In 2025, travelers who are reluctant to abandon overcrowded hot spots like Barcelona and Lisbon and take advantage of the near euro-dollar parity — which makes traveling to Europe more affordable for U.S. visitors — are instead striking a balance by booking quieter “detour destinations”: lesser-known places close enough to take a side-trip from a popular city.
Reims, France (near Paris), and Brescia, Italy (near Milan, one of this year’s 52 Places to Go), were among the most popular detour destinations that are seeing an increase in searches on Expedia. European travel agencies have also seen an uptick in bookings for Montserrat, another 52 Places item, an hour’s train ride from Barcelona; Normandy from Paris; and Sintra from Lisbon.
Following another year of record-shattering heat, the summer “coolcations” trend continues to rise, with more travelers looking to replace hot southern European destinations like Greece and Portugal with more temperate climates in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.
“Noctourism,” or nocturnal travel, is another trend emerging from the desire to escape daytime heat and a growing interest in stargazing and other celestial events like northern lights sightings.
“We are calling 2025 the year of Iceland,” said Jennifer Schwartz, a co-managing partner at Authentic Explorations, a New York-based travel company that specializes in Europe. “Although the next full solar eclipse isn’t until 2026, people are paying attention because of the cool climate and ideal location for stargazing.”
Tromsø, Norway, is another prime destination to witness the northern lights that is trending in searches on Booking.com.
Rail travel continues to grow as an alternative to air travel within Europe, particularly among environmentally conscious travelers and those looking to travel at a slower pace.
Railbookers, a travel company that specializes in train vacations, says 2025 will be the year of “tailored train trips,” with customers looking for customized itineraries and experiences.
“Rail travel has been growing in popularity over the last several years and is increasingly seen as not just a mode of transportation, but as an integral part of the vacation,” said Frank Marini, president of Railbookers.
Switzerland, Italy, Britain, France and Ireland are among the most popular European destinations for rail vacations this year, the group said.
