How We Chose the 2023 World’s Greatest Places

The travel industry is back in full swing in 2023, but not without notable shifts in how and where we wander. Steeper costs and increased interest in sustainability and authenticity are reshaping the landscape. To compile this list of the World’s Greatest Places, the top spots to visit this year, TIME solicited nominations of places from our international network of correspondents and contributors, with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences.

The result: 50 far-flung and familiar spots, from Giza and Saqqara in Egypt, where the long-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum is finally revamped and reopened, to the gastronomy hot spot of Dijon, France. Some of the destinations are enforcing more sustainable tourism practices to protect their natural beauty; Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia is moving toward allowing only one foreign visitor per local resident. Others are thriving, growing, and changing, like the city of Medellín, Colombia, which has blossomed into a culturally vibrant metropolis in the years since Pablo Escobar’s death.

This year’s list also includes reporting to help readers navigate the sometimes chaotic travel industry, from what to do when something inevitably goes wrong at the airport, to how cruises have changed since the pandemic, and how to score the best flight and hotel deals. Bon voyage!

Read the full list here.