Looking for somewhere new to pin on your travel map? Forget the usual suspects. The world keeps opening up new corners, and 2026 has some good ones. Here are four trending destinations getting serious attention right now.

OULU, FINLAND

Most people couldn’t find Oulu on a map. That’s about to change. This seaside city on Finland’s northern coast is having a major moment as the European Capital of Culture 2026. The year-long programme spans more than 1,000 events, spilling into streets, forests, riverbanks and even neighbouring towns. Expect music festivals, Sámi exhibitions (indigenous culture), light installations, pop-up performances and public art routes like the Climate Clock trail. Food plays a big part too through the Arctic Food Lab, showcasing sustainable Nordic cuisine and local produce like foraged berries including fresh sea buckthorn and reindeer tartare.
When you are not soaking up the festive vibes, Oulu itself is compact and sociable, with a quirky spirit locals wear with pride – this is, after all, home to the annual Air Guitar World Championships! Rent a fatbike (the city is among Europe’s most cycle-friendly) and start at Market Square, where waterfront cafés are buzzing and the historic Market Hall does excellent things with local fish. Look out for Toripolliisi, the beloved bronze policeman statue, then follow the colourful riverfront buildings to catch a ferry across to Pikisaari, a small wooden village that feels frozen in time.
Outside the city, the wilderness awaits. Winter brings frozen coastlines, snow-covered forests and Northern Lights excursions. Summer brings near-endless daylight, midnight hikes, paddleboarding, island-hopping around the Oulu archipelago and long beach days at beautiful Nallikari. Sauna, of course, is a lifestyle here – and in summer, you can float down the Oulu River on a steaming sauna raft, followed by a plunge into the refreshing water (or an ice hole in winter).
The ultimate Arctic reset, it’s easy to see why Oulu is finally getting the attention it deserves.

PELOPONNESE, GREECE

The Peloponnese is the Greece that Greeks recommend and tourists often overlook. A rugged peninsula dangling from the southern mainland, it delivers much of what people love about the country: ancient ruins, mountain villages, turquoise bays, fantastic food – almost entirely without the crowds. With more ancient history than almost anywhere else in Europe, this is where Olympia held its games nearly 3,000 years ago, where Mycenae’s Lion Gate still stands and where the Byzantine city of Mystras cascades down a hillside above Sparta.
The Peloponnese has always had the ingredients, but what’s changed recently is the infrastructure has finally caught up. Access has become easier, luxury hotels are appearing and a new 1,730-kilometre hiking network now links the mountains with the shoreline. Christopher Nolan shot parts of his upcoming film The Odyssey here too, and travellers are already tracing the production through sites like Nestor’s Cave and the horseshoe-shaped Voidokilia Beach.
Every pocket of the Peloponnese has its own personality. Messenia offers miles of pristine sandy beaches. Nafplio, often described as one of Greece’s most beautiful towns, has colourful Venetian architecture and narrow picturesque cobblestoned streets with cafés and artisan boutiques. Further south, the Mani Peninsula, known as the ‘Wild West’ of Greece, has a rugged, sun-baked landscape with fishing villages and hidden turquoise coves.
Then there’s the food. Family tavernas serve grilled octopus, slow-cooked lamb, fresh pasta and salads drizzled with Kalamata olive oil that makes you question every bottle you’ve bought back home. Finish with diples – fried dough drenched in honey – and you’ll start planning your next trip here before the plate is cleared.

QUY NHON, VIETNAM

For years, Quy Nhon was somewhere only long-haul backpackers stumbled upon by accident. Overshadowed by Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, this seaside town on Vietnam’s south-central coast, with its pristine shores, Cham heritage and unspoilt feel, is now turning up on global travel hotlists – and for good reason.
The beaches alone justify the journey. Stealing the show is Ky Co, often called the Maldives of Vietnam, with its powdery sand, crystal-clear turquoise waters and cliffs that drop straight into the sea. Eo Gio (the Strait of the Winds) is beautiful with its towering rocky ridges and crashing waves, while the nearby islands are good for kayaking and snorkelling among coral reefs.
Inland, there’s plenty to explore. History lovers can visit the centuries-old Banh It Cham Towers that sit atop green hills above the ocean. The laid-back village of Bai Xep is worth an early start to watch fishermen pull colourful boats onto the shore each morning. And when hunger strikes, the city delivers and then some. Street food is what Quy Nhon does best, and Xuan Dieu Street is the place to go. Order bún chả cá, a local fish cake noodle soup, for breakfast, and don’t leave without trying bánh xèo tôm nhảy, crispy rice pancakes filled with freshly caught shrimp.
A growing number of well-designed eco-resorts and wellness retreats have arrived in recent years, but Quy Nhon remains refreshingly free of mass tourism.

BIG SKY, MONTANA

Sitting in a stretch between Yellowstone National Park and the spine of the Rockies, interest in this upscale Montana resort town has skyrocketed this year. Some call it the Yellowstone Effect, after the TV series that romanticised the American West. But Big Sky’s appeal was earnt well before Kevin Costner showed up on a horse.
This is big country, in the literal sense. Mountains crowd the horizon, valleys stretch out wide and you start to feel pretty small pretty fast. Gallatin National Forest surrounds the town, and Yellowstone’s geysers and waterfalls are close enough to visit before lunch. Millions visit the park each year and many choose to skip the camping experience and trade their tent for a proper bed and dinner in Big Sky instead.
Winter is the main event, and the resort has more than 5,800 skiable acres, among the largest in North America. But once the snow melts, the skis go away and the hiking boots come out. Wildflowers take over the alpine trails, the Madison River fills with fly fishermen and the chairlifts start hauling mountain bikes instead. There’s whitewater rafting if you want the adrenaline or a slow horse ride through open meadows if you don’t. Elk, moose and bison turn up unexpectedly. Bears too, if you’re lucky, or unlucky, depending how you look at it. And on clear nights, the sky, true to the name, is enormous, thick with stars – most only ever see in photographs.
For anyone chasing wilderness with a warm bed waiting at the end of it, Big Sky has become one of 2026’s better bets. ✤