Some places are obvious contenders for our hard-earned\u00a0tourism<\/a>\u00a0pounds thanks to big, showstopping, landmark events; some are less attention-grabbing, but have piqued our interest thanks to more understated, under-the-radar charms that offer the allure of bigger-name rivals without the crowds.<\/p>\n Whatever manner of wanderlust you\u2019re currently experiencing, here\u2019s our selection of destinations to sate it for 2024: from world-class cities to blissfully rural regions where nature reigns supreme.<\/p>\n Read more on\u00a0<\/strong>travel inspiration<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cBuild it and they will come.\u201d The 2024 version of that aspiration is: put a place on the map by launching a night train, and see who turns up. Until French Railways (SNCF) announced that Aurillac in southern France would be the next destination for a sleeper service, I harboured no ambition to visit the prefecture of the Cantal department. Now, though, I can barely wait to board the train at Paris Austerlitz for a 13-hour, 350-mile overnight journey through the heart of France to Aurillac. This garrison town, population 28,000, is perched at 600m above the Mediterranean \u2013 which is 160 miles away. It is protected by a ninth-century chateau (though the Volcano Museum it houses appears closed until June). Aurillac is also well placed for a journey south to the coast \u2013 via the amazing Millau Viaduct, which I have yet to cross. A visionary transport secretary may be a mere aspiration in the UK, but France\u2019s\u00a0ministre des transports<\/em>, Cl\u00e9ment Beaune, sees Aurillac as just the start in reconnecting the nation\u00a0de nuit<\/em>.\u00a0Simon Calder<\/em><\/p>\n OK, I\u2019ll hold my hands up \u2013 I live in\u00a0Kent<\/a>. But I rarely stray further than my town of residence, Folkestone, or the surrounding coastal spots, something that\u2019s definitely going to change in 2024. That is, in part, due to some major wine tourism openings happening in the next year. Opportunties to swill and swallow will increase when Domaine & Evremond in Kent premiers its first fizz in September \u2013 the first time a Champagne House, in this case Champagne Taittinger, has planted its own vines in the UK \u2013 along with the launching of a winery visitor centre in late 2024. Tudor Peacock has also opened as a Kent wine emporium offering tastings, events and a wine bar in a Grade II listed building in the village of Chilham; plus Wine Tours of Kent is running new Twilight Tours.\u00a0Helen Coffey<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019ve wanted to return to\u00a0Norway<\/a>\u00a0since chasing the\u00a0Northern Lights<\/a>\u00a0from Tromso to Svalbard in early 2019. Nordland has been firmly on my go-to list since then, a county strewn with mountains, forests and lakes that bonds southern Norway with the remote north, cut through by the border of the Arctic Circle. The largest town in the region, Bod\u00f8, is one of the European Capitals of Culture (the first above the imaginary Arctic line), with a bumper programme of more than 1,000 events. I\u2019d use Bodo as the gateway to the rest of Nordland, making journeys through the phenomenal Lofoten archipelago (over the meandering E10 road, via the bridges and undersea tunnels that carve up the Norwegian Sea), as well as hiking around fjords, visiting Sami landmarks and, of course, hoping to see the\u00a0aurora borealis<\/a>. If you want a show-stopping place to stay, the architecturally magnificent\u00a0Six Sense Svart<\/a>, on the Helgeland coastline, is due to welcome guests in 2024.\u00a0Benjamin Parker<\/em><\/p>\n When South Sudan separated from Sudan, Algeria became Africa\u2019s biggest country. International tourism has hardly troubled the nation, but it is gradually opening up \u2013 with a visa-on-arrival arrangement for visitors accredited with a local travel firm. In 2023 I visited for the first time and found classical ruins devoid of other tourists and the breathtaking eastern city of Constantine \u2013 a joy after the hard work of appreciating the capital, Algiers. But I have yet to explore the much-praised second city, Oran, with its spectacular Mediterranean location and mix of Islamic and French architecture.\u00a0SC<\/em><\/p>\n The capital of the Czech Republic is hardly a \u201chidden gem\u201d, and yet I have somehow never managed to make it to this famously beautiful city, with its baroque and Gothic architecture, charm-steeped old town and castle, and wallet-friendly food and drink options. That\u2019s set to change in 2024, when an extended sleeper train service will make it far easier for this flight-free travel editor to reach by rail. From 25 March,\u00a0European Sleeper will broaden its existing night train<\/a>\u00a0connecting Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin to finish up in Prague.