Travel

Few destinations seems to be attracting as much word-of-mouth love as Iceland right now.  With a window of affordability, popular Icelandic bands, mystery writers, and a seeming worldwide need for a long soak in a hot spring, Iceland seems to be on every traveller’s mind this year. Nearly all of the focus has been on Reykjavik and the Golden Circle, but don’t ignore Iceland’s second city Akureyri and the wild charms of Northern Iceland. all easily accessed by a short connecting flight from Reykjavik. You’ll leave most other travellers behind and there’s no shortage of dramatic geysers, lava fields and towering waterfalls to keep you company. For those in search of a soak, Myvatn Nature Baths (www.jardbodin.is ) is a smaller and less touristy version of the famed Blue Lagoon. 2015 marks the end of the 11 year maximum in aurora borealis activity, with a better light show in Northern Iceland than you’ll find in even more northern parts of Scandinavia.

Fancy a peek at a puffin? On the island of Grimsey. Iceland’s only true piece of the Artctic Circle, birds outnumber people 1000 to one. Divers can swim with seabirds, watching guillemots hunting for food deep in the crystal waters.

Pin this image Fire and Ice - Riders on the frozen Myvatn Lake. Photo by Reinhard Pantke / Getty Images.

The Cinque Terre. the string of five towns clinging precariously to the most rugged portion of Liguria’s coastline, is back. Ligurian farmers have been reclaiming the wild slopes with neat stone terraces for over 2000 years but catastrophic flooding in late 2015 wiped out the centuries of work put into the terraced vineyards and parts of the famed paths connecting the towns. In the intervening year and a half, the locals have gone to heroic lengths to rebuild the terraces, dig out the paths, and repair the damaged buildings. Steep cliffs and car-free towns made construction and debris removal highly challenging, but it’s looking better than ever today. Walking is the essential way to experience Cinque Terre, but don’t race: Monterosso. Vernazza. Corniglia. Manarola and Riomaggiore - each village has its own personality. Along the way, be sure to explore the small hidden beaches below and climb to the heights at the five scenic sanctuaries perched above the towns.

The best way to get around the Cinque Terre is with the Cinque Terre card available at all of the local train stations, which gives you unlimited use of the walking paths, electric village buses, the elevator in Riomaggiore and cultural exhibitions (one/two days €5/9).

Pin this image Colourful Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre. Photo by Sergio Del Rosso / Getty Images.

If the tourist commotion of the increasingly popular Prague and Bohemia proves too much, Moravia is just waiting to be discovered by those seeking a quieter, authentically Czech experience. Moravia is known for its robust reds wines, and recently for local late-ripening whites. The tasting experience here is laid-back – no Michelin-starred restaurants or high-end boutiques like you find in flashier wine regions of the world. Instead think harvest festivals, family-run wineries, and leisurely bike rides through rolling vineyards. Olomouc is one of the Czech Republic’s most underrated destinations, with a great nightlife scene, a mini-Prague feel and one of the country’s biggest beer festivals. Bustling Brno has a fantastic museums, including the Brno City Museum housed in the 13 th century Spilberk Castle and the Mendel Museum devoted to the monk that established the basis for modern genetics. Telc. one of the countries prettiest towns, has a pristine UNESCO-listed Old Town square, ringed with Gothic arcades.

To pedal your way through Moravian wine country, follow the Mikulov Wine Trail. The Mikulov tourist office (www.mikulov.cz/tourism ) can help steer you to a one-day ride that takes in the nearby chateaux at Valtice and Lednice, stopping at small local vineyards along the way.

Pin this image Elderflower wine, Mikulov, Moravia, Czech Republic. Photo by Paul Harris / Getty Images.

You can’t blame a traveller for being distracted by the unreal alpine adventure heaven (and frequent Bollywood backdrop) that is the nearby Berner Oberland. But Bern itself is perhaps the most underrated capital city on the continent. If you’re expecting stodginess from the Swiss seat of government, Bern quickly dashes such notions with its graceful blend of the old and genteel with the modern and edgy. The gorgeous fountain-filled 15 th -century UNESCO World Heritage site Old Town (where you can visit Albert Einstein’s former house ) is paired with the futuristic Renzo Piano designed Paul Klee Center. Artsy boutiques, intellectual bars and cutting-edge locavore cuisine is the name of the game here. Nearby, cheese lovers can follow the Emmental Cheese Route by bike (complete with mobile app that guides you from cheese to cheese). The annual Buskers Street Music Festival (www.buskersbern.ch ) is ideal for budget-conscious music lovers: it fills the streets of Old Town with music and performances for free (or whatever you can toss in the hat).

Get a taste of Bern’s locavore leanings at the popularLotschberg AOC (www.loetschberg-aoc.ch ), with an all-Swiss wine and beer list, local cheese specialities and seasonal produce.

Pin this image Bern's Old Town and the Aare River. Izzet Keribar / Getty Images.

