(Rio, Egypt, Mozambique, and Patmos) Getty Images, (Oaxaca) Erica Connolly, (Singapore) Artlist by Dubassy, (Typography) McCandliss & Campbell
Beaches, big cities, and way-out-there wonders: Our annual list of the year’s top luxury travel destinations spans the globe.
Where will your travels take you in the new year? We’ve got a few ideas. We tapped Virtuoso’s global network of travel pros and partners for the real expert scoop on the best places to visit in 2027. In Uzbekistan, a new luxury train in development will improve (and upgrade) access to the country’s storied Silk Road stops. Also in 2027, Rio de Janeiro hosts the FIFA Women’s World Cup final, while the Sundance Film Festival moves to an outdoorsy new U.S. outpost. And in Portugal, a combination of high-design hotels and vineyard-ringed small towns is helping the under-the-radar Alentejo region rise up the Euro summer ranks.
Our annual Where Next list is a vetted collection of spots both familiar and unexpected that we predict will take center stage in 2027 and the years to come. To find the best travel destinations for the year ahead, start right here.
The Flatirons, Boulder’s theatrical backdrop.
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Boulder, Colorado
The town and its cinematic landscapes, now the home of the Sundance Film Festival, roll out the red carpet for a new era.
With its prized location at the foot of the Flatirons, Boulder has always seduced the outdoorsy set. But summer’s hiking, cycling, and fly-fishing endeavors will share the stage next year with a winter premiere: Come January, Boulder is the new home of the Sundance Film Festival. Between screenings in the art deco Boulder Theater and rumored after-parties at Fiske Planetarium and the mountaintop Greystone Castle, the celebrity sightings will surely spill over to beloved restaurants Cozobi Fonda Fina (a favorite for wood-fired Mexican) and fine-dining Frasca Food and Wine, a Boulder institution since 2004 and the James Beard Foundation’s 2025 Outstanding Restaurant. The high-profile event is sure to turn heads, but Boulder’s untouched mountain-town vibes will keep travelers returning long after the credits have rolled.
Get There: Guests of the 252-room Limelight Boulder can borrow one of the hotel’s Audi EVs for a drive around the Flatirons. Back at the property, Theragun devices available on request help with adventure recovery, and an outpost of Aspen’s Ajax Tavern caters to the après set. Virtuoso travelers receive a $45 daily breakfast credit and a $100 hotel credit. – Chadner Navarro
FYI: “You don’t need a packed itinerary in Boulder – the lifestyle is the experience. I love pairing a morning outdoors in Chautauqua and the Flatirons with an afternoon along Pearl Street, home to great restaurants, indie shops, and galleries.” – Caroline Labbé, Virtuoso travel advisor
Mole in the making.
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Oaxaca
Follow the chefs to the country’s most exciting culinary destination.
Few places rival Mexico City for its breadth of Indigenous-to-colonial history, stylish art galleries, and worth-the-trip food. But Oaxaca is recently emerging as a solid CDMX competitor – an escape with all of the soul and none of the throngs. At 5,000 feet above sea level in a mountain-ringed river valley, the state of Oaxaca keeps its cool and cultural distinction – it’s home to 16 Indigenous groups and a linguistic diversity that rivals almost all of Europe. The center of the capital city, also called Oaxaca, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, unfurling in a maze of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century churches, kitchens dishing out the region’s beloved mole sauce, bean-to-cup chocolate cafés, mezcal bars, and boutiques brimming with handwoven textiles and mythological wood carvings. Curious travelers can slip into other worlds at the Cultures of Oaxaca Museum, housed in a former Spanish convent, or visit the grand pre-Columbian ruins of Monte Albán and Mitla in the mountains.
Get There: Abercrombie & Kent’s private, four-day Oaxaca trip takes a food-forward approach: Travelers drink in the mezcal-making highland villages; tour the town of Mitla, followed by a homemade Zapotec lunch with mole and fresh tortillas; and, back in town, feast on nine courses at the tiny, Michelin-recommended Tika’aya. Departures: Any day through 2027. – Elaine Glusac
Game time on Rio’s Ipanema Beach.
