"No London. No Paris. No LA" - Internet reacts to Lonely Planet's list of the best cities to visit in 2025

Lonely Planet's list of the best cities to visit in 2025 has been going viral recently. Netizens have pointed out how the list did not include popular cities such as Paris and London and instead focused on less-hyped destinations such as Pondicherry, Bansko, and Curitiba.

The list by Lonely Planet chose the following places in the list of best cities to visit in 2025:

• Toulouse, France
• Pondicherry, India
• Bansko, Bulgaria
• Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Genoa, Italy
• Pittsburgh, USA
• Osaka, Japan
• Curitiba, Brazil
• Palma de Mallorca, Spain
• Edmonton, Canada

Here are the responses by netizens on the list by Lonely Planet. One user wrote on X,

"No London. No Paris. No LA. Instead, the map is shifting toward underdog gems with high culture-per-dollar, low tourist fatigue, and rising global allure." 

"Pondicherry over Paris? Finally," read a tweet.

"Interesting mix. What stands out is that many of these cities are second-tier hubs—good quality of life, culture-rich but still affordable," wrote a netizen.

A lot of other netizens shared a similar thought and expressed their reactions under the list on the social media platform. A netizen tweeted,

"Bansko is the most underrated city in the Northern Hemisphere."

"Love this list! A nice mix of popular and hidden gems for 2025," exclaimed another X user.

"Some amazing picks for 2025; definitely adding Toulouse, Chiang Mai, and Osaka to the travel list," added a tweet. 

Lonely Planet has released a list of 25 places to visit in 2026

Lonely Planet has released a list of 25 places and experiences to enjoy in 2026, now that 2025 is about to end. From American gems such as Maine and Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota to European destinations like Utrecht and Cádiz, the list includes varied options. The extensive list includes—

• Maine, the USA
• Réunion, Africa
• Jaffna, Sri Lanka
• Peru, South America
• Finland, Europe
• Cádiz, Spain
• Botswana, Africa
• Tipperary, Ireland
• Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
• Cartagena, Colombia
• Liberdade, São Paulo, Brazil
• Mexico City, Mexico
• British Columbia, Canada
• Utrecht, Netherlands
• Barbados, Caribbean
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, the USA
• Sardinia, Italy
• Jeju-do, South Korea
• Quy Nhon, Vietnam
• Siem Reap, Cambodia
• North Island, New Zealand/Aotearoa
• Phuket, Thailand
• Ikara–Flinders Ranges National Park and Outback, South Australia
• Tunisia, Africa
• Solomon Islands, Oceania

Apart from a list of 25 places to visit in 2026, Lonely Planet also released a list of 25 experiences to enjoy in 2026. The extensive list includes several interesting options, like staying in a train carriage at Kruger National Park, spending a night in a ryokan, attending a Premier League game in England, witnessing Kerala's culinary culture, and hiking in Tajikistan.

Some other options in the list are partying in Grenada, spotting dolphins and whales in the Azores, witnessing intriguing street art in Bristol, taking a Creole trail ride in Louisiana, riding horses in the Andes mountains in Ecuador, and a lot more.

Lonely Planet, a travel guidebook publisher, was founded in Australia back in 1973. The company, which has its headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina, reportedly has printed more than 150 million books to date.