Where to travel every month of 2026
Seeking travel inspiration for the year ahead? With new routes, singular spectacles and soon-to-be iconic movie locations, this is set to be a banner year for travellers. Here are the 12 best places to explore over the coming months
Words: Hannah Ralph
08/01/2026
The 12th-century Kasbah of the Udayas in Rabat. Opening image: Kerlingarfjöll volcanic mountain range in Iceland
JANUARY
Rabat, Morocco
Thought Marrakech was the capital of Morocco? It’s a popular enough misconception, but the country’s imperial heart is, in fact, British Airways’ newest route out of London Gatwick: Rabat. Come January, the sizzling city makes for a very smug escape from Britain’s winter blues, with temperatures rarely falling below 15°C around this time of year. This year will also herald the city’s most anticipated hotel opening maybe ever: the five-star Waldorf Astoria, which has pitched up in the most ear-popping echelons of the Mohammed VI Tower – the tallest in the country and the third tallest in Africa.
Sunrise at the Duomo, Milan
FEBRUARY
Milan, Italy
From catwalks to carnivals to global sporting spectacles – Milan is about to have a February for the ages. Kicking things off is the 2026 Winter Olympics, with events straddling both the city and the legendary ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo (they’re 250 miles apart, so plan wisely if you’re going). Next up is Milan’s week-long Ambrosian Carnival, where the streets swirl with masks, tricorn hats and a dusting of powdered sugar from your chiacchiere di carnevale (traditional fried strips of sweet dough). And finally, dahling, is Fashion Week, the chicest cherry atop Italy’s sartorial cake.
African penguins on Boulders Beach, near Cape Town (Gilles de Muynck)
MARCH
Cape Town, South Africa
Colloquially crowned Africa’s ‘Grandest Gathering’, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival draws thousands of movers and shakers to the mountain-backed Mother City each March. And you don’t strictly need tickets, since the whole thing kicks off with a lively free concert in the cobbled Greenmarket Square. March also sees in the Cape Town Carnival (elaborate outfit at the ready), harvest festivals across the Winelands and prime breeding season for Boulders Beach’s poser penguins, so you can expect to see some fuzzy chicks on your beachside strolls.
Dome of the Khanqah of Faraj ibn Barquq funerary complex in Cairo’s City of the Dead (Ruben Hanssen)
APRIL
Cairo, Egypt
Thought to have its origins with the Pharaohs themselves, the Shamm El-Nessim festival is the ultimate springtime spectacle, celebrating the revival of nature after winter. Ancient Egyptians would share banquets and take boats on the river, much as modern Egyptians do today. The holiday brings together families of all faiths, gathering to share feseekh, a pungent salted fish that’s as beloved by some as it is actively avoided by others. Travel specialist Wix Squared can get you there, breaking bread with Cairo families, touring lively neighbourhoods and exploring some 100,000 artefacts from a whopping 7,000 years of history at the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum.
Loch Hope, part of the Wildland conservation project in the Scottish Highlands (Nick Law)
MAY
Vienna and the Scottish Highlands
From sequinned showdowns to landmark rewilding projects, Europe is hosting some of the loudest and quietest spectacles this spring. Handling the high notes is the Eurovision Song Contest at Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle arena from 12 May – though free festivities start at the Eurovision Village two days earlier in City Hall Square. A slower rhythm plays out in the Scottish Highlands, as Wildland, a 200-year mission to restore habitats around Inverness, reveals its most ambitious development yet: Hope. A mix of accommodations and adventurous excursions, it’ll be the place to immerse yourself in the landscape that Wildland is saving.
The 2025 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix
JUNE
Monaco
First held in 1929 and now the crown jewel of Formula 1, the Monaco Grand Prix is all super-yacht luxury and 180mph cars ricocheting off Monte Carlo’s narrow streets. This year, as the race moves to its new date on the first weekend in June, Explora Journeys returns to Port Hercule harbour with its flagship Explora I boat within Champagne-popping distance of the circuit. In 2025, Explora hosted F1 champs and Monaco’s royal family at the Vanity Fair Club party on board, and there’s just as much glitz in store for this year’s instalment. And since every cabin has a private ocean-front terrace, your front-row seats for the race are secured.