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Rio de Janeiro
Drama on the pitch, party on the beach.
While there’s probably a crop of soccer fans in Norway searching for Erling Haaland right now, the true fútbol-obsessed have their sights set on Brazil, home of next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup (June 24 to July 25, 2027). Eight Brazilian cities will host 64 matches, so fans can catch corner kicks alongside modernist architecture in Brasília, palm-lined beaches in Recife, and samba-fueled nightlife in São Paulo. The tournament culminates in Rio de Janeiro, where the strands of Ipanema and Copacabana are ready for Carnaval-size crowds. If there’s any city primed to celebrate, it’s Rio, which has been drawing travelers with its new “Everyone in Rio” concert series on Copacabana Beach, featuring past performances by Shakira, Lady Gaga, and Madonna. (Next year’s headliner is still a mystery, but we’ll cast a vote for Beyoncé.) Travelers can go deeper with a community-led visit to a hillside favela, a night in the Lapa district’s samba clubs, vintage shopping in the bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood, or dinner in Leblon at French Brazilian darling Madame Olympe, the recipient of a shiny new Michelin star.
Get There: On Copacabana Beach, the 90-room Emiliano Rio celebrates its prime location with a rooftop infinity pool, special full-moon dinners, and balcony suites. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and one lunch or dinner for two. – E.G.
The Alentejo’s wide-open spaces.
Gina Spinelli
The Alentejo, Portugal
Slow down in this under-the-radar spot before everyone races to catch up.
Though it covers nearly a third of the country, Portugal’s Alentejo region – a rolling, tranquil expanse between Lisbon and the Algarve – remains outrageously underexplored by foreign travelers. The coastal town of Comporta and its Montauk-style beach clubs draw an in-the-know set, but the inland vineyards, olive groves, artisan villages, and heritage sites are the region’s true best-kept secrets. Cycle along the wild and craggy coastline on the Vicentina Route, stargaze in Alqueva, then settle into the 5,000-year-old city of Évora (a 90-minute drive southeast of Lisbon), where the preserved Évora Roman Temple still stands beside sixteenth-century palaces and whitewashed homes festooned with azulejo tiles. A 2027 European Capital of Culture, Évora is best explored during strolls through its cork forests (and the Casa do Montado cork museum), chocalho (cowbell)-making sessions at Chocalhos Pardalinho’s workshop, and afternoons at Fitapreta, winemaker António Maçanita’s restored fourteenth-century manor house that’s also home to the Michelin-starred A Cozinha do Paço.
Get There: Check into the 90-room Convento do Espinheiro, a countryside retreat in a fifteenth-century monastery just outside Évora. On the coast in the town of Melides, Christian Louboutin’s 13-room, maximalist bolt-hole, Vermelho Melides, has emerged as one of Portugal’s sexiest retreats since its 2023 opening. At Convento do Espinheiro, Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and one 50-minute massage for two. At Vermelho Melides, they receive breakfast daily and a $100 hotel credit. – C.N.
FYI: “Portugal keeps giving travelers a reason to return. For those who have done Lisbon, the Douro, and the Algarve, the Alentejo is the next chapter – space, cork oak plains, serious wine, and a slower, quieter kind of luxury. Comporta leads it, with a wave of design-led openings coming.” – Duncan Greenfield-Turk, Virtuoso travel advisor
Seaside Rågeleje on the Danish Riviera.
Sarah Green
The Danish Riviera
The Hamptons of Denmark steps into the summer spotlight.
This year’s European heat waves have made Scandinavia’s cool summers a lot more alluring. Enter North Zealand, also known as the Danish Riviera, a 55-mile stretch of coastline less than an hour’s drive from Copenhagen. The region, which locals have long loved as a summer weekend retreat, blends New Nordic cuisine with avant-garde beauty (Humlebaek’s Louisiana Museum of Modern Art), storybook history (Shakespeare set Hamlet at Helsingør’s Kronborg Castle), and quaint, striped-cabana-lined beaches in coastal towns. “I’ve heard it called the Hamptons of Denmark,” says Janine Devine of Virtuoso on-site tour connection Luxury Beyond. “It’s lovely year-round, with lots of concerts, art exhibitions, and even Christmas markets during the holiday season.” The region’s new North Zealand and Odsherred Wine Route adds to the draw, with stops at some of the wineries (Ørby Vingaard, Annisse Vineyard, Kollerødgaard) that are bolstering Denmark’s well-established culinary cred.
