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At Time Out Travel, it’s our job not only to show you all the brilliant things to eat, drink, see and do in mega-destinations like London, Paris, Berlin and Rome, but also to shine a light on the overlooked places which are well worthy of just as much attention.
That’s why, at the beginning of each year, we call on our international network of knowledgeable editors and ask them where they’re excited to travel to this year – and share the list with you, of course.
For 2026, our annual roundup features UNESCO’s soon-to-be-crowned World Book Capital, Rabat, the grand opening of a brand-new pedestrian suspension bridge in Aoraki/Mount Cook in New Zealand, and Central Vietnam, made more accessible than ever before thanks to a surge in international flights.
But, where are we heading in Europe? Well, according to Time Out’s travel editor Grace Beard, Hamburg should be on your radar. Germany’s second city is already an established, culture-packed city, but new additions like the brand-new UBS Digital Art Museum (from Tokyo’s teamLabs) along with a state-of-the-art opera house in HafenCity, plus reinvented wartime bunkers and shiny new lakeside hotels, means 2026 is a particularly good time to soak it all up.
Over in the UK, Cirencester, which boasts ‘an elegant collision of architectural styles, bags of Roman history at the Corinium Museum and the Amphitheatre, fabulous shopping options at the markets, a solid roster of pubs and restaurants,’ is one for your 2026 bucket list, according to Time Out’s UK news editor Ed Cunningham.
Global film editor Phil de Semlyen compels you to visit Favignana, a titchy island 18km off Sicily’s west coast and the backdrop of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming The Odyssey, before everybody else does. ‘The eye-rubbingly beautiful beaches and cyan seas are just as cinematic IRL, while the hinterland is full of rustic charm. Our tip? Get there before the set-jetting crowds descend.’
Lastly, the cosier younger cousin to Stockholm, Gothenburg, is Europe guides editor Ella Doyle’s recommendation for your 2026 travel plans. It’s got just as much tasty food, quirky and intriguing cultural spaces and Scandi style as the capital, plus the brand-new Paradox Museum, street food market Vassen and excellent Way Out West festival (which has Lorde, The Cure and the Gorillaz on its 2026 lineup).
More European travel in 2026
On a budget this year? Check out our newly revamped list of Europe’s best cheap city breaks, from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Hungary, Greece and the UK. Elsewhere, we’ve got guides for Europe’s best road trips, music festivals and brand-new train routes to get excited about this year. Happy travels!
Check out the full list of where Time Out’s editors will be travelling to in 2026.
Did you see that a stunning new contemporary art gallery has just opened in this Asian capital?
Plus: The new tourist taxes and charges across Europe to know about in 2026.
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