The 25 Best Places to Go in 2025

Our list of the Best Places to Go in 2025 is here! The twenty-five places you have to go to. Twenty-five places that, no questions asked, our editors would jump at the opportunity to visit next year. We hope you’ll see the names not only of spots you have been waiting to visit (and consider this your sign to make it happen) but also of places you’ve never heard of. 

Determining the best places to go in 2025 was no easy task. After all, most of our readers suffer from the same affliction we do: an insatiable desire to go everywhere, see everything, and be dazzled by the world’s rich and varied contours. Treating a new year as a blank slate for fresh adventures is overwhelming then, no matter how tattered our passports. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, we promise to shine our spotlight on intriguing new corners of the world. These are the best places to go in 2025.

Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

Go for: land-based travel to the Seventh Continent—with excursions you won't believe

Of the 100,000 travelers who visit Antarctica each year—most on cruise ships to the Antarctic Peninsula—fewer than one percent venture into the icy “deep-field” landscapes at the heart of the world’s largest desert. White Desert was the pioneer, flying chartered aircraft into Dronning Maud Land for a hyperluxe experience on the ice, but the 2024 launch of Ultima Antarctic Expeditions has changed the game. Ultima offers a new fly-in experience that fosters an authentic sense of adventure and discovery, at rates that are more affordable than White Desert ($75,000 for seven days versus White Desert’s starting price of $105,000).

Ultima’s weeklong expeditions are filled with excursions led by specialist guides, from day hikes exploring ice caves to 36-hour side excursions to the South Pole, with stunning mountain views en route. If your budget doesn’t allow for the weeklong experience, fret not. The Ultima Day Expedition offers a 24-hour taste of Antarctica with a ticket price of $10,000: Land at lunchtime for 12 hours on the ice before flying back to Cape Town.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Go for: celebrations commemorating the country's national reunification; buzzier than ever food and design

This southern Vietnamese metropolis has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism powerhouses and there’s no better time to visit than in 2025. Exactly 50 years since the Fall of Saigon ended the Vietnam War in 1975, Ho Chi Minh City—still referred to locally as Saigon—is set to unveil a number of grand events, exhibitions, and celebrations commemorating half a century of national reunification. Beyond urban and tourism infrastructure, Ho Chi Minh City shines brightest as one of Southeast Asia’s cultural epicenters—a regional hub of commerce, dining, and fashion. 

Palau

Go for: luxury liveaboard cruises and eco-forward tourism

Fewer than a dozen liveaboard vessels are permitted to cruise paradisiacal Palau. The Four Seasons Explorer, a luxurious 11-room “floating resort,” became one of them in 2023. From November 2024, the Explorer will expand its itinerary beyond Palau's iconic Rock Islands to include the northern reaches of Babeldaob, the country’s largest island, opening up new dive sites and adding cultural excursions for guests. Construction is also underway on a 50-room Four Seasons resort in Koror, Palau’s main tourism hub.

Muscat, Oman

Go for: dramatic landscapes and new luxury hotels

For centuries, Muscat was known to Indian Ocean mariners as a gateway to Oman’s raw, rugged beauty, limestone massifs, formidable castles and wind-sculpted deserts—but tourists have long overlooked this charming city. This is set to change, with a crop of new resorts arriving in the sultanate’s laid-back capital. Two of the most anticipated are in hidden coves just south of the city. For now, travelers can stay at the Mandarin Oriental, Muscat or The St. Regis Al Mouj Muscat Resort, which both opened in 2024.

Queenslands Tropical Coast

Go for: new glitzy resorts, better air access, and even more to do on land

It’s no secret that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef faces unprecedented challenges as a result of climate change and severe weather events. But experiencing this World Heritage Center–listed wonder is just one reason—and a very good one—to visit the balmy northern coast of Queensland. A flurry of new flights from Bali (with AirAsia) and Hong Kong (with Cathay Pacific) are making it easier to get to the tropics; when the Cairns Airport, which is currently undergoing a major upgrade, is completed, travelers can expect even greater connectivity with the rest of Oceania. 

The excitement for travel in 2025 is palpable, with new destinations, technologies, and experiences reshaping how we explore the world. Read the full list of our 25 best places to go in 2025. 

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