Get There: Virtuoso travel advisors can work with Luxury Beyond to arrange Danish Riviera day trips or weekend overnights from Copenhagen, with guided visits to the Louisiana Museum, Kronborg Castle, and other local spots. Departures: Any day through 2027. – Devorah Lev-Tov
Golden hour on Patmos, as seen from the island’s Old Town.
Sarah Rainer
Patmos
Peace, quiet, and (of course) wine on the country’s “Holy Island.”
The Dodecanese, a string of Greek isles off Turkey’s southwest coast, are capturing the attention of travelers in search of a more exclusive Mediterranean getaway, and they’re heading to seahorse-shaped, 13-square-mile Patmos to collect their Euro summer bragging rights. Its beaches don’t disappoint – choose from pebbly (Lambi), sandy (Psili Ammos), or secluded (Aspri) – and Patmos gets its “Holy Island” nickname for being home to the Cave of the Apocalypse, the grotto where Saint John received the spiritual visions that influenced his writings. Divine inspiration of the vacation kind can be found in Skala, the main town, while shopping for antique jewelry at Midas or souvenir-hunting for handmade dishware at Patmos Cotto. Afterward, settle in for a languorous, Greek-wine-fueled meal beneath the olive trees at Éla!, a regenerative farm overlooking the sea.
Get There: Following its much-anticipated May 2027 debut, Aman at Sea’s 94-passenger motor yacht Amangati spends next summer in the Med. Stops on the line’s seven-night, round-trip-from-Athens voyage include Mykonos, Paros, and Patmos, for monastery visits and sun-soaked lunches. Departure: September 5, 2027. – C.N.
Under sail on the Nile.
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Egypt
New cruises – and a long-awaited opening – bring fresh reasons to discover the country’s ancient treasures.
Just over a century after archaeologist Howard Carter cracked open Tutankhamen’s tomb and sent the world into a frenzy of Egyptomania, the country is once again having a moment. Today’s catalyst, the recent (and long-awaited) opening of Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum, has reunited the Boy King’s treasures and some 100,000 other artifacts under one roof. While big-name hotel groups are steadily transforming Cairo’s architectural landmarks – including Autograph Collection’s overhaul of the massive modernist Mogamma, a former government building on busy Tahrir Square – the Nile promises exploration at a slower clip. Oberoi Hotels & Resorts will expand its fleet in 2027 with two 14-passenger dahabiyas for intimate, wind-powered voyages between Luxor and Aswan, while the new 76-passenger AmaNubia from AmaWaterways conveys cruisers past hieroglyph-lined spires, crumbling sandstone tombs, and lush palm groves. Time a trip for August 2, 2027, when one of the twenty-first century’s longest total solar eclipses will blanket Luxor’s tomb-dotted landscape in total darkness – a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle that may just outshine the temples themselves.
Get There: AmaWaterways’ AmaNubia loops from Cairo to Aswan (travelers sail down the Nile, then fly back up) on an 11-night itinerary that weaves past Luxor’s Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel’s rock-hewn temples, and the ancient double temple of Kom Ombo. Departures: Multiple dates, November 7, 2026, through November 27, 2027. – Chris Schalkx
FYI: “Egypt’s souks can be overwhelming at first, but negotiation is expected. Embrace and enjoy it, but only barter if you genuinely intend to buy. And wear mirrored sunglasses ‒ they hide what’s caught your eye. Once the shopkeeper knows what you’re looking at, the dance begins!” – Stephanie Fisher, Virtuoso travel advisor
The madrassas of Samarkand’s Registan Square.
