Copyright Cable News Network
Summer’s over, the leaves are turning brown. Time to wrap your blanket closer and start planning your next vacation. National Geographic has just released its 2026 Best of the World list, 25 must-visit destinations chosen by its international team of editors and explorers. CNN caught up with Nathan Lump, editor-in-chief of the 137-year-old magazine, to find out what made the list and why. Cities “Pittsburgh is a favorite city of mine in America,” says Lump. “It’s an easy long weekend.” This postindustrial city in Pennsylvania has a young, creative population and buzzing arts scene thanks to being a university town. Lump recommends its “fantastic” museums and “fun neighborhoods” with lots of quirky, independent shops. Medellín in Colombia and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil are the publisher’s South American picks. Medellín is a great “comeback story,” says Lump, with thriving art and culture, beautiful gardens and is “a really vibrant destination.” Rio, meanwhile, has new museum openings on the horizon and a new hiking trail up to the Christ the Redeemer statue. The recommended cities in Europe are Oulu in Finland, Guimarães in Portugal and Hull in England. Oulu has been chosen as a European Capital of Culture for 2026, while Guimarães is the European Green Capital for the year ahead. “Part of the fun of lists like this is to give people a reason” to reconsider underrated destinations within their own countries, says Lump. Hull is much maligned on a domestic level – “grim,” as his English friend said recently – but Lump says it’s “super-important from a maritime perspective” and has a “great aquarium.” Also on the 2026 list: Rabat in Morocco, Beijing in China and Manila in the Philippines. The path less traveled Sunseekers know all about the attractions of Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coastlines, but the Black Sea coast in the country’s northeast offers a milder climate, spectacular scenery, architectural treasures and adventure travel without the crowds. Khiva is less well known than Samarkand and Bukhara, Uzbekistan’s other Silk Road cities, but a new high-speed train service from Tashkent could be about to change that. National Geographic says visit this open-air museum city while you can. Most visitors to South Korea head to its urban centers, but hiking is on the rise. Large sections of the Dongseo Trail, a 527-mile route modeled after Spain’s Camino de Santiago, are set to open in 2026. “They’ve planned it out so thoughtfully,” says Lump, “each section is basically a good day’s hike.” Yamagata Prefecture, about 200 miles north of Tokyo, is hailed as a respite from the tourist crowds with which Japan’s more popular destinations are grappling. “It’s a really beautiful part of the country,” says Lump, with “great interesting food and onsens and temples.” Also on the 2026 list: Coastal Oaxaca in Mexico. Wildlife and wonder Fans of large toothed predators rejoice: Dominica is on the cusp of establishing the world’s first sperm whale reserve, with around 200 of the majestic beasts swimming its Caribbean waters year-round. Rwanda’s Akagera National Park has been selected by National Geographic as somewhere to see the safari “big five” (lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalo) but with much fewer humans spoiling your view. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, designed by renowned Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta, will open in North Dakota’s Badlands in July 2026, giving people another reason to visit this “haunting, spare” landscape, says Lump. Spain’s Basque Country has made the list as one of the few places on land where phenomena enthusiasts should be able to see the total solar eclipse due next August 12. Starting in April, visitors to Australia’s Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park will be able to stay overnight for the first time, stargazing by campfire by the world’s largest monolith. For those who prefer their stars of the sporting variety, Vancouver in Canada and the Dolomites in Italy have been selected due to their status as hosts of the FIFA World Cup and Winter Olympics respectively. Also on the 2026 list: Québec, Canada. Regeneration Maui is “bouncing back” after the wildfires that devastated the Hawaiian island in 2023 and “it could be a really good time to think about going back there,” says Lump. This isn’t just about altruism, though. It’s a wonderful chance to see once-crowded beaches on a more intimate scale and the island’s top hotels have been introducing a host of exciting new guest experiences to entice visitors. The South Pacific archipelago of Fiji, with its 300-plus paradise islands, is “making big strides in sustainable tourism,” says National Geographic. Voluntourism opportunities abound, which makes those end-of-day cocktails by the sea even more satisfying. Finally, Oklahoma is getting spruced up for the 100th anniversary of Route 66, with the state investing more than $82 million invested in its 400-mile stretch of the iconic road. Says National Geographic, “It feels like there’s a spectacle of relit neon signs, revived motor courts, and roadside attractions waiting around every bend.”
