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14 November 2024 by Joel Rabinowitz
Earlier this week, Condé Nast Traveller published its list of ‘The 25 Best Places to Go in 2025’, featuring an eclectic range of destinations across all seven continents. The contrasts between them are stark, but a common thread running throughout the list is up-and-coming destinations where change is afoot – whether it be the emergence of exciting and innovative accommodation options, the opening of brand new flight routes, or the launch of significant cultural events. Some of them are well-known destinations that may well have been on your travel radar for some time; others, you might never have heard of. And with the new year now on the horizon, there’s no better time to start planning your next adventure – so to inspire your imagination, we’ve picked out several highlights from Condé Nast Traveller’s shortlist of the best places to visit in 2025.
Queensland, Australia
Whitehaven Beach, Hamilton Island
Australia’s second-largest state, Queensland, encompasses almost a quarter of the country’s total landmass, with a dazzling coastline stretching more than 7,000 kilometres and almost 2,000 tropical and subtropical islands sprinkled among its glistening, turquoise waters. Indeed, it’s specifically Queensland’s tropical northern coastline that features on Condé Nast Traveller’s 2025 shortlist, recognising not only its standout natural wonder, the Great Barrier Reef, but also the thriving art scene in Cairns, the ongoing development of the Wangetti Trail between Palm Cove and Port Douglas, and the emergence of brand new luxury resorts on the idyllic Whitsunday Islands.
Visit Tropical North Queensland
Greenland
The iceberg town of Ilulissat, Greenland
Greenland, the world’s largest non-continental island, has long been an alluring destination for adventurous travellers seeking to explore some of the wildest and most remote corners of the Arctic, with landscapes ranging from vast glaciers and soaring mountains to deep fjords and a pristine, uninhabited ice sheet that covers nearly 80 percent of its total landmass. Until recently, it hasn’t been the most straightforward place to get to – typically requiring numerous overnight stops and flight connections – but with a new international airport opening in Nuuk in November 2024, and two more to follow in Ilulissat (further north) and Qaqortoq (in the south), it’s about to become considerably more accessible. These major advances in Greenland’s infrastructure will open up direct flights from Copenhagen to Nuuk with Air Greenland and Scandinavian Airlines, as well as from New York to Nuuk with United Airlines from June 2025. So, whether you’re drawn to the prospect of sailing among gigantic icebergs, gliding across the polar wilderness by husky sled, seeing the Northern Lights or learning about indigenous Inuit culture, visiting Greenland is smoother than ever before.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Vietnam’s most populous city, Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon) is by no means a hidden gem – in fact, Condé Nast Traveller describe it as “one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism powerhouses” – and there’s good reason to suggest that 2025 is the perfect time to visit. Next April will mark the 50-year anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, with a series of events, exhibitions and celebrations scheduled to commemorate half a century of national reunification. A brand new metro system is on the way, which will make navigating the city easier than ever before, while smart new hotels are continually popping up. From its scintillating culinary scene and pulsating nightlife to its fascinating museums and striking blend of traditional and contemporary architecture, it’s a city with endless layers to uncover.
The Top End, Australia
Nawurlandja Lookout, Kakadu National Park/Tourism NT/Shaana McNaught
Another Australian entry to Condé Nast Traveller’s 2025 shortlist, the aptly-named Top End covers the northern section of Australia’s vast Northern Territory. It’s home to the territory’s capital, Darwin, a vibrant tropical city awash with bustling food markets, eclectic art galleries and gorgeous beaches, as well as the UNESCO-listed Kakadu National Park, a wilderness region of savanna grasslands, mangroves, tidal mudflats, epic escarpments and thundering waterfalls. Here, you can spot an abundance of wildlife including saltwater crocodiles, water buffalo and a rich array of bird species, as well as visiting numerous ancient Aboriginal rock art sites. Litchfield National Park is similarly impressive, with its cascading waterfalls, magnetic termite mounds and crystal clear rock pools dotted among monsoonal rainforests.
Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Wildebeest herd in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
The world’s largest intact, inactive and unfilled volcanic caldera, Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater, holds UNESCO World Heritage status in recognition of its global importance for biodiversity conservation. The region’s highland plains, savanna grasslands, savanna woodlands and forests are home to a vast array of wildlife, including all of the Big Five, as well as enormous herds of wildebeest that migrate north, through the Serengeti, towards the Masai Mara in Kenya. As such, it’s one of Africa’s premier safari destinations, and with a handful of new boutique wilderness lodges in the works, 2025 is a prime time to go – perhaps combining a safari adventure with some beachside relaxation on the palm-fringed golden sands of Zanzibar.
La Paz, Bolivia
La Paz, the highest altitude city in the world
It may be best known as the world’s highest altitude capital city, sitting at 3,640 metres above sea level amid the mighty peaks of the Bolivian Andes, but La Paz is forging a reputation as a burgeoning culinary hotspot, dishing up what Condé Nast Traveller describe as “South America’s most underrated foodie scene right now”. Street food specialities include the likes of salteñas (a Bolivian interpretation of empanadas), anticucho (beef heart skewer), sopa de mani (peanut soup) and humintas (steams cornbreads), while the city’s ever-expanding range of high-end restaurants deliver innovative takes on traditional Altiplano and Amazonian dishes. With a celebratory calendar of events pencilled in to mark Bolivia’s bicentenary of independence in 2025, there’s even more reason to put La Paz on your travel wishlist, potentially alongside the Uyuni Salt Flats and the Atacama Desert in neighbouring Chile.