Richard James Taylor
Uzbekistan
The ancient centerpiece of the Silk Road still surprises at every turn.
It may be a journey to get there, but Uzbekistan, the Silk Road hub where merchants, scholars, and conquerors crossed between East and West for more than 2,000 years, is a destination that still feels truly undiscovered. Adding to the intrigue: A new luxury train, the Samarkand Express, is in development and will trace a leg of the legendary route, between Uzbekistan’s capital of Tashkent and Bukhara, with stops in Samarkand and Khiva. In the capital, ten of the city’s most notable Soviet-era buildings were just added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List – including the turquoise-domed Chorsu Bazaar, whose stalls brim with produce, spices, and textiles. Samarkand’s grand madrassas invite travelers to get lost in a maze of intricate tilework, while Bukhara’s minaret towers above winding alleyways lined with shops run by generations of artists, blacksmiths, and craftspeople. In Khiva, home to the old fortress city of Itchan Kala and its mosaic-covered courtyards, mosques, and mausoleums, a cup of ginger tea during golden hour at Terrassa Café & Restaurant is one of many fitting ways to reflect on the Silk Road’s monumental history.
Get There: From The Leading Trains, the Samarkand Express will announce more itinerary plans and departure dates in the months to come. Until then, tour companies including Exeter International can create custom itineraries along Uzbekistan’s Silk Road, such as a seven-day, round-trip-from-Tashkent exploration that covers all the stops above, plus a daylong jaunt to Shahrisabz, the summer home of the medieval conqueror Timur. Departures: Any day through 2027. – Andrew Tarica
The Bazaruto archipelago by dhow.
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Mozambique
A rising ecotourism destination claims its spot on the safari scene.
Classic “bush-to-beach” safari itineraries typically pair South Africa or Botswana game drives with Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago, a palm-fringed tropical oasis rich in marine life. But the country is making the case for its own “elephants one day, whale sharks the next” scene, with some serious sustainability cred to boot. In Mozambique’s southwest corner, adjacent to South Africa’s Kruger National Park, the Karingani Game Reserve has welcomed back elephants, African wild dogs, and rhinos to an area that’s historically been ravaged by poaching. Farther north, in Gorongosa National Park’s biodiverse tapestry of emerald wetlands, tangled forest, and sprawling savanna, community-led conservation efforts and public-private collaboration have helped the area (and its waterbuck, lion, and other mammalian populations) rebound from 15 years of civil war. A new private airline makes it easier to get around, including connecting the country’s remote lodges to its Indian Ocean coast, once a multiday endeavor. On Bazaruto’s Benguerra Island, the 14-room Kisawa Sanctuary pairs stylish, locally designed villas with an innovative coral-reef rehabilitation program, and in the coming years, safari brand Singita plans to open its own marine lodge on nearby Santa Carolina Island, further showcasing Mozambique’s emerging appeal.
Get There: Ker & Downey customizes private safaris across Africa, including a Mozambique adventure that includes time spying game in Gorongosa National Park and hitting the beach on the Bazaruto Archipelago. Departures: Any day through 2027. – Alexandra Owens
Jaipur’s City Palace.
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Jaipur
Touch down to celebrate a Pink City milestone.
Jaipur turns 300 on November 18, 2027, but the city will mark its tricentenary all year long with festivals, fairs, and a dose of fresh energy. Much of the pomp radiates from the pink-walled City Palace, where its current custodian, the dapper Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh (better known as Prince Pacho to his 690,000 Instagram followers), has spent the past few years revamping the royal residence into one of India’s most forward-thinking cultural hubs. Outside the palace gates, the landmark Albert Hall Museum, Rajasthan’s oldest museum, is undergoing a major upgrade to refresh its timeworn interiors and add interactive digital features to many of its exhibits, while new bars and cafés, such as the craft-inspired Dupion cocktail room and pastry chef Tejasvi Chandela’s pistachio-hued dessert heaven, Dzurt, offer a foil to Jaipur’s ubiquitous thali spreads. Jamshyd Sethna, founder of Virtuoso on-site tour connection Banyan Tours, suggests planning a trip around January’s Kite Festival, when the entire city takes to the rooftops. “Traditions here are still lived, not performed,” he says. “It’s a city that holds fiercely on to its heritage and soul, but keeps finding fresh ways to carry them forward.”
