The Best Travel Destinations in 2024: 24 Unmissable Places Around the World, According to AD
From the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris to a majestic new museum in Egypt, these are the spots you must have on your radar this year
In a world that seems more connected than ever, an age-old question persists: Where are the best travel destinations to head to next? And perhaps, after a horrifying global pandemic uprooted our ability to explore, this question is all the more pertinent. We are, after all, living through a time that has revealed a newfound drive to see the world.
As such, AD has scoured the globe to find what we believe to be the most intriguing places to visit in 2024. Our selection includes a few tried-and-true locations, and we provide reasons why this coming year is the best time to go there. Readers will also find certain lesser-known locales – that we believe are well-poised to become great tourist destinations – on the list. Exciting design and architecture activity, cutting-edge cultural events, and other factors are putting all of these places on the map.
Nevertheless, before booking your next flight, train, or cruise line tickets, be sure to ask yourself the following: What do I want to experience with my next trip? Is it stunning landmarks? The thrill of adventure? Different cultures? The beauty of natural landscapes? Whatever the reason, rest assured that this year’s list features all of those elements, and more.
The 24 Best Travel Destinations for 2024
Photo: Getty Images1/24New Zealand’s South Island
New Zealand’s South Island has long been known for its pristine, natural landscapes, including the Southern Alps, glacial lakes, beaches, and fiords, but now it’s coming onto the radar as a destination for eco-chic resorts and hotels. Flockhill Lodge, a 36,000-acre sheep station in the Southern Alps – will debut its main lodge with accommodations for 28 guests, a fine-dining restaurant, spa, vegetable garden and greenhouse. And for travelers who want to reconnect with nature, Drift Off Grid offers eco-glamping in the stunning Golden Bay. It will be easier to get there, too, thanks to new direct flights from San Francisco to Christchurch on United Airlines.
Photo: Getty Images/Harald Nachtmann2/24Antwerp, Belgium
This small Belgian city has an outsized impact on European fashion and design – just think of fashion designers like Dries Van Noten and architects like Alex Vervoodt. This is a city where burgeoning designers thrive and the city’s cultural institutions and hotel scene are catching up. Go to see the recently renovated ModeMuseum, which reopened in 2021 and just debuted a new café, or the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, which reopened last year after an 11-year-long closure. Check into the Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World in a 15th-century monastery with three Michelin-starred restaurants and a luxurious spa.
Photo: Getty Images/Bulent Ince3/24Sri Lanka
While travelers flock to India, the neighbouring island of Sri Lanka has remained under-the-radar, but it abounds in natural beauty, wildlife, and culture. Opening in spring 2024, Kotiyagala is an environmentally conscious hotel with elevated villas spread out over a seven-acre estate. A stay there includes a guided safari tour of Yala National Park, which has one of the world’s highest concentrations of leopards. You could combine that with a few days on the beach at Karpaha Sands, which starting in 2024 will offer horseback riding both in the jungle and on the beach.
Photo: Matthew Williams4/24Detroit, Michigan, USA
A host of urban regeneration projects are transforming the Motor City and increasing its appeal. One of the most ambitious projects is the rebirth of downtown’s historic Book Tower, designed in the early 1900s. Detroit-based real estate developer, Bedrock, has converted the former office building into the city's newest landmark destination, with the support of Method Co. who recently opened ROOST Detroit, a long-stay hotel with apartment-style accommodations and an array of restaurants and bars, including a Parisian-inspired brasserie, a rooftop bar, and a forthcoming subterranean izakaya. 2024 will also see the restoration of the iconic Michigan Central Station and the completion of the new Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park Development.
Photo: Courtesy of the Grand Egyptian Museum5/24Cairo, Egypt
With the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum expected to open by early 2024, Cairo is gaining another reason to book that bucket list trip to the last surviving wonder of the ancient world. Designed by Heneghan Peng Architects and holding over 100,000 artifacts, including everything from the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamen, the 484,000-square-foot museum sits on a meticulously landscaped 120-acre site between the Great Pyramid of Giza and Cairo itself. Thanks to design leaders like architectural engineer May al-Ibrashy, the latter’s UNESCO Al-Khalifa district has been undergoing extensive revitalization and preservation, and contemporary artists are embracing its man-made icons as well during the annual Art D’Egypte sculpture show on the Giza Plateau and at the Cairo Citadel. The Mandarin Oriental Shepheard, opening next year in an 1841 landmark reimagined by Parisian designer Sybille de Margerie, will be a luxurious place to lay your head after bouts of sightseeing.
