Nearly three decades in, the Condé Nast Traveller UK Readers' Choice Awards remain one of the most reliable wish-lists in travel — because every winner is picked by readers who've actually been there. The 2026 edition, the 29th, crowns hotels, resorts, cities, islands, airlines and even airports across the globe, and the results make a solid shortlist for anyone planning a big trip.
Bangkok takes the world's best city title, with Paris winning Europe and Edinburgh doing the double at home (best UK city and the friendliest, too). Greece is named best country in the world, while Italy scoops best country for food — no surprise given the readers' evident soft spot for Sicilian cannoli and the like. Costa Rica is crowned the world's friendliest country, Porto wins the European friendliness prize, and Melbourne takes the global one.
The hotel list is a tour of the big names. Claridge's wins London; Le Bristol Paris takes France's capital; Ballyfin in County Laois wins Ireland; The Gritti Palace wins Venice and Il Tornabuoni Florence; Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina wins the rest of Italy. Further afield: Capella Sydney, The Peninsula Shanghai, Park Hyatt Tokyo, Capella Singapore, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok and The Imperial in New Delhi all top their regions, while Dubai's Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab wins the Middle East and The Carlyle in New York takes the USA.
Resorts get their own category, and it's stacked with escapes: Jade Mountain in St Lucia for the Caribbean, Joali in the Maldives for the Indian Ocean, Four Seasons Bali at Jimbaran Bay for Indonesia, Awasi Atacama in Chile, Fairmont Banff Springs in Canada and Singita Lebombo in South Africa's Kruger, among others.
Beaches and islands reward the less obvious. Llanddwyn Beach on Anglesey wins for the UK, Ballyheigue in County Kerry for Ireland, Sperlonga in Italy for Europe and Arugam Bay in Sri Lanka for Asia. Barbados takes the Caribbean, Palawan the Philippines' crown jewel wins Asia, Fiji wins Australasia, the Isles of Scilly take the UK, and Hydra — car-free and under two hours from Athens — wins Europe.
On the practical side: Emirates is the world's best airline, Istanbul Airport the best airport globally (with Heathrow winning for the UK), and Cathay Pacific's The Pier First Class Lounge in Hong Kong takes the lounge title. Scotland's Royal Scotsman, a Belmond train, wins best rail journey, while Zermatt and Utah's Deer Valley top the ski lists. Viking sweeps river and expedition cruising; Seabourn takes both medium and small-ship categories. For those booking rather than going, The Thinking Traveller wins villa rentals, Scott Dunn wins among travel specialists and The Turquoise Holiday Company among general tour operators. Spas went to Gleneagles in Perthshire, Palazzo Fiuggi in Italy and Chiva-Som in Hua Hin, Thailand.
If you want one global cheat-sheet for where to stay in 2026, this is it — voted by people who've slept in the beds.