The glorious Manhattan skyline viewed from an observation deck
JULY
North America
You can take off to British Airways’ spanking new destination, St Louis, Missouri, from April, just in time for Route 66’s 100th anniversary. And July is going to be a huge month for the USA, which celebrates its 250th birthday. Year-long celebrations hit peak patriotism on Independence Day, where the usual red cups, backyard cookouts and flamboyant fireworks will cast everything from small-town lawns to sun-soaked shores in that all-American glow. And while Philadelphia (‘America’s birthplace’), Washington, DC and New York form the triumvirate of the festivities, the FIFA World Cup – the biggest football event on the planet – will be gracing 16 host cities across North America, including an exciting 11 in the States.
Reynisfjara black sand beach, Iceland
AUGUST
Iceland and Spain
These pages are full of reasons to travel, but few are as rare as this: the first total solar eclipse to be visible from mainland Europe in 27 years. On the evening of 12 August 2026, the moon will block the sun, plunging skies above parts of Iceland and Spain into two minutes of total darkness. In Iceland, head west: Snæfellsnes and the Westfjords are your best bets for the longest glimpse. Spain could be the safer option, though, with generally clearer skies. Palma, Valencia and Burgos (a short drive from Bilbao) all sit squarely within the eclipse’s path.
Red-tiled roofs in the Old Town of Tallinn
SEPTEMBER
Tallinn, Estonia
When we say ‘marathon’, you may think Boston, London or Berlin. Perhaps the most unsung is in Tallinn. Holder of a prestigious World Athletics Elite Label, this epic road race goes through the city’s Unesco-listed Old Town and Kadriorg palace and park, pet project of Peter the Great. Post-marathon recovery is only a short flight away on Hiiumaa Island – home of primeval forests, wild beaches and Estonia’s latest wellness retreat, Eha. You’ll align body, mind and spirit in one of eight suites or three forest cabins, while Green Michelin-star chef Peeter Pihel cooks up your farm-to-table supper.
Time out on Miyako Island (Getty Images)
OCTOBER
Miyako Island, Japan
As your fellow Japanophiles scramble to tick cherry blossom season from their bucket lists, we recommend holding out for the autumn foliage, an altogether more serene time, where red maples cloak the country’s extraordinary temples and the first batches of sake emerge from masterly hands (1 October is Sake Day to honour the brewing season ahead). And while the big cities wrangle with their crowds, make for the serene seas of the Okinawa Prefecture, where, on the island of Miyako, a new Rosewood resort has added serious wellness credentials to a region already famed for its centenarian locals.
The Grand Palace complex in Bangkok (Ulf Svane/Kintzing)
NOVEMBER
Jamaica and Bangkok
The culinary stars align in November, as two newly upgraded British Airways routes plate up quite the feast. With increased services to Jamaica this year, you can follow the scent of jerk all the way to the Jamaica Food and Drink festival, which turns the island’s capital into a carnival of celebrity chefs, crowd-pleasing plates and music-filled nights. Or, if you find yourself on the now year-round service to Bangkok, a new Lumphini Park hawker centre promises action from nearly 100 tempting vendors in vibey, eco-conscious surrounds.
Ice nativity scene in the Landhaus courtyard, Graz (Harry Schiffer)
DECEMBER
Graz, Austria
Take one 16th-century courtyard, 44 tonnes of ice and Bethlehem’s most famous family, and what do you get? Graz’s coolest Christmas tradition, that’s what – a full-scale nativity scene carved entirely out of said ice. A city staple since 1996, this frozen tableau is just one carol in a concert of festive delights at British Airways’ newest winter wonderland destination. There’s ice skating, light shows, grand department stores, roasted chestnuts and all the bauble-buying you can muster – whether that’s at Hauptplatz Christmas market or up on Schlossberg hill, with panoramic views of the twinkling town below.
