Sydney crowned one of the 'top places to go' in 2025 by the New York Times
The New York Times has unveiled its '52 top places to go' for 2025 and our very own Sydney has featured high on the list.
From less crowded alternatives in Europe to major holiday hubs celebrating big milestones there is plenty of travel inspiration across the featured destinations.
Read on to find out where Australia placed - here are the top 15.
Additional reporting by Stuff.
15. Dolomites Mountains, Italy
The Dolomites, also known as the Dolomite Mountains or Dolomite Alps, are a mountain range in northeastern Italy. A new 105-mile hiking circuit known as the Cammino Retico, or Rhaetian Way, has opened, "inspired by the pre-Roman Rhaetian people, indigenous to Northern Italy's rugged Dolomite Mountains".
14. Nicaragua
Nicaragua, set between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, is a Central American nation known for its dramatic terrain of lakes, volcanoes and beaches.
Considered the "travelled sister to Costa Rica", the country will be much easier to explore in 2025, "with the unveiling of the Costanera highway, a multimillion-dollar project connecting more than 50 beaches and communities on its Emerald Coast along the Pacific, from the Gulf of Fonseca in the north to Playa El Naranjo in the south."
12. Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-central coast of Southern Africa.
It is, as The Times points out "ripe for explorers."
"With its undiscovered tropical beaches, sacred waterfalls like Kalandula and national parks like Iona, which sits within the 55-million-year-old Namib Desert."
11. Coimbra, Portugal
In 11th place, The Times suggests Coimbra Portugal as an alternative to the bustling Lisbon and Porto.
"The soulful medieval town on the Mondego River in central Portugal" is a university town that offers a mix of tradition and "new cool".
10. Sydney, Australia
In tenth place, Sydney regularly receives praise for its stunning water vistas. But this year it has been lauded for upgrades including the new Sydney Fish Market ("the largest in the Southern Hemisphere") and metro system which makes "gallivanting beyond the city centre" easier.
"High-end travellers can look to a $43 million refurbishment of Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, one of Australia's first luxury hotels."
9. Lumbini, Nepal
Lumbini is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that houses several monuments of Buddhist and historical significance. It is said to be the spot where Buddha was born and has understandably become one of the world's most important holy sites.
"Millenniums ago, a queen named Maya Devi is said to have entered the Gardens of Lumbini and given birth to Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha," the Times writes.
8. Sun Valley, Idaho
In eighth place is Sun Valley, a picturesque mountain town in south-central Idaho.
In March the area will play host to the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals and in nearby Ketchum, from March 20 to 27, "fans in town for the ski races can join locals for the 5850 Fest; headliners are expected to include Sugar Ray, Brandi Cyrus and Tracy Byrd."
7. Aix-en-Provence, France
Declaring 2025 the Year of Cézanne, Aix-en-Provence invites visitors to tour Jas de Bouffan, where the artist created works like "The Card Players," and view a newly discovered nautical fresco.
Simply called Aix, the city and commune in southern France is located about 30 kilometres north of Marseille.
6. Greenland
Donald Trump's favourite island, Greenland, is in sixth, thanks to the opening of a sparkling new international airport in Nuuk, Greenland's capital, which is expected "to bring many new visitors eager to take in the northern lights, the vast glaciers, the fjords and more on this giant Arctic island".
