The 2025 holidays to book now
Are you already thinking about where to travel next year? Booking a 2025 holiday nice and early comes with many benefits.
You can rest easy knowing you've secured your spot on a popular trip with limited space, like a ride through the Swiss Alps on an iconic train or a cruise of Japan during cherry blossom season.
Booking a 2025 holiday in advance also gives you something to look forward to, especially if you’re planning a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list holiday.
If you're already in planning mode, you've come to the right place, as we’ve put together the ultimate selection of hotspots to visit in 2025.
For an unforgettable 2025 holiday in Europe, why not pick a slightly more unusual location like Transylvania, where gothic castles tower high on rugged mountain peaks?
If sun and fine wine are more your thing, a cruise along Portugal's sun-kissed Douro River might appeal. Or head for the sunny shores of Madeira, where the 2025 Flower Festival takes place in April, attracting garden-lovers from all over the world.
For those looking to venture further afield, consider a once-in-a-lifetime tour or cruise Japan. An ever-popular choice for a bucket list holiday, it's always worth planning ahead for Japan tours, as they tend to sell out quickly.
The same goes for expedition cruises to Antarctica. This is the only way to visit the White Continent, so you'll want to bag your place on the ideal expedition cruise with expert guides nice and early if it's on your 2025 wish list.
Here’s our ultimate list of the top holidays for 2025.
An icy escape in Transylvania
If a cold-weather holiday is on your wish list for 2025, consider the mountains of Transylvania, which are packed with Gothic castles, medieval villages, and dense spruce forests. In the enchanting city of Brasov, you can stroll the cobbled streets, seeing its towering Gothic-style Black Church before pausing to warm up in one of the town's bohemian cafes hidden away on snow-dusted alleyways.
To really get to know the snowy terrains of Transylvania, check in at the unique Ice Hotel in the Carpathian Mountains. This special hotel is built every year entirely of snow and ice blocks from a glacial lake. You can stay there on a special trip with Good Housekeeping in 2025.
Wine tastings along Portugal's Douro Valley
Are you a lover of fine wine looking to indulge your palate in 2025? A trip to a new wine region - or to one you know and love - always makes for a holiday to look forward to. Portugal's sunkissed Douro Valley is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world, and its golden hills are full of historic wine estates where you can taste the delicious varieties of Port wine.
Good Housekeeping has an eight-day Douro cruise available that starts in Portugal's second city of Porto. From here, you'll sail along the river, past sweeping vineyards and pretty riverside towns where famous vintages have been produced for generations.
Visit Maastricht and attend an exclusive concert
Start 2025 in style with a dose of culture and classical music. Good Housekeeping is offering an exclusive trip to Amsterdam to see Dutch violinist and 'Waltz King' André Rieu perform in his home country. André's concerts bring the music of 19th-century Vienna to life, along with beautiful melodies from opera, musicals, film and well-known classical compositions.
There'll be time to discover the sights of Amsterdam too, perhaps visiting the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Royal Palace, Anne Frank's house or the Vondelpark. You also have the chance to add a delectable wine and cheese cruise to your trip
An adventurous expedition to Antarctica
For a truly once-in-a-lifetime adventure in 2025, Antarctica is hard to beat. With its harsh climate and uninhabited landscapes, drifting icebergs and incredible wildlife, it's only suitable for more intrepid travellers, but there are plenty of rewards for those ready to take on the challenge.
The only way to visit as a tourist on special expedition trips, where you'll be in the safe hands of experts who know these terrains like the back of their hands. Good Housekeeping has a special expedition cruise to White Continent available in 2025. While in Antarctica, an expert expedition team will lead ice-cruising and landings at every opportunity, allowing you to step ashore and explore.
An iconic train ride through the Swiss Alps
For rail travel enthusiasts, a journey through the Swiss Alps by train is always a treat. The Swiss rail network is famously efficient and also offers some of the most exquisite mountain views in Europe. From the serene beauty of Lake Geneva to the majestic heights of the Bernina Mountains, Switzerland's natural splendour is truly unparalleled.
You can see it for yourself on Good Housekeeping's Swiss rail holiday in 2025. You'll stay in a four-star hotel in Interlaken, cruise across picturesque Lakes Thun and Lucerne and