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If you’re deep in 2026 holiday planning mode, you don’t have to look far to find inspiration – with the world’s leading tastemakers (including the global travel editors at Time Out) dropping their definitive guide to the best places to visit in the year ahead. After taking the title as the best destination in the world for big city thrills (according to the experts at Travel + Leisure), Melbourne has just been named among the top global destinations by one of the world’s most trusted travel publications, the New York Times.
The renowned publication has ranked the Victorian capital in 49th place on its annual, hotly anticipated travel guide. According to the New York Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2026 list, Melbourne’s moment in the spotlight this year is fuelled by a heady combination of high-octane sport and its ever-evolving culinary scene.
First up, sport. Three decades after the city first hosted the opening race of the Formula 1 season, Melbourne is preparing for another motorsport milestone: the debut of a brand-new Cadillac Formula 1 team – the first new squad to join the grid in a decade. The Australian Grand Prix, running from March 5-8, is tipped to be an unmissable drawcard for racing fans from around the world. But, as the guide points out, there’s far more to Melbourne than what’s happening on the track.
Between race days, the New York Times editors encourage visitors to lose themselves in Melbourne’s cafe-lined laneways, graze their way through the produce-packed Queen Victoria Market or slow things right down with a wander through the (award-winning) Royal Botanic Gardens. For those still revved up, the city’s car-focused attractions also get a nod – from the Fox Classic Car Collection housed inside the historic Queen’s Warehouse, to Porsche and Coffee, a celebratory street gathering in South Melbourne on March 1.
If you're keen to get out of the city, the New York Times spotlights the spectacular journey that is the Great Ocean Road, which recently ranked as the best family-friendly road trip in the country.
The Victorian capital was one of just two Aussie destinations to make the list, with the Top End ranking fourteenth. You can check out the New York Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2026 here.
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