Compare 576 Travel Destinations

A small County Kerry town that exists almost entirely as the gateway to two of Ireland's signature experiences — the 179 km Ring of Kerry coastal drive, and Killarney National Park, the country's first national park (1932) covering 26,000 acres of lakes, oak woods, and the McGillycuddy's Reeks mountains. Inside the park: 15th-century Muckross Abbey, Victorian Muckross House, the 15th-century Ross Castle on Lough Leane, and jaunting cars (horse-drawn pony carts) that still ferry visitors to the Gap of Dunloe. The town fills with coach groups May through October.

Kerala's port city and commercial capital, where four centuries of Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial layers stack on top of a much older Arab and Chinese spice-trade harbour. Fort Kochi - the historic peninsula across the harbour from the modern mainland - holds the Chinese fishing nets along Vasco da Gama Square, St Francis Church (where Vasco da Gama was first buried in 1524, the oldest European-built church in India), the 1568 Paradesi Synagogue in Jew Town, and the Mattancherry Palace with its Hindu mythology murals. The city is also the standard launching point for Kerala's backwater houseboats out of Alleppey, 90 minutes south.

Krakow is Poland's cultural jewel — a medieval Old Town that survived WWII intact, anchored by Europe's largest market square. The Wawel Castle, Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz), and Wieliczka Salt Mine are world-class, and the city is famously affordable. A sobering but essential day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau adds historical weight.

Kuala Lumpur is a city of stunning contrasts — the iconic Petronas Twin Towers soar above colonial-era shophouses, Malay mosques sit near Hindu temples and Chinese clan houses. The food scene is extraordinary, blending Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Nyonya cuisines at hawker stalls and night markets. Incredible value for money.

Ukraine's golden-domed capital on the Dnipro River — Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves, UNESCO) with its underground catacombs, St. Sophia Cathedral (UNESCO, intact since 1037), Andriyivsky Uzviz's bohemian descent, the Maidan's extraordinary history, and Podil's café scene. The largest city in Eastern Europe by area, Kyiv has remained operational throughout the 2022 war — a city of stunning resilience and extraordinary historical depth. Check current advisories before travel.

Kyoto is Japan's cultural heart — over 2,000 temples and shrines, traditional geisha districts, bamboo groves, and some of the country's finest cuisine. The former imperial capital for over a thousand years, it's where Japanese tradition lives and breathes. Every season brings a different kind of beauty.

The world's highest administrative capital sits in a dramatic canyon surrounded by snow-capped Andean peaks. The teleférico cable car system offers stunning aerial views, witches' markets sell llama fetuses for offerings, and the Moon Valley landscape is otherworldly.

Africa's largest city is the continent's cultural powerhouse — Afrobeats, Nollywood, contemporary art, and an unstoppable entrepreneurial energy alongside beaches and legendary nightlife.

Pakistan's cultural and culinary capital — the Mughal seat where Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan all left their mark. The Walled City's bazaars open onto the colossal Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort across the Hazuri Bagh, Wazir Khan's tilework still glints in the Kashmiri Bazaar, and the Food Street at Fort Road serves karahi and lassi until 2 AM. The saying goes: Jine Lahore nai vekheya, o jameya hi nai — if you haven't seen Lahore, you haven't been born.

The 4.2-mile Strip is a self-contained universe of themed megaresorts — the Bellagio fountains, the Venetian canals, the Eiffel Tower replica, the Sphere's LED exterior. 42 million visitors a year. Beyond the casinos: the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown's vintage heart, world-class residencies (Adele, U2 at Sphere), and a surprisingly strong food-and-cocktail scene built on celebrity-chef imports. Red Rock Canyon sits 30 minutes west, the Grand Canyon 4 hours east, Zion 3 hours northeast.

Switzerland's second-largest French-speaking city, terraced steeply down the north shore of Lake Geneva — the Olympic capital of the world since the IOC moved its headquarters here in 1915. The Olympic Museum at Ouchy on the lakefront draws 250,000 visitors a year, the Notre-Dame Cathedral crowns the upper old town as Switzerland's finest Gothic building, and the Lavaux UNESCO vineyard terraces begin a 15-minute train ride east. The EHL hotel-management school and university give the city an energetic student population that softens the formality of Geneva 60 km west.

Tibet's capital at 3,656m — the Potala Palace (UNESCO 1994, former winter residence of the Dalai Lama), Jokhang Temple (holiest in Tibetan Buddhism), Barkhor Street pilgrim circuit, and the monks' debates at Sera Monastery (weekday afternoons). Required visa reality: foreigners need both a Chinese visa AND a Tibet Travel Permit via a registered operator; solo travel is not permitted. Access via Chengdu (CTU) flight or the Qinghai-Tibet Railway — one of the highest railways on Earth with oxygen piped into cabins. Best April–October.

