Cork named one of 25 best places in world to visit

Cork has been named as one of National Geographic’s 25 best places in the world to travel to in 2025. Cork is the only Irish entry in a list which includes holiday destinations as diverse as Stockholm Archipelago in Sweden, Brasov in Romania, Guadalajara in Mexico, and Murray River in Australia.

Readers are urged to visit Cork in order to “immerse themselves in an emerging urban renaissance”.

“The Cork City Development Plan, part of the $128bn Project Ireland initiative, is funding ambitious and innovative improvements to be completed by 2028 that will redevelop the port and docklands, refurbish the Crawford Art Gallery, and enhance the Cork events centre so it can host new concerts, festivals, and exhibitions.

“In September 2025, Ireland’s second city shines during Sounds from a Safe Harbour, a biennial festival of music, dance, and conversation that was co-founded by Oscar-winning Oppenheimer actor and Cork native Cillian Murphy.”

National Geographic editor-in-chief Nathan Lump said that Cork “has always been a fun city with a vibrant culture … and an incredibly warm local population”.

Corkonians will no doubt be pleased with the inclusion of Leeside in the prestigious list.

However, they will wryly note the mention of the much-delayed Cork events centre. A turning of the sod ceremony was held in 2016 to much fanfare, but little development has occurred since.

Mr Lump said that the Best in the World list for 2025 includes a blend of surprising up-and-coming destinations and timeless locations that have something new and exciting to offer.

Other destinations on the list include: Abu Dhabi, UAE; Boise, Idaho, in the US; Northland in New Zealand, and the Suru Valley in India.