Where to go on holiday in 2018 – the hotlist Looking for inspiration for your travels? Browse our 40 fabulous destinations around the world from capitals of culture to palm-fringed beaches, remote wildernesses to a new museum at the Pyramids Jump to Europe Africa UK Asia North America Central and South America Australasia akureyri New UK flights to epic northern Iceland Akureyri Iceland Iceland’s second biggest urban area (population: 18,000) is a great destination in its own right, as well as a starting point for exploring some of the island’s most dramatic sights. Akureyri, in the north of the country, has traditionally been reached by flights from Reykjavik, but short-break specialist Super Break has introduced the UK’s first direct flights, as part of three- and four-night packages departing from Cardiff and Edinburgh in January – with further departures planned from Newcastle, Liverpool, Exeter, Bournemouth and Stansted airports – from £699pp. Blessed with a drier climate than the Reykjavik region, this harbour city sits at the base of the beautiful Eyjafjörður, the country’s longest fjord. The centre is compact and full of cool spots, such as R5 Micro Bar for local brews, sophisticated seafood and sushi at Rub23 and fjord views from the 1940s Lutheran church, Akureyrarkirkja. Game of Thrones locations such as Goðafoss waterfall and Mývatn (Midge Lake) are short drives away, as are the recently opened beer spa, Bjórböðin, and the fishing village of Siglufjörður, used in the Icelandic crime drama Trapped. • superbreak.com Above The fishing village of Siglufjörður by Patricia Hamilton/Getty Images tbilisi Georgia’s on our mind Tbilisi Tbilisi’s foodie revolution started in 2011, when young chef Meriko Gubeladze opened her fusion restaurant Shavi Lomi. Now the city’s contemporary culture is making its mark, earning the city a reputation as an edgy party destination. The nightlife scene features major techno clubs Bassiani and Khidi (which both opened in recent years), as well as LGBT-friendly Cafe Gallery and Success Bar. And new galleries, such as Project ArtBeat, which opened in 2017, are adding to the growing number of spaces giving a platform to young Georgian artists. At the end of 2016, Fabrika hostel opened, combining an industrial chic look with a huge courtyard surrounded by independent bars and shops. Last year, Georgian Airlines started direct flights from Gatwick, and though they’re not the most convenient connections (flying through the night on Wednesday or Saturday), it still halves the journey time to this dynamic city. Above Fabrika hostel palermo Sicily’s cultural melting pot Palermo The Sicilian capital may have been named Italy’s capital of culture for 2018 but its credentials as a cultural melting pot stretch back almost a millennium. A memorial stone on display in the city’s Moorish Zisa palace records the interment of a noble lady’s remains in four languages: Latin, Greek, Arabic and Hebrew. Such openness to other traditions is typical of this city, often referred to as a mosaic – a pattern weaving in Spanish, Norman, Bourbon and British influences, too. And this year, the city’s first new synagogue in 500 years will open. An unused baroque church in the Giudecca (Jewish quarter), called Santa Maria del Sabato, is being transformed into the place of prayer. Palermo will be taking this opportunity to showcase more of its cultural and historic riches in 2018 and chief among these will be Manifesta 12, the latest edition of the roving art biennial. Activities and exhibitions will be held in palaces, churches and the botanical gardens, with the hub being the newly restored Teatro Garibaldi. Palermo’s 21st-century issues are not glossed over, however: October will see the third annual festival of migrant literature, giving a voice to the people who land, pass through or settle in Sicily in their quest to escape violence and poverty elsewhere. Above : Aerial view of Palermo by Ildo Frazao/Getty Images friesland Joint European Capital of Culture 2018 Leeuwarden-Friesland The Netherlands The European Capital of Culture project often shines a spotlight on less well-known destinations. So this year we’ll be hearing more about Leeuwarden-Friesland (along with co-host Valletta, capital of Malta). While Leeuwarden is the capital of the Friesland region, the entire province will be involved in staging events. The Friesian countryside features forests, meadows and peat polders, and fringes the Wadden Sea coast and its islands. Exotic dancer and alleged spy Mata Hari and graphic artist MC Escher were from Leeuwarden and both will be celebrated with exhibitions, talks and screenings. The official opening is a three-day party, starting 26 January. In spring, the 11 Friesian Cities Fountains – each designed by an artist from a different country – will be unveiled at the province’s 11 historical cities on the Elfstedentocht circuit, the speed skating race/tour held when it is cold enough for the canals to freeze – the last time was 1997. August will feature the first Netherlands performance by the giant mechanical marionettes of French street theatre company Royal de Luxe. Eurostar begins a direct London to Amsterdam service in the spring; Flybe flies from Stansted to Groningen (60 minutes’ drive away) and Planet Rail is set to launch a two-centre holiday in the region. • friesland.nl Above Traditional wooden windmill near Leeuwarden by Creative Nature/Getty Images russia The World Cup finals Russia After the PR disaster of its 2014 Winter Olympics, Russia will be pulling out all the stops to ensure supporters visiting the World Cup finals (and the billions watching on TV), leave with a positive view of the country. Most fans will base themselves in Moscow or – like the England team – St Petersburg, where, as well as the famous sites to tick off, there will be special events during the tournament. England will be playing group matches in three lesser-known cities that involve tricky travel logistics – though all three are imbued with Russian history. The first match against Tunisia is in Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, a city dominated by the 85-metre-tall The Motherland Calls monument commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad. It’s not a pretty city but sits on the Volga, where the riverbank comes alive in summer. England’s second game is in Nizhny Novgorod, one of the oldest cities in Russia, where the 16th-century red-brick kremlin is the standout attraction in this attractive if ramshackle city. England fans keen to see a game on a limited budget should target the last group game against Belgium in Kaliningrad. The city is a Russian exclave bordering Poland and Lithuania: easily reached from Warsaw or Gdansk. Anyone with a match ticket needs to apply for a Fan ID, which functions as a visa for the duration of the tournament – plus 10 days either side. • fifa.com Above Exhibition hall of the historic Nizhny Novgorod fair by Belikart/Getty Images greece Greek island-hopping by seaplane Greece A Greek island-hopping odyssey may become a smoother experience after a series of seaplane test flights were successfully completed on the island of Corfu last autumn. A consortium is hoping to launch regular flights this spring and has already secured licences for Corfu, Paxi and Patras, while applying for further bases in the Ionian Sea, Crete, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, Saronic Gulf, the Peloponnese and Attica. A seaplane service would make sense given that there are thousands of islands, hundreds of which are inhabited, and that the country received 30 million visitors last year. But the owner of K2 Smart Jets said: “It is a struggle that began roughly seven years ago … Our goal is to begin operating flights when the next tourist season starts but that depends on whether state mechanisms, which are particularly slow, will work at corresponding speeds so that we can achieve our goal.” • Guides to the Greek islands Above Antipaxos island, near Corfu, by Calin Stan/Getty Images flanders Centenary of the end of the first world war Flanders Visiting Flanders’ war memorials will have added poignancy this year as the region marks the centenary of the end of the first world war. Events include the Coming World Remember Me artwork, which will see 600,000 handmade figurines spread out in Palingbeek park in Zillebeke, near Ypres, from 30 March until the end of the year. An exhibition telling the story of the last year of the war and the liberation will take place in three locations linked by a tourist route: Memorial Museum Passchendaele in Zonnebeke, the Heuvelland Visitor Centre and the new Hippo War visitor centre in Waregem (21 April-11 November). The region is also embarking on a three-year celebration of Flanders Masters. This year the focus is on Rubens and his baroque influences in Antwerp, with exhibitions, events and installations at Rubens House, the Museum of Contemporary Art and other venues. Elsewhere, the coast will be transformed into an open-air art show with 30 large-scale installations for the Beaufort Triennial (30 March-30 September). For those whose interest in Belgium is of the liquid variety, a dazzling array of beers will be on tap at festivals including Antwerp’s Beer Passion Weekend (23-25 June), BXLBeerFest (25-26 August) and Belgium Beer Weekend (31 Aug-2 Sept), both in Brussels. Above Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp paris ‘The city of all lovers’ Paris The most open sports event in the world gets underway in Paris this summer, with the start of the 10th Gay Games at the Stade Jean-Bouin. The games, which have been running every four years since 1982, were founded by the late US Olympic decathalete Tom Waddell to challenge negative stereotypes, combat homophobia and give the gay community dignity. But they are open to all, according to the founding principles of diversity, respect, equality, solidarity and sharing. “We want