Photo: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental6/24Singapore
Singapore Design Week in October is one of the most forward-looking design events on the calendar, with the 2023 edition showing 500 contributors’ projects, including a 3D-printed pavilion of compostable sugar-building material. The island country has long been a destination for thoughtful innovation, particularly in contemporary architecture and sustainable design, but it is also the perfect place for a cultural recharge. Singapore’s hawker street food was recently UNESCO protected, joining its World Heritage Site designated Botanical Gardens. A variety of new hotels allows visitors to choose their own vibe, from the Standard Hotel’s first Singapore property and the all-villa beachside Raffles hotel and spa on Sentosa Island (both opening in 2024) to the Edition and Mandarin Oriental, opened this fall. Flying into the country’s international Changi Airport is always a luxe treat, and a significant expansion of Terminal 2, including gardens, massive digital decorations, and increased infrastructure, will greet the millions of visitors expected next year.
Photo: David Crookes7/24Rwanda
Safari is an experience like no other. In Rwanda, gorilla trekking offers a unique opportunity to see primates in your camp’s backyard. Choosing where to lodge is an important first step. Next year, two of the country’s luxe tented wilderness camps – Magashi and Bisate – will inaugurate ultra-elite branches, offering only four rooms each and distinctive food and services for travelers looking for an even more private adventure in nature. Set on Lake Rwanyakazinga, Wilderness Magashi Peninsula will take advantage of access to both water and savannah with private boating, 360-degree vistas, and ample opportunities to see gorillas as well as big game animals in a guests-only area of Akagera National Park. Wilderness Bisate Reserve is located at the edge of Volcanoes National Park for prime mountain gorilla treks before retiring to villas with butler service and private hot tubs. Both are dedicated to conservation, sustainable tourism, and engaging local guides.
Photo: Paul Raeside8/24London, United Kingdom
There’s never a bad time for design lovers to visit London, but 2024 will be particularly exciting. Newson’s Yard will open as a new hub for retail and interior design with a spate of boutiques celebrating British craftsmanship. Situated on Pimlico Road in Belgravia, the development will give new life to London’s oldest timber yard. Travelers will also have plenty of exciting new places to stay, with major openings, including Raffles London at the OWO, the Peninsula London, the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, 1 Hotel Mayfair, and the Broadwick Soho designed by Martin Brudnizki.
Photo: Getty Images/Mehmet Cetin9/24Istanbul, Turkey
The only city that sits in both Europe and Asia, Istanbul has always held a special appeal for architecture and design lovers, but the very high-profile development of Galataport – world’s first underground cruise ship terminal – provides a new reason to go there now. A revitalised hamman with royal links is a new cultural destination and Istanbul Modern, Turkey’s first museum of modern and contemporary art, has also just reopened in a sleek new building by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. And there are more ways to get there: aboard a new rotation of the Paris-Istanbul route on the Venice Simplon Orient Express and a new route from Detroit to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.
Ruslan Kalnitsky10/24Casablanca, Morocco
When it comes to Morocco, Marrakech and Tangier tend to steal the spotlight, but 2024 will be the year for Casablanca to shine. The city best known for the namesake 1942 film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman will finally get a hotel that’s sure to draw the glitterati when the Royal Mansour Casablanca opens as a member of the Leading Hotels of the World in an iconic building from the 1950s. In-the-know traveler's praise Casablanca as an underrated gem, where you can admire Art Deco-meets-Modernist architecture, shop for vintage furniture and Berber rugs, and sip cocktails at Rick’s Café (inspired by the film, of course). Go before it becomes overrun.
Photo: Le Grand Mazarin/Vincent Leroux11/24Paris, France
As anticipation builds for the 2024 Summer Olympics, the City of Light host is getting primped and preened for travelers all year. A slew of recent luxury hotel openings includes the Martin Brudnizki-designed Le Grand Mazarin (pictured) and La Fantasie, the Beata Heuman-designed Hôtel de La Boétie, and most recently the Fabrizio Casiraghi-designed Hôtel des Grands Voyageurs. In time for the games, the city is building a new Olympic Aquatics Centre by VenhoevenCS and AteliersGrand and an 8,000-seat Porte de La Chapelle Arena by SCAU architecture and NP2F. It’s also restoring some of its most famous works of architecture, including the Grand Palais, Notre Dame, and, a day-trip away at the Palace of Versailles, the Louis XIV œil-de-Bœuf antechamber. Travel will be made easier overall with the phase-one completion of the Grand Paris Express train, a railway project aimed to better connect the city’s suburbs and three airports with 124 miles of new track and 68 architect-designed stations.
Photo: Getty Images12/24Mazunte, Mexico
As Puerto Escondido becomes increasingly popular, savvy travelers are looking for a more under-the-radar alternative—and finding it in Mazunte. This small village in Oaxaca is considered a “pueblo magico” and has a bohemian vibe with pristine beaches, eco-resorts, and yoga retreats. Next spring, Our Habitas Mazunte will open with just 28 rooms immersed in the jungle with Pacific Ocean views, providing the perfect base for design-conscious travelers who want a holistic experience where wellness is at the forefront.