Get There: Break away from the downtown bustle at The Leela Palace Jaipur, a palatial, 194-room hideaway surrounded by eight acres of manicured gardens. Its recently renewed rooftop lounge, The Amber Terrace, looks out over the forest-cloaked Aravalli Hills, making it easy to forget that Jaipur’s markets and tuk-tuk jumble are less than an hour away. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and one 50-minute massage for two. – C.S.
A night out at the National Gallery Singapore during Art Week.
Lauryn Ishak
Singapore
Modern art and innovative design converge in this Southeast Asian capital.
Singapore’s 2027 creative slate is packed: In January, Singapore Art Week will fill the island with exhibitions, installations, and performances spotlighting Southeast Asian artists, anchored by the fifth edition of ART SG, a major contemporary-art fair bringing more than 100 international galleries to the Marina Bay Sands resort. The inaugural Singapore Design Biennale follows in May, with a series of exhibitions, talks, and workshops rooted in the theme of tropical design. By year’s end, Zaha Hadid Architects’ new Science Centre will add five biophilic structures to the parkland beside Jurong Lake Gardens.
The creativity spills beyond the galleries: A 1969 schoolhouse in a residential pocket of the River Valley neighborhood was reborn this year as New Bahru, a hub for indie businesses. More than 60 local shops and restaurants fill the former classrooms, among them popular Italian fine-dining spot Somma and breakfast outlet Dearborn, which draws a line of locals for its house-made granola. And at the recently opened 1887 by André inside the 115-suite Raffles Singapore, chef André Chiang has returned to the city after eight years, plating French Singaporean cuisine on silver once hidden beneath the hotel’s Palm Court at the beginning of the Japanese occupation in 1942.
Get There: A 20-minute drive south of downtown, the 113-room Capella Singapore occupies 30 acres of Sentosa Island rainforest. Guests can book one of two restored Colonial Manors or settle into Jaya Ibrahim-designed rooms, recently refreshed by André Fu in earthy neutrals and wood accents. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 hotel credit. – Melinda Joe
FYI: “Don’t miss the Tanjong Pagar Distripark, a collection of industrial warehouses that have been transformed into dynamic contemporary-art hubs, including outposts of the Singapore Art Museum and the Kengo Kuma-designed Whitestone Gallery.” – Chisato Nishiyori, Virtuoso travel advisor
Vineyard vistas in Bannockburn.
Elise Hassey
Central Otago, New Zealand
Chase adrenaline rushes with tasting flights on the country’s latest adventure circuit.
The country known for its Great Walks just debuted another epic byway: In the South Island’s rugged Central Otago region, the 21-mile Kawarau Gorge Trail follows ancient Maori routes between the towns of Bannockburn and Gibbston, through the Kawarau Gorge with its schist cliffs and panoramic Kawarau River views. Along the way, cyclists and trekkers traverse suspension bridges, cut through a nineteenth-century gold-mining site, and navigate cliff faces on cantilevered crossings. The trail’s most delightful feature, though, is its access to the region’s renowned wine scene – several wineries are just a five- to ten-minute detour. “You have to taste the juicy chardonnays at Peregrine Wines,” says Erick Tuesta, a sommelier at Queenstown’s two-Michelin-starred Essence. “And make an appointment at Felton Road to try their pinot noirs.” Te Kano’s modern tasting room overlooks the river, and at Quartz Reef, travelers can toast their ride with a flute of biodynamic bubbles.
Get There: DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co. recently added the Kawarau Gorge Trail to its six-day, round-trip-from-Queenstown South Island adventure, with expert guides leading rides through Central Otago and New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Departures: Multiple dates, November 2, 2026, through February 7, 2027. – Katie Kelly Bell
This article originally appeared in Virtuoso, The Magazine.
