My Top 10 Favorite New Destinations of 2025 (And 3 I Didn't Love)

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My Top 10 Favorite New Destinations of 2025 (And 3 I Didn’t Love)

We’re already several months into 2026 as I’m writing this, but I wanted to look back and reflect on my favorite new travel destinations I visited in 2025, as well as a few I didn’t love quite as much.

I usually only share practical travel guides and tips here on Stay to Wander, but today I wanted to get a little more personal. And hopefully, this will still be helpful and inspire you in your own travel planning!

So I thought it would be fun to talk about my favorite new destinations. In order to make this list and count as a new destination, it has to be a city, state, region, or country that I hadn’t visited prior to 2025.

Ready to get into it? Let’s discuss my favorite new destinations first…

El Salvador

When I spent many months backpacking Central America in 2021, there were two countries I didn’t get to visit because of travel restrictions that made the logistics too much of a hassle. One of those countries was El Salvador, and for several years, it remained high on my list of places I wanted to go.

I finally got to visit El Salvador in 2025, and I was not disappointed! This little country packs a big punch, with amazing volcanoes, beautiful lakes, charming small towns, and laidback beaches. It’s also safer than ever for travelers. Coming here reminded me of why I love traveling in Central America so much.

My favorite day in El Salvador was spent hiking up Santa Ana Volcano in the morning to see its neon-green crater lake, then relaxing for the rest of the day at the peaceful Lake Coatepeque. Another highlight in El Salvador was the food, specifically bean-and-cheese pupusas — I ate several of them every day!

Read my El Salvador travel guides:

Is El Salvador Safe for Solo Female Travelers — Hiking up Santa Ana Volcano in El Salvador was so cool

Nicaragua

After El Salvador, I headed to Nicaragua. This was the other country in Central America I hadn’t visited yet, and once again, it did not disappoint. Although I really liked El Salvador and Nicaragua, I’d say that Nicaragua has the slight edge for me, if I had to choose just one purely based on the overall vibes.

Nicaragua actually offers a lot of the same things as El Salvador. Relaxed Pacific Coast beaches for surfing (plus a whole Caribbean side I didn’t make it to.) Volcanoes and adventurous activities like volcano boarding. Beautiful colonial cities like Leon and Granada. Lakes, mountains, and diverse landscapes.

The highlight of Nicaragua for me was probably Leon. I started my trip in this city, which is known for its revolutionary history. I loved Leon so much that I ended up extending my stay by several days!

Read my Nicaragua travel guides:

The lovely Hotel El Convento in Leon, Nicaragua

Crete

Over the summer, I had the chance to revisit several destinations I’d previously been to in Greece, but also to visit a new island. I’d never been to Crete, Greece’s largest island, but I ended up loving it! It’s very different from the whitewashed Cycladic islands like Santorini and Mykonos, but in a good way.

I only got to see the western side of the island, and since it’s so large, there are actually a ton of things I’d like to come back to Crete and see! However, on this trip, I loved the coastal town of Chania, driving through the Cretan countryside, and visiting the gorgeous pink-sand shores of Elafonisi Beach.

Read my Crete travel guides:

Elafonisi Beach Day Trip from Chania, Crete — I can’t get over the beauty of Elafonisi Beach

Sicily

Although I’ve been to Italy many times, I didn’t make it to Sicily until last year. Much like Crete, I only scratched the surface of what this island has to offer. Taormina, probably one of the most famous destinations in Sicily, was absolutely beautiful, but I’d love to go back and thoroughly explore the island.

I also got to visit the small town of Castelmola, as well as the city of Messina. My time in Sicily was brief, though, so I’m hoping I can come back for more soon! Although it was only early June when I visited, it was already extremely hot — so I’d rather come back in the spring or fall next time.

