Lonely Planet reveals top 2025 holiday hotspots – including underrated English region
LONELY Planet has revealed its top list of trending destinations that you need to visit next year.
The best cities, countries and regions to visit have all been announced by the global travel books in their Best in Travel 2025.
Each category has both popular places and ‘hidden gems’ as part of the top 10 list.
As part of their Top 10 Regions, East Anglia bizarrely made the top 10.
Called the “enigmatic UK region,” it made the top list for being a “true taste of old England, combined with beautiful nature reserves […] lively coastal beach towns and picturesque inland waterways”.
The region is made up Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire.
Some of the highlights include “listening to birds at Mismere” as well as university hopping in Cambridge and having a night out in Norfolk with theatre, live music and art shows.
Annette Salkald, North Suffolk Coast Reserves Warden, Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds said: “I love the quirky market towns with unusual shops and a real community vibe.
She also praised the region’s beautiful scenery and nature.
Visit England‘s Chief Executive Patricia Yates added: “It is fantastic to see East Anglia take its place on the global stage as one of Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2025 top regions.
“And it’s no surprise with the area boasting an outstanding coastline, fabulous seaside towns, historic attractions, waterways and breathtaking countryside.
“This accolade will encourage domestic and international visitors to explore more of the region and discover the warm welcome that awaits them.”
The other top regions included Bavara in Germany, the Jordan Trail and Valais in Switzerland, although the no.1 spot went to South Carolina’s Low Country and Coastal Georgia, USA.
When it comes to the 10 Best Cities, while none in the UK made the cut, there were a number of European cities to feature.
The no.1 spot was Toulouse in France, dubbed the Pink City because of its pink terracotta bricks.
Bulgaria’s Bansko came in third, known for being a cheap ski destination, followed by Genoa in Italy and Spain‘s Majorca.
And for the top 10 Best Countries gave the top spot to Cameroon, with Lithuanisa and Slovakia making the list too.
Nitya Chambers, Lonely Planet’s SVP, Content and Executive Editor, said: “Best in Travel 2025 is the latest edition of Lonely Planet’s annual love letter to the world.
“While mindful of our responsibilities and impact as travelers, we’re proud of the destinations, journeys and experiences featured here and are excited to share the local expertise and insight at the heart of these recommendations.
Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Best Cities 2025
- Toulouse, France
- Pondicherry, India
- Bansko, Bulgaria
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Genoa, Italy
- Pittsburgh, USA
- Osaka, Japan
- Curitiba, Brazil
- Palma de Mallorca, Spain
- Edmonton, Canada
“Wherever you are in the world, we’re confident Best in Travel brings fresh inspiration for the year ahead.”
It’s not the only trending destination for 2025.
Bosnia and Herzegovina was named a “less crowded alternative to Dubrovnik’ by a team of travel experts at Wild Frontiers.
Brittany in France has made the list of trending destinations for 2025 by American Express.
Skyscanner’s trending destinations 2025 included Tartu in Estonia, Reggio Calabria in Italy and Córdoba, Spain.
Lonely Planet's Top 10 Regions 2025
- South Carolina’s Low Country and Coastal Georgia, USA
- The Terai, Nepal
- Chiriqui, Panama
- Launceston & the Tamar Valley, Australia
- Valais, Switzerland
- Giresun & Ordu, Turkiye
- Bavaria, Germany
- East Anglia, England
- Jordan Trail
- Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge region, Oregon, USA