My 18 favourite new destinations of 2018

2018 is coming to an end, and that means it’s time to reflect on the year that has gone by. This year, I visited 13 different countries in Europe, the Caucasus, North America and South America, and five of them were new ones. One of them I even moved to!

In 2015, I started doing a yearly post of my favourite new destinations of the year gone by. That year, some of my favourite new destinations were Svalbard, Andorra, Poland and the Whitsunday Islands in Australia. In 2016, my favourites included Budapest, Taipei, the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan and Møn in Denmark. And in 2017, some of my favourites were Abyaneh in Iran, Gjirokastra in Albania, Hestur on the Faroe Islands and the US state of Arizona.

2018 has been an amazing travel year, so choosing only 18 favourites was actually a challenge! The destinations are in chronological order – starting with Russia, where I went in January, and ending with Greenland, where I’ve been living since September!

1. Moscow, Russia

The first trip of the year went to Moscow, the capital of Russia. It was also my first visit to the enormous country, but I swear it won’t be the last. Because I absolutely loved everything about Moscow, and I have a feeling that I’ll love the country just as much.

Moscow was unlike any city I’d ever seen before with its unique architecture. I especially loved the Church of the Ascension and the incredible views over the city from there.

Read more: 21 hours in Moscow

2. Baku, Azerbaijan

The modern capital of Azerbaijan was my first meeting with the country, and while I wouldn’t say it gives you a good impression of the country as a whole, it’s a nice place to get used to the atmosphere, the language, the culture and the food before venturing further into the country.

Baku was a huge surprise to me with it’s wide boulevards, quaint old center, enormous skyscrapers and the place I loved the most, Yanar Dag, the ever-burning mountain.

3. Kish, Azerbaijan

Way up north in the Greater Caucasus Mountains lies the tiny village of Kish, one of the oldest villages in Azerbaijan, with an enchanting history and breathtaking mountain views.

I spent a few days in the nearby town of Sheki, and took a day trip to Kish, where I visited the old church and went hiking with a taxi driver to the ruins of a Medieval fortress.

4. Zagreb, Croatia

The beautiful capital of Croatia welcomed my mum and I on our annual mother/daughter trip on the last day of February. We spent only one afternoon wandering around this city, but we both agreed that it was magical. It was the coldest day of the year, so the air was crisp and the city views endless.

5. Ljubljana, Slovenia

The quaint capital of Slovenia was our next destination on the trip, and we loved it just as much as Zagreb. We based ourselves there for our four days in Slovenia, and spent a full day exploring the tiny city.

I loved walking through the colourful streets, visiting cozy cafés and shops, exploring the beautiful pink church and enjoying the cityscape from the castle. It was also an interesting experience to visit Metelkova, the Christiania of Ljubljana.

6. Lake Bohinj, Slovenia

Of all the beautiful nature destinations we visited in Slovenia, Lake Bohinj was my favourite. Perfectly calm with reflections of the mountains and forest, I thought it looked like a fairytale.

To make it even better, it’s possible to get as high as 1535 meters above the lake on a gondola! My mum and I decided to take this trip up to the atmospheric Vogel Ski Resort, offering amazing views of the lake and the surrounding mountains.

7. Öland, Sweden

Oh, Öland. What a beautiful surprise you were!

In the middle of my busy exam period, I decided to take a few days off to travel solo around this long Swedish island, which blew me away with its natural beauty. Originally, I had planned to bike, but when I learned that the island is 137 km long, I decided to rent a car instead. I travelled all around the entire island, visiting archaeological sites, dark forests, vast moorlands and old lighthouses by the northern and southern ends. It was the perfect break from my exams!

8. Meteora, Greece

May arrived and it was time for a field trip with my uni class. We travelled all through the mainland of Greece, visiting some amazing places, but nothing could beat Meteora, a place I’d been wanting to visit for as long as I can remember.

Made up of one of the largest complexes of orthodox monasteries in the world, built on top of enormous sandstone rocks, Meteora really looks like something from another world!

9. Mycenae, Greece

Another place that took me by surprise in Greece, was the Bronze Age site of Mycenae, the ruins of one of the two greatest cities of the Mycenaean civilization (15th-12th century BC), which played an important role in the development of the classical Greek world.

Built upon a hill rising 900 feet above sea level, the place is as beautiful as it’s interesting. Being a lover of both archaeology and nature, this was the perfect place for me!

