Petra in Jordan named top destination in Lonely Planet's ultimate travel list

Historical city in Jordan given number one spot by Lonely Planet

Petra was named number one destination (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Petra in Jordan has topped a new list of travel destinations.

The historic city was named the number one place to visit in Lonely Planet’s latest Ultimate Travel List, a book ranking 500 travel experiences all around the world.

Petra was commended for its “eternal air of mystery”; the ancient sandstone city, a Unesco World Heritage Site, was voted in as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World by popular ballot in 2007.

In second place were the Galápagos Islands, followed by Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia and Botswana’s Okavango Delta.

The UK had a number of entries in Lonely Planet’s second annual list, with the Lake District being ranked highest at number 40.

It was followed by the British Museum (56), Wales Coast Path (82), Giant's Causeway (102) and the Jurassic Coast (116).

The longlist of destinations was compiled from Lonely Planet guidebook highlights, before being whittled down to a shortlist.  

Readers and experts were then asked to vote on their top 20 travel experiences to create a definitive ranking.

Entries were also given extra points if their sustainability credentials stacked up, while points were deducted for destinations known to suffer from overtourism.

“We changed the way we calculated the list,” said Lonely Planet’s VP of publishing, Piers Pickard.  “For this edition we rewarded extra points to sights that are managing tourism sustainably.”

He added: “After seven months of staying at home, now's the perfect time to start thinking about where and how to travel once normality returns.  

“In putting together this book, we were excited by changes in both the 'where' and the 'how'. We added 200 new entries into our list of the world's Top 500.  

“And we were both surprised and reassured by just how many of the Top 500 are working hard to create more sustainable visitor experiences.”

The Ultimate Travel List

1. Petra, Jordan  

2. The Galápagos Islands  

3. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia

4. Okavango Delta, Botswana

5. Yellowstone National Park, USA  

6. Lake Bled, Slovenia  

7. Iguazú Falls, Argentina-Brazil  

8. Temples of Angkor, Cambodia  

9. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

10. Annapurna Circuit, Nepal  

UK top 10

1. Lake District

2. British Museum

3. Wales Coast Path

4. Giant's Causeway

5. Jurassic Coast

6. Brecon Beacons

7. Snowdowia

8. V&A Museum

9. West Highland Way

10. Glen Coe