Lonely Planet's top travel picks for 2020
Which Australian destination made the list?

With the new year just around the corner it’s time to start thinking about your 2020 holiday.
To help make the decision easier, Lonely Planet has revealed its latest collection of the hottest destinations, journeys and experiences for 2020.
Lord Howe Island was the only Australian destination to make the lists, placing fifth in the top 10 regions of the world to visit in 2020.
Located 600km off the New South Wales coast, Lord Howe Island was described by natural historian Sir David Attenborough as “so extraordinary it is almost unbelievable... few islands, surely, can be so accessible, so remarkable, yet so unspoilt.”
A two-hour flight from Brisbane, the remote island is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is known for its pristine beaches, lush forests, hiking trails and one of the best snorkelling and diving spots in the world.
To protect the endangered species that call the island home, visitor numbers are limited to 400 at any one time (often outnumbering residents) and are encouraged to take part in ecological conservation projects.
Other regions to make Lonely Planet’s 2020 list include the Central Asian Silk Road (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), the Amazon, China’s Guizhou Province and the US state of Maine.
In addition to the top 10 regions, Lonely Planet also revealed the top 10 countries, cities and best value locations for 2020.
Top countries
- Bhutan
- England
- North Macedonia
- Aruba
- Eswatini
Top cities
- Salzburg, Austria
- Washington DC, USA
- Cairo, Egypt
- Galway, Ireland
- Bonn, Germany
Top regions
- Central Asian Silk Road
- Le Marche, Italy
- Tohuku, Japan
- Maine, USA
- Lord Howe Island, Australia
Top best value
- East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
- Budapest, Hungary
- Madhya Pradesh, India
- Buffalo, USA
- Azerbaijan