The Independent’s Best of Travel 2020

Here’s our pick of destinations, journeys and trends that will shape your holidays in 2020 and beyond.

This port city on Croatia’s northern Adriatic Sea coast is not known to all that many Brits. But in 2020 it steps into the spotlight as European Capital of Culture (along with Galway in Ireland). In practice, this means a packed schedule of cultural happenings plus new events spaces – which all provides a perfect excuse to visit the “gateway to the Croatian Islands”. Aside from being a vibrant base from which to explore said islands, Croatia’s largest port city also has Austro-Hungarian Habsburg-era buildings to recommend it, plus attractions including Trsat Castle (with amazing views) and Ivan pl. Zajc Croatian National Theatre (with ceiling paintings by Gustav Klimt). Helen Coffey

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Another cultural entry – the Moroccan city of Marrakech has been named Africa’s first ever Capital of Culture for 2020. Alongside its two Unesco-listed World Heritage sites – the square of Djemaa El Fna and the 11th-century medina – the city came roaring into the 21st century with the opening of the super chic Yves Saint Laurent Museum in 2017 and the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) in 2018. In February 2020, the 1-54 Marrakech exhibition will launch, showcasing contemporary art from all over the continent. New hotel openings next year include Riad Spice, the fifth property from boutique brand Marrakech Riad, featuring a Bedouin-style bedroom on the roof. HCSri Lanka

This lush island nation suffered a huge tragedy this year, when hundreds were killed in coordinated terror attacks on Easter Sunday. The Foreign Office put the country on its no-go list, but lifted the travel advisory just months later. Many tourists are still staying away out of fear – but 2020 is the perfect time to visit to support the country’s recovery. Take advantage of visa-free entry for UK citizens until the end of January 2020 and a slew of new openings, including Teardrop Hotels’ Pekoe House in Kandy, slated for November; a new Alila five minutes from the famed Ahangama Beach and a 20-minute drive along the coast from the city of Galle and its World Heritage-listed Galle Fort; and, on the East coast, the opening of Karpaha Sands, comprised of 17 luxurious and spacious tents. HC

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There’s plenty to celebrate in Taiwan right now. This May, the island nation off the east coast of China legalised gay marriage, making it the first Asian destination to do so. (You can imagine the first Pride festival, held in October, since the new ruling was one hell of a party.) Next year all eyes will be on Taiwan’s presidential election, in which the current female president Tsai Ing-wen is expected to hold onto power. Not that an election is a reason to visit, but thanks to its diplomatic ambitions, Taiwan is struggling with a slump in tourism from mainland China (latest figures show the number of visitors dropping nearly 60 per cent in September year on year) after the People’s Republic banned individual tourists from visiting. All the more reason to support this plucky island by hanging out in its capital, Taipei. Drink in neon-bright party district Ximending, eat stinky tofu at Shilin night market and ascend the world’s former tallest building, Taipei 101, for a smasher of a city view. Cathy Adams

When is this Middle Eastern megacity not reinventing itself? Dubai is gearing up to host the World Expo 2020, which will welcome delegates and tourists for a whopping 173 days from next October. Parts of the site have already been completed – marvel at the “petal” walkways of the Dubai South site – but as usual, there’s plenty of new stuff to see in the most bombastic Emirate. For starters: the Al Seef heritage area, which mixes culture, restaurants and hotels; the open-air Al Shindadgha museum, highlighting Emirati culture; and the world’s biggest vegan restaurant. Naturally. CA

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If reading The Great Gatsby made you nostalgic for the glamour of the 1920s American dream, now’s the time to recreate the flapper dresses and sequins spun in the world of F Scott Fitzgerald. Next year marks 100 years since the Roaring Twenties, and Long Island, off New York City, is the place where the era of Art Deco and jazz peaked. Explore this 190km island’s elegant clapboard mansions, sprawling vineyards and islands-off-islands – like North Fork’s boho Shelter Island, home to hotelier Andre Balazs’ sun-dappled Sunset Beach – to roll like bootlegger Jay Gatsby. CA

