Every autumn, the big travel lists land at once — and this year they agree on one thing: 2027 is the year of the second city, the quieter island and the place you have not heard of yet. Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2027, Expedia’s Unpack ’27, Skyscanner’s Travel Trends 2027, Booking.com’s trending destinations and National Geographic’s Best of the World 2027 all dropped within weeks of each other, and the overlap is striking. Japan appears on all three of the biggest lists. Italy shows up five different ways. And the cheapest fares of the year are attached to places most travellers have never typed into a search box.
This guide turns those lists into a plan you can actually afford. Every one of the 20 best places to travel in 2027 below comes with a realistic daily budget, the best months to go, and the reason 2027 — not 2026, not 2028 — is the year to visit. If you are planning now, you are right on time: the biggest booking window for 2027 trips runs from December 2026 through March 2027, and the places below are where the deals still are.
Best Places to Travel in 2027: How This List Was Built
We cross-checked five major 2027 lists and kept only destinations that appeared on at least one of them and work on a budget. A place made the cut if it has cheap stays, affordable food or falling fares — not just a pretty photo. Search growth figures below come from Expedia and Skyscanner’s published 2027 reports, and daily budgets are for one person travelling modestly: a hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, street food and local restaurants, public transport, and one paid activity a day. For the cheapest month-by-month planning, pair this guide with our cheapest places to travel each month of 2027.
Europe: The 2027 Hot List
1. Perugia, Italy — $55–75 a Day
Expedia ranks Perugia seventh in the world for 2027, with searches up 35% year on year. This hilltop Umbrian city has Etruscan walls, a chocolate festival in October, and none of Florence’s prices: dorms from €22, trattoria pasta for €9–12, and free views over the valley from the Rocca Paolina. Base here for Assisi, Spello and Lake Trasimeno by regional train. Best months: April–June and September–October. If you love Italy beyond the obvious, our secret places in Italy with no crowds pairs perfectly with this trip.
2. Trapani, Sicily, Italy — $50–70 a Day
Skyscanner reports Trapani searches up 95% for 2027, and it is easy to see why: a working fishing port, salt pans glowing pink at sunset, the Egadi Islands a 30-minute ferry away, and the hilltop town of Erice above it all. Guesthouses run €30–45 a night and a couscous dinner costs under €12. Go in May or September, when the sea is warm and the crowds are gone. Trapani is also a smart gateway to the rest of Sicily — and a cheaper one than Palermo or Catania.
3. Malmö, Sweden — $70–95 a Day
Malmö tops Skyscanner’s European growth list with searches up 103%. Sweden’s third city is compact, flat and built for bicycles, with a food scene that punches far above its size and Copenhagen just 35 minutes away by train across the Øresund Bridge. Hostels cost from 300 SEK a night, and the city’s street-food halls keep meals under 120 SEK. Best months: May–September. Pair it with a cheap Copenhagen day trip and you get two countries for the price of one stay.
4. Samos, Greece — $45–65 a Day
Skyscanner puts Samos up 75% for 2027, and this Aegean island is the anti-Mykonos: quiet beaches, mountain villages, excellent local wine, and rooms from €25 a night outside August. Ferries connect it to the Turkish coast, so a two-country trip is easy. Best months: May–June and September. For more Greek islands at a fraction of the famous prices, see our places like Santorini but cheaper.
5. Šibenik, Croatia — $55–80 a Day
Lonely Planet names Šibenik one of its 2027 picks for architecture, food and a year-round festival calendar. It sits between Split and Zadar with a stunning UNESCO-listed cathedral, a fortress with sea views, and Krka National Park an hour away — all without Dubrovnik’s prices or queues. Rooms run €35–55 a night and a seafood lunch costs €10–14. Best months: May–June and September.
6. León, Spain — $50–70 a Day
Lonely Planet’s 2027 pick in northern Spain is a medieval city on the Camino de Santiago with a Gothic cathedral, Gaudí’s Casa Botines, and Spain’s best free-tapas tradition — order a drink in the Barrio Húmedo and the tapa comes with it. Hostels cost €15–22 a night and a full menu del día is €11–14. Best months: April–June and September–October. It is also a natural stop on a cheap northern-Spain route with Bilbao, where Skyscanner reports airfares down 66%.
7. The Veneto Beyond Venice, Italy — $60–85 a Day
Lonely Planet’s 2027 advice is to skip the Venice crowds and explore the wider Veneto: Verona, Padua, the Dolomites and Lake Garda. Verona’s hostels start at €25, Padua’s arcaded streets are free to wander, and the Dolomites’ rifugios offer mountain nights from €35 with dinner. Best months: May–June for the cities, July–September for the mountains. This is the Italy of 2027 — the same region, half the stress, and often half the bill.