\u00a0HC<\/em><\/p>\n In December 2023, the\u00a0Tren Maya<\/a>, 900 miles of partially elevated railway that chugs through\u00a0Mexico<\/a>\u2019s\u2019 Yucatan Peninsula (crossing five states), carried its first passengers, and should be fully operational by February 2024; it was travel writer Laura Sanders who grabbed my attention ahead of the inaugural trip with\u00a0her comprehensive overview to all things Mexico mega train<\/a>. What the new \u00a322.5bn route represents is an easier way of getting to the heavy hitters that visitors love, such as Chichen Itza and Tulum, but also less-seen ruins, many overgrown with jungle, and\u00a0Pueblos Magicos<\/em>, culture-rich hubs officially recognised as \u201cmagical towns\u201d \u2013 all while travelling in a train carriage, which beats a bus any day. There\u2019s been controversy in Mexico over the environmental and social impact of such an enormous transport project, so my advice is to tread lightly and try to support local communities as you step off at some of the 34 stations.\u00a0BP<\/em><\/p>\n On 8 April 2024, the\u00a0Great American Eclipse<\/a>\u00a0will sweep across North America from the Pacific to the Atlantic. During the course of that magical Monday, the \u201cpath of totality\u201d in which the moon blots out the sun will cross alluring locations from Mexico to Canada. While eclipse guru John Mason will be in southern Texas to maximise the chance of clear skies, I have instead bought a C$25 (\u00a315) rail ticket from Toronto to Niagara Falls on the appointed morning. The aim: to dodge the eclipse-hunting traffic and find a location whose surroundings will make up for any disappointment if the weather is overcast. This concept worked for Dieppe in 1999 \u2013 a great day out on the beach beneath the cliffs, despite the untimely presence of cloud cover. And with New York State a few steps away across the Rainbow Bridge (from Canada, not Dieppe), I have a choice of nations from which to witness the greatest natural show on (and off) earth.\u00a0SC<\/em><\/p>\n Already an incredibly attractive city break prospect thanks to its proximity to the UK, the French capital gets an extra injection of va-va-voom for tourists in 2024 thanks to its very high-profile hosting of the\u00a0Paris Olympics<\/a>\u00a0and Paralympics this summer. Tickets are still being released for various events for reasonable prices, but even you don\u2019t manage to get of a slice of the sporting action, it\u2019s worth going just to soak up the atmosphere \u2013 plus the City of Light is always a beguiling setting for a chic weekend away. And it\u2019s just a 2h 16m hop on the Eurostar away from London.\u00a0HC<\/em><\/p>\n When I was younger, we never really went on holiday. Growing up in west\u00a0Dorset<\/a>, we lived where people wanted to\u00a0go<\/em>\u00a0on holiday. It captivates me still, though I\u2019ve moved away, from the county\u2019s gigantic golden cliffs to the rolling hills that inspired Thomas Hardy. With a wonderful baby boy getting (terrifyingly) close to making an entrance, I\u2019m excited to whisk the little man out of\u00a0London<\/a>\u00a0and give him an early West Country fill.\u00a0Dorset<\/a>\u00a0is brilliant for children of all ages \u2013 offering a swannery, steam train, Monkey World,\u00a0fossil hunting<\/a>, long days on the sand (or pebbles) \u2013 and has more than its fair share for adults, such as consistently good places to eat (Dorshi<\/a>\u00a0in Bridport,\u00a0The Ollerod<\/a>\u00a0in Beaminster) and\u00a0plenty of decent places to lay your head<\/a>. It will be a getaway of apple cake and Black Cow vodka between nappy changes and lullabies \u2013 and I can\u2019t think of a better place to do it.<\/p>\n\n
Aurillac, France<\/h2>\n
Kent, UK<\/h2>\n
![\"Kent](\"https:\/\/jazairhope.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/973ed8137b60ddc7e18db6261d0bfd6d.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNordland, Norway<\/h2>\n
![\"Whirlpools](\"https:\/\/jazairhope.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/8dff485c263ba62160c0c099dc265d91.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nOran, Algeria<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jazairhope.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/jh-14-300x173.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPrague, Czech Republic<\/h2>\n
Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico<\/h2>\n
![\"Santa](\"https:\/\/jazairhope.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/441b527a400193e78a462884a21319d4.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNiagara Falls, Canada\/US<\/h2>\n
![\"Niagara](\"https:\/\/jazairhope.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/82668fb9aa64e5f680a783d6c2bcb3ac.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nParis, France<\/h2>\n
![\"Paris](\"https:\/\/jazairhope.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/afbaf15f8ff6a7383046f57debcb37fd.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDorset, UK<\/h2>\n