Cork named one of 25 best places to visit in 2025 by National Geographic

Olivia Kelleher

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 $128 billion 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 Event 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.”

Editor-in-chief of National Geographic, 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 carried out in 2016 to much fanfare, but little concrete development has occurred since.

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

“From a new rock-climbing haven in India to Stockholm’s new and lesser-known island-hopping trail. I like to think of Best of the World as National Geographic’s annual invitation to get out and explore for yourself the incredible diversity of places and experiences around the worlds. This year, at a time of uncertainty and difficult challenges, that feels more important than ever.”

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