the widest possible participation, regardless of age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, health status or athletic ability. Everyone is welcome,” says the The Federation of Gay Games website. To that end, around 40,000 fans are expected to cheer on 15,000 amateur athletes from 70 countries who will compete in 36 sports from track-and field-classics to events such as the roller derby, the pink flamingo (a kind of water show) and, naturally, pétanque. But, more significantly, this is a celebration of inclusion, so there will be parties, concerts, fashion shows and art exhibitions, too. It’s all part of mayor Anne Hidalgo’s initiative to make Paris “the city of all lovers”. • Gay Games 10, 4-12 August, paris2018.com Above The Parc des Princes (top) and Jean-Bouin stadia by Robbert Frank Hagens/Alamy valleta Joint European Capital of Culture 2018 Valletta Malta The killing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and revelations in the Paradise Papers about Malta’s role in global money laundering have severely tarnished the island’s reputation. But its capital, Valletta, is co-European Capital of Culture this year, and 140 events and 400 new projects are in the pipeline. The Unesco-listed city, founded in the 1500s on a peninsula within a natural harbour, preserves much of its ancient architecture. Until around a decade ago it was sadly neglected. Tourists would visit its cathedrals and palaces by day, then scuttle back to swanky hotels in Sliema or St Julian’s, leaving the city deserted. That has all changed and Valletta now buzzes with cool bars after dark. The formerly working class Strait Street area is now the city’s nightlife hub – and will be a focus for music, theatre and cultural events this year. Other projects include Muża, a huge new National Museum of Art, and the redevelopment of an old abattoir as the Valletta Design Cluster. The city gates have been refurbished by Renzo Piano, and the bastion walls and moat beyond are now an attractive public space. • valletta2018.org Above The Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the Valletta waterfront by Olga Khomyakova/Alamy amsterdam From Dutch masters to street art – and a direct train from London Amsterdam Last month’s BBC adaptation of Jessie Burton’s bestselling novel The Miniaturist took viewers back to 17th-century Amsterdam – and the Dutch Golden Age continues to reign into early 2018 with major exhibitions showcasing paintings of the era. A double exhibition at Amsterdam Museum and the Rembrandt House Museum devoted to painters Ferdinand Bol and Govert Flinck, students of Rembrandt, runs until February, while the Hermitage Museum’s Dutch Masters show continues until May. Contemporary art is also being celebrated: in summer, the biggest street art museum in the world will open, displaying 100 works by international artists in a former welding hangar. Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra has painted a 24-metre-high portrait of Anne Frank on the museum’s facade, which is in the city’s fashionable NDSM Wharf area. Meanwhile, almost 800 modern artworks have been rehung in the Stedelijk Museum (stedelijk.nl) following an overhaul of the space by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas which opened to the public on 16 December 2017. Also in the south of the city Jack, a new LGTBQI-friendly techno club will open in spring in a former office block. The year will start and end in the glow of coloured lights. The Amsterdam Light Festival is a fixture on the cultural calendar, illuminating the winter nights for nearly two months, until 21 January. And the city will soon be easier to reach from south-east England, with a direct Eurostar service starting in the spring. Above Eduardo Kobra's portrait of Anne Frank on the facade of the Street Art Museum Amsterdam corsica New flights from the UK to the Mediterranean jewel Corsica The lovely mountains and coast of Corsica have long been a top destination for French holidaymakers but Brits who go there have tended to be a small group of in-the-know villa customers. As a consequence, direct flights from the UK (with easyJet and FlyBe) to this French island with an Italian twist are scarce, and only on Sundays - changeover day for most villa rentals. Attempting to change all that is French airline Air Corsica, which is launching twice-weekly flights in May from Stansted to Ajaccio and Bastia (Thursdays and Sundays), and weekly flights on Saturdays to Figari (with some extra flights in high summer to all three). Flights run until 4 November to Ajaccio and Bastia, and until 20 October to Figari. Corsica is regarded as an expensive destination but its reputation is skewed by blingy Porto Vecchio in the south-east. Head north instead, where the landscapes are more dramatic and historic Calvi has cute hotels with a pool well under €100 a night in June, and several campsites in the surrounding bays and hills (Camping Paduella has bungalows for two from €41 a