7 Underrated Destinations to Add to Your 2027 Wishlist

Paris, Rome and Tokyo earned their reputations. They also earned their queues. The places below get a fraction of the visitors, cost less once you land, and still have the thing that makes a trip stick: a street, a meal or a view you will be describing to people for years. None of them is a secret. They are just not on everyone's list yet, which is the point.

We picked seven that are easy enough to reach, have real substance for at least three days, and pair well with somewhere more famous if you want a safety net.

Guanajuato, Mexico: the town that put its roads underground

Guanajuato sits in a narrow ravine in central Mexico, so the city did something sensible and slightly mad: it routed traffic through old river tunnels beneath the streets. Above ground, that leaves a tangle of lanes and stairways painted in every color a hardware store sells. Ride the funicular up to the Pípila monument at sunset and the whole valley lights up below you.

Evenings are the best part. Students in Renaissance costume, the estudiantinas, lead singing walks through the alleys, stopping at the Callejón del Beso, a lane so narrow that neighbors on opposite balconies can lean across and kiss. In October the city hosts the Festival Internacional Cervantino, one of Latin America's biggest arts festivals, so book ahead or come in November when it is calm again.

It pairs naturally with San Miguel de Allende about an hour and a half away. Our Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato in 7 days guide strings all three together without rushing.

Penang, Malaysia: come hungry, stay longer than planned

People go to Penang for the food and then discover George Town, a UNESCO-listed old quarter of shophouses, clan temples and wooden houses on stilts along the Chew Jetty. The street art is the famous bit (a few murals of children on real bicycles started a whole genre), but the better reason to walk is that every second corner has a hawker stall worth stopping for.

Order char kway teow cooked over charcoal, assam laksa sour enough to wake you up, and a cendol for dessert. Skip the polished food halls on your first night; the open-air stalls are cheaper and better. Penang Hill and the Kek Lok Si temple fill a morning if you need a break from eating, which you will.

December to February is the driest stretch. Penang slots neatly onto the end of a Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang trip.

Riga, Latvia: Art Nouveau on almost every block

Riga has one of the largest collections of Art Nouveau architecture in the world, and much of it is in one walkable district. Stroll Alberta iela and look up: screaming faces, peacocks and women with improbable hair decorate building after building. It is free and it never gets old.

The Central Market fills a set of old Zeppelin hangars, and it is the place to try smoked fish, rye bread and a shot of Riga Black Balsam, a herbal liqueur locals swear by and visitors swear about. Prices sit well below Helsinki or Stockholm, which makes Riga the smart base on a Baltic run. Our Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga in 7 days guide covers the classic loop.

Fez, Morocco: the medina that rewrites your sense of direction

Fes el-Bali is one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world, a medieval medina where donkeys still do deliveries and the lanes refuse to run in straight lines. You will get lost. Hire a licensed guide for the first morning, learn the two or three main arteries, then wander on your own in the afternoon.

Look over the Chouara tannery from a leather shop terrace (they will hand you mint to hold under your nose), step into the Bou Inania Madrasa for the carved cedar and tilework, and pass the University of al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 and often called the oldest continuously operating university in the world. Spring and autumn are the sweet spots; summer afternoons are brutal. Start with our Fez Medina and Crafts guide.

Wadi Rum, Jordan: a night that resets your idea of dark

Most visitors to Jordan see Petra and leave. Big mistake. Wadi Rum, a couple of hours south, is a red-sand desert of sandstone towers that has stood in for Mars on film more than once. Spend a night in a Bedouin camp, take a jeep out to the rock bridges in the afternoon, and then lie back after dinner and watch more stars than you knew existed.

If you are staying in Jordan for at least three nights, the Jordan Pass covers your tourist visa and Petra entry, and it usually pays for itself. Go in spring or autumn. Our Amman, Petra and Wadi Rum in 7 days guide gives the desert the full night it deserves.

Cluj-Napoca, Romania: Transylvania's student capital

Cluj has the energy of a university town and the prices of Eastern Europe. Coffee culture is serious, the old center is compact, and there are more good bars per square mile than you would expect. In August the Untold festival takes over the city, so plan around it or lean in.

The day trip to do is Salina Turda, a salt mine about forty minutes away that was turned into an underground theme park, complete with a Ferris wheel and a boating lake hundreds of feet below the surface. It sounds gimmicky. It is genuinely astonishing. Cluj is well served by budget flights from across Europe, and our Romania: Bucharest and Cluj in 10 days guide links it with the capital.

Ushuaia, Argentina: the end of the world, with good coffee

Ushuaia calls itself the southernmost city on Earth and is the departure port for most Antarctic cruises, so plenty of people pass through without really stopping. Give it three days. Hike to Laguna Esmeralda for a lake the color of a swimming pool, walk up toward the Martial Glacier above town, and take a boat down the Beagle Channel past sea lion colonies and the red-and-white Les Eclaireurs lighthouse.

The season runs roughly November to March, when the days are long and the trails are clear of snow. Our Ushuaia in 3 days guide works whether or not a ship is waiting for you at the end.

Picking yours

Destination	Best months	Go for	Pairs with
Guanajuato	November to April	Painted lanes, student serenades	San Miguel de Allende
Penang	December to February	Hawker food, George Town	Kuala Lumpur, Singapore
Riga	May to September	Art Nouveau, Central Market	Tallinn, Helsinki
Fez	March to May, September to November	The medina, crafts	Marrakech, Chefchaouen
Wadi Rum	March to May, September to November	Desert camp, stars	Petra, Amman
Cluj-Napoca	May to September	Cafés, Salina Turda	Bucharest, Sibiu
Ushuaia	November to March	Hikes, Beagle Channel	Antarctica, Buenos Aires

If we had to choose just one for next year, it would be Wadi Rum. One night out there changes how you think about the rest of the trip. Whichever you pick, open the guide, change the days to fit your dates, and travli will lay out the rest.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most underrated places to travel in 2027?

Our picks are Guanajuato in Mexico, Penang in Malaysia, Riga in Latvia, Fez in Morocco, Wadi Rum in Jordan, Cluj-Napoca in Romania and Ushuaia in Argentina.

Can you sleep in the desert in Wadi Rum?

Yes. Many visitors stay overnight in a Bedouin-run desert camp, which is the best way to see the stars far from city lights.

When is the best time to visit Ushuaia?

November to March, the southern summer, when days are long and boat trips on the Beagle Channel run most often.