I’ve spent most of this year traveling, starting in South America and trekking through Central America, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East. But there are only five places I want to see again in 2025.
They range from a relatively non-touristy tropical island to a quiet college town on the Baltic coast. And if you’d told me last year that I’d want to return, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.
I write a nationally syndicated column about travel, and I don’t just parachute into these places. I live there. When I do, I meet people, I shop in the grocery stores and explore the cities.
Here are the five destinations you’ll want to see in 2025 — and the one thing you have to do when you’re there. (Related: I survived a month in the worst vacation rental ever.)
Berlin
The German capital is barely recognizable from its former self — the dark, Cold War city in the 1970s I visited the first time or the construction site I saw in the 1990s after reunification. And that’s the cool thing about Berlin: it’s always reinventing itself and always looking to the future. And that’s how it got on my list of places you’ll want to see in 2025. I stayed in a Blueground apartment near Charlottenburg during the summer, and found the city to be a bright and welcoming place. (Here’s our guide to traveling this season.)
Berlin is one of the most walkable cities in Europe. The sidewalks are extra wide, which means you don’t have to worry about sharing the path with a biker, motorcycle or even a car. (Don’t laugh — if you’ve ever been to Croatia, you know that’s not a joke.) Berlin is also an incredibly diverse and international city with some of the best shopping and restaurants in Europe. But best of all, it isn’t filled with tourists like other popular European capitals, so you have a more authentic experience.
Don’t miss: The Futurium, a free museum near the Bundestag, challenges visitors to look to the future with its exhibits. Just like Berlin.
Dublin
Ireland is a favorite destination for Americans, and invariably they come to Dublin. Good call. I lived in the capital for two months in an Airbnb overlooking one of Temple Bar’s most famous pubs, and I’m here to tell you that timing is everything. If you visit in the late summer, just as the tourists are starting to leave, you can get a quieter and more relaxed Irish experience. I’m talking about walks along the River Liffey to Phoenix Park, minus the throngs of tourists waiting for the hop-on, hop-off bus. It’s definitely a place you’ll want to see in 2025.
Dublin, like other European capitals, is rich in culture. There are free museums like the vast National Museum of Ireland, right across the river from the Guinness Storehouse. There’s shopping on Grafton Street and a great restaurant and theater scene in the Docklands. But what set Dublin apart for me were the people. No matter how hard it rained — and it rained almost all the time — the locals I met were cheerful and seemed genuinely happy to see me. (Related: My best vacation advice? There’s no need to do it all.)
Don’t miss: The National Gallery of Ireland, also free, has an extensive collection of Irish art and Renaissance paintings, and is the perfect place to dry off when the rain won’t stop.
Grenada
I spent nine weeks in the Caribbean while researching a series of articles on sustainability and tourism. It didn’t take me long to realize I wasn’t the target demographic. I don’t like lying on the beach all day and I’m not a big fan of all-inclusive resorts, cruises or timeshares.
Then I got to Grenada, also known as the Spice Island. And yes, the island has beaches, but it also has great scuba diving in a fascinating underwater sculpture park, endless hiking opportunities in Grand Étang National Park — and chocolate. Put together, these still aren’t enough for me to recommend Grenada. It is the people you meet in there that make it special. There’s a genuine warmth and hospitality that really stands out among the other Caribbean islands. It’s the number-one reason Grenada is the place to see in 2025. (Related: I travel nonstop. Here are 12 places you have to see in 2024.)
Don’t miss: Visit Belmont Estate and see how they grow cocoa beans, harvest them and produce chocolate.
Lucerne, Switzerland
Lake? Check. Stunningly gorgeous Alps? Check. Medieval architecture? Check. Lucerne’s got it all. But then, so do a lot of other Swiss cities. So what makes Lucerne special? It has all the things that make it an almost irresistible tourist attraction — it’s considered by some to be Switzerland’s prettiest city — but it’s missing only one thing. The people I met in Lucerne did not have the swagger of Zürich or the serious disposition of the Genevois. They seemed happy to share their city with me, and in a way I’ve never experienced in Switzerland.
Lucerne is not for the faint of wallet, but if you get a chance to visit for a weekend, take it. Walk along the northern shore of the lake and find a bench, and enjoy one of the most beautiful views you will ever see in your travels. (Related: Never go there when you travel.)
Don’t miss: A trip to the top of one of the mountains on one of the many cogwheel trains, such as the Vitznau-Rigi Kulm railway. Hike to the top of the mountain and enjoy the view.
Turku, Finland
You won’t find Turku on many tourism maps, which is a shame. The college town may be the perfect place to get away from it all during the summer. It has a lively cultural scene, terrific restaurants, and one of the best farmers’ markets in Europe. But most importantly, it’s cool. While the rest of Europe struggles to keep from overheating during the increasingly hot summers, Turku is positively chill.
This place is also a launchpad for trips into the unspeakably beautiful Finnish archipelago, a chain of islands stretching across the Baltic to Sweden. But as before, the real draw wasn’t the place, which is quietly developing a reputation as one of the most sustainable cities in Europe — it’s the people. Finns are quiet and reserved compared to, well, Americans. But the folks I met in Turku never let an opportunity pass to let me know how happy they were that I’d taken the time to visit their often overlooked part of the world. I almost hesitate to mention Turku because I don’t want it to become another Amsterdam.
Don’t miss: A drive along the Archipelago Trail from Turku to Naantali, a 155-mile loop through to these unique islands. You’ll see farms, old towns, castles and lots of wildlife along the way. There’s nothing like it on Earth.
Whether it’s scaling the Alps in Lucerne or hiking the coast of Finland, 2025 is the year to push your boundaries. My favorite places aren’t just beautiful, they also have an inner quality that makes them worth seeing again.