night). Bastia, too, is an unpretentious port, with atmospheric streets and long, sandy beaches. • aircorsica.com Above Bastia waterfront by Suppo family/Getty Images bratislava Commemorating Czechoslovakia's Velvet Divorce Bratislava Divorce parties are a growing trend, and Slovakia is getting in on the act with a year-long programme of cultural events to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Velvet Divorce, AKA the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993. There are also events to mark other momentous occasions in the country’s history, from the 100th anniversary of the first Czechoslovak Republic to the Warsaw Pact invasion of 1968. This flurry of activity makes 2018 an interesting time to visit Bratislava, Slovakia’s pint-size capital, which is hosting the anniversary celebrations. Bratislava Castle, the city’s top tourist attraction, on a hill above the old town and the Danube, has a major exhibition on the creation of Czechoslovakia (April to September). There is a related exhibition at the Slovak National Gallery in Esterházy Palace (March to December), while the Slovak Museum of Design is focusing on the country’s experimental architecture in the 1970s and 80s (until 18 March). Other events range from photography exhibitions to the Bratislava Music festival (September and October), which includes a gala concert on 28 October. Stay at Hotel Mama’s, a quiet, 15-room boutique hotel with a pan-Asian restaurant (doubles from £75). Above Bratislava Castle by YAY Media/Alamy valencia At the heart of the arts Valencia 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of Santiago Calatrava’s futuristic City of Arts and Sciences complex, the opening of which did almost as much for Valencia as the Guggenheim did for Bilbao: putting the city on the map, raising its cultural profile and attracting foreign and domestic visitors. The colossal site includes a planetarium, Europe’s largest aquarium and an avant garde opera house. Other high-profile projects followed … including a Formula One circuit and the 2007 America’s Cup (and subsequent development of the marina). The “floating” Veles e Vents building that hosted the race is now a gastro hub, with three restaurants, including the Michelin-starred La Sucursal. The 125th anniversary of the birth of one of Spain’s greatest artists, Joan Miró, will be celebrated at an exhibition (15 Feb-17 June) at the Institut Valencià d’Art Modern, which will bring together more than 100 of his works and the city’s newest arts hub, Bombas Gens, will add an open-air sculpture exhibition in its gardens. Valencia’s Fallas firework festival (15-19 March in 2018) was added to Unesco’s intangible cultural heritage list last year and there is now a Fallas tour that involves local artists and visits the Fallas Museum. Last year saw new flight routes from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Luton; Ryanair will add a new service from Bristol in March. Above The City of Arts and Sciences by Christian Kober/Getty Images cairo New Egyptology museum at the Giza pyramids Cairo A sphinx’s beard, Tutankhamun’s bed and an estimated 4,500 other items of the pharaoh’s prized belongings are to enjoy pride of place in one of the world’s largest archaeological museums. No longer jostling for space in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the Grand Egyptian Museum will house more than 100,000 artefacts in a vast building close to the Giza pyramids. Construction on the 168,000-square-metre project began in 2012, with delays putting the expected partial opening back to mid-2018, with a full opening by the end of 2022. Costing $1bn, the museum is part of a longstanding effort by the Egyptian government to modernise the way the country’s archaeological riches are displayed. After years of declining visitor numbers, due to concerns about political instability and security, Egypt saw a 54% increase in tourists in the first half of 2017, with 4.3 million visitors. In 2018, it hopes to welcome more than 8 million visitors, driven in part by interest in the new museum. The building itself will be part of the attraction: designed by Heneghan Peng architects, who created the eye-catching bridges in London’s 2012 Olympic Park, it is a spacious and sunlight-filled design, with a suspended concrete ceiling and a bold geometric pattern along one outer wall. Above Artist's impression of the Grand Egyptian Museum by Archimation fez Morocco’s oldest medina gets a new lease of life Fez Hats off to Fez, Morocco’s cultural capital, which is about to reap the benefits of an extensive restoration project that began back in 1989. It is hoped that by the end of 2018, work will have been completed on 3,370 buildings in the eighth-century Fez el-Bali medina, believed to be the biggest car-free urban area in the world. The flagship project is the Khizanat al-Qarawiyyin, one of the world’s oldest libraries, which will reopen to the public this year. The library was founded in the