Best Places to Explore in the World, USA and Canada for 2026: Rome, Quebec City, Grand Canyon and Hawaii

U.S. News has a nice roundup of top places in the world to explore in the coming year. They also listed top destinations in the U.S.A. and Canada, as well as Europe and the Caribbean.

Here’s a look at some of their findings.

BEST WORLD DESTINATIONS FOR 2026

Rome, Italy. Caleb Miller/Unsplash

1. Rome (hard to argue with The Eternal City)
2. Tokyo (amazing food and ancient temples)
3. Prague
4. Swiss Alps (so beautiful)
5. Mauritius
6. Iguazu Falls, South America
7. Amsterdam (fab museums and atmospheric pubs)
8. Machu Picchu
9. Palawan (Philippines)
10. Santorini (still never been)
11. Bora Bora (perhaps the most beautiful island on the planet)
12. Tanzania
13. Sydney 
14. Paris (not sure how it ends up this far down the list)
15. Chiang Mai
16. Maui (my personal fave)
17. Barcelona (spectacular city; but go in the off-season to avoid crowds)
18. London
19. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
20. Cappadocia, Turkiye

BEST PLACES IN CANADA FOR 2026

East Point lighthouse is one of my favourite spots in Prince Edward Island. JIM BYERS PHOTO

1. Quebec City
2. Jasper N.P.
3. Niagara Falls (not sure if they’re including nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake, but it’s a village you don’t want to miss)
4. Prince Edward Island (super-relaxed, great food, amazing people)
5. Banff N.P. (no-brainer)
6. Montreal
7. Whitehorse (great choice: I love the spirit of the Yukon)
8. Victoria and Vancouver Island
9. Vancouver
10. Toronto
11. Okanagan Valley, B.C. (wonderful wines)
12. Mont Tremblant, Quebec
13. Ottawa
14. Whistler
15. Cape Breton Highlands N.P. (spectacular scenery and one of the world’s best driving trips)
16. Calgary
17. Gros Morne N.P., Newfoundland and Labrador (superb hiking and walking trails, not to mention the majestic Western Brook Pond boat trip)
18. Kluane N.P., Yukon (rugged beauty to spare, and almost no tourists in sight)
19. Halifax (vastly underrated Canadian city)
20. Kelowna, B.C.

TOP DESTINATIONS USA FOR 2026

Wai’anapanapa State Park. Maui, Hawaii. JIM BYERS PHOTO

1. Grand Canyon N.P. (the only place that, so far, has inspired to write a haiku)
2. Maui (see above note)
3. Honolulu (a terrific, multicultural city)
4. Glacier N.P.
5. Zion N.P. (truly sensational)
6. Yosemite N.P. (one of the most wondrous places on earth)
7. Yellowstone N.P.
8. Grand Teton N.P. (drop dead gorgeous mountains)
9. Lake Tahoe
10. Kauai
11. Olympic Peninsula, Washington state
12. Savannah
13. Moab, Utah
14. Washington D.C. (some of the world’s best museums; most of them free)
15. New York City (you may have heard of it)
16. San Francisco (America’s most beautiful city)
17. Charleston
18. Gatlinburg, Tennessee
19. Big Sur, California
20. San Diego

For those of you keeping score at home, that’s two Hawai’i spots in the top three and three spots in the top 10. California scored five destinations in the top 20.

TOP FIVE CARIBBEAN PLACES FOR 2026

Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, Saint Lucia. Photo courtesy Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort.

1. Saint Lucia (perhaps the most striking Caribbean island)
2. British Virgin Islands
3. Turks and Caicos
4. U.S. Virgin Islands
5. St. Vincent and the Grenadines (a personal Caribbean fave)

FIVE TOP EUROPEAN DESTINATIONS FOR 2026

London, England. Eva Dang/Unsplash Photo

1. Scottish Highlands
2. Rome
3. Venice
4. French Alps
5. London

LAHAINA HARBOR REOPENS ON MAUI

It’s a small step, but a vital one for the economic future of Maui. More than two years after wildfires destroyed most of the beautiful town of Lahaina, Maui, the harbor has reopened for business. That means fishing trips, whale-watching and snorkel trips can now be booked out of Lahaina, which is quite close to major vacation spots such as Ka’anapali, Kahana, Napili and Kapalua. For the past 2.5 years or so, boats have mostly gone out of Ma’alaea Harbor, which is a good 20 minutes south of Lahaina. So it’s very good news. We still don’t know when downtown Lahaina shops and restaurants might be rebuilt, or what form they will take. But having the harbor open for business is a big step forward. As mentioned previously in this space, several Lahaina-area restaurants and businesses are open north and south of downtown. That includes Star Noodle and Mala Ocean Tavern, The Old Lahaina Luau, Cannery Mall and Leoda’s Pies.

A FINE CALIFORNIA WEBINAR

The beach in Carlsbad, California; just a few minutes north of San Diego. JIM BYERS PHOTO

The Canadian media relations team that handles Visit California put on a nice webinar this week for travel agents, highlighting great sun escapes for winter. With great access from many major Canadian cities, and generally good weather (especially compared to most of Canada) in winter, California is an easy-to-reach destination that has so much to offer.

The webinar included regions up and down the state, from San Diego to Napa and Sonoma, and from Palm Springs to the fabled Monterey Peninsula. One major highlight that many Canadians may not know about is the quiet, beautiful Central Coast, which includes the fabulous Paso Robles wine region and adorable coastal towns such as Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Bay and Avila Beach. 

From rugged beaches to pine-scented forests, and from amazing wineries to big city museums, there’s so much to see in California all year long.