BBC Travel's 20 Best Places to Travel in 2026

🌎 BBC Travel has released its annual list of the best places to travel, and for 2026, the focus is firmly on destinations that offer incredible experiences while also using tourism as a force for good. This year's selection highlights places that support local communities, protect the environment, and preserve unique cultural heritage. Here are some of the standout destinations from the list of 20, promising adventure with a positive impact:

✅ Destination Highlights

✅ Abu Dhabi - The city is poised for a blockbuster year of cultural openings. The Saadiyat Cultural District is entering a defining phase with new institutions like the Zayed National Museum and TeamLab Phenomena. The long-anticipated Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is also expected to open in late 2026. Beyond culture, theme park tourism is expanding with a Harry Potter extension at Warner Bros. World and plans for the Middle East's first Disneyland.

✅ Algeria - Often called the "sleeping beauty" of African tourism, Algeria is waking up. Home to vast Roman ruins like Timgad and surreal desertscapes in the Sahara, the country is easing access with visa-on-arrival policies for organized tours and launching new domestic flight routes. Visitors can explore layered cities like Algiers and Constantine with far fewer crowds than European counterparts.

✅ Colchagua Valley, Chile - This is the heartland of Chile's internationally acclaimed wine scene. Just two hours south of Santiago, the valley offers leisurely wine tastings at historic estates, stunning lodges nestled among vineyards, and a deep cowboy ("huaso") culture. Travelers can enjoy rodeos, stargazing at observatories, and exploring Spanish colonial villages.

✅ Cook Islands - This paradisiacal Polynesian nation is becoming more accessible with new and upgraded flight routes. While Rarotonga and honeymoon-favorite Aitutaki are known, 13 other islands offer near-private exploration. In 2026, significant steps are being taken to strengthen protections for the vast Marae Moana marine park and its pristine lagoons.

✅ Costa Rica - The Osa Peninsula represents a rare convergence of wilderness and wellness. As one of the planet's most biodiverse places, it offers rainforests spilling onto empty beaches, world-class surfing, and eco-lodges focused on regeneration. Conservation milestones in 2026 will expand protected jaguar corridors on land and safeguards for sharks offshore.

✅ Hebrides, Scotland - This archipelago off Scotland's wild Atlantic coast is famed for ancient sites like the Calanais Standing Stones, white-sand beaches, and warm community spirit. New developments for 2026 include a visitor centre for the stones, the first whisky distillery on the Isle of Barra, and two new distilleries on the whisky mecca of Islay.

✅ Ishikawa, Japan - Recovering from a devastating 2024 earthquake, the Noto peninsula is welcoming visitors to support its renewal. The prefecture offers gold leaf workshops in Kanazawa and, in Noto, authentic "farmhouse inn" stays where guests can participate in rice planting. Spending money here directly helps sustain families, terraced rice paddies, and famed sake breweries.

✅ Komodo Islands, Indonesia - A Unesco World Heritage site, these islands are home to the planet's last wild Komodo dragons. For the park's 45th anniversary in 2026, new conservation programs and visitor management measures will be implemented to protect both the iconic dragons and the delicate, manta ray filled coral reefs.