ninth century by Fatima al-Fihri, the daughter of a merchant from Qayrawan in Tunisia. Transport options to Fez have improved, too, with new direct Air Arabia flights from Gatwick on Wednesdays and Saturdays (from £92 return), and thrice-weekly internal flights from Marrakech (from £46 return). Local tour operator Plan-it Morocco offers a range of culinary, cultural, design and photography tours of the city. Above Fez el-Bali medina by Jeronimo Alba/Alamy southAfrica Long walk to freedom – Nelson Mandela’s centenary South Africa Table Mountain, Plettenberg Bay and the Cape Winelands make an appearance in the new Tomb Raider film starring Alicia Vikander, out in March, but it’s the celebrations for the Nelson Mandela centenary that make 2018 the year to visit South Africa. Marking 100 years since his birth, the country has a huge programme lined up, from art exhibitions to sporting events. Those wishing to follow in his footsteps can download the Madiba’s Journey app, which has an interactive map of Mandela-inspired attractions to help visitors plot their trips. There will be events in the UK, too, from a Nelson Mandela exhibition in London in July, to the unveiling of a statue of him in Glasgow. Cape Town is also in the spotlight, thanks to the opening of Zeitz-Mocaa, Africa’s first major Museum on Contemporary Art, on the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick and carved into a historic grain silo complex with Table Mountain as a backdrop, it’s quite a sight – and the surrounding area has morphed into a hub of galleries, shops and restaurants known as the Silo District. Above Souvenir flags being sold in Soweto by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images uganda Go ape in east Africa Uganda Several tour operators are tipping Rwanda as a must-visit this year – partly inspired by the 30th anniversary of the Dian Fossey biopic Gorillas in the Mist, but mainly because the country has been busy opening a series of luxury lodges, including Nyungwe House on a working tea plantation, and Bisate Lodge near the Volcanoes national park. But last year’s decision to double the price of gorilla permits from US$750 to $1,500 has left many potential visitors looking to neighbouring Uganda as an alternative, where the cost of a permit is $450 in low season, $600 in high. G Adventures has a nine-day group tour of Uganda (for 18- to 39-year-olds) from £1,427, camping most nights. World Exhibitions’ 10-day Best of Uganda trip includes tracking mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and seven nights in a safari lodge, from £2,990 (excluding flights). Responsible Travel also lists a good selection of Uganda holidays to suit various budgets. Above Small mountain gorilla by FCG Pobladura/Getty Images seychelles Honeymooners rejoice Seychelles On 24 March, BA starts twice-weekly direct flights from Heathrow to Seychelles. Currently, flights take more than 13 hours, with a connection in the Middle East; the new route is quicker (10 hours) and cheaper (from £699 return). The 115-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean is renowned for its palm-fringed beaches, with more than 65 on the principal island of Mahé alone. But it’s not all sunbathing newlyweds – there is great snorkelling and diving, trail-walking and island-hopping, too. From Mahé, it is an hour by ferry to Praslin (the second-biggest island) to visit the world heritage site of Vallée de Mai, a nature reserve where the rare coco de mer palm grows. Sleepy, car-free La Digue is another 15-minute hop on a catamaran. Other islands can be visited on day trips: the giant-tortoise reserves on Cousin Island, or the eight islands of the Sainte Anne marine national park. Luxury resorts abound – but so do affordable villas and guesthouses. Seychelles Holidays lists Seychellois-owned budget accommodation, often serving homemade creole food such as octopus curry. For example, Lemongrass Lodge, set in a tropical garden overlooking Beau Vallon bay, has doubles from £58. Above Takamaka beach on Mahé island by PJPhoto69/Getty Images scottishHighlands The all-new, long overdue, sleeper to Scotland Scottish Highlands You take the high road and I’ll take the low… Actually, scratch that – the classic journey up to Scotland from south of the border is on the Caledonian Sleeper. This overnight service from London Euston – to destinations including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Fort William – is getting a £150m-plus reboot. The 75 new carriages include some with en suite toilets and showers (a first for the Caledonian Sleeper) and new suites that feature a double bed. Food and drink is also having a long-overdue overhaul, with the promise of a mixture of “classic dishes and contemporary delights”. Currently, the Euston to Fort William service runs six nights a week, boarding at 8.30pm (8.15pm Sundays) and arriving at its destination at 9.55am. • newtrains.sleeper.scot, standard berths from £75, first class berths from £130