Read my Sicily travel guides:

9 Best Hotels in Taormina, Italy (For Every Budget)

Best Hotels in Taormina Italy — Beautiful views in Taormina

Budva

Although I had been to Montenegro twice before, I didn’t make it to the coastal town of Budva either of those times. On my most recent trip, I finally got to explore Budva, and I ended up really loving it! Budva is a lovely town on the Adriatic Sea, known for its lively beaches and its historic Old Town.

Montenegro as a whole is a somewhat underrated country that is definitely worth visiting, but when people do come to Montenegro, a lot of them head straight to the town of Kotor. And while Kotor is stunning, it’s worth driving 40 minutes to Budva. I loved the compact Old Town and sea views here!

Read my Budva travel guides:

10 Best Hotels in Budva, Montenegro

Best Hotels in Budva — The orange-tiled roofs of Budva’s Old Town

San Antonio

Most of the destinations on this list are international, and that’s because I spend the majority of my time traveling outside the US. But I do have one US destination to talk about! In September, I headed to Texas for the first time (my 27th state!) and spent several days in the historic city of San Antonio.

I specifically chose San Antonio because I was interested in the history, culture, and food. This city still retains signs of its Spanish colonial history, as well as a couple of hundred years of Mexican influence, up through the present day. I loved visiting the historic Spanish missions, walking around the scenic River Walk, checking out some cool museums, and eating the best Tex-Mex food of my life here.

Read my San Antonio travel guides:

San Antonio River Walk Boat Tour — I loved the fun and vibrant San Antonio River Walk

India

India was everything I dreamed it would be and more! This is a country I know I’ll definitely be back to in the future. I went for the wedding of one of my close friends (a fabulous, multi-day affair), but before the wedding festivities started, some friends and I spent some time traveling around India.

We did the classic Golden Triangle route of Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, which was a great introduction to the country. I spent the most time in Delhi, since that’s where the wedding took place. The Taj Mahal in Agra was incredible, but the pink city of Jaipur ended up being my favorite destination out of all three cities.

The only thing that ended up being a bit of a disappointment was the food. I normally like Indian food, and I was really excited about everything I would eat. Unfortunately, I had a couple of bad meals on this trip and then got put off eating much more of it because I was desperately trying to avoid getting sick.

Read my India travel guides:

Hawa Mahal Jaipur — The gorgeous Hawa Mahal in Jaipur

Belgium

Although I had technically been to Belgium before this year, it was an extremely brief trip to Antwerp about a decade ago. Ever since then, I’d always wanted to come back to Belgium and properly explore. I got to do that in December, and I fully enjoyed the week that I spent traveling around Belgium.

I really loved the capital, Brussels, which was decked out for Christmas and full of delicious food. I also enjoyed the charming smaller cities of Ghent and Bruges in the Dutch-speaking northern half of the country, as well as the quaint small town of Dinant in the French-speaking southern half of the country.

Read my Belgium travel guides:

Alsace

The Alsace region of France was amazing! Although France is the country I’ve spent the most time in (I used to live in Paris!), I actually still haven’t explored nearly as much of the country as I’d like to. Visiting the Alsace region at Christmastime has always been on my bucket list, and I finally made it happen.

I went to Strasbourg and Colmar, two cities close to the German border that are known for their incredible, over-the-top Christmas markets. I loved both cities. The only regret I have is that I didn’t have more time to visit some of the smaller towns and villages in the Alsace region — something for next time!

Read my Alsace travel guides:

Colmar France — I loved the cute Christmas decorations in Colmar

San Marino

Finally, San Marino was a surprising favorite for me in 2025. This is one of the smallest countries in Europe, and fully landlocked by Italy. I’ve always wanted to go here, but it’s not the easiest place to get to. That is, unless you’re coming from the city of Bologna, which is what I did when I visited.

Bologna is the closest big city to San Marino. From Bologna, I took a train to the coastal city of Rimini, and then took a bus up into the hills of San Marino. The capital, also called San Marino, is the perfect place to spend a day. I was blown away by how beautiful it was and wished I had more time to spend there!

