The 10 Best Places to Travel in 2027
From a comet-chasing solar eclipse over Spain to newly opened museums and revived rail routes, here are the destinations worth building a year around.
Last updated June 22, 2026
A scenic view of the historic architecture in Granada, Spain, showcasing its unique urban layout and heritage. · Zekai Zhu
Picking where to go in 2027 means reading the calendar as much as the map. A total solar eclipse sweeps across southern Spain in August, major museums are hitting their stride, and several countries are easing into the spotlight with new flight routes and high-speed rail. The result is a year with unusually clear reasons to choose one place over another.
This list ranks ten real destinations that are open, accessible, and especially rewarding in 2027, weighing what is genuinely happening on the ground rather than recycling the usual roundup. Some are headline events you plan months ahead; others are quieter places hitting a sweet spot of value and ease before the crowds catch up.
Use it as a shortlist: each entry explains what makes the place worth your time, the specific things to see and eat, how to get there, and who it suits best. Mix a marquee event with a slower escape and you have a year worth taking off work for.
1
Granada and Andalusia, SpainSouthern Spain Google
On August 2, 2027, the longest total solar eclipse over land until 2114 crosses southern Spain, with totality lasting more than six minutes near the Strait of Gibraltar and excellent odds of clear August skies. Granada sits close to the path and gives you a reason to linger: the Alhambra's Nasrid palaces, the whitewashed Albaicin quarter, and free tapas with every drink in the old city. Beyond eclipse day, Andalusia delivers Cordoba's Mezquita, Seville's cathedral and flamenco, and the cave-dotted hills of the Sierra Nevada. Book accommodation along the centerline far in advance, because this is the travel event of the year. Even without the eclipse, late-summer Andalusia is a feast of Moorish architecture and long, warm evenings.
- Six-plus minutes of totality on August 2, 2027
- The Alhambra and Generalife gardens
- Free tapas crawls in Granada's old town
- Cordoba's Mezquita-Catedral
Best for: eclipse chasers and history lovers
Getting there: Fly into Malaga (1 hour from Granada by car or bus) or Granada's own airport; high-speed AVE trains link Madrid to Granada in about 3.5 hours
2
Saudi Arabia (AlUla and the Red Sea)Western Saudi Arabia Google
Saudi Arabia has gone from closed to genuinely visitable, and 2027 catches it mid-transformation with simple e-visas and a rush of new openings. AlUla is the star: Hegra, the kingdom's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, holds more than 100 Nabataean tombs carved into desert sandstone, a quieter cousin to Petra without the crush. Along the coast, the Red Sea Project's island resorts and reefs are coming online for divers and luxury travelers. Add the old coral-stone lanes of Jeddah's Al-Balad district and you have a country still finding its tourism footing, which is exactly why now is interesting. Go with an open mind and respect local customs around dress and prayer times.
- The Nabataean tombs of Hegra
- Maraya, the mirrored concert hall in AlUla
- Diving the untouched reefs of the Red Sea
- Historic Al-Balad in Jeddah
Best for: adventurous travelers and desert and diving fans
Getting there: Fly into Riyadh or Jeddah from major hubs, then a short domestic flight to AlUla; e-visas are available online for many nationalities
3
Kyoto and the Setouchi region, JapanWestern Japan Google
Japan remains a value story while the yen stays weak, and 2027 brings a specific draw beyond Kyoto's temples: the Setouchi Triennale art festival returns across the islands of the Seto Inland Sea, with Naoshima and Teshima studded with Yayoi Kusama pumpkins and Tadao Ando concrete galleries. Base in Kyoto for the classics (Fushimi Inari's torii tunnels, Arashiyama's bamboo, kaiseki dinners in Gion), then ride south to island-hop by ferry. The pace is slower than Tokyo and the autumn foliage in November is among the best on earth. Smart travelers split time between the old capital and the art islands to balance crowds and calm. Book ryokan and the most popular gardens ahead, especially in peak foliage season.