Photo: Getty Images13/24Seoul, South Korea
Gucci put a spotlight on the South Korean capital this year by hosting a runway show at Gyeongbokgung Palace, and we predict that all eyes will turn toward Seoul in 2024. The Seoul Art Museum is planning an expansion, adding to its portfolio of eight scattered museums across the city. The Art Archives Seoul Museum of Art has already opened, and in 2024 the Seo-Seoul Museum of Art and the Seoul Museum of Photography will join it. Check into one of the city’s five-star hotels, like Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Gangnam, which opened a few years ago.
Photo: Courtesy of the Istria Tourist Board14/24Opatija, Croatia
Off the beaten path on the Istrian peninsula, savvy travelers know this relaxing seaside destination for its incredible beaches and natural grottos, but also its seafood, roasts, olive oil, wine, and truffle hunting – among many reasons that luxury travel agency Virtuoso named Croatia one of its clients’ top destinations for 2024. Fittingly, Opatija celebrates 180 years of tourism next year with special cultural programming, like a dedicated chocolate festival, retro music festival, and holiday markets by the sea. The following summer, Marriott will open its first luxury coastal resort here. The coastal city is also a great base for day trips throughout the region, including to the five-star Meneghetti Wine Hotel and Winery in Istria, whose new, expansive sculpture garden has a show of works by Arne Quinze on view through December 2024. The peninsula’s picturesque towns offer plenty of hillside hiking, medieval scenery, and baroque palaces for exploration.
Photo: Getty Images15/24São Paulo, Brazil
This Brazilian metropolis is home to midcentury-modern masterpieces by Oscar Niemeyer and has the highest concentration of street art in the world. And in 2024, the Museu de Arte de São Paulo – a midcentury masterpiece by Lina Bo Bardi – will unveil a major expansion. A brand new 14-floor tower will be connected to Bardi’s revolutionary building by an underground passageway, increasing the museum’s exhibition capacity by 66%. The city also has some exciting new hotels, including the Rosewood São Paulo designed by Jean Nouvel and Philippe Starck, and the Fasano São Paulo Itaim, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World opened in May 2023 with a sleek midcentury-inspired design by Marcio Kogan.
Photo: Getty Images/Ugo Lora16/24Miami, Florida
Over the past decade, Miami has become a veritable powerhouse for art and design. And that trend has showed any signs of slowing down. On March 1 and 2, 2024, Open House Worldwide will debut in Miami, opening Art Deco buildings and other architectural landmarks for the first time in a city-wide architecture festival. Aside from that weekend, there are plenty of things for design lovers to do in the Magic City year-round, from shopping and dining in the Design District to spotting street art murals in Wynwood and bedding down at fabulous hotels.
Photo: Davide Lovatti17/24Munich, Germany
This Bavarian destination may be known for its beer halls, sausages, and as the origin of Oktoberfest, but charm and history give Munich draw any time of year. Last month, Rosewood (pictured) opened its first property in Germany across two of the city’s storied structures, the 19th-century Bavarian State Bank headquarters and the adjacent 19th-century Palais Neuhaus-Preysing, once a private residence, which have been transformed into a luxe stay and spa by local architects Hilmer Sattler Architekten Ahlers and London-based designer Tara Bernerd with restaurant interiors by DiPPOLD Interior Design Studio. Soccer fans should make their reservations soon, as Munich is also the host of the 2024 UEFA European Championship come summer.
Photo: Getty Images18/24Nicosia, Cyprus
Steeped in history but relatively untouched by tourism, Nicosia is a historic architecture lover’s dream and has three distinct UNESCO sites, a 16th-century Byzantine church, a traditional rural mountain community, and an exposed fragment of 90-million-year-old oceanic crust. Its contemporary life offers a thriving café culture and Cypriot, Greek, or Turkish delicacies, depending on your chosen side of the border in this north-south divided city (bring your passport to the crossing!). Next spring, the Cypriot capital is getting a new boutique luxury hotel, the 10-room Amyth of Nicosia, set within the city’s medieval Venetian walls and designed by local talent Maria Neophytou. Guests will have access to ancient treasures just outside their doorstep, including the Museum of Byzantine Art and the Cyprus Ethnological Museum; the 16th-century Hamam Omerye bathhouse; and the Büyük Han, a traveler’s inn built by the Ottomans in 1572.
