Arrábida Natural Park is a nature enthusiast's dream; go scuba diving in the Professor Luiz Saldanha Marine Park, hike the Serra da Arrábida, spot bottlenose dolphins in the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, or go bird watching at Moinho de Maré da Mourisca. The name Arrábida comes from the Arabic word for “place of prayer”, and the region's rich cultural heritage is on display at the Arrábida Convent, the nearby Moorish Castle of Sesimbra, the Oceanic Museum and São Simão, one of the last remains. artisanal tiling workshops.
The “Setubal Peninsula” is a renowned wine region. Stop by notable winemakers like José Maria da Fonseca, founded in 1834, and the producers of the country's oldest table wine company. PortugalQuinta de Alcube, Quinta da Bacalhôa and Quinta do Piloto. Be sure to pair a glass of Moscatel wine with the famous local cheese, Queijo de Azeitão. Take part in cheese-making workshops at Quinta Velha or taste the freshest catch at O Farol. For accommodation, Hotel Casa Palmelaunder the umbrella of Small Luxury Hotels, offers a tranquil stay and is one of the few private properties in the national park, where construction has been prohibited since 1975. The same family has owned this 170-acre estate since 1826 – it presents original stones. floors, 18th century tiles, whitewashed stone walls and a small chapel. Christine Chitnis
Albania
Opt for: Beautiful beaches and cheap accommodation
Once the preserve of adventurous vacationers, Albania is poised to emerge as an important player in 2025. Although it is a little smaller than Swissits appeal lies in its impressive diversity, which compactly encompasses an expanse of Alps, ancient forests, fairytale villages, two UNESCO World Heritage Sitesand a crystal clear coastline that rivals anything Greece has to offer.
This year sees the launch of a brand new InterContinental hotel and the country's first transatlantic flight from Tirana – the country's capital – as well as the creation of a brand new airport in Vlora, near the sea's most beautiful beaches Ionian, the “pearl of Albania”. (This fortunately eliminates the risk of experiencing tangled traffic jams that previously plagued vacationers coming from Tirana).
The government planned to attract 10 million tourists by 2025, a target it exceeded by 2023, which may well be the last year the country is pleasantly – and relatively – quiet. Settle into a lounge chair in one of the many beach clubs or book a table at the slow-food restaurant Mullixhiuwhere you can eat for £10 per person and marvel at your luck in enjoying such spoils at such prices. Rosie Conroy
Athens Riviera, Greece
Opt for: A landscaped coastline next to a historic city, where world-class hotels continue to open their doors
For all its beauty – sparkling waters dotted with kaiki boats, wild beaches and a bougainvillea-splattered coastline that soaks up 300 days of sunshine a year – it's shocking how much the Athenian Riviera has remained under the radar in this era obsessed with aesthetics. . (On Instagram, the #athensriviera hashtag has just 114,000 posts – compared to Santorini's 8.1 million and Mykonos' 5.6 million.)
Once a vacation spot for stars and royalty, the area lost popularity in the early 2000s following the Greek debt crisis and the closure of a nearby US air base. But 2025 is the year of the Riviera's revival, with new developments intended to elevate the 60-kilometer stretch to just 30 minutes from Athens'city center.
The most Goliath of these is The Ellinikon, an ambitious $8 billion project on the site of the former Ellinikon International Airport that will be completed in stages starting in 2025 and is expected to create 70,000 jobs. A host of high-profile residential, cultural and hospitality projects dominate its masterplan, including a surf-inspired Kengo Kuma-designed waterfront shopping center, a Mandarin Oriental resort and a Hard Rock hotel and casino whose completion is planned for 2027. The real gem, however, is a lushly landscaped coastal park – the largest in Europe – which will open by the end of 2025, doubling the size of the spaces green spaces in a capital known for its lack of green spaces.
