By 2025, travelers reluctant to leave overcrowded hotspots like Barcelona and Lisbon and take advantage of near-euro-dollar parity — which makes travel to Europe more affordable for American visitors — will instead strike a balance by booking quieter “detour destinations.” : lesser-known places close enough to make 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 seeing an increase in searches on Expedia. European travel agents have also seen a rise in bookings for Montserrat, another 52 Places entry, an hour's train ride from Barcelona; Normandy from Paris; and Sintra from Lisbon.
After another year of record-breaking heat, the summer 'coolcations' trend continues to rise, with more travelers looking to replace hot southern European destinations such as Greece and Portugal with more temperate climates in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.
'Nocturnal tourism', or night travel, is another trend born from the desire to escape the daytime heat and a growing interest in stargazing and other celestial events such as sightings of the Northern Lights.
“We call 2025 the year of Iceland,” says Jennifer Schwartz, co-managing partner at Authentic Explorations, a New York-based travel company specializing in Europe. “Although the next full solar eclipse won't occur until 2026, people are paying attention because of the cool climate and ideal location for stargazing.”
Tromsø, Norway, is another excellent destination to witness the Northern Lights, which are popular in searches on Booking.com.
Train travel continues to grow as an alternative to air travel within Europe, especially among environmentally conscious travelers and those who want to travel at a slower pace.
Railbookers, a travel company specializing in rail holidays, says 2025 will be the year of 'tailor-made train travel', with customers looking for tailor-made itineraries and experiences.
“Train travel has become increasingly popular in recent years and is increasingly seen as not just a means of transport, but as an integral part of the holiday,” says Frank Marini, president of Railbookers.
Switzerland, Italy, Britain, France and Ireland are among the most popular European destinations for train holidays this year, the group said.
