Famous for its festive street life, outstanding tapas scene and almost constant flamenco performances, Seville will have even more to celebrate next year.
This Spanish city, where medieval architecture rivals its modernist counterpart and which featured in the hit HBO series "Game of Thrones", will host the 31st annual European Film Awards ceremony and continue its celebrations honouring the Baroque painter Bartolome Esteban Murillo.
And everyone stands to benefit, both visitors and locals alike. That is exactly why Seville tops Lonely Planet's list of the best cities to visit in 2024.
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"Seville has been slowly transforming over the past decade," said Alex Howard, managing editor of the American edition of Lonely Planet. "The city's artistic past and present, along with its starring role in 'Game of Thrones', have put it on the map and made it our number one city to visit next year."
For the 13th time, Lonely Planet's editors gathered nominations from hundreds of contributors around the world and chose 10 cities, regions, countries and budget destinations to recommend in their "Best in Travel 2024" list.
Who Came Out on Top?
"These are the cities our travel experts recommend visiting in 2024," Howard said.
"Whether they have been underrated, are marking major events next year, or have recently landed on our radar, they all offer compelling reasons to visit soon," he said. "The urban landscape is changing faster than ever, and even familiar cities can surprise travellers with every visit."
The list is packed with exciting events, cities with new museums and sporting attractions, spots off the beaten path, and cities that have suffered from human neglect or natural disasters and deserve our attention.
That is why Detroit, in second place, and hurricane-hit San Juan, in eighth, made the top 10.
"New stadiums, hotels, streetcars and parks, together with distilleries and art galleries, show that the Motor City is back in business, powered by a creative and determined energy you can feel all across town."
Bouncing back after the collapse of the American auto industry, Detroit is being revived thanks to the contributions of longtime Motor City supporters and young artists and other creative people who have poured their sweat into once-abandoned neighbourhoods.
Although much of Puerto Rico still remains without clean water or electricity, it may seem too soon to urge people to return to San Juan.
Even though Lonely Planet selected the city before Hurricane Maria wiped out much of the American territory's power grid, the editors decided to keep it on the list after consulting with Puerto Rican tourism officials.
"San Juan is a vibrant and resilient city, in large part thanks to the people who live there," said Bailey Freeman, Lonely Planet's editor for Central America and the Caribbean.
"We have been closely following the situation on the ground since Hurricane Maria caused such devastation last month, and although relief efforts are still under way, we believe Puerto Rico's capital will surprise the world with how quickly it gets back on its feet.
"The reasons we named San Juan one of the best cities to visit in 2024 are as strong as ever. Many local businesses and hotels are already reopening, and we are confident this progress will keep moving steadily forward into the new year."
Lonely Planet's Top 10 Cities
- Seville, Spain
- Detroit, USA
- Canberra, Australia
- Hamburg, Germany
- Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Antwerp, Belgium
- Matera, Italy
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Guanajuato, Mexico
- Oslo, Norway