10. Montréal, Canada

A 23-hour stopover in Montréal was enough to give my younger brother and I a great impression of the French Canadian city! I loved the atmosphere of the city and the view from Mount Royal was incredible, espeically during sunset. We even met a bunch of raccoons up there! Nothing beats a city with raccoons as inhabitants!

Read more: 23 hours in Montréal

11. Cuzco, Peru

The first meeting with Peru was had in Cuzco – and thank goodness for that, since I really didn’t like Lima… Cuzco, on the other hand, is a beautiful and lively city with so much to offer that I would go back in a heartbeat.

My younger brother and I spent a few days exploring the city and taking a daytrip to the Rainbow Mountain, before joining a bunch of archaeologists for the four-day Inka Trail trek to Machu Picchu! It was an epic adventure, maybe even my favourite one of the year!

12. Islas Ballestas, Peru

Islas Ballestas is known as the Galapagos of Peru, and for good reason! There are sooo many animals everywhere; birds, penguins, enormous crabs and even sea lions!

We took a boat trip to the island group and spotted so many of these cute animals – and it made me want to go to Galapagos even more than before!!

13. Tunbridge Wells, England

It doesn’t get much more English than Tunbridge Wells, and there are few things I love more than English towns.

I spent two summer days in that beautiful spot with my friend Bethann and her aunt Rebekah. I absolutely loved wandering around its old streets, sailing on the calm lake, exploring the idyllic surroundings and picking blackberries by the vast fields.

14. Svínoy, Faroe Islands

During my summer visit to the Faroe Islands, I finally visited the island of Svínoy for the first time. Because of high waves at Fugloy, my friend Amanda and I decided to stay overnight on Svínoy, camping at the free camp site in town.

The island is one of the most isolated in the country, making it a quiet and charming place to hang out for a few days. I especially loved the cozy café, run by a local family that recently moved there from Dubai!

15. Nuuk, Greenland

One place in particular that I lost my heart to this year was Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. I moved to this beautiful city on September 1st, for a five-month exchange programme, and although I didn’t fall in love with the place straight away, I did gradually and it now feels like home.

To me, Nuuk is the perfect city. Close to mountains and ocean, with many hiking opportunities, with everything you need in its center, countless cultural activities and northern lights more often than I’d ever imagined! Nuuk is my dream city.

16. Ilulissat, Greenland

The most popular tourist destination in Greenland, Ilulissat in North Greenland, also got a visit from myself and three of my new friends. We visited in early October, where the chance of seeing whales was at a minimum, but we got lucky and saw SEVEN humpback whales!

But the best thing about Ilulissat was its magical icefjord, producing 20 billion tonnes of icebergs every year! We enjoyed no less than five hikes out to the icefjord as well as a boat trip through the enormous bergs. We saw an iceberg calving, which is an extremely rare sight. We also got lucky and saw some incredible northern lights and two gorgeous sunsets. Everything about Ilulissat was pure magic.

17. Qaqortoq, Greenland

The biggest village in South Greenland welcomed me with clear blue skies for my three-hour visit in mid October. It was nowhere near enough time in this beautiful place, but I did make the most of it as I climbed Mt. Saqqaarsuk to watch the sun set over the village!

Qaqortoq has so much more to offer, so many hiking routes and places to explore by boat, so I hope to be back soon (maybe even in 2019!).

18. Narsarsuaq, Greenland

Narsarsuaq may be my favourite place in Greenland outside of Nuuk. Ever since I spent two days there in mid October, it has been on my mind. It’s the place I dream I’m back in all the time.

Narsarsuaq is a small village with just under 150 inhabitants, so the village itself doesn’t have much to offer, but the surroundings definitely do! It’s very close to the ice sheet, so I hiked out there by myself, and then spent an entire day getting myself lost in the only forest in Greenland!

Many amazing locations welcomed me this year, and I’m excited to see what 2019 will bring! I hope your year will be just as amazing!

What were your favourite new destinations of 2018?

3 COMMENTS

Desirée travels
5 years ago

Absolutely loving this, Melissa! So many beautiful destinations, no wonder it was hard for you to make this list. I absolutely loved both Sri Lanka and Morocco, both new destinations for me in 2018. I also really loved Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia, and I’d love to be able to go back there and explore more (gotta love the Balkans!) Looking back at 2018 I have to say it was a really good year – and I hope 2019 will be equally good, for both of us.

- Melissa Cherry
  5 years ago
  
  Thanks Desirée! It really was a great year with many beautiful destinations 😀
  Your year was incredible too!! I so agree with the Balkans, such an underrated region with sooo much to offer!
  Have a beautiful 2019 ;-*