Tripadvisor has named the 25 best travel destinations in 2018, with European cities at the top of the list. The list is based on the aggregated ratings of attractions, hotels and restaurants given by millions of Tripadvisor users over the past 12 months.
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The best travel destinations in 2018
Lists of "best destinations" are always a bit tricky. After all, what is "best" is subjective and depends on what you are looking for. It's hard to compare a big city in Europe with a holiday resort in Asia.
Still, it's kind of fun to look at lists like this, especially when they are based on the views of so many people around the world. What are your reflections? Do you like any of these destinations? Anyone who surprises you? Anyone missing from the list?
1. Paris, France
I (Helena) have not been here since I was 14 years old, but according to Tripadvisor, you should see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the exhibitions at the Louvre ... and eat good food.
2. London, United Kingdom
I could write the same as number 1, but according to Tripadvisor, this is the city where history mixes with art, fashion, food and good British ale.
3. Rome, Italy
We visited Rome in September last year, and this is a city that pleasantly surprised us. A wonderfully charming and interesting capital city!
4. Bali, Indonesia
5. Crete, Greece
6. Barcelona, Spain
Interesting history, exciting architecture, great food and a beach in the centre of the city - it's hard not to like Barcelona!
7. Prague, Czech Republic
We are very fond of the Czech Republic, and although we think the Czech Republic is more than its capital, we have to say that Prague is well worth a visit!
8. Marrakech, Morocco
Marrakech is a vibrant city full of colours, smells and sounds. It may not be the most peaceful place in the world, but it's certainly exciting to experience Marrakech!
9. Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul is a vibrant and exciting city, full of history, culture and good food. Here you can visit beautiful mosques and shop in glorious bazaars.
10. New York, USA
11. Phuket, Thailand
12. Hanoi, Vietnam
Because we got married in Hanoi, we have a special relationship with this place, but our favourite part was Halong Bay on the coast, with its amazing sugarloaf mountains.
13. Siam Riep, Cambodia
14. Jamaica
15th Playa del Carmen, Mexico
16th Lisbon, Portugal
Portugal's capital is incredibly charming with its hills, trams and cable cars. We would love to go back!
17. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
18th Tokyo, Japan
19. Kathmandu, Nepal
I don't know much about Kathmandu, but I've just followed the blogger Lady in Bangkok. exciting photo reports from the city. Feel free to check it out!
20. Hong Kong, China
21. Hurghada, Egypt
Our favourite part of the trip to Hurghada in Egypt was the excursions to Luxor, the Temple of Karnak and the Nile. Very interesting!
22. New Delhi, India
23rd Cusco, Peru
24th Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
25th Sydney, Australia
We've never been to Australia, but since we just wrote about the country, we've been dreaming about all the wonderful places, especially Sydney!
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Anette says:
Look at that, a bit surprising that Kathmandu is on the list. An exciting city, for sure. I imagine Bangkok was that way thirty years ago.
Their airport is not smooth, it's downright miserable, so let's hope they get their act together before tourism takes off.
We are actually going to Bali next week, during the Thai New Year.
Many thanks for linking to my little blog ❤️
04 April 2018 - 7:37
Helena says:
Yes, it was a bit unexpected, wasn't it? And thank you for interesting reports from an exciting place!
04 April 2018 - 19:17
Ama de casa says:
Have 8 places left to visit on my bucket list then if you are to start from that list 🙂 .
Anything to add? Maybe that Bergmark street fits in here too... 😉 No, but Bora Bora which we visited last summer would definitely fit - a paradise! 🙂
04 April 2018 - 9:59
Helena says:
Haha, I think I will choose Bora Bora over Bergmark street then, believe it or not 😉.
04 April 2018 - 19:17
Lena - good for the soul says:
I have been to a number of the places listed and would love to go back. Some of the places I haven't been to are really appealing and some are not so appealing. Nice to see the list!
Hug Lena
04 April 2018 - 13:30
Helena says:
It's a bit of fun with lists ðŸ™'
04 April 2018 - 19:18
Ruth in Virginia says:
Kathmandu was visited in April 1982 on the way home from Jakarta to the USA.
It was a sad city in many ways. Filthy streets where emaciated
cows were looking for something to eat in the street corners, where the population was burning the
everything. We stayed in a so-called better hotel, which had a casino.
We heard that no Nepalis could enter there, only Indians.
India had Nepal under its thumb at the time.
We hired a taxi one day to drive up into the mountains near K.
