At this point in January, the dreary weather is likely getting the better of you. You’ve already given up on your New Year’s resolutions, the Christmas cheese and chocolate are long gone, and you’re in desperate need of something to look forward to.
An obvious choice would be to book a flight. But if you search for ‘where to go in Europe in 2026’, you’re going to be bombarded with options from every travel publication under the sun (including Euronews Travel, with our round-ups of destination dupes and museum openings and food festivals worth travelling for).
While no two lists are the same, there is some crossover – including one Finnish destination that was recommended by six of the 10 major travel publications we consulted.
To help you cut through the noise, we’ve put together the destinations that keep being mentioned again and again to decide the places that really are a must-visit over the next 12 months.
A cultural break in Oulu
Recommended by: Afar, BBC, CNN, Condé Nast Traveller, National Geographic, Travel + Leisure.
The European destination that most commonly came up for 2026 was Finland’s Oulu.
Found on Norway’s northwestern coast on the Bay of Bothnia, nearly 650 kilometres north of Helsinki, the city is already a popular destination for seeing the Northern Lights and embracing the country’s sauna culture.
There’s one big reason for making your trip this year, though: Oulu is the European Capital of Culture for 2026.
The year-long programme includes the debut of Ovllá, an opera about the oppression of the Sámi, Europe’s only Indigenous peoples, the Climate Clock public art trail, and the Arctic Food Lab which will showcase the unique food culture of the region.
Lonely Planet also recommended visiting Oulu, although it was part of a wider recommendation for Finland as a whole.
Set-jetting in Greece and Sicily
Recommended by: Condé Nast Traveller and Time Out.
Set-jetting, aka visiting a destination after being inspired by a film or TV show, hit the big time in 2025, with travellers scrambling to visit places from viral sensations like The White Lotus and Bridgerton.
So it’s perhaps little wonder that one of the biggest releases of the year, The Odyssey, is behind some of the best places to visit in Europe in 2026.
The Christopher Nolan adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic is set to be just that, with a star-studded cast including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson, and filming locations across the globe.
For Condé Nast Traveller’s editorial team, it was the Peloponnese peninsula that drew their eye, where you can visit Nestor’s Cave, where Odysseus takes on the Cyclops, and Pylos, where Telemachus visits King Nestor.
Sicily’s Favignana, an island where Odysseus is said to have stopped for provisions ahead of his confrontation with the Cyclops, is where Time Out’s travel team have suggested visiting instead. Just as long as you get there before the movie comes out, and the masses catch on.
Stalking the path of the eclipse
Recommended by: CNN, National Geographic, Travel + Leisure and The New York Times.
2026 is a big year for celestial events, with the peak of the current solar cycle and three supermoons throughout the year.
However, it is the total solar eclipse in August that has captured the imagination of travel writers, with several making suggestions based on its path.
For The New York Times, the place to be is Iceland, where the country’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula will host a four-day festival with live music and talks from astronauts and other experts. It also happens to be near the point where the eclipse will linger the longest, with darkness set to last around two minutes.
Spain is another option for eclipse watching, although editors can’t agree on where to go – CNN says Aragon, National Geographic has put in a good word for Basque Country, while Travel + Leisure has cast its vote for Asturias.
Each appeals for different reasons: Aragon’s Zaragoza has more than 2,000 years of history to explore, and isn’t bursting at the seams with tourists, Basque Country boasts arty Bilbao and park-filled Vitoria-Gasteiz, and Asturias is known as ‘Green Spain’.
Going green in Guimarães
Recommended by: BBC and National Geographic.
Speaking of going green, Portugal’s Guimarães is an excellent choice for those embracing all things eco-friendly this year, as it is the European Green Capital.
Taking over the reins from Vilnius in Lithuania, you can expect plenty of green spaces as well as bike lanes, making the city easy to explore.
Aside from being a sustainability haven, Guimarães is known for being the birthplace of Portugal, and its town centre is UNESCO-listed.
A literary escape in the UK
Recommended by: CNN and The New York Times
2025 may have been all about Jane Austen as the 250th anniversary of the English author’s birth, but in 2026, a literary legend and a children’s classic are taking the spotlight.
CNN is marking 50 years since Agatha Christie’s death by recommending a visit to her hometown in Devon. In September, Torquay hosts an annual Agatha Christie Festival, and you can visit her holiday home Greenway House or her writer’s retreat at Burgh Island year-round.
The New York Times is instead celebrating A. A. Milne, 100 years on from the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh. Fans of the beloved teddy bear can visit the Ashdown Forest, the inspiration behind the Hundred Acre Wood, and the Cotchford Farm Inn, where Milne once lived with his family.
Embracing the Olympic spirit in the Dolomites
Recommended by: National Geographic and Travel + Leisure.
The Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games are headed for Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites this February and March, with plenty of tourists flocking to the region during the events and after.
If you’re feeling inspired to give some of the winter sports a go yourself, Cortina d’Ampezzo is part of the Dolomiti Superski, a network of 12 ski areas across the region which can be accessed with a single ski pass.
Should the gorgeous landscapes be what gripped you instead, the summer months are perfect for hut-to-hut hiking treks.