Photo: Getty Images/Sean Pavone19/24Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In recent years, Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighbourhood has been growing rapidly as a new creative hub for designers, antiques dealers, and design galleries with locals and New York transplants alike setting down physical roots calling out to culture vultures for a visit. One native, Wexler Gallery, doubled down this year, creating a 11,500-square-foot flagship in a former pretzel gallery with help from Philadelphia architecture firm DIGSAU. Book a stay at the forthcoming 50-key boutique Hotel Anna & Bel, a historic women’s asylum in the neighbourhood now reopening in spring 2024 after a luxurious reenvisioning by local team Foyer Project and B-March. And next fall, Weiss/Manfredi and Reed Hilderbrand are unveiling their highly-anticipated revitalization of 17 acres of the 115-year-old Longwood Gardens conservatory and grounds. Just an hour’s drive from the city proper, it will be a must visit day trip before returning to town for a stop at another world-class museum and a bite – whether a cheesesteak, sushi, or vegetarian fare is your preference in Philadelphia’s diverse and delicious food scene.
Photo: Getty Images20/24Malta
This Mediterranean island may be small, but it’s planning to make a splash in the art world come 2024. From March to May across several important ancient and archaeological sites, Malta is hosting its inaugural art biennale with twelve national pavilions and a central exhibition exploring the multicultural identity of the country and the colonization that shaped it. Later, in October, the nation’s first contemporary art museum, Malta International Contemporary Art Space, will open its doors in the city of Floriana at the restored Old Ospizio, a 17th-century fortress with views of capital Valletta and the Marsamxett harbour. Italian studio ipostudio architetti is turning the 90,000-square-foot heritage site into a complex for art of all mediums. For the year ahead of the institute’s opening, a show of sculptures by British artist Conrad Shawcross will be on view by appointment on the grounds.
Photo: Courtesy of Gonzalo Gonzalez21/24San Diego/Tijuana, USA and Mexico
San Diego and Tijuana together have the distinction of being the first-ever cross-border World Design Capital – and there are a host of events and activations throughout 2024 in honour of the designation. The two cities were chosen to share the title because of their long history of collaboration, with cooperative efforts to harness the power of design to improve the lives of the region’s 7.1 million inhabitants. That includes everything from building green infrastructure and preserving the built environment to educating the next generation about design.
Joaquin Ossorio-Castillo22/24Kyoto, Japan
Since Japan reopened its borders in October 2022, the country has seen a tourism surge even travel experts didn’t expect. But don’t let that deter you from booking a trip to Kyoto, where new hotels and architecture projects are making this heritage city feel fresh again. Two luxury brands, Six Senses and Banyan Tree, are launching hospitality properties in 2024 in the city’s historic Higashiyama district, home of several UNESCO-designated temples and shrines. The former is taking inspiration from Buddhist Zen culture in the design of its spa, gardens, and eateries, and the latter has engaged Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, known for his innovations in wood, for the property’s design, which will include Kyoto’s first Noh theater stage at a hotel. If nostalgia is your deal (or the kids are coming with), a Nintendo Museum in the gaming company’s former Kyoto factory will welcome its first visitors in March.
Photo: Courtesy of The Lodge Mallorca23/24Mallorca, Spain
Though this Balearic Island is colloquially known for the hordes of European partygoers that flock its beach clubs each summer, there is a more grounded side of the sun-soaked destination ripe for discovery. A new set of ultra-luxury hotels is making it even easier to tap into your well-being here. The Mandarin Oriental Punta Negra, opening in 2024, is being built across 7.5 acres of cliffside land and will offer unique access to two crystal-blue coves, and the Four Seasons is taking over the iconic Hotel Formentor with a focus on sustainability in its design, guest activities, and farm-to-table dining. Meanwhile, three recently opened properties in or near the UNESCO-protected Tramuntana mountains – the Lorenzo Castillo-designed Grand Hotel Son Net, Richard Branson’s Son Bunyola (a 16th-century property the hotelier has been eyeing for two decades), and The Lodge’s boutique transformation of a 500-year-old farmhouse – cradle visitors in an air of the island’s ancient history. Relaxation is easy in a place this beautiful.
Photo: Courtesy of andBeyond24/24Bhutan
Nestled between China and India, this remote country of just over 777,000 people is known for its majestic Himalayan landscape, multitude of monasteries, and colourful festival heritage – and it attracts intrepid adventure seekers and wellness tourists alike. Bhutan is also known for its commitment to sustainability as the world’s first carbon-neutral country, an initiative partly supported by a $200 daily tourist fee that the government is subsidizing by 50% for the next four years to encourage post-pandemic tourism. Lodging options range from homestays to five-star hotels, including three new luxury properties, Zhiwa Ling Heritage Hotel, Pemako Punakha, and andBeyond Punakha River Lodge (pictured), that opened this year. Bhutan has only one international airport – in the valley city of Paro, one of the world’s most difficult landings – and no direct flights from the US, but in January next year a new route from the United Arab Emirates will offer Americans an alternate stopover. If flying private is more your speed, TCS World Travel’s 2024 and 2025 jet expeditions include a stop in Bhutan, where guests will stay at the new Zhiwa Ling, tour the 1646 Fortress on a Heap of Jewels, and hike to the famous Tiger’s Nest monastery.
Via AD US
