The best 35 destinations to visit in 2021, according to National Geographic

Coventry named as top pick for culture and history

Costa Rica was named in the Sustainability category (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The top 35 destinations in the world to visit next year have been revealed in National Geographic Traveller UK’s Best of the World 2021 list.

As travel continues to be restricted around the world amid the coronavirus pandemic, the list is designed to “provide an optimistic dose of escapism” and help travellers plan future itineraries.

Destinations are divided into five categories: Sustainability, Nature and Wildlife, Adventure, Culture and History, and Family Travel.

The UK gets several inclusions across the list, with Coventry named in the Culture and History category, the England Coast Path awarded in the Family Travel section, and Scotland crowned in Nature and Wildlife.

The nearly complete England Coast Path will be the world’s longest seafront walking trail.

“Coronavirus may well have scuppered many of our travel plans in 2020, but it hasn’t quashed our desire to see the world,” said Pat Riddell, editor of National Geographic Traveller (UK).  

“And while we dream of distant shores and warmer climes, this list recognises the extraordinary destinations we can look forward to visiting when the time comes.  

“Ahead of a new year – with the hope of a return to travel – we’re excited to share these 35 places, which will feature prominently on our future itineraries.”

Here’s the list in full:

Sustainability

Costa Rica

Helsinki, Finland

Alonissos, Greece  

Copenhagen, Denmark  

New Caledonia  

Freiburg, Germany  

Gabon, Africa  

Denver, Colorado, US  

Nature and Wildlife

Scotland, UK

South Africa

Isle Royale, Michigan, US  

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada  

Cerrado, Brazil  

Lord Howe Island, Australia  

Adventure

Greenland

Antarctica

Dominica  

Svaneti Region, Georgia  

Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina  

The Carian Trail, Turkey  

Culture and History

Coventry, UK

Porto, Portugal

Guam  

Pueblo Nations, New Mexico, US  

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain  

Gyeongju, South Korea  

Tulsa, Oklahoma, US  

Tonglu, Zhejiang Province, China  

Family travel

Montenegro

Japan

England Coast Path

Transylvania, Romania  

Space Coast, Florida, US  

Hortobágy, Hungary  

Indigenous British Columbia, Canada