Top places to visit and what not to do in 2025
The Reuben is one of the tastiest American dishes.
(CNN) — In travel news this week: We’ve marveled at the New Year’s Eve fireworks. We’ve eaten the New Year’s Day food. And now we’re ready for a whole new set of explorations in 2025, including our annual listing for the top places to visit.
The year also closed with a deadly plane crash in South Korea and another in Kazakhstan, making 2024 an especially nerve-wracking year for plane travel.
25 places for 2025
An island shaped like a lightning bolt. An archipelago that’s got Maldives vibes without all the big international brands. The footpaths of England, the rail trails of Vermont and Italy’s stylish trains. There’s so much to see in 2025.
CNN Travel has selected 25 places to add to your list — from Bequia in the Caribbean to India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Here’s the list and some insight into our choices.
Have a look at what’s coming down the pike in aviation and rail travel in 2025. And check out our roundup of the worst-behaved travelers of 2024 for some cautionary tales of what not to do in the year ahead.
Our favorite stories of 2024
While we look toward another big year of trips and stories, the writers and editors at CNN Travel take one last look at their favorite assignments from 2024:
Lilit Marcus (Hong Kong) got to visit one of Asia’s most mysterious destinations. “Bhutan is one of the most incredible places I’ve ever had the opportunity to visit, in large part due to the hospitality of Bhutanese people. It was an honor to have the chance to highlight some of their voices.”
Julia Buckley (Italy) enjoyed her day out with Monica Poli, the volunteer protecting tourists from pickpockets in Venice. “Living in Italy, I’ve noticed the rising petty crime rates – and it was good to watch Monica and her fellow volunteers alert tourists from something that might have ruined their vacation.”
Forrest Brown (Atlanta) selected American food: The 20 greatest dishes as his favorite assignment. “I liked doing the research on this one. All the dishes — including the many contenders that didn’t make the final, painful cut — had fascinating histories. Plus, I started eating poke bowls because of this.”
Tamara Hardingham-Gill (London) loves writing for our Living the Dream series. “This story about a gay man and his female best friend, who had a short-lived marriage and ended up moving to the same town in Italy, along with their husbands, is one of my favorites as it’s a great example of the power of friendship and chosen family.”
Karla Cripps (Bangkok) dug into one of Thailand’s most famous desserts this year — mango sticky rice. “I have lived in Bangkok for more than 20 years and eaten countless servings of this incredibly popular dish. But hearing from some of the city’s oldest mango sticky rice purveyors made me appreciate it even more, if that’s possible.”
Maureen O’Hare (London) rode the Caledonian Sleeper train from busy London to the wilds of Scotland. “It was a magical experience to be rocked to sleep by the train carriage and to wake up in the full majesty of the Scottish Highlands.” Come along for a video of her ride.
Francesca Street (London) likes writing love stories for Chance Encounters, but this year, she especially enjoyed a friendship-based story: “I loved speaking with the four friends who posed for a photo on vacation in 1972 and recently recreated it over 50 years later. It was moving and inspiring to hear them chat about their enduring friendship — not to mention, their recreated picture is amazing!”
Marnie Hunter (Atlanta) rode down I-75 to Macon, Georgia, for our inaugural America’s Best Towns to Visit project. “This town is packed with stately Antebellum homes and musical history — Little Richard, Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers all spent time here. And Ocmulgee Mounds, a prehistoric Native American site, is likely to become Georgia’s first National Park.”
Open-door policy
There have been plenty of recent openings around the world to keep travelers engaged and on the move in 2025.
In Ohio, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History recently unveiled its $150 million transformation. Visitors can roam a wildlife center and garden, learn about the Buckeye State’s ancient oceans and even experience an earthquake simulation.
In Italy, two openings of note: A secret passageway through one of Italy’s most famous cityscapes has opened to the public for first time. And Rome’s beloved Trevi Fountain has reopened after renovation work — in time for the Jubilee Holy Year.
Over in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City’s first metro line has finally opened after more than a decade of delays.
Want to hit all these spots? You’ll need a passport. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have found 13 of the best covers and cases to keep your precious document safe and stylish.
Taking coffee to new heights
Would you go to the lush country of Laos for a locally sourced coffee break with a waterfall view? How about if you could sip the brew suspended 1,000 feet in the air on a zipline?
In case you missed it
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