The terraced farms had decayed, the villages had bricks and stones.
lying in the streets. Everywhere, even in K., one saw women with large
bundles of rice on the back - used for fuel.
And - how many stupas can you see and give delighted exclamations?
My souvenir became a stubborn "worm in the stomach", which took a couple of
years to get rid of.
Bali, too touristy. There are countless islands in the vicinity, which certainly
are more interesting (Spice Islands)
04 April 2018 - 14:51
Helena says:
Oh how interesting Ruth! Yes, I can imagine that Kathmandu was dirty then! It seems like that city still has a lot of misery to deal with. Worm in the stomach .... fy!!!
04 April 2018 - 19:19
Ditte says:
That's great! Now I can feel trendy. Have visited 20 of these 25 places. Playa del Carmen, Tokyo, Kathmandu, Cusco and Rio remain. (But have been to Brazil) But it is probably only Tokyo and Cusco that I would like to visit. The dream destinations are Antarctica and Galapagos.
04 April 2018 - 17:12
Helena says:
You are both trendy and very famous! 🙂
04 April 2018 - 19:20
Marina says:
Now I'm a bit of a party to the case, but I'm missing Singapore on the list! By the way, I have about half left so I have to work on it...
04 April 2018 - 17:50
Helena says:
Maybe it's not a bad idea to have some exciting places left to look forward to 😉.
04 April 2018 - 19:20
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
I realise that I have some work to do on that list.
New York, Cisco and Cambodia, which appeal to me. Then Dubai, which I don't want to go to at all. I have no desire to go to Japan or Thailand, while some of the places are quite indifferent to me.
We will visit Playa del Carmen and the Yucutan Peninsula this autumn, wonderful!
04 April 2018 - 18:59
Helena says:
What an exciting journey you have to look forward to!!!! 🙂
04 April 2018 - 19:21
BP says:
I am of course most fond of the capitals, as I am a pure asphalt farmer;-) Hurghada is a surprise, as I have not heard anything positive about the resort from acquaintances who have been there. Phuket is also surprising, as I understood that there are so many better places to go to than Phuket.
Missing Singapore after all I've read at Marina's.
As you say, choosing a destination is subjective and depends entirely on what you are looking for.
04 April 2018 - 21:06
Helena says:
Can agree that some resorts surprise!
06 April 2018 - 8:18
Marianne - Glimpses of the world says:
Exciting to see such lists! They often contain many of the most popular destinations, but is it necessarily the case that most popular is synonymous with best? I have many books of the type "these places you must visit" or "these are the world's most amazing destinations". What a lot of the places in these books have in common is that they are in Western countries or countries that are easy and/or relatively common to visit. Many countries are completely omitted. This is only natural, since very few people - even travel writers - visit every country in the world. I can understand why people go to London and Prague, they are places that are easily accessible, have a lot to offer and feel safe, and many others have been there before and can give tips. I visit these places myself, and many of the popular places are definitely worth a visit. For example, Tokyo and Istanbul, which are both on the list above, are fantastic cities, if you ask me. But won't such lists and books help maintain the popularity of the popular destinations, while places that deserve more visitors remain unknown to most people?
If I were to write a travel book of amazing destinations, it would contain off-the-beaten-path places that deserve more visitors, as a kind of supplement to the books with the more popular places 😀.
04 April 2018 - 21:25
Helena says:
I can agree that there is a bit of 'skewing'. A lot of people travel to the most popular cities, for example, while there may be other cities that would also deserve attention - where very few people travel. As a travel blogger, I think it is fun to sometimes write about slightly more unknown destinations. But then things like direct flights also have an impact. If you are going to spend a weekend somewhere, you do not want to have to change flights ... and it is perhaps to the most popular destinations that there are direct flights ...
06 April 2018 - 8:21
bosses says:
You don't have to go far to find interesting and exciting cities. I can recommend Dresden in Germany with a fantastic city centre rebuilt after WWII and a decent car park close to the centre. Krakow in Poland is also well worth a visit.
04 April 2018 - 22:18
Helena says:
Agree that Krakow is worth visiting. Dresden was an interesting tip, thanks for that!
06 April 2018 - 8:21
Christine - 29°. says:
How nice that little Bali, the island of the gods, has made it to the top of all European cities. A place that is so different from all of them. 🙂
06 April 2018 - 2:04
Helena says:
Yes, Bali got a very high ranking 🙂 .
06 April 2018 - 8:22