Holidays 2025: Lonely Planet names best cities, countries and regions to visit next year - I can think of better places to go than East Anglia

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Lonely Planet has named the best places to visit in the world for next year - and East Anglia has made the list.

The destinations are honoured in Lonely Planet's newly released Best In Travel 2025 book. It crowns the top ten countries, regions and cities to visit next year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In the list of the top ten regions to visit in 2025, East Anglia surprisingly makes an appearance. I say surprising as it wouldn’t really strike me as one of the best regions to visit in the whole world. It is lovely, of course, but I am sure that there are better regions to go.

Other regions in the list include Bavaria in Germany and South Carolina’s Low Country and Coastal Georgia in America taking the top spot of the best region to visit. These sound more appealing that East Anglia here in the UK.

The rankings have been curated by “Lonely Planet experts, contributors from around the world and publishing partners”, with the guide adding that the destinations have been chosen “for their topicality, unique experiences, wow factor and ongoing commitment to sustainability, community and diversity”. Lonely Planet describes East Anglia as an “enigmatic” region that offers “a true taste of old England, combined with nature reserves perfect for birding, such as Minsmere and Cley Marshes, lively coastal beach towns and picturesque inland waterways”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Lonely Planet has named the best places to visit in the world for next year - and East Anglia has made the list. (Photo: NationalWorld/Kim Mogg)Lonely Planet has named the best places to visit in the world for next year - and East Anglia has made the list. (Photo: NationalWorld/Kim Mogg)
Lonely Planet has named the best places to visit in the world for next year - and East Anglia has made the list. (Photo: NationalWorld/Kim Mogg) | NationalWorld/Kim Mogg

It is great for the region - and of course it is nice to visit, but very surprising it has made the list of one of the best regions in the world. VisitBritain and Visit England Chief Executive Patricia Yates said: “It is fantastic to see East Anglia take its place on the global stage as one of Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2025 top regions. And it's no surprise, with the area boasting an outstanding coastline, fabulous seaside towns, historic attractions, waterways and breathtaking countryside.”

Cameroon topped the country ranking, with Lithuania in second place and Fiji snatching the bronze medal. Pittsburgh cames sixth in the city ranking, which is topped by Toulouse in France.

Listed below are the best cities, countries and regions to visit next year according to Lonely Planet.

Top 10 best cities

1. Toulouse, France

2. Puducherry, India

3 Bansko, Bulgaria

4. Chiang Mai, Thailand

5 Genoa, Italy

6. Pittsburgh, USA

7. Osaka, Japan

8. Curitiba, Brazil

9. Palma de Mallorca, Spain

10. Edmonton, Canada

Top 10 best countries

1. Cameroon

2. Lithuania

3. Fiji

4. Laos

5. Kazakhstan

6. Paraguay

7. Trinidad & Tobago

8. Vanuatu

9. Slovakia

10. Armenia

Top 10 regions

1. South Carolina’s Low Country and Coastal Georgia, USA

2. The Terai, Nepal

3. Chiriqui, Panama

4. Launceston & the Tamar Valley, Australia

5. Valais, Switzerland

6. Giresun & Ordu, Turkiye

7. Bavaria, Germany

8. East Anglia, England

9. Jordan Trail

10. Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge region, Oregon, USA

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.