I’ve spent most of this year travelling, starting in South America and trekking through Central America, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East. But there are only five places I’d go back to in 2025.

They range from a relatively non-tourist 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. I meet people. I shop in the grocery stores and explore the cities.

Here are the five destinations you shouldn’t miss in 2025 — and the one thing you have to do when you’re there.

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 constantly reinventing itself and always looking to the future. I stayed in a Blueground apartment near Charlottenburg during the summer and found the city to be a bright and welcoming place.

Berlin is one of the most walkable cities in Europe. The sidewalks are extra wide, so you don’t have to worry about sharing the path with a biker, motorcycle or 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 Europe’s best shopping and restaurants. 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 favourite destination for Americans, who invariably 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 tourists 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.

Dublin, like other European capitals, is rich in culture. There are free museums like the vast National Museum of Ireland, across the river from the Guinness Storehouse. There’s shopping on Grafton Street and a great restaurant and theatre scene in the Docklands. But what set Dublin apart for me were the people. No matter how hard it rained- and almost all the time- the locals I met were cheerful and seemed genuinely happy to see me.

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 researching a series of articles on sustainability and tourism. It didn’t take me long to realise 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 went to Grenada, also known as Spice Island. And yes, the island has beaches, but it also has excellent 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 unique. A genuine warmth and hospitality stand out among the other Caribbean islands.

Don’t miss: Visit Belmont Estate to see how they grow and harvest cocoa beans 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 unique? 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 can visit for a weekend, take it. Walk along the lake’s northern shore, find a bench, and enjoy one of the most beautiful views you will ever see in your travels.

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 escape it all during the summer. It has a lively cultural scene, terrific restaurants, and one of Europe’s best farmers’ markets. 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 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 these unique islands. You’ll see farms, old towns, castles and 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 favourite places aren’t just beautiful; they have an inner quality that makes them worth seeing again.

 

 

 

Written by: Christopher Elliott

 

 

BIO:
Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at chris@elliott.org.

 

 

 

 

 

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