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New hotels (new aparthotel Native Manchester, the Stock Exchange Hotel, new "poshtel" Selina), new nightclubs (LGBTQ+ Cotton, inside a former printing press) and the new cultural/co-work space in the Ducie Street warehouses, Cultureplex, are all making the Northern Powerhouse the UK city to visit in 2020. CA

“Our group will meet in Cairo airport ready for the 2am flight to Socotra via Seiyun in mainland Yemen.” That 1,900-mile charter flight costs £1,000 return (payable in cash US dollars on arrival), on top of the £1,500-plus price of the one-week package to Yemen’s offshore island. Oh, and the Foreign Office says: “If you’re in Yemen, you should leave immediately.” Yet the Wigan-based tour operator, Lupine Travel, has had to lay on extra departures in 2020 to the island whose endemic flora and fauna has earned it the name “The Galapagos of the Indian Ocean” – including unique desert roses, Socotra sunbirds and dragon’s blood trees. What are you waiting for? Simon Calder

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For the past four years, British carriers have been banned from flying to Egypt’s premier resort, after a suspected terrorist bomb killed 224 people aboard a Russian airliner. The ban was finally lifted in October 2019, but it took two more months before flights to “SSH” reappeared on the destination screens of UK airports. Prices started high, but more affordable journeys will be available in the New Year as airlines move in more capacity: departing from Gatwick on 26 February, Tui is selling an all-inclusive week at the Magic Life resort for £605 per person. The same absurdly warm, clear waters await for snorkellers and divers, though scenic and cultural attractions such as Mount Sinai and St Catherine’s Monastery are off-limits according to the Foreign Office travel advice. SC

TThe UK is studiously excluded from the new free e-visa that allows nationals of 53 states (including North Korea and plucky Liechtenstein) to enter Russia’s most beautiful city. (If you happen to have a passport from Ireland or another country not planning to leave the EU, the permit allows you to apply 20 days ahead and spend up to eight days in St Petersburg and its surroundings.) Yet the city is once again host for a major football tournament: Euro 2020. As with the Russia 2018 World Cup, it is likely that ticket holders will once again be granted visa-free access. Even if you have no interest in the game, buying a match ticket will prove cheaper and easier than obtaining a tourist visa for the city. Group B matches take place on 13, 17 and 22 June – and the last of those, Finland v Belgium, will offer the highest chances of tickets.

While British Airways recently abandoned flights to St Petersburg, Wizz Air now connects the glorious city with lovely Luton. SC

Only a fool would turn down the chance to fly on the first flight from Stansted to this gorgeous island on 1 April 2020 (current one-way fare just £43 on Ryanair). Terceira (“third”) was so named because it was discovered after the Azores islands of Santa Maria and San Miguel. The main town, Angra do Heroismo, dates from the late 15th century and has a ripple of red roofs that drape themselves over the terrain as it slides down to meet the ocean. SC

Hoping to seize Germany’s crown as the top holiday destination for cyclists, France has announced the opening of a brand new 430km (267 miles) cycle route, La Seine a Velo, in 2020. It will link Paris to Le Havre and Deauville in Normandy; following the course of the Seine, the route will pass through Giverny, Les Andelys, Rouen, Jumieges and Honfleur, and is suitable for all ages and abilities. HC

The United States’ longest, highest railroad, the Cumbres and Toltec (C&TSRR), celebrates 50 years of continuous operation as a scenic railroad in 2020. Which means there’s never been a better time to jump aboard this 3ft narrow-gauge steam railway, running for 64 miles all the way from Antonito, Colorado to Chama, New Mexico. HC

Once complete, at almost 3,000 miles, the England Coast Path will be quite something – the longest continuous trail of its kind in the world, in fact. It will grant access to the country’s entire coastline for the first time when finished, and more sections are being opened throughout 2020. HC