8. Reims, France — $65–90 a Day
Booking.com lists Reims among its top trending destinations for 2027. The champagne capital is 45 minutes from Paris by TGV, yet hotel rooms cost half what they do in the capital. The cathedral where French kings were crowned is free to enter, and several champagne houses offer tours from €25. Best months: April–June and September–October. Come for the bubbles, stay for the price — then spend the savings on the train to Strasbourg, whose Christmas markets we cover in our best Christmas markets in Europe guide.
9. Bratislava, Slovakia — $45–65 a Day
Booking.com’s 2027 list includes Bratislava, and it remains one of Europe’s best-value capitals: a compact old town, a castle on the hill, dorms from €15, and hearty Slovak meals for €7–10. It is an hour from Vienna by bus or boat, so it pairs perfectly with our Vienna on a budget guide. Best months: April–June and September–October. For a full ranking of Europe’s cheapest capitals, see our cheapest cities in Europe for 2027.
10. Slovenia — $55–80 a Day
Fora Travel reports Slovenia bookings up 152% year on year — the strongest growth of any European country on its 2027 Hot List. Ljubljana is walkable and affordable, Lake Bled is an hour away, and the Soča Valley offers some of Europe’s best rafting for under €50. Hostels cost €20–30 a night and mountain huts are cheaper still. Best months: May–September for hiking, December–February for cheap skiing. Slovenia is also the gateway to the underrated corners we mapped in our most underrated destinations in the world.
11. Pescara, Italy — $50–70 a Day
Booking.com’s third Italian pick for 2027 is Pescara, a laid-back Adriatic beach city in Abruzzo that Italians love and foreigners mostly miss. Long sandy beaches, seafood restaurants where a full dinner costs €12–15, and the Apennine mountains an hour inland. Rooms run €30–45 a night. Best months: May–September. It is the cheapest beach base in Italy we have found for 2027 — and the gateway to Abruzzo’s national parks.
12. Dessau, Germany — $55–75 a Day
Lonely Planet’s 2027 pick is Dessau, the Bauhaus city: the Bauhaus Building, the Masters’ Houses and a compact, walkable centre, all 90 minutes from Berlin by regional train. Hostels cost €20–28 a night and the Bauhaus sites are far cheaper than Berlin’s museums. Best months: April–October. Dessau is proof that 2027’s best trips are not always to the biggest names — sometimes they are to the city that invented modern design.
Asia: The Fastest-Growing Searches of 2027
13. Hyogo, Japan — $60–85 a Day
Expedia ranks Hyogo second in the world for 2027, with searches up 95%. This prefecture west of Osaka holds Kobe, the castle town of Himeji, and the hot-spring resort of Kinosaki — and it is noticeably cheaper than Tokyo or Kyoto. Capsule hotels cost ¥3,000–4,500, ramen is ¥800–1,000, and the JR Kansai pass covers the region. Best months: March–May for cherry blossom, October–November for autumn colour. Japan appears on all three major 2027 lists, and Hyogo is how to do it without the Kyoto price tag.
14. Busan, South Korea — $55–80 a Day
Expedia ranks Busan fifth globally for 2027, with searches up 50%. South Korea’s second city has beaches, mountain temples, the Jagalchi fish market and a café culture that rivals Seoul — at 20–30% lower prices. Guesthouses cost ₩25,000–40,000 a night and street food is ₩5,000–10,000 a meal. Best months: April–June and September–October. Busan is also the cheapest gateway to Korea if you fly into Seoul and take the KTX south.
15. Okinawa, Japan — $55–80 a Day
Lonely Planet and Skyscanner both name Okinawa for 2027, and from March 2027 United flies nonstop from San Francisco — the first nonstop US-mainland flights in 54 years. The subtropical islands offer beaches, coral reefs, a distinct Ryūkyūan culture and food you will not find on the mainland. Guesthouses cost ¥3,500–6,000 a night and a set lunch is ¥1,000–1,500. Best months: March–June and October–November. Book early: the new route will push prices up fast.
16. Penang, Malaysia — $30–50 a Day
Penang is the only Southeast Asian destination on National Geographic’s Best of the World 2027 list — and one of the cheapest places on this entire list. George Town’s street food is legendary (a full meal for $2–4), heritage shophouses host hostels from $8 a night, and the island’s beaches and hills are free to explore. Best months: December–March, the dry season. For the wider region, our cheapest places to travel in Asia in 2027 shows how to stack Penang against the rest of Southeast Asia.
17. Phú Quốc, Vietnam — $30–50 a Day
Condé Nast Traveler readers voted Phú Quốc Asia’s most beautiful island, and Skyscanner now lists it among the fastest-growing search destinations for 2027. White-sand beaches, a night market, a cable car to a southern island, and beachfront bungalows from $12 a night. Street food costs $1–3 a meal. Best months: November–March, the dry season. Vietnam’s 30-day visa-free entry for most premium-country passports makes it one of the easiest cheap trips of 2027.