Just 10 years ago, Marseille was a byword for urban decay and crime around France. Times have changed. But even after a major makeover and investment in revitalizing the port, transport and arts institutions – as well as being named the European Capital of Culture in 2015 – most travellers have yet to catch on to what is one of Europe’s greatest comeback cities. Marseille’s colourful Vieux Port has been in use for over 26 centuries and is still a busy hub of activity today, while Le Panier quarter’s labyrinthine, souk-like streets are lined with artisans’ shops marking the neighbourhood’s long history as a local marketplace. The 19 th century Romano-Byzantine Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde sits atop the city’s highest point and houses beautifully restored mosaics and murals recounting the city’s seafaring history. In June 2015, the brand-new Musee des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Mediterranee opened to the public, and the Musee des Beaux-Arts reopened at the Palais de Longchamp. Seafood lovers should high-tail it to Marseille for the food alone – as a local will tell you, you’ve never had bouillabaisse until you’ve had it in Marseille.

For a true bouillabaisse experience, head to Le Rhul for a classic approach or L’Epuisette for a swank Michelin-starred experience; reserve in advance for both.

Pin this image Marseille's Vieux Port. Photo by Alexandre Fundone / Getty Images.

Calling Croatia a hotspot is somewhat old news in travel circles – its popularity is firmly established among European travellers and steeply on the rise among Americans as well. But many travellers are only seeing one sunny slice of the country, lured to the nearly 2000km-long coastline meanwhile missing the diverse charms of the inland cities, national parks and countryside. Zagreb. soon to be the EU’s newest capital city, is a hip city with walkable streets and a cafe scene so ingrained that some refer to the city as one large outdoor cafe. Surpassing even the notable beauty of the coast, Plitvice Lakes National Park is a nature-lover’s paradise with ribbons of bright turquoise lakes and waterfalls set against a backdrop of karst cliffs and mossy travertine. Back on the coast, historic Dubrovnik will delight visitors even if they don’t know that they’re standing in King’s Landing from the popular Game of Thrones television show.

To experience Zagreb like a local, don’t miss Saturday morning spica, the coffee-drinking and people watching ritual that is the peak of the weekly social calendar.

Pin this image Plitvice Lakes National Park. Photo by Kelly Cheng / Getty Images.

Scenic, historic and on the rise: Northern Ireland is ripe for exploration in 2015. Derry/Londonderry is the only surviving walled city in Ireland, and a walk around the walls is a must for any visitor. The UK City of Culture for 2015, Derry/Londonderry is undergoing a renaissance, with a year full of cultural events and a new 235m pedestrian Peace Bridge over the River Foyle designed to resemble a handshake between the traditionally Protestant and Catholic sides of the city. In Belfast, Titanic Belfast (www.titanicbelfast ), a brand-new museum devoted to Belfast’s maritime heritage, is styled as a massive silver boat-prow and located where the Titanic herself was built. Northern Ireland’s charms extend well beyond the cities (which, coincidentally, fans of Game of Thrones will know from the lush scenery used throughout the show). The Giant’s Causeway with its picturesque rambling hexagonal columns of basalt spilling into the sea, is connected by an unforgettable 16 km coastal walk along the Causeway Coast to the swaying Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge (20 m long, only 1 m wide, bouncing 30 m above rocks and water) with cliffs, islands, beaches, ruins and seabirds along the way.

In October, Derry/Londonderry dusts off the skeletons and puts on the spooky makeup for the annual Halloween Carnival. Ireland’s biggest street party.

Pin this image Dawn on the Giant's Causeway. Photo by Riccardo Spila / Getty Images.

Despite what a certain banjo-playing frog might tell you, Copenhagen makes being green look easy. Scandinavia’s coolest capital city is also one of the world’s leaders in green building, sustainable food and bike sharing. New York is abuzz about bicycles with their new bike-share system, but that’s old news in Copenhagen where nearly 50% of the residents commute by bike (the city's free public bike-share system ended recently but a replacement system is on the way). New Nordic cuisine, with Copenhagen’s Noma leading the way, has become the ‘it’ cuisine of 2015, with its hallmarks of local, seasonal and traditional foods prepared in simple but innovative ways. With the 2000 bridge and tunnel connection to Malmo. Sweden has revitalized the neighboring city and created a vibrant bi-national, multicultural metropolis. Summer is jam-packed with festivals, but the Danes show their serious love for jazz at the city’s largest music event, the Copenhagen Jazz Festival (jazz.dk ), bopping through the city for 10 days every July.

The strikingly modern Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in nearby Humelb ?k is worth the side trip even if you’re not a passionate fan of modern art. Inside find Picasso, Giacometti and an entire wing for kids; outside find Henry Moore, Alexander Calder and artfully framed views across the water to Sweden.

Pin this image City bikers in Copenhagen. Photo by Dag Sundberg / Getty Images.

Andy Murdock is Lonely Planet's US Digital Editor, and enjoys losing a game of big chess quite badly to a local after a stroll through Bern's Barenplatz market.