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Following the 2019 launch of the popular Arctic Coast Way in northern Iceland, which has successfully dragged tourists away from the Golden Circle near Reykjavik, the Nordic island is rolling out another road trip route in spring 2020: the spangly-sounding Diamond Circle. This 260km sightseeing route, which is a day trip add-on to the existing Arctic Coast Way, takes drivers around scenic sights such as Lake Myvatn, slated as Europe’s most powerful waterfall; canyon Dettifoss; and the fishing village of Husavik. CA

That impressive title might sound like a new and fancy link between London and the French capital through the Channel Tunnel. In fact it is an “automated transit network” that expands travel opportunities in greater Paris. The core of the network is a new Metro line, number 15, which is to run around the capital. The northern anchor is the suburb of St-Denis, location for the Stade de France, with a link to Charles de Gaulle airport; the southern intersection at Villejuif has a link to Orly airport. It also serves La Defense, the cluster of skyscrapers northwest of the centre of Paris. Further ripples will add connections with Versailles to the southwest and Noisy-le-Grand in the east, location for some striking postmodern architecture – as seen in The Hunger Games. With most of the lines above the surface, the complete network will ultimately provide a fresh perspective on Paris. But that must wait until 2030. In 2020 you can sample a small segment: the extension of line 14 from St-Lazare to St-Denis. SC

Take the train from Casablanca going south. But before you do that, fly from Gatwick to Tangier on the Air Arabia link; take Africa’s new high-speed rail line from the port city to Casablanca. All aboard the Marrakech Express. From the station, you are whisked into the Atlas mountains to the Kasbah du Toubkhal. Meet your guide for the ascent of Toubkhal, the highest mountain in North Africa. Over the next four days you will be coaxed to the 4,167m (13,671ft) summit, and descend to the kasbah where you can soak away the aches in a hammam. The price the guided hike is £818 (based on two sharing); you can manage the whole thing for a grand. SC

The highlands and islands of this most breathtaking continent, faster than a speeding condor: that is my proposition for an exciting journey in December 2020. A new Latam air link connects Cordoba in Argentina with the Falklands (Malvinas). That sets up the prospect of a multi-multi-dimensional journey that goes like this: London-Santiago de Chile, across the Andes to Argentina – pausing for a mountain trek or making straight for Mendoza, the Argentinian wine capital. A short flight or 10-hour bus ride takes you to Cordoba for the flight to Mount Pleasant on East Falkland. Latam will take you back from the Falklands via Punta Arenas in Chile, then make your way north – which you may wish to time to coincide with the total eclipse sweeping over southern South America on 14 December 2020. SC

Rail timetable changes: what could possibly go wrong? Well, as the disastrous Thameslink/Northern “upgrade” in 2017 demonstrated, plenty. But GWR, which runs trains from Swansea, Cardiff and Newport to London Paddington is confident its new schedule will work. The fastest off-peak journey time between the Welsh and English capitals falls by 16 minutes to 1h48m, achieved thanks to the better acceleration of the new Intercity Express Train (IET). If the price isn’t right, though, the on-demand bus operator Snap is back and offering cut-price travel between Cardiff and London at a starting fare of £5 one way. The bus (from Hammersmith in west London) also serves Newport, Treforest and Pontypridd – and you cross the mighty Severn on a bridge, not through a tunnel. SC

After a year in which the concepts of “flight shame” and “train brag” went mainstream, 2020 looks set to be a year in which more and more eco-minded travellers swap plane for train – myself included. This trend goes hand-in-hand with mindful and slow travel becoming more popular. “In its simplest form, slow travel means travelling by particular modes of transport, such as train, horse, walking, biking and boating,” says Tom Barber, co-founder of Original Travel. “It’s all about appreciating the landscape as you go, and being at one with it – which you don’t get by flying or driving when you’re seeing everything from behind a pane of glass.” Alongside rail adventures and staycations increasing in popularity, I reckon we’ll also see a renewed interest in pilgrimages as a means of reconnecting with nature and our surroundings. HC

