UK Reader Awards 2026: Winners Revealed

It’s been an interesting year in travel — more reason than ever for us to reinstate our Reader Awards. We wanted to know what inspires you when booking a trip and where’s really captured your imagination in the past year. What came across most keenly was your continuing desire to explore, seek out new experiences and connect with both the environment and other cultures. The winners’ list indicates a return to familiar destinations on the UK’s doorstep, perhaps a reflection of the challenges — tight finances, fractious politics, Middle East strife — that have affected travel in 2026. But more far-flung destinations are also among the 16 category finalists, testament to your unshakeable enthusiasm for adventure.

People’s Choice: Italy

Food and beauty are the secular religions that elevate Italy to another level. No brochure flags up either directly. Why would they? Both are factored into the equation wherever you go, whether to Naples for pizza, Florence for art or Sardinia for improbably perfect beaches. Runner-up Japan equally justifies its popularity. Now almost a bargain due to persistent low inflation and a weak yen, the country remains distinct in an increasingly homogenised world. For many, its fascination lies in the balance between a traditional past and technological future — temple-packed Kyoto, tea ceremonies and onsen rituals are the cultural yin to Tokyo’s yang. Meanwhile, rural areas offer pilgrimage trails like the Kumano Kodo and an under-rated ski scene. Japan reinvents itself with every visit.

Runners-up: Japan • New Zealand

Food Destination: Italy

Nowhere takes food both as seriously and as casually as Italy. Our landslide winner, it received almost three times the votes of the runner-up. It’s a country where an Italian Academy of Cuisine formally adjudicates recipes, yet everyone knows their nonna is the only true authority. Far more than just pasta (although that alone comes in more than 300 shapes), Italian cuisine is rooted in concepts that define the culinary zeitgeist: seasonality, localism, simplicity. Stick to osterias and trattorias and you’ll discover regional cuisines that are less formal than France and more varied than Spain. Whether you’re truffle-hunting in Piedmont, savouring ragu in Bologna or dining in a masseria (farmhouse) in Puglia, travel in Italy is as much a pilgrimage as a holiday for food-lovers.

Runners-up: Spain • France

Coastal Break: Cornwall

Islands claimed six of the top 10 spots in this category, but there’s no doubting Cornwall is a coastal classic for British travellers — when the sun shines, its beaches and coves are good enough to rival anywhere in Europe. The region’s popularity may have been buoyed by travellers looking closer to home in a year of global uncertainty, but Cornwall’s edge is how it’s moved with the times. Saunas and beach yoga come as standard. Beach shack restaurants like Porthcurnick’s The Hidden Hut offer sand-between-the-toes meals you’ll remember for a lifetime. Towns like Newquay now have relaxed cocktail bars and stylish new stays such as The Nici hotel. Yet Cornwall’s surf-pounded beaches and salty harbours are as timeless as ever.

Runners-up: Croatia • Greece

City Break: Rome

It’s no surprise the Eternal City continues to wow outsiders — it has for millennia. Casually scattered with wonders of the ancient world and decorated with astonishing art, Rome looks better than it has for decades after city-wide renovation spruced it up for 2025’s Jubilee Year pilgrimage. Even overtourism has been addressed — ticket-only access to part of the Trevi Fountain since February has alleviated scrums around it. Not that Rome itself has been tamed. From the theatre of cafe life to days constructed around lunch, the city’s drama remains gripping. That said, few votes separated the top six: as well as runners-up London and Lisbon, Barcelona (the only non-capital), Berlin and Copenhagen were all close in this category.

Runners-up: London • Lisbon

UK Destination: Cornwall

Epic beaches and soaring cliffs are a fine antidote to a sizzling summer, so perhaps it makes sense that England’s most southerly region won this year. The surprise is it only beat London by 0.3% of the vote. Readers’ allegiances were clearly split between rural escape and cultural pursuits when it came to travel on home turf. For energy and audacity, the capital remains unrivalled. Relentlessly active, endlessly diverse, it has the breadth and depth of a genuine global city, home to world-class museums with blockbuster exhibitions — from Banksy to Frida Kahlo — plus the nation’s best shopping, best entertainment and best gastronomy.

Runners-up: London • Edinburgh

Family Destination: France

If family holidays are about making memories together, France makes things easy. Both familiar and exotic for children, this is a country where they can holler in Disneyland, stuff their faces with eclairs, see wild horses in the Camargue, ride a giant mechanical elephant in Nantes and paddle past fairytale chateaux in the Dordogne. Simultaneously, parents will appreciate a culture that takes l’art de vivre (the art of living well) seriously. Its proximity is another selling point. Take the car and you’re limited only by boot capacity — handy, given the recent revival of beach resorts in Normandy and Brittany. There was no surprise in runners-up Spain and Italy, where popular holiday islands and abundant flight options create a compelling case for families year after year.

Runners-up: Spain • Italy

Favourite Rail Journey: Caledonian Sleeper

The child-like wonder of departing London at 11pm to wake in Scotland the next day never dims. The Caledonian Sleeper offers a journey that links two great capitals and two of the UK’s great stations — the gothic, vaulted halls of St Pancras and Edinburgh Waverley — the miles slipping by as you sleep. Cross-nation rail is having a moment as travellers seek out slower, greener, less stressful modes of travel, and this journey has made its mark with Brits, branching off up to Fort William, Inverness and Aberdeen after reaching Edinburgh. While this category asked readers to single out specific stand-out journeys, the combined votes for SBB (Swiss Federal Railways), Bernina Express and Glacier Express would have made Switzerland the clear winner. If any destination begs you to sit back and simply watch scenery slip past, it’s the Swiss Alps.

