2027 hotspots

Embarking on the Camino de Santiago always promises to be a wonderful experience – an immersive exploration of beautiful northern Spain as you wander in the footsteps of ancient pilgrims to the tomb of St James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela.

In 2027, though, it will be truly unforgettable. The Feast of St James (25 July) will fall on a Sunday, making 2027 a Holy Year. This significant event happens only a handful of times each century due to leap years and is marked with great celebration in the city of Santiago.

The Porta Santa (Holy Door) of the Cathedral, closed since the last Ano Xacobeo, will be open for the entire year, allowing pilgrims to walk over its threshold and be forgiven of all sins, while the last two weeks of July are full of festivities, culminating in a fireworks display outside the Cathedral on the eve of St James’ Day.

Plan to arrive in Santiago around this time and you’ll be sure of an extraordinary finale to your Camino adventure, one that won’t happen again until 2032.

 

Marking 1,000 years since the birth of William the Conqueror, 2027 has been made the ‘European Year of the Normans!’

The famous Duke of Normandy – and later King of England after his defeat of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 – was born in Falaise, Normandy, in 1027 and his eventful life left a lasting legacy on the landscapes of western Europe, ranging from the Abbaye-aux-Hommes and the Tower of London to the Bayeaux Tapestry.

To celebrate this significant anniversary, a whole host of cultural events will take place in not just Normandy, but parts of the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands, Flanders, southern Italy, Norway, and Denmark too. Keep an eye out for them as you wander these regions steeped in history.

   

Not only a gloriously green paradise perfect for getting away from it all, Slovenia’s Logar Valley is home to the wonderful Hotel Plesnik, which was listed by TIME as one of ‘The World’s Greatest Places 2026’ and has recently celebrated 600 years since the eponymous family settled in the valley.

With its neighbouring waterfall, luxurious spa, panoramic outdoor pool, and high-quality restaurant, make sure to add this delightful, hideaway hotel to your travel list for 2027.

   

A rising trend for 2027 travel seems to be the desire to go off-grid, disconnecting from the digital and immersing yourself in the natural world. We can’t think of anywhere better to do this than Senja in northern Norway.

Further north and quieter than the increasingly popular Lofoten Islands, striking Senja is an undiscovered gem in the Arctic Circle. Jagged mountains rise from the sea, wild moorland blanketing the rocky, lower slopes, and peaceful fishing villages perch along the cool water’s edge. It’s the ideal place to slow down, breathe the fresh air, and take in the glorious beauty to be found at the very top of the world.
 

With pilgrimage walking on the rise and the Camino de Santiago set to be busier than usual for the Holy Year, a wonderful alternative is to walk the ancient Via Francigena, which follows in the 10th-century footsteps of Archbishop Sigeric as he made his way from Canterbury, England, to Rome, Italy.

Covering the last 100 kilometres of this timeless route, our walking holiday leads you through Lazio, taking in Lake Bolsena (the country’s largest volcanic lake), hill-top Viterbo with its beautiful medieval centre, and the remarkable archaeological park in Sutri, before reaching the doors of the iconic St Peter’s Basilica.

Reaching Rome on foot

We could use the phrase ‘picture-perfect’ to describe many of Europe’s diverse landscapes, but nowhere is it more apt than the Saxon Switzerland National Park in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. Towering rock formations, a charming spa town, dramatic views, and a great artistic legacy characterise this otherworldly region, making for a very memorable holiday.
 

Between Marseille and Saint-Tropez lies some of the French Riviera’s most scenic and rugged coastline. Vast forests of scented pine, cork-oak, and maquis border the glittering blue waters of the Mediterranean where a superb coastal path runs along sandy beaches, around rocky coves, and over dramatic cliffy headlands.

Your week here, spent between the enchanting hillside village of Bormes-les-Mimosas, the wind-whipped Giens Peninsula, and the wild, beautiful landscapes of the Golden Islands, perfectly encompasses all the highlights of this beautiful region.

Discover the Îles d’Or

With rolling hills draped in all shades of green stretching as far as the eye can see and ribbons of striking strade bianche (‘white roads’) winding through the countryside, Tuscany has a rustic beauty, storybook charm, and timeless feel.

There’s so much to see and explore here, and by spending the week in the traditional town of Colle di Val d'Elsa – one of the lesser-known hill-top towns of the region – you’re free to walk the local trails and discover some of Tuscany’s hotspots, like the copper-coloured, medieval streets of Siena and the artistic city of Florence, to your heart’s content.