From tasting the best cheese in the world to visiting small award-winning villages, here are just some of the many reasons why it is worth packing your bags in 2024
See London from above. That's what the new Horizon 22 public observation deck allows you to do. At 254 meters high, it is not only the highest viewing platform in London, but in all of Europe. This new free attraction in the British capital is located in the skyscraper 22 Bishopsgate, the largest office building in the city (and the tallest after the Shard), which is located in the heart of the financial district. To reach the 58th floor, where the observation deck is located, there are two high-speed elevators which take you there in just 41 seconds. Carl Court (GETTY IMAGES)Choose your next destination from a list. For the third consecutive year, the World Tourism Organization has unveiled the list of the Best Tourism Villages 2023. An award that recognizes the leading villages when it comes to taking care of rural areas and preserving the landscapes, cultural diversity, local values, culinary traditions and commitment to economic, social and environmental sustainability. On this occasion, 54 villages from around the world were selected from nearly 260 applications. In Spain, three have been recognized: Cantavieja (Teruel), Oñati (Guipúzcoa) and Sigüenza (Guadalajara). Others include: Ericeira, Manteigas, Sortelha and Vila da Madalena (Portugal), Lerici (Italy), Morcote and Saint-Ursanne (Switzerland), Ordino (Andorra), Schladming and St. Anton am Arlberg (Austria), Slunj (Croatia), Tokaj (Hungary) and Valeni (Moldova). It also highlights towns in Peru, Egypt, Japan, Kazakhstan and Vietnam.Ian Laker (GETTY IMAGES)An attraction to recreate the past. In 1932, a group of construction workers were photographed having lunch on a beam with their feet dangling some 260 meters in the air. In the background was New York City. The black-and-white image 'Lunch atop a Skyscraper' is one of the most iconic images in history. It was taken during the construction of Rockefeller Center. Today, the Manhattan building's new attraction, called The Beam, offers visitors the chance to recreate the famous image. For those who suffer from vertigo, fear not: this structure will only raise you three meters above the ground.Bettmann Archive / GETTY IMAGESThe best cheese in the world. Cheese may be the most powerful reason to take a plane to the other side of the world. This year, the World Cheese Awards crowned Nidelven Bla, a blue cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk with a semi-solid texture, as the best cheese in the world from more than 4,800 entries. You can try it at the Gangstad Gardsysteri cheese dairy in Trondheim, Norway.Two hotels to behold. There are times when a hotel in itself is worth a getaway, and that's what the case with these two. Staying at the Pan Pacific Orchard in Singapore and L'EssenCiel in Piré-Chancé (France) is a new, unusual and sustainable experience. These two hotels, with their avant-garde look and unique architecture, offer visitors an experience aimed at contemplation and disconnecting. They also provide luxury services, art exhibitions and centers for physical and mental well-being. Olivier MarieThe architecture of the new Pan Pacific Orchard (pictured) was designed like a forest, with the supporting columns covered in plants. L'EssenCiel (pictured above) is shaped like a tree and faces the lush vegetation of the French countryside.Darren SohAn anniversary. The Eduardo Chillida Foundation in Spain is celebrating the centennial of the sculptor's birth with a jam-packed program of exhibitions, publications and audiovisual and educational projects. The goal is to bring Chillida's work closer to the new generations. This long list of events started in December in the Spanish region of Asturias, and will take place around the world.AFP / GETTY IMAGESAn architectural opening. The Pyramid of Tirana, Albania, originally built as a museum to communist dictator Enver Hoxha, has been transformed into a new cultural center. The Pyramid is now an open sculpture in a new park that houses a collection of cafés, studios, workshops, start-up offices, festivals and classrooms where young Albanians learn various tech subjects free of charge. Steps have been added to the building's sloping facades, making it possible for visitors to literally walk on the ex-dictator's masterpiece.Ossip van DuivenbodeA new world heritage site. The ancient city of Si Thep, in Thailand, represents the Dvaravati culture from the 6th to the 10th centuries, an important phase in the history of Southeast Asia. It is for this reason, and for its exceptional universal value, that UNESCO decided to list it and its associated monuments as a new world heritage site. More than 112 important monastery sites have been identified in its surrounding plains. The local adaptation of Hindu artistic traditions gave rise to an artistic tradition that influenced multiple civilizations.CPA Media / Alamy / CORDON PRESSA website with gastro itineraries. The team of experts at Click&Boat — a boat rental platform — has thoroughly researched the best sailing routes for food lovers. Each stop on their maps features a selection of some of the best restaurants where you can indulge in the region's dishes. What's more, these routes are not exclusive to boat owners, but rather are accessible to everyone. www.clickandboat.comA souvenir. Viti Vinci — an atelier in Spain's Palma de Mallorca specialized in creating perfumes made with essential oils from wild plants — offers workshops on the secrets of aromachology and fragrance design. During the workshop, participants learn how to create a totally personalized scent. The experience is open to anyone over 12, and the minimum class size is eight people. It includes the exclusive formula designed by participants, a notebook with the formulation, the perfume itself and a fruit-flavored drink or glass of cava.