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Overburdened by choice in the modern world, travellers are increasingly choosing not to choose when it comes to their trips. As evidenced by a growing number of businesses offering to create bespoke surprise itineraries, the idea of mystery travel is going mainstream. There’s Make My Day, which offers surprise day trips in London, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Bath and Dublin, with activities curated by a former travel writer. Whisk Away provides premium long-weekend trips to surprise destinations around Europe. Wix Squared has launched “mystery travel” holiday itineraries, complete with an app that provides daily alerts of what travellers are doing each day. And then there’s srprs.giftcards, where even the present-buyer doesn’t know what they’re giving (the only guarantee is that the trip will take the receiver on a city break to ‘wherever they are meant to go’). What are you waiting for? Dive into the unknown in 2020… HC

Travellers are increasingly eschewing the “fly and flop” brand of holiday for something more interactive and meaningful, whether that’s learning to mend dry stone walls or picking beaches free of plastic. The Faroe Islands in particular have harnessed this particular trend, as they hold a second annual “closed for maintenance” scheme. This three-day project gives 100 lucky volunteers free lodging and food while they help with various infrastructure jobs, from constructing signs to path maintenance. And right here in the UK, the National Trust has introduced new “working holidays”, from river restoration in Worcestershire to plant life surveying in West Sussex. HC

At a time when travel is increasingly affected by “global swarming”, 2019 was the year that the Dutch tourist board decided to stop actively promoting the Netherlands as a tourist destination, over fears that its cities and attractions were too crowded (the Keukenholf tulip bulb garden is all but inaccessible). Next year could see countries either not bothering with a tourism campaign, or axing them altogether. Our advice? Seek out the “undertouristed” destinations instead. CA

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Female empowerment has been a hot-button issue for many years, but only recently has it begun to appear on travellers’ radars. Several tour operators have launched tours that work with, or highlight, female-only communities in traditionally male-dominated societies. For example, there’s Intrepid Travel’s 10-day trek in Kenya takes tourists across the Maasai Mara to meet its “mamas”, the matriarchs of local society; while luxury tour company Scott Dunn works with Chobe Game Lodge in Botswana, where all the safari guides are female; and Tanzania’s Dunia Camp, where 95 per cent of the staff are women. CA

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We’ve long espoused the benefits of second-city travel: the cities and towns outside the capitals are less well-trodden with tourists, cheaper (no tourist tax!) and often offer a more condensed travel experience thanks to their smaller size. Now it’s the turn of the third city to step into the spotlight. Forget Birmingham: try Sheffield. Never mind Lyon, visit Toulouse instead. And what of Eastern Europe’s third cities? Maribor, Slovenia; Ostrava, Czech Republic; and Wroclaw in Poland are all set to be solid-gold city breaks in 2020. CA

If you don’t happen to be a millennial, prise the nearest one away from their phone to ask how much cash they have in their purse or wallet. My bet: nil to £30 (the latter representing a late-night cab home if Uber really does get banned). Much of Europe and Asia, and all of North America functions on plastic or virtual payment, and some enterprises – from coffee shops to airline inflight sales – have banned cash. Avoid the faff and expense of changing money if you possibly can. But keep $100 or €100 in cash just in case you need to pay to extract yourself from a difficult situation; everyone should know what one or other of those is worth in their local currency (sterling has lost the power it once had). SC

Forget overnight flights: fly only during the hours of daylight – or at least within a civilised time band of, say 9am-9pm. Stay at intermediate airports overnight. You’ll get a flat bed for a fraction of the cost of a night on board a plane. It’s easy going west, trickier eastbound – but from Heathrow, the 8am to Doha, the 9am to Abu Dhabi or the 9.10am to Dubai provide a good start to a a fun and relaxed journey from the UK to the Far East or Australia. SC

In the olden days people hitched for thousands of miles because they couldn’t possibly afford to fly. In 2020, the idea could take hold that thumbing a lift is the least damaging form of motorised travel on the planet. Technology may intervene to provide a kind of “trusted driver/trusted hitcher” accreditation, but the traditional method of simply heading out on the road on a sunny day will still prove rewarding – assisting motorists in assuaging their consciences. SC