexicoAztec ruins and world-class tacos, jacaranda-purple spring
Okavango Delta, BotswanaFlood-season waterways and dry-season wildlife, safari at its peak
Oulu, FinlandNorthern lights over the Arctic coast without Lapland prices
Phuket, ThailandLimestone bays and beach clubs, calm sunny high-season swims
Quetzaltenango, GuatemalaHighland markets and volcano trailheads, clear dry-season mornings
Quy Nhon, VietnamQuiet crescent beaches and Cham towers, warm dry-season sea
RéunionVolcano hikes and forested cirques, clear cool dry-season trails
São Paulo, BrazilSprawling art museums and Liberdade ramen, mild dry-winter days
Sardinia, ItalyTurquoise coves and nuraghe ruins, warm swimmable early-autumn sea
Sidi Bou Said, TunisiaBlue-and-white cliff village above the Gulf, mild sea-breeze season
Siem Reap, CambodiaSunrise over Angkor Wat's towers, clear cool dry-season mornings
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, USAPainted badlands and wild bison, cool golden autumn drives
Tipperary, IrelandRock of Cashel above green valleys, soft-lit spring hikes
Tozeur, TunisiaDate-palm oasis and film-set dunes on the Sahara's edge
Utrecht, NetherlandsAmsterdam's mellow cousin: wharf cafes below the canals, no tour boats
Wairarapa, New ZealandMartinborough pinot cellars and dark-sky nights, golden-vine autumn