November 13, 2011

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel: top 10 cities for 2012

After globe-trotting research and fierce debate, Lonely Planet has come to a decision on its favorite cities for 2012. As always, our shortlist has some known gems and a few to raise a quizzical eyebrow, but each one is poised for greatness in 2012. While sporting events are bringing new adrenaline to a couple of classic destinations, other cities in our list have bounced back from difficult times with a renewed lease of life. The coming year will put all of these cities in a fresh light, whether they’re showing new flair with music and art festivals or dusting off preconceptions by showing their wilder streak. Without further ado, here’s our top 10 cities for 2012.

1. London, England
2. Muscat, Oman
3. Bengaluru (Bangalore)
4. Cádiz, Spain
5. Stockholm, Sweden
6. Guimarães, Portugal
7. Santiago, Chile
8. Hong Kong
9. Orlando, Florida
10. Darwin, Australia

Click here to read the descriptions of each city.

November 9, 2011

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel: top 10 regions for 2012

When people talk about the best places to travel, it’s often all about a city or a country. But if you forget to think regionally you could miss some of the world’s best travel spots. Here are Lonely Planet’s picks of the regions to put on your map from Best in Travel 2012. Chosen by a panel of Lonely Planet experts, they’ve been written up by Lonely Planet authors to give you that most contagious of ailments: the travel bug.

1. Coastal Wales
2. La Ruta Maya, Central America
3. Northern Kenya
4. Arunachal Pradesh, India
5. Hvar, Croatia
6. Sicily
7. Maritime Provinces, Canada
8. Queenstown & Southern Lakes, New Zealand
9. Borneo
10. Poitou-Charentes, France

Click here to read the descriptions of each region...