Runners-up: Eurostar • Orient Express

Wildlife Destination: South Africa

A favourable exchange rate no doubt helped secure the top spot, yet the head-spinning diversity of species is what cements South Africa’s position over rival wildlife hotspots. First-timer hoping to tick off the Big Five? Sightings are almost guaranteed in easily accessible safari destinations like Kruger National Park. The horizon-pushing red desert of the Kalahari and Northern Cape suit those who want to track niche species like black rhinos and pangolins, while private reserves of the Eastern Cape provide family-friendly luxury safaris. And all this wildlife comes with the added benefit of options to bolt on Cape Town and tour the Garden Route or Winelands. Another winning factor: no jet lag.

Runners-up: Costa Rica • Kenya

Responsible Travel Destination: Costa Rica

With over a quarter of its land protected, this Central American country ‘wrote the playbook on ecotourism’, according to the United Nations Development Programme. More than 400 hotels and tour operators now have gold-standard approval from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. There was no contest — Costa Rica bagged four-and-a-half times the votes of second-place Norway in our Reader Awards survey. And that’s little surprise given the richness of the experience for travellers, from jungle hiking to birdwatching and whale-spotting. The country’s Corcovado National Park alone is an ecological hotspot where macaws screech and jaguars prowl, and is home to 2.5% of the planet’s terrestrial species. The ethical wildlife guiding and ranger protection here sets global benchmarks.

Runners-up: Norway • Sweden

Hiking Region: Lake District

You hike to escape everyday life for a while. As the sun shone in the UK this year and border entries into Europe became fraught, the appeal of the Lake District grew. That may also explain second-placed Scotland. Whether a big day on the crinkle-cut ridges of the Mosedale Horseshoe or a laid-back amble around the shores of Ullswater, options to stretch your legs are impossible to exhaust in the Lake District. There are 1,930 miles of mapped trails in the national park area. And while the park has hotels that rank among Britain’s best, staff won’t bat an eyelid if you arrive spattered in mud; many even provide boot rooms for hikers. The local food scene is also stellar, with Michelin stars to prove it. All in all, this slice of northern England is a destination that can claim to be both wild and supremely civilised at the same time.

Runners-up: Scotland • Dolomites

Adventure Destination: Costa Rica

Does anywhere appear as purpose-designed for intrepid travel as Costa Rica? Despite sustained popularity, its scenic tapestry of cloud forests, volcanoes, wild rivers and surf beaches still feels deliciously remote, twitching and trilling with life — yet the country occupies an area just two-thirds the size of Scotland. In this category, New Zealand came a close second. Noctourism and digital detoxing are taken for granted here, but can-do Kiwis have turned it into a supersized adventure playground with heliskiing, mad jet-boat rides and some of the world’s best hiking.

Runners-up: New Zealand • Iceland

Winter Destination: Iceland

This country’s reputation for floating sea ice, aurora-chasing and steaming lagoon pools certainly hits home. Come the darker months, the Arctic island delivers awe in spades. It’s the Northern Lights shimmering around domed Kirkjufell mountain. It’s husky sledding over a frozen lake. It’s wallowing in thermal waters as delicate snowflakes settle on the horizon. In the past five years, Iceland has also seen a swell in remote stays like Highland Base Iceland that embrace winter’s extremes. Iceland and Norway received almost a third of votes in this category.

Runners-up: Norway • Finland

Favourite Journey By Ship: Norwegian Fjords

Astonishing scenery — which gets better the closer you are — is the trump card for Norwegian cruises. The Unesco-listed fjords of Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord have deep bays and near-vertical cliff walls, but cruises here also offer the chance to see wheeling sea eagles, frolicking porpoises, cascading waterfalls and glacier tongues. Add in midnight sun (or Northern Lights) and cosy rust-red harbours, and it’s quite the potent mix. Embarkation at UK ports enables travellers to swerve airport hassle — all things considered, no other cruise destination delivers such value. Norwegian fjord cruises were a clear favourite in this category, at a time when new policies are making them more sustainable than ever.

Runners-up: Nile • Caribbean

Favourite Road Trip: Route 66

The US still leads the world when it comes to road trips. Happy 100th birthday, then, to Route 66 — John Steinbeck’s ‘Mother Road’. The 2,448-mile route from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California distills dreams of vintage Americana into one eight-state journey. It’s an epic adventure, filled with neon-lit 1950s motels; kitsch diners; hokey curios; and widescreen landscapes to sear the soul. But what’s also no doubt won over readers is the welcome travellers receive en route in small towns.

Runners-up: North Coast 500 • Garden Route

Editors’ Pick: Morocco

This North African nation welcomed record international visitors in 2025 — just shy of 20 million. Its popularity was reflected in the number of our editors who voted for it, pipping Japan at the post. Part of its appeal for UK travellers lies in its proximity to home — where else can you fly to in under four hours and step off the plane feeling like you’ve travelled half a world away? For some, that first adventure into Marrakech’s circus-like Jemaa el-Fnaa can feel like a slap in the face and a warm hug at the same time. But there’s a lot more to Morocco. From sleeping under the stars at a Sahara desert camp to surfing in the boho beach enclaves of Taghazout and Tamraght, or hiking the ochre slopes of the Atlas Mountains, few countries can match the breadth of experiences available here.

Runners-up: Japan • Sri Lanka