Lonely Planet, Conde Nast Traveller and trivago.co.uk have all recently revealed their travel recommendations for 2015: where to go, what to see and which destinations offer the best value.
I wanted to get in on the action, but soon realised that my suggestions were just a thinly-veined excuse to write a list of my favourite countries – so I did that instead.
Ranking my favourites actually turned out to be fairly difficult – harder than I expected – though I’m not sure the results will be all that surprising. So, using no scientific evidence whatsoever, I bring you 5 places you should visit in 2015 – or whenever really (aka my top 5 favourite countries).
- Lithuania
Though I haven’t blogged about it recently, Lithuania still holds a fond place in my heart. There are few countries that I feel I’ve seen so much of and still have plenty left to see. Despite being a pretty small place, Lithuania’s attractions are endless: the natural beauty of the Curonian Spit, the impressive Trakai Island Castle, the bizarre Hill of Crosses, the old world charm of Vilnius and the controversial Grūtas Park.
But for me, the real appeal of Lithuania is its history. Shaped over time by both Germanic and Russian influences but with its own strong identity, Lithuanian history is in parts both devastating and uplifting. The Museum to the Victims of Genocide in Vilnius is not to be missed.
Top tip: Basing yourself in Klaipeda, head out to explore the Curonian Spit. Climb up to the top of the Parnidis Dune, explore Germanic Nida, and then bike along the coast to Juodkrante.
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
Narrowly missing out on third place (purely because my love for it hasn’t yet had chance to stand the test of time) is Bosnia & Herzegovina. I had been wanting to visit Bosnia for ages and when I finally managed to get there in September, the country did not disappoint. BiH has had a very turbulent past and is a very complicated country today with a ludicrous political structure – but this is part of what makes the place fascinating. The country is full of surprises, too – the Mediterranean Herzegovina region feels a world away from mountainous northern Bosnia, while Sarajevo has a very cosmopolitan air to it, which I was not expecting. Other highlights would be Mostar and Počitelj.
Though I managed to visit a few destinations around the country, I still feel I barely scratched the surface. I can’t wait to go back – the food alone is reason enough to return.
Top tip: take the Insider Sarajevo guided tour to the Tunnel Museum – their welcoming guides really give you a sense of what life was like during the Siege.
- Russia
Possibly one of the most important places to visit on this list, Russia needs to be seen to be understood. Despite the country’s never ending PR problem (and idiot leader), the country is amazing. I haven’t been anywhere else where culture is regarded as highly – or where ballet or theatre tickets are priced so cheaply. Not only that, the people are pretty amazing too. Fair enough, you won’t be smiled at on the street, but once you get talking, people are generally quite open to discussing the Soviet Union and how the world views Russia.
I have only seen a miniscule amount of the country, but I do think Russia has a lot to offer: Red Square and urban sprawl in Moscow, history and culture in St. Petersburg, churches and more churches in Yaroslavl, WWII legacies in Volgograd and even Buddhist temples in Elista.
Top tip: June is the best month to visit St. Petersburg – there is a public celebration almost every weekend, the days stretch on past midnight, and the weather is perfect.
- Wales
Wales has always been one of my favourite places in the world and it is criminally overlooked as a destination. While the whole country has a very distinct feel and culture compared to the rest of the UK, North Wales is utterly unique. Growing up, we went on holiday there almost every year (sometimes it even stopped raining) and we managed to get around quite a bit: Porthmadog, Conwy Castle, Criccieth, Portmeirion, Anglesey, Harlech…
But my absolute obsession when I was young was trains. North Wales has some excellent narrow-gauge heritage railways and I’ve been on most of them (surely proof of how annoying I must have been when I didn’t get my way), but the Welsh Highland Railway was extended a few years ago and I have yet to ride it in all its glory. Maybe 2015 will be the year…?
Top tip: Beddgelert has to be one of the most beautiful villages in the world. Go.
- Germany
My love for Germany is pretty damn obvious, but the truth is: I didn’t used to think of it as a tourist destination. Growing up in the UK, I sometimes feel like we’re programmed to believe the only places worth travelling to are hot and sunny. But for people from further afield, Germany is a bit like Europe for beginners, and I can see why – it has everything. Fairytale castles, vast forests, river valleys, beautiful cities, more castles, Christmas markets, mountains, pristine beaches, lakes… the list goes on.
Over the years, I’ve managed to see a lot of Germany, but the place still surprises me – beautiful areas like the Harz region are still practically undiscovered by foreign tourists, while most Germans I know have still never been to Dresden – one of my favourites cities.
Germany does have it all – and I’m looking forward to discovering more.
Top tip: Take a few days to explore Saxony, taking in Leipzig and Dresden, as well as the natural beauty of Saxon Switzerland.
What do you think – where would you include in a must-visit guide for 2015?
Comment below!
Great post!! You have great recommendations there… Im happy Germany is among them 😀 I still haven’t been to the other 4, but hopefully I will someday! 😉
Glad you liked them – hopefully next year will be your year to visit the others!
…and of course Germany made the list – can’t get enough of it!
Ohhhh I hope so 😀
Have you ever been on Regensburg? I love that city!! I still have to travel more within Germany, I wanted to go to Hamburg next summer… lets see!
Love the post, Germany is definitely on my list, do you have any recommendations in terms of the booking sites you use? 🙂
I always use trivago – it’s basically skyscanner for hotels, so you can compare prices across all other booking sites really easily. It has tonnes of filters, too so you can find exactly what you’re looking for.
Good to see some underdogs in your list – I really enjoyed Lithuania and Bosnia.
Such beautiful places aren’t they? Would love to go back soon.
I would love to visit all of them, though I don’t know if I could visit today’s Russia (sadly…). But I think Germany will be the first one I visit on this list, I’m looking to see if I can manage a trip to Munich or Berlin next year.
I would definitely recommend Berlin over Munich, but I suppose it depends where the easiest flights are for you. If you ever fancy heading to Dusseldorf, you have a tour guide waiting 🙂
A lot of followers of Two Bad Tourists were commenting on boycotting travelling to Russia due to LGBT issues, but I just don’t see the logic in that…
I’m not boycotting, I’m not visiting for now because I wouldn’t feel safe (even though I don’t have a gay tattoo on my forehead). I have even found convenient flights to Moscow which I will take advantage when the time is right.
I think tickets to Berlin are a bit cheaper too, but Munich is also doable and it seems like a lovely city. Plus, I’d love to meet Allane from Packing My Suitcase. 😀
Oh gosh… we do have a never-ending PR problem, dont we? In terms other challenges, I have always wondered whether Russia would experience a large bump in tourism if it introduced visa-free travel for American and European citizens, or if it’d still be too far and foreign.
You can get flights from London to Moscow for £19. If Russia scrapped the visa, there would be a HUGE deluge of tourists – it would make Moscow and cheaper weekend than Prague.
Moscow itself is pretty pricey though – and then there’s this OTHER never-ending PR problem: the G-D winter! Also I think the language is off-putting, as you cant even surmise a lot of things from phonetic similarity because the alphabet is different.
Yay for Germany! A clear winner in my eyes as well. That Europe for beginners point is spot on.
Thank you, I’m glad you think so!