Do you like to travel? Where have you been that you’ve loved? Where have you always wanted to go?
Each year, The New York Times Travel section publishes a list of “52 Places to Go.” Here are a few of the destinations that the editors suggest visiting in 2025:
Angola
Angola, with its undiscovered tropical beaches, sacred waterfalls like Kalandula and national parks like Iona, which sits within the 55-million-year-old Namib Desert, is ripe for explorers. In the southeast, Luengue-Luiana and Mavinga National Parks, ideal for camping, fishing and sighting wild animals, form part of the new 200,000-square-mile Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, which stretches across five countries; starting this year, visitors will need only one visa to enter the whole territory. U.S. travelers can now enter Angola without a visa for stays up to 30 days, and the capital, Luanda, has a new airport. The architectural firm Foster + Partners is also developing the new Luanda Aerotropolis, adding retail, hospitality and cultural centers. Scout art-filled Luanda (with a stay at the brand-new Protea by Marriott), and then explore off-the-beaten-track desert, island or beach itineraries with Okuya Adventures; join a 15-day Rovos Rail expedition, traversing the continent west to east, with departures from Lobito, an Angolan port city; or book an Angola Waves surfing holiday along 75 miles of beach at Cabo Ledo, one of the country’s best-kept secrets. — Daniel Scheffler
Lexington and Concord, Mass.
Massachusetts led the way in the forging of a new nation, and now it’s doing the same in advance of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. Before the quill pens scratched parchment, the first Revolutionary War battles were fought in the state, in Lexington and Concord, on April 19, 1775. The towns are commemorating those battles with Patriots’ Day parades on April 19, exhibitions, concerts like “Music & Rebels,” a quilt show, the planting of 250 trees and more. Paul Revere, the Boston silversmith who raced on horseback from Boston to Lexington on the night of April 18, 1775, to warn of the British advance, will be memorialized in myriad ways, including with a re-enactment, public art and a colonial-themed Midnight Ride dinner followed by a candlelit procession. The anniversary is also sparking new openings, including the Lexington Depot, a former train station turned museum, and a new bronze monument, “Something Is Being Done,” honoring female trailblazers. In Concord, walking tours, discussions and other activities will explore the roles of Indigenous people and those of Black descent during the American Revolution. — AnneLise Sorensen
Alishan, Taiwan
This year, travelers to Taiwan have a unique — yet slower — way to explore its misty mountain forests. Last year, the 112-year-old Alishan Forest Railway reopened following 15 years of delays and repairs after typhoons and landslides severed this scenic 44-mile journey that starts out in the southern city of Chiayi and takes passengers high into Taiwan’s verdant mountain ranges. The platform in the city, empty and forlorn for years, has sprung back, crowded every morning with people waiting to take the narrow-gauge, red-and-cream-colored train, which departs twice daily. Halfway through the five-hour, one-way ride, the train stops at Fenqihu, a mountain village known locally for its bento box meals and for delicacies such as aiyu jelly, made from a variety of fig. The best season to visit the Alishan Forest falls between November and April, when it rains less. — Amy Chang Chien
Lofoten Islands, Norway
Solar maximum is expected to continue into 2025, and Lofoten, an archipelago of five main islands off Norway’s west coast, 100 miles above the Arctic Circle, is an ideal place to see the northern lights. The archipelago’s rugged, rocky peaks, white sand beaches and turquoise fjords are enticing year-round. In the winter, near 24-hour darkness is counteracted by cozy Christmas markets, including the village of Henningsvaer’s Pre-Christmas Adventure, with concerts, food, arts and crafts under twinkling lights. Lofoten, which aims to become Norway’s most climate-friendly destination, by, among other things, cutting aviation emissions in half and improving public transit, has enticing ski touring, with routes — some accessible only by boat — descending from mountain summits to coastal fishing villages. In the summer, the endless sunlight makes it a great destination for hiking, kayaking and even surfing in the Norwegian Sea — with a good wet suit. — Sophie Stuber
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