The Americas & Oceania: The Long-Haul Surprises
18. Québec, Canada — $70–100 a Day
Lonely Planet names Québec the best place for Francophone culture in North America for 2027. Québec City’s old town is a UNESCO site, the winter carnival runs in February, and the province’s food — poutine, tourtière, maple everything — is cheap and filling. Hostels cost CAD 30–45 a night. Best months: June–September for summer festivals, February for the carnival. It is also one of the few places on this list where a weak Canadian dollar works in your favour.
19. The Tweed, Australia — $60–90 a Day
The Tweed is the only Australian destination on Expedia’s 2027 list, with searches up 35%. This coastal region in northern New South Wales sits between Byron Bay and the Gold Coast — same beaches, same hinterland rainforest, far lower prices — and it carries Expedia’s Smart Travel Health Check recognition for managing tourism without overcrowding. Hostels cost AUD 35–50 a night. Best months: March–May and September–November. For Australians and New Zealanders, it is the best-value beach trip of 2027.
20. Buenos Aires, Argentina — $40–60 a Day
Lonely Planet’s 2027 pick for “steamy tango nights” is also one of the cheapest big cities in the world right now. A steak dinner costs $8–12, a subway ride is under $0.50, and boutique hostels run $10–15 a night. The milongas — local tango halls — are the experience no other city offers. Best months: March–May and September–November, when the weather is mild and the city is at its best. For travellers from the US and Europe, 2027 is the year to go before prices catch up with the peso’s recovery.
When to Book Your 2027 Trips (and Save the Most)
The pattern across every 2027 report is the same: the cheapest fares are booked 2–4 months ahead, and the biggest planning surge happens in January 2027. That gives you two windows. Book December 2026–January 2027 for spring trips (Perugia, Samos, Busan, Penang), when early-bird fares are at their lowest and the January New Year planning surge has not yet pushed prices up. Book February–March 2027 for summer trips (Malmö, Šibenik, Slovenia, the Veneto), when Skyscanner’s data shows fares bottoming out about 9–12 weeks before departure.
Two money moves matter more than any other. First, watch the Black Friday and Travel Tuesday sales — our Black Friday travel deals 2026 guide explains how to stack them — because the 27 November–1 December 2026 window is the last big sale before the January surge. Second, be flexible on the exact destination: the fare drops Skyscanner found for 2027 (Bilbao −66%, Wrocław −47%, Bordeaux −34%, Fez −19%, Krabi −15%) reward travellers who let the price pick the place. Our 21 ways to travel cheaper in 2027 shows how to turn those drops into a full trip plan.
Best Places to Travel in 2027 FAQs
What is the best place to travel in 2027 on a budget?
For the lowest daily cost, Penang and Phú Quốc at $30–50 a day. For the best value in Europe, Perugia, Samos and Bratislava at $45–70 a day. For the biggest 2027 story, Japan — Hyogo and Okinawa — where searches are up 95% and new flight routes are opening.
When is the cheapest time to book 2027 travel?
Book 2–4 months ahead for the lowest fares, and use the Black Friday/Travel Tuesday window (27 November–1 December 2026) for spring trips. January 2027 is the biggest planning surge of the year, so booking before it starts usually saves 10–20%.
Which destinations are trending most for 2027?
Japan appears on all three major lists (Lonely Planet, Expedia, Skyscanner). Expedia’s top growth picks are Hyogo (+95%), Busan (+50%), Perugia (+35%) and Chichester (+30%). Skyscanner’s are Malmö (+103%), Trapani (+95%) and Samos (+75%), plus Sal (+339%) and Bishkek (+322%) for adventure travellers.
Is 2027 a good year to travel to Europe?
Yes — it may be the best in years. The 2027 lists are full of second cities and quieter regions (Perugia, Trapani, Malmö, Šibenik, León, Slovenia), which means lower prices and fewer crowds than the classic capitals. Book spring trips before January and summer trips by March for the best fares.
Do I need to book 2027 trips now?
Not everything — but yes for the fast movers. Okinawa’s new nonstop US flights (from March 2027) and the most popular hostels in Perugia, Samos and Busan will sell out first. Flexible dates and refundable bookings are your best friends: lock the flight, keep the hotel flexible.
Final Thoughts: 2027 Belongs to the Second City
The 2027 lists tell one story: the best trips next year are not to the places everyone already knows. They are to Perugia instead of Florence, Trapani instead of Palermo, Malmö instead of Stockholm, Busan instead of Seoul, and Penang instead of Bali. These places are cheaper, calmer and — right now — easier to book. The window is open today and it closes in January, when the whole world starts planning 2027 at once. Pick your place from this list, book the flight before the surge, and go where 2027 is actually heading.
Ready to plan? Start with our cheapest places to travel each month of 2027 to match a destination to your dates, check the dream budget vacations under $1,000 in 2027 if you want a full trip under a hard cap, and browse our best places to travel in January 2027 if your first 2027 trip is a winter-sun escape. Happy travels!
