THE COOL LIST: EUROPE
EUROPE
NORDLAND NORWAY
THE EUROS GERMANY
WILD ATLANTIC WAY IRELAND
ALBANIAN ALPS
VALLETTA MALTA
BELFAST NORTHERN IRELAND
GALLOWAY & SOUTHERN
AYRSHIRE SCOTLAND
EUROPE BY TRAIN
EMILIA-ROMAGNA ITALY
WHISKY IN WALES
SAIMAA FINLAND
NORTH YORKSHIRE ENGLAND
POMPEII ITALY
TARTU ESTONIA
THE AMERICAS
ATACAMA DESERT CHILE
LIMA PERU
NEW YORK STATE USA
MIAMI USA
DOMINICA
NOVA SCOTIA CANADA
TEXAS USA
YUCATÁN PENINSULA MEXICO
IBERÁ WETLANDS ARGENTINA
REST OF THE WORLD
AKAGERA RWANDA
XI’AN CHINA
ANDREFANA DRY
FORESTS MADAGASCAR
SIERRA LEONE
TAINAN TAIWAN
SIKKIM INDIA
VICTORIA AUSTRALIA
EUROPE
NORDLAND NORWAY
OFF-GRID INNOVATION IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
Nordland is a region of glaciers and soaring peaks, tiny fishing towns and remote villages, where Sámi traditions play out beneath the midnight sun or the Northern Lights. Next year, its powerful landscapes will be celebrated with the much-anticipated opening of Six Senses Svart — the world’s first energy-positive hotel, running entirely off-grid from its own solar power. The pioneering design will be complemented by a Nordic spa and zero-waste dining.
There’s much to attract adventurous travellers to this fjord-frayed coast year-round, with mountain biking and fishing in summer, and dog sledding when winter creeps in. The twisting drive along the E10 through the Lofoten Islands, which rise like humpbacked dragons from the Norwegian Sea, takes some beating. Nordland also offers plenty of culture: the town of Bodø is marking its turn as one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2024 with artistic and musical events. nordnorge.com sixsenses.com
THE EUROS GERMANY
A YEAR OF ART, CULTURE AND FIRST-CLASS FOOTBALL
For a month from mid-June, football mania will descend on Germany during the 17th UEFA European Championship, providing travellers with a fresh reason to visit the country’s beer halls, gothic churches and Berlin Wall in the 35th anniversary year of its fall. Munich, Hamburg and the capital, Berlin — where the final will be held on 14 July — are among the 10 host cities, but the Euros also gives new grounds to explore Germany’s lesser-known outposts.
Visitors to host city Dortmund can tour the National Football Museum at Signal Iduna Park, which charts the sport’s colourful history in Germany. It’s around a 30-minute walk from Phoenix West, the reclaimed bones of Dortmund’s old steelworks, which can be explored on an 85ft Skywalk. Leipzig, another host city, has made admission to four of its biggest museums free of charge, including the City Museum and Natural History Museum. An hour east by train, Dresden should also be on travellers’ radars in 2024 as it marks 250 years since the birth of Caspar David Friedrich, the Romantic painter who lived in the city. The celebrations include a major exhibition at Dresden State Art Collections, opening 24 August, to showcase his work — much of which was inspired by the surrounding Saxon countryside. germany.travel
WILD ATLANTIC WAY IRELAND
CELEBRATING A DECADE OF WEST COAST ADVENTURES
Winding for 1,600 miles along the rugged west coast, the Wild Atlantic Way has become one of Europe’s most exciting road trips, not least because it ticks off some of Ireland’s most memorable experiences: the edge-of-theworld lighthouse at Fanad Head; Galway’s legendary oysters; the lunar-like landscape of the Burren; and the paintbox-palette town of Kinsale. It’s celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2024, and a string of new experiences along its route means there’s more to enjoy than ever.
This summer saw the opening of the National Surf Centre at Strandhill in County Sligo, where the Atlantic swells draw
