Summer is over and the leaves are turning brown. Wrap yourself in a blanket and start planning your next vacation.
National Geographic has released its 2026 World’s Best list of 25 must-see destinations chosen by an international team of editors and explorers. CNN spoke to Nathan Lamp, the editor-in-chief of the 137-year-old magazine, to find out what made it to the list and why.
“Pittsburgh is my favorite city in America,” Lamp says. “It’s nice to spend a long weekend.” This post-industrial city in Pennsylvania is a university town, with a young, creative population and a vibrant arts scene. Lump recommends a “fun neighborhood” with “amazing” museums and lots of quirky independent shops.
The publisher’s South American locations are Medellin, Colombia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Lampe said Medellin is a great “resurrection story” with thriving arts and culture, beautiful gardens and “a really vibrant destination.” Meanwhile, a new museum is about to open in Rio, and a new hiking trail to the statue of Christ the Redeemer has been opened.
Recommended cities in Europe include Oulu in Finland, Guimarães in Portugal, and Hull in the United Kingdom. Oulu has been named European Capital of Culture for 2026, and Guimarães has been named European Green Capital for next year.
“Part of the fun of lists like this is that they inspire people to reconsider underrated destinations in their own countries,” Lampe said. Although Hull is much maligned at a national level – “harsh” as a British friend recently put it – Mr Lampe says Hull is “hugely important from a marine point of view” and has a “fantastic aquarium”.
The 2026 list also includes Rabat, Morocco, Beijing, China, and Manila, Philippines.
Sunseekers know the charms of Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coastlines, but Turkey’s northeastern Black Sea coast offers a milder climate, stunning scenery, architecture, and adventure travel without the crowds.
Khiva is less well-known than Uzbekistan’s other Silk Road cities, Samarkand and Bukhara, but a new high-speed rail service from Tashkent could be about to change that. According to National Geographic, visit this open-air museum city while you can.
Most tourists visiting South Korea head to urban centers, but hiking is on the rise. Most of the Donso Trail, a 527-mile route modeled after Spain’s Camino de Santiago, is scheduled to open in 2026. “They’re very thoughtful in their planning,” Lampe said. “Each section is basically perfect for a day’s hike.”
Yamagata Prefecture, about 320 miles north of Tokyo, has been hailed as a respite from the high number of tourists that Japan’s popular tourist destinations are struggling with. “It’s a really beautiful part of the country,” Lampe said, “with really interesting food, hot springs and temples.”
The 2026 list also includes Mexico’s Oaxaca coast.
wildlife and wonder
Fans of large-toothed predators rejoice. Dominica is establishing the world’s first sperm whale sanctuary, with approximately 200 majestic sperm whales swimming in Caribbean waters year-round.
Rwanda’s Akagera National Park is a National Geographic choice for safari’s “big five” (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and buffalo), but there are far fewer humans obscuring the view.
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, designed by renowned Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta, will open in North Dakota’s Badlands in July 2026, giving people another reason to visit this “haunting and secluded” landscape, Lampe said.
Spain’s Basque region has been listed as one of the few land-based locations where phenomenon enthusiasts can view a total solar eclipse scheduled for August 12 next year.
From April, visitors to Australia’s Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park will for the first time be able to stay overnight and stargaze by a campfire next to the world’s largest monolith.
For those with a penchant for sports stars, Vancouver, Canada, and the Dolomites, Italy are the sites of the FIFA World Cup and Winter Olympics, respectively.
The 2026 list also includes the Canadian province of Quebec.
Although Maui is “recovering” from the wildfires that devastated the Big Island in 2023, “this might be a really good time to think about moving back,” Lampe said. However, this is not just about altruism. It’s a great chance to see once-crowded beaches on a more intimate scale, and the island’s top hotels are introducing a host of exciting new guest experiences to entice visitors.
The Fiji archipelago in the South Pacific, home to more than 300 paradise islands, is “making great strides in sustainable tourism,” says National Geographic. Volunteering opportunities abound, making those cocktails at the end of your day by the sea that much more satisfying.
Finally, as Oklahoma prepares for the 100th anniversary of Route 66, the state is investing more than $82 million in 400 miles of that iconic road. Says National Geographic magazine: “There seems to be a sight of relit neon signs, revived motor courts, and roadside attractions waiting around every turn.”
For more information, check out National Geographic’s Best of the World.
