The New York Times: 52 Places to Go in 2026
45 of this year's honorees, each with Soar's seasonal window, budget tier and travel-style read.
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Assisi, Italy Saint Francis's basilica on a pink-stone hill, calm green spring -
Bandhavgarh, India Dense Bengal-tiger jungle, prime dry-season big-cat sightings -
Bangkok, Thailand Glittering temples and new green parks, cool dry-season street food -
Barcelona, Spain Gaudí, tapas and Mediterranean beaches, warm well into October -
Bayreuth, Germany Wagner's festival stage and a Baroque opera house, green summer -
Bentonville, USA World-class art and Ozark singletrack in mild spring -
Big Sur, USA Cliff-hugging Highway 1 and redwood coves, clear golden autumn -
Breuil-Cervinia, Italy Long Matterhorn runs into Switzerland, reliable deep-winter snow -
Camiguin, Philippines Volcano isle of waterfalls and hot springs, calm dry-season dives -
Chicago, USA Lakefront skyline and deep-dish, warm festival-filled summer -
Con Dao, Vietnam Empty islands of turtle nesting and reefs, calm seas in dry months -
Dallas, USA Arts-district museums and big Texan dining, warm bright spring -
Deer Valley, USA Groomed Wasatch bowls and ski-in luxury, deep January powder -
Genoa, Italy Palazzi lanes and harborside pesto, mild bright Ligurian spring -
Ha Giang, Vietnam Motorbike loop past limestone passes, golden rice in October -
Hoi An, Vietnam Lantern-lit old town and tailor shops, dry before autumn floods -
Inhotim, Brazil Open-air art pavilions in tropical gardens, warm dry-winter strolls -
Kakadu, Australia Ancient rock art and teeming wetlands, dry-season waterfall pools -
La Digue, Seychelles Granite boulders over Anse Source d'Argent, calm inter-monsoon seas -
Lijiang, China Naxi canal town under snow peaks, cobbled lanes and spring meadows -
Los Angeles, USA Getty views and taco trucks, warm clear World-Cup-year spring -
Melbourne, Australia Laneway cafes and street art, buzzing southern-autumn festivals -
Memphis, USA Beale Street blues and barbecue smoke, warm music-filled spring -
Messinia, Greece Voidokilia's crescent bay and Pylos ruins, golden Peloponnese summer -
Miches, Dominican Republic Quiet palm coastline and eco-lodges, dry sunny Caribbean winter -
Møn, Denmark Chalk cliffs and dark-sky beaches, long light Baltic summer -
Nagasaki, Japan Harbor-hill trams and Dutch-China heritage, mild bright autumn -
Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania A collapsed-caldera floor packed with big game, dry-season clarity -
Ninh Binh, Vietnam Karst towers over rice-boat rivers, green and gold by late spring -
Okinawa, Japan White Ryukyu beaches and longevity cuisine, warm clear early summer -
Oran, Algeria Belle Epoque boulevards and rai music, warm breezy spring on the sea -
Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica Corcovado rainforest and empty beaches, wildlife-rich dry season -
Penang, Malaysia Street-food capital of Southeast Asia in its driest months -
Pokhara, Nepal Annapurna reflected in Phewa Lake, clearest after the monsoon -
Portland, USA Food-cart rows and forest parks, rose-bloom early-summer days -
Querétaro, Mexico Colonial arches and wine-country valleys, warm dry-season harvest -
Quy Nhon, Vietnam Quiet crescent beaches and Cham towers, warm dry-season sea -
Saba, Caribbean Netherlands Cloud-forest volcano and world-class wall dives, winter-dry -
Sanibel Island, USA Shell-strewn Gulf beaches and refuge trails, calm sunny winter -
Song-Kol, Kyrgyzstan High nomad pastures and yurt stays around a silent alpine lake, July only -
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, USA Painted badlands and wild bison, cool golden autumn drives -
Træna, Norway Arctic-circle fishing isles and sea caves, midnight-sun summer -
Virginia Beach, USA Boardwalk sands and nearby wildlife refuges, warm bright summer -
Warsaw, Poland White Modern Art Museum and rebuilt Old Town, bright spring squares -
Yerevan, Armenia Pink-tufa boulevards, brandy cellars, and Ararat on the skyline