THE WORLD’S GREATEST PLACES 2018
It’s easy to find guides to famous attractions. But which new and newly relevant destinations are worth experiencing right now? To assemble our first annual list of the World’s Greatest Places, TIME solicited nominations across a variety of categories—such as museums, parks, restaurants and hotels—from our editors and correspondents around the world as well as dozens of industry experts. Then we evaluated each one based on key factors, including quality, originality, innovation, sustainability and influence. The result is a list as diverse as the world it reflects, with 100 entries spanning six continents and 48 countries—highlighting everything from a Texas water park that empowers kids with disabilities to a Maldives resort that’s building an undersea abode to a library in Tianjin, China, that’s almost as wondrous as reading itself.
Hotels
REGAL REMODEL
HÔTEL DE CRILLON, PARIS
Few hotels have a history as rich as Hôtel de Crillon, which was commissioned as a palace by King Louis XV and once hosted Marie Antoinette’s piano lessons. Last July, the residence—now owned by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts—re-opened after a four-year renovation that brought modern amenities like central air-conditioning while preserving its iconic 18th century finishings, including gold ceilings, grand staircases and marble walls.
—Abigail Abrams
Bars & Restaurants
SMALL-TOWN WONDER
THE LOST KITCHEN, FREEDOM, MAINE
It’s no easy task to turn a small Maine town into a foodie destination, and yet that’s exactly what chef Erin French did with the Lost Kitchen, a 45-seat restaurant housed in an old mill. Earlier this year, demand for her seven-course, prix fixe “farmhouse” dinners (starting at $110) got so intense—almost 20,000 requests over an 11-day span—that French started accepting reservations only via postcard. (The Lost Kitchen is now full through 2018.) “As things get bigger, I’m trying to be simpler,” she says.
—Ashley Hoffman
Cultural Centers
A HAVEN FOR BOOK LOVERS
TIANJIN BINHAI LIBRARY, TIANJIN, CHINA
Anybody who laments the decline of the public library should look to Tianjin, China, where a gleaming new ziggurat has attracted more than 1.8 million visitors since it opened in October 2017. It helps that the nearly 363,000-sq.-ft. facility, designed by Dutch firm MVRDV, looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, replete with stark white interiors and terraced shelves that cascade from floor to ceiling. All told, it has the capacity to hold more than 1.35 million books—although some feature embossed aluminum plates that mimic actual tomes, prompting criticism that the stunning space is, as one headline put it, “more fiction than books.” Nonetheless, Binhai Library remains one of China’s buzziest new attractions, which could help reduce the country’s already low adult literacy rate. It’s a “social space that also promotes reading and inspiration,” says Winy Maas, a director at MVRDV.
—Casey Quackenbush
Parks
THE ALL-NEW ARBORETUM
SUNDER NURSERY, NEW DELHI
Between the pollution and the crowds, it’s hard to get away in New Delhi. But now the Indian capital offers a respite: the city’s first arboretum. Unveiled in February, the 90-acre complex is a horticultural haven with restored Mughalera monuments and natural water features. The eventual goal is to link up with a neighboring zoo and fort to create a 900-acre sanctum of greenery.
—C.Q.
Hotels
DRIVING A COMEBACK
DETROIT FOUNDATION HOTEL, DETROIT
For proof that Detroit is bouncing back, look to its old, disused fire department headquarters. Last year, it reopened as the Detroit Foundation Hotel, a sleek residence that sources many of its elements—including wallpaper and minibar snacks—from local businesses. “This is a great American city,” says Michael Kitchen, who helped develop the hotel, “and we don’t let American cities die.”
—Samantha Cooney
Cultural Centers
A KEYSTONE IN THE DESERT
KING ABDULAZIZ CENTER FOR WORLD CULTURE, DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA
Its striking forms rise 295 ft. from the desert, but this is no mirage. The new King Abdulaziz Center, also known as Ithra, is a cultural hub that reflects “the changes sweeping Saudi Arabia,” says director Ali al-Mutairi. Designed by Norwegian firm Snohetta, the center houses an auditorium, exhibition halls and a library of some 200,000 books.
—Casey Quackenbush
Hotels
HELPING GUESTS CONNECT
COO BOUTIQUE HOSTEL & SOCIATEL, SINGAPORE
Once travelers book stays at this hostel, which offers beds for as little as $20 a night, they can access COO Connect, an online platform that enables them to meet other guests based on mutual interests, such as food, photography and music. The goal, says founder Silas Lee, is to embody “the convivial spirit of an old-fashioned backpackers’ community.”
—Megan McCluskey
Theme Parks
MAKING SUMMER FUN INCLUSIVE
MORGAN’S INSPIRATION ISLAND, SAN ANTONIO
While on a family vacation in 2006, Gordon Hartman took his daughter Morgan to a hotel swimming pool. Morgan, who was born with physical and cognitive disabilities, wanted to play with some kids nearby, but when she inched over to them, they scrambled out of the pool. “Her look of disappointment stuck with me,” says Hartman. “My wife and I asked each other: Where can Morgan go and really play?” Hartman, a successful home builder who retired at age 41, decided to answer the question himself by building a theme park, Morgan’s Wonderland, which opened in 2010, and a companion water park, which opened in the spring of 2017. The words ultra-accessible guided the park’s design, from wheelchairs that are waterproof and powered by compressed air to water areas that are set to different temperatures, for those who can’t handle the cold. “Everybody can join together in play,” Hartman says, noting that many parkgoers don’t have special needs at all.
—Kate Rockwood
Parks
HIGHWAY TO NEW HEIGHTS
SEOULLO 7017 SKYGARDEN, SEOUL
Snaking above Seoul’s thoroughfares is Seoullo 7017 Skygarden, a new pedestrian walkway reborn from a former highway overpass, much in the vein of New York City’s High Line. Its 17 sections feature family-friendly cafés, gardens and even stations for relaxing foot baths. But the structure, designed by Dutch firm MVRDV, is arguably more stunning at night, when illuminated pillars transform it into a glowing ribbon of purple.
—Suyin Haynes
Hotels
A PIONEERING SAFARI LODGE
TIME + TIDE KING LEWANIKA LODGE, LIUWA PLAIN NATIONAL PARK, ZAMBIA
Some unique things you’ll find in the burnt gold fields of Liuwa Plain National Park: the Lozi people (the only community in the country allowed to reside in a national park), packs of wildebeests (the park sees one of the largest migrations in Africa) and this lodge, which opened in 2017. The resort is solar-powered, with recycled composite floors and grass roofs. And the six villas fit only 15 guests, ensuring tranquil exclusivity.
—Kaitlin Menza
Lewanika is the only permanent camp in Zambia’s Liuwa
