Boston Was Named One of the 50 Best Places to Travel in 2020
But it's not because of the Freedom Trail or Quincy Market.
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Bostonians, get ready to dodge bigger Freedom Trail tour groups, take more strangers’ photos in Faneuil Hall, and assist confused families on the T—Boston officially earned a spot on Travel + Leisure‘s annual list of the 50 best places to travel in the upcoming year.
The magazine’s annual list curates the top 50 best destinations in the world to “travel right now,” whether that’s because of the recent debut of new restaurants or hotels or an upcoming citywide celebration. The list’s creators consult a network of travel experts and hospitality pros, and they crunch some numbers, taking metrics like tourism statistics and flight data into account. The destinations that make it to the list will thus “suit every interest—food, shopping, culture, history, and nature.”
For those who experience Boston on the daily, the city might seem a little less-than-glamorous, especially when compared to other glitzier destinations on the list, like St. Bart’s and Hawaii’s Big Island. But for visitors these days, we’ve got a lot more to offer than duck boats and Cheers. Travel + Leisure deems Boston “the country’s next great hotel city,” citing the recent openings of the Four Seasons One Dalton and the Whitney, and the upcoming re-openings of the Langham and the Taj (under a new name, the Newbury).
Even outside of our luxe lodgings, the list proclaims, Boston has plenty to see and do. The list also shouts out the ICA’s acquisition of Yayoi Kusama’s Mirror Infinity Rooms for the artsy crowd, and points foodies toward Time Out Market, teasing that there are more food halls on the way.
So, if you’re mapping out your 2020 travels, you don’t even need to book a flight to check off one of the year’s top vacation spots. If you want to set your sights a little further than your own backyard, however, there’s one more New England destination on the list: Maine. Head north to experience the state’s “new, sophisticated era” by cozying up in a Scandinavian cottage, glamping in a glass-walled lodge, or slurping down seafood.
Thinking you’d like to get out of Bean boots and oyster territory entirely? We don’t get it, but whatever: Click here to see Travel + Leisure‘s full 50 Best Places to Travel in 2020 list.