- Setouchi Triennale art islands (Naoshima, Teshima)
- Fushimi Inari's thousand torii gates
- Arashiyama bamboo grove and autumn maples
- Kaiseki dinner in a Kyoto machiya
Best for: culture and art lovers, repeat Japan visitors
Getting there: Fly into Osaka (KIX), then 75 minutes by train to Kyoto; reach the Setouchi islands via Okayama or Takamatsu and local ferries
4
Albania (the Albanian Riviera)Southwestern Balkans Google
Albania is the Mediterranean coast travelers wish they had visited a decade ago, and it still costs a fraction of Italy or Greece across the water. The Riviera between Vlore and Saranda strings together clear-water coves like Gjipe and Ksamil, while inland the Ottoman-era stone towns of Berat and Gjirokaster (both UNESCO-listed) reward a road trip. Expect fresh seafood, strong coffee culture, and prices that still surprise Western Europeans. New roads and seasonal flights are making it easier each year, which means the window for cheap and uncrowded is closing. Rent a car to chase the best beaches and mountain passes at your own pace.
- Beaches at Ksamil and Gjipe
- The thousand-window town of Berat
- Butrint's Greek and Roman ruins
- Byrek and fresh-grilled seafood for a few euros
Best for: budget-minded beach and road-trip travelers
Getting there: Fly into Tirana, then about 3-4 hours' drive south to the Riviera; ferries connect Saranda with Corfu in under an hour
5
Colombia (Medellin and the Coffee Triangle)Northwestern South America Google
Colombia keeps getting easier and more rewarding, and the contrast between buzzing Medellin and the green Coffee Triangle makes for a varied week. Medellin's cable cars and outdoor escalators climb hillside neighborhoods that were once no-go zones, now full of street art, rooftop bars, and a spring-like climate year-round. An hour by air, the Zona Cafetera unfolds with wax-palm valleys at Cocora, working coffee fincas you can sleep on, and the brightly painted town of Salento. Cartagena's walled colonial center adds a Caribbean coda if you want beach time. The food, from arepas to bandeja paisa, is hearty and cheap.
- Comuna 13 street art and escalators in Medellin
- The towering wax palms of the Cocora Valley
- Coffee-farm stays around Salento
- Cartagena's walled old city
Best for: first-time South America travelers and coffee lovers
Getting there: Direct flights to Medellin or Bogota from the US and connections from Europe; short domestic hops link Medellin, the Coffee Triangle (Pereira/Armenia), and Cartagena
6
NamibiaSouthwestern Africa Google
For empty horizons and otherworldly landscapes, few places rival Namibia, and its dry, stable climate makes it one of the safest self-drive safaris in Africa. Climb the rust-red dunes of Sossusvlei at dawn, then stand among the skeletal black trees of Deadvlei on its white clay pan. Etosha National Park delivers elephants and rhinos around floodlit waterholes, while the Skeleton Coast pairs shipwrecks with seal colonies. Some of the world's darkest night skies make this a stargazer's dream. It is a long-haul trip best done over ten days or more, ideally in the cooler, game-rich dry season.
- Sunrise on the dunes of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei
- Wildlife at Etosha's floodlit waterholes
- The shipwrecks of the Skeleton Coast
- World-class dark-sky stargazing
Best for: road-trippers, photographers, and safari seekers
Getting there: Fly into Windhoek via Johannesburg or Frankfurt, then rent a 4x4; distances are long, so allow 10 days minimum
Plan it on MagicTrips
7
Uzbekistan (Samarkand and Bukhara)Central Asia Google
The Silk Road is having a moment as visa-free access and a new high-speed rail line make Uzbekistan startlingly easy to explore. Samarkand's Registan, a plaza framed by three tiled madrasas, is one of the most spectacular sights in Asia, and it costs little to stand before it. Bukhara and Khiva add labyrinths of mud-brick and minarets that feel barely changed in centuries, plus bazaars heavy with spices and silk. Plov, the national rice-and-mutton dish, is worth ordering everywhere. With prices low and tourism still modest, this is the kind of trip that feels ahead of the curve.