Visiting right after Christmas was also fun, because there was still a very festive atmosphere in San Marino. I even witnessed a group of fifty or so men, all dressed up as Santa Claus, riding their motorbikes through the narrow streets of the city. It was such a fun and delightful destination that I really loved.

Read my San Marino travel guides:

San Marino Day Trip from Bologna, Italy

San Marino Day Trip — San Marino felt like a fairytale

The Places I Didn’t Love in 2025

Now that you know my favorite new destinations of 2025, I wanted to discuss the new places I visited that I didn’t love quite as much as I expected. That’s not to say I disliked any of these destinations.

They just didn’t become new favorites, or were slightly disappointing in some way. That being said, I wouldn’t hesitate to return to any of these places in the future and give them a second chance.

Switzerland

Switzerland is another country I had technically been to before, but only to spend a day in Geneva a decade ago. So it had always been in my plans to come back to Switzerland for more time one day. I spent a little over a week here in December, and it was a bit of a letdown for me after coming from Belgium.

While Switzerland is certainly very pretty, I don’t think it’s the most beautiful country in Europe. A lot of the cities and towns here feel a bit sterile, and I don’t really resonate with the Swiss culture. It doesn’t help that this is the most expensive country in Europe, and I don’t feel like it’s totally “worth it.”

That being said, I did really enjoy some of the places I visited. The city of Basel and its Christmas markets really grew on me, and I also loved the charming town of Lucerne. Visiting the small town of St. Gallen and the magical Abbey Library of Saint Gall was another one of my favorite things I did.

Read my Switzerland travel guides:

The Abbey Library of Saint Gall was definitely a highlight in Switzerland!

Liechtenstein

Another destination that disappointed me was Liechtenstein. On this trip, I finished visiting all of the smallest countries in Europe. And while I loved San Marino, I didn’t love Liechtenstein, which I visited first. I went to this tiny principality on a day trip from Zurich, and the weather did not cooperate.

It was gray and foggy all day, so I couldn’t see any of Liechtenstein’s beautiful, mountainous scenery. It was also just a kind of boring place. There really isn’t that much to do in Liechtenstein’s capital, Vaduz. I think this would be a much better place to come back to in the summer when the weather is better. If I returned to Liechtenstein, I’d definitely want to get out of Vaduz and go hiking in the countryside.

Read my Liechtenstein travel guides:

Liechtenstein Day Trip from Zurich, Switzerland

Bologna

Finally, Bologna was a new destination that I felt disappointed by. The highlight of my three days in Bologna was actually the day I spent on a day trip to San Marino. I just didn’t click with this city, and I really thought that I would love it. But something about it just didn’t work for me, unfortunately.

Bologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, and known as one of the best foodie cities in Italy. We got off to a bad start when I had one of the worst dinners of my life on the first night. Then, trying to redeem the evening, I went to a popular gelato spot… only for it to be the worst gelato of my life.

Bologna was really pretty, and I enjoyed walking around the city and exploring historic places like the Seven Churches of Santo Stefano. But another letdown for me was that several of the other places I wanted to visit were closed for refurbishment or the holidays (not Bologna’s fault, but still disappointing!)

Read my Bologna travel guides:

Where to Stay in Bologna, Italy: Top 9 Best Hotels

Where to Stay in Bologna Italy — I wanted to love Bologna, but I just didn’t!

Final Thoughts: My Favorite (And Not-So-Favorite) New Destinations of 2025

So there you have it! My favorite new destinations of the year, and a few destinations that didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Overall, it was (yet another) amazing year of travel and exploring more of the globe.

Even for the places that I didn’t love, I would definitely return to give them a second chance.

I already have an even bigger travel year on the horizon for 2026, so I’m excited to see which new destinations become favorites for me next. I’ll be sure to report back at the end of the year with updates!

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