2025: Best Places To Travel

From bubblegum-coloured lakes in Australia to a solar-powered safari camp in Botswana, these are BBC journalists' top destinations this year.

1. Dominica

Ever wanted to swim alongside sperm whales? Dominica now offers the chance to do it in an ethical, sustainable way as part of the Caribbean island's groundbreaking commitment to marine conservation and regenerative tourism. The island nation recently established the world's first sperm whale reserve, a protected marine area designed to safeguard its resident giants. Limited permits for whale swims ensure intimate, respectful encounters, offering visitors a once-in-a-lifetime experience to share the water with these incredible cetaceans while facilitating research and creating sustainable tourism opportunities for local residents.

New for 2025, expanded infrastructure and systems are set to welcome visitors, including digital immigration forms to ease arrival and the development of a cable-car system taking riders from Roseau Valley up to Boiling Lake, one of the world's largest thermal springs. Access to the island has never been easier: on top of existing American Airlines flights from Miami, United Airlines is launching direct flights from Newark starting 15 February. Several new hotels are opening in 2025 (adding nearly 500 rooms with a 25% increase in inventory), including the six-star Hilton Tranquility Beach Resort and Spa in Salisbury. Or choose a tried-and-true classic such as Secret Bay, a luxury eco-property that frequently tops sustainability lists.

Dominica is also home to Project CETI, a groundbreaking international effort to decode whale language, clicks and codas, led by National Geographic Explorer David Gruber. Elsewhere, visitors can explore hidden gorges, towering waterfalls and feast on local cuisine at unique eateries, such as the farm-to-table Lacou. Dominica isn't just a destination – it's a movement to support a burgeoning model of eco-tourism that balances biodiversity conservation with economic growth, ensuring that your adventure helps protect this natural paradise for generations to come. – Pier Nirandara

2. Naoshima, Japan

Home to one of Yayoi Kusama's iconic yellow, polka-dotted Pumpkin sculptures, the Japanese island of Naoshima has become a must-see destination for connoisseurs of contemporary art and architecture. Once known (if at all) for its highly polluting copper smelting industry, the island's transformation is thanks to Benesse Art Site Naoshima, which has helped create major museums and site-specific artworks in the scenically stunning (and dramatically population-dwindling) Seto Inland Sea, located between Japan's main island of Honshu and Shikoku.     

Spring 2025 sees the opening of the Naoshima New Museum of Art, designed by Tadao Ando, the award-winning architect behind nine other projects on the island. This new showcase for works by Asian artists will be a major highlight of this year's Setouchi Triennale, with events and unveilings of artwork scattered across 17 islands and coastal areas of the Seto Inland Sea. Scheduled over 100 days and split between spring, summer and autumn to allow visitors to enjoy the region through the different seasons, this is the largest iteration of the Triennale since it began in 2010. The festival and activities of Benesse Art Site Naoshima have been instrumental in turning not only Naoshima's fortunes around but also reviving the neighbouring islands of Teshima and Inujima.   

Book ahead to visit Rei Naito and Ryue Nishizawa's Teshima Art Museum, a one-of-a-kind synthesis of art, architecture and nature; while on Inujima, travellers will be amazed by the remains of a historic copper refinery reimagined as an epic-scale art installation. Memorable places to stay include Roka, a contemporary-styled ryokan on Naoshima, and the elegantly minimalist Espoir Inn on Teshima. – Simon Richmond

3. The Dolomites, Italy 

Perpetual fan favourite Italy hardly needs more press – especially in a year when its supremely overtouristed capital, Rome, will be even more overwhelmed due to the 2025 Jubilee. But if Italy is still on your bucket list for 2025, consider taking a detour north to the Dolomite Mountains.

For Italians, the ruggedly beautiful Dolomites are synonymous with family fun and luxury holidays. The stunning sawtooth limestone cliffs sprawl across the regions of Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, attracting vacationing Italians in droves each year for their exquisite villages; peerless "white week" skiing; epic hike; and world-class, stick-to-your-ribs Alpine dishes. This classic Italian playground is often overlooked by overseas visitors – but that's all poised to change.

The "Queen of the Dolomites", Cortina d'Ampezzo, has been slated to co-host the 2026 Winter Olympics. The preparations, which will take place throughout 2025, include a vast series of infrastructure improvements throughout the area – all against a backdrop of pre-Olympic buzz. Visitors can expect to find expanded ski lift networks in the Dolomiti Superski area, where the towns of Alta Badia and Val Gardena will launch modernised lifts and enhanced connections to public transit operating within the area. New and upgraded cable cars, lifts and gondolas will also be introduced throughout the regions' towns. 

But the Dolomites is a thrilling destination in all seasons; visit in spring, summer and autumn to enjoy excellent trails, like 2024's new Cammino Retico (The Rhaetian Way); a 170km, seven-day trail connecting remote villages between the Veneto and Trentino regions. And for pure relaxation, the luxury Aman Rosa Alpina hotel will have its grand reopening in 2025. The property will now offer 51 guest rooms and suites, two presidential suites and the private Chalet Zeno. Visit now, before the crowds descend. – Eva Sandoval

4. Greenland

There is nowhere on Earth like Greenland. Spanning more than two million sq km, the world's largest island has a population of less than 57,000. Covered by a vast ice cap and spectacular mountains, its unspoiled wilderness and majestic fjords aren't just a coveted geopolitical entity; they offer adventures of a lifetime.

Stunning hiking and spellbinding whale watching in summer and traditional dog sledding and the magical aurora in winter all make Greenland a bucket-list destination. However, it has been remote, expensive and time-consuming to reach – until now.

With the opening of a new international airport in the capital city of Nuuk and two more following in 2026, getting to Greenland has never been easier. The country is welcoming mindful adventure travellers who love exploring while also respecting its incredible nature and unique Inuit culture. Greenland has adopted a pledge "towards better tourism" and a new law aims to steer funds from tourism towards benefitting local communities.

A modern town with a historic waterfront, informative museums and impressive art galleries, Nuuk is also a launchpad for hiking, fishing and glamping trips and acts as a gateway for exploring a remarkable Arctic territory. Further north in Ilulissat, visitors can discover the jaw-dropping icebergs of Disko Bay and dramatic Unesco-recognised Icefjord. In the south, a region once settled by Vikings, there are gorgeous fjords and scenic green hills dotted with sheep farms. – Adrienne Murray Nielsen

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- BBC