- The Registan ensemble in Samarkand
- Bukhara's old town and Lyabi-Hauz
- The walled inner city of Khiva
- Plov and fresh non bread from local bazaars
Best for: history buffs and value-seeking adventurers
Getting there: Fly into Tashkent via Istanbul or Gulf hubs, then the Afrosiyob high-speed train reaches Samarkand in about 2 hours; many nationalities enter visa-free
8
GreenlandNorth Atlantic / Arctic Google
Greenland just got dramatically more reachable: a new international airport in Nuuk opened in late 2024 with direct flights, putting the Arctic within a single connection of North America and Europe. Ilulissat remains the headline, where the UNESCO-listed icefjord calves house-sized icebergs you can watch from boats or hiking trails. Summer brings the midnight sun, humpback whales, and tundra hikes; winter offers the northern lights and dog-sledding. This is raw, expensive, and weather-dependent travel, but the scale of the ice is unlike anywhere else. Go before the infrastructure boom fully changes the experience.
- The calving icebergs of Ilulissat Icefjord
- Whale watching under the midnight sun
- Northern lights and dog-sledding in winter
- Colorful harbor houses of Nuuk
Best for: Arctic adventurers and serious nature travelers
Getting there: Direct flights to Nuuk from Copenhagen and seasonally from North America via the new airport, then domestic flights to Ilulissat
Plan it on MagicTrips
9
Sri LankaSouth Asia, Indian Ocean Google
Compact and astonishingly varied, Sri Lanka packs ancient cities, tea-green highlands, and wildlife-rich beaches into an island you can loop in two weeks. Climb the frescoed rock fortress of Sigiriya, ride the famously scenic train through tea country to Ella, and spot leopards in Yala National Park. The south coast around Mirissa and Weligama offers surf, whale watching, and seafood curries, while Kandy guards the Temple of the Tooth. Recovered and welcoming after recent turbulence, the country is affordable and easy to travel independently. The hill-country train ride alone justifies the trip.
- The rock fortress of Sigiriya
- The Kandy-to-Ella tea-country train
- Leopard safaris in Yala National Park
- Whale watching and surf on the south coast
Best for: two-week itineraries blending culture, wildlife, and beaches
Getting there: Fly into Colombo (Bandaranaike) via Gulf or South Asian hubs; trains and private drivers connect the main sights affordably
Plan it on MagicTrips
10
Montreal and Quebec City, CanadaEastern Canada Google
For a closer-to-home pick with a European feel, French-speaking Quebec pairs cosmopolitan Montreal with the cobbled, walled charm of Quebec City. Montreal delivers a deep food scene (bagels, smoked-meat sandwiches, and one of North America's best restaurant cities), summer festivals, and the leafy slopes of Mont-Royal. Three hours northeast, Quebec City's Old Town is the only walled city north of Mexico, magical under autumn leaves or winter snow. Time a visit for the Carnaval de Quebec in winter or jazz season in summer. A favorable exchange rate makes it a strong-value city break for US travelers.
- Old Quebec's walls and Chateau Frontenac
- Montreal bagels and smoked-meat delis
- Summer festivals and Mont-Royal views
- Carnaval de Quebec in winter
Best for: food-focused city breaks and easy North American getaways
Getting there: Direct flights to Montreal from across North America and Europe; Quebec City is about 3 hours by train or car from Montreal
Good to Know
Book the eclipse early For the August 2, 2027 total solar eclipse, accommodation along the path of totality in southern Spain will sell out a year or more ahead. Lock in lodging and refundable flights as soon as you can, and aim for the centerline near Cadiz or Granada province.
When to go Match the season to the place: Namibia, Sri Lanka, and Greenland reward the dry or summer months, while Japan peaks for autumn foliage in November and Andalusia is hot but clear in August. Shoulder seasons usually mean fewer crowds and lower prices.
Check visas and entry rules Several picks (Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka) use e-visas or visa-free entry that can change with little notice. Confirm current requirements and passport validity a few months before you travel.
Budget realistically Greenland, Namibia, and Saudi Arabia run expensive, while Albania, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, and Colombia stretch a budget far. Mixing one splurge destination with one value trip keeps a 2027 travel year affordable.
Whether you build a year around six minutes of darkness over Andalusia or a slow loop through Silk Road cities, 2027 rewards travelers who plan around what is actually happening on the ground. Pick one marquee event and one quieter escape, book the time-sensitive pieces early, and you will have a year worth remembering.