Lima is South America's gastronomic capital — ceviche, causa, and anticuchos are just the start. The city's food scene has earned multiple spots on the World's 50 Best list. Beyond the restaurants, colonial Miraflores overlooks the Pacific, the historic center is a UNESCO site, and the Larco Museum's pre-Columbian collection is extraordinary.

Lisbon is one of Europe's most underrated capitals — hilly cobblestone streets, pastel-colored buildings, and stunning viewpoints at every turn. The city blends old-world charm with a thriving modern food and nightlife scene. Excellent value compared to Western European peers, with reliable transit and easy day trips to Sintra and the coast.

Slovenia's tiny, green capital — Jože Plečnik's Triple Bridge and Dragon Bridge, Ljubljana Castle funicular, a car-free cobblestone center, and Lake Bled 55km away. European Green Capital 2016, strategically placed between Venice, Zagreb, Vienna, and the Julian Alps. Budget-friendly and walkable in a morning.

London is a city of villages — each neighborhood has its own personality, from the royal grandeur of Westminster to the edgy markets of Camden and the hipster cafes of Shoreditch. World-class museums (most free!), a legendary theater scene, and one of the most diverse food cultures on earth make it endlessly explorable.

LA is a sprawling mosaic — Hollywood glamour, Pacific beaches, Getty art, Griffith Observatory views, and some of the country's best Mexican and Asian food. The city sprawls but rewards exploration: Venice's boardwalk, Downtown's renaissance, Beverly Hills' polish, and canyon drives to hidden overlooks.

Louisville (locally pronounced LOO-uh-vul) is the bourbon capital of the world and the home of the Kentucky Derby — the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs has been running uninterrupted since 1875. The Urban Bourbon Trail links 40+ bars and distilleries within the city; the Louisville Slugger factory makes the bats every MLB player swings; and NuLu has rebuilt East Market Street into a tight strip of restaurants, distilleries, and galleries. Add the Muhammad Ali Center, a passable food scene, and Frankfort Avenue's Frankfort Avenue antique row, and the city punches well above its 630,000 population.

The picture-postcard alpine lake city in central Switzerland — Europe's oldest covered wooden bridge (the 1333 Chapel Bridge) crosses the Reuss river, the 1821 Lion Monument commemorates the Swiss Guards killed defending Louis XVI, and Mount Pilatus (2,128m) and Mount Rigi (1,797m) loom across Lake Lucerne with the world's steepest cogwheel railway and Europe's oldest mountain railway respectively. The 21st-century Elbphilharmonie-rivalling Elbphilharmonie-equivalent here is the KKL concert hall hosting the world-class Lucerne Festival. Genuinely expensive — Switzerland is among Europe's priciest, with CHF 4 city bus rides and CHF 25+ basic restaurant mains.

The world's greatest open-air museum — ancient Thebes holds more monuments than anywhere on earth. The Valley of the Kings, Karnak Temple, and Hatshepsut's mortuary temple are staggering. Hot air balloon rides at sunrise over the West Bank are unforgettable.

Western Ukraine's cultural and coffee capital — UNESCO old town largely spared WWII destruction, with Renaissance, Baroque, and Vienna Secession architecture stacked across the historical centre. Rynok Square's 44 burgher houses, the Latin Cathedral and Renaissance Boim Chapel, the Armenian Cathedral with extraordinary 1925-1929 frescoes, the 1900 Vienna Secession opera house, and Lychakiv Cemetery (1786) — an open-air encyclopaedia of who has lived and died here. NOTE: Russia's full-scale invasion continues; Lviv has been one of the safer Ukrainian cities throughout but air-raid alerts and missile strikes are not hypothetical. Check current advisories before any travel.

France's gastronomic capital — Paul Bocuse's legacy, traditional bouchons in the UNESCO Vieux Lyon, and Les Halles covered market. Roman ruins at Fourvière, silk-weavers' traboules hidden through the buildings of Croix-Rousse, and the Fête des Lumières lighting the city in December. 2 hours TGV from Paris for half the prices.

The "Vegas of Asia" is much more than casinos — Macau's UNESCO-listed historic center showcases centuries of Portuguese-Chinese fusion in its pastel churches, temples, egg tarts, and cobblestone streets. Just a ferry ride from Hong Kong.

Madison is built on a narrow isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, with the white-granite Wisconsin State Capitol (the only state capitol built on an isthmus, and a near-twin of the US Capitol's design) anchoring the dead centre. The University of Wisconsin–Madison wraps the western lakeshore, the Dane County Farmers' Market loops the Capitol Square every Saturday April–November (the largest producer-only farmers' market in the United States), and the Memorial Union Terrace's sunburst chairs are the unofficial summer living room. Beer, cheese, brats, and lake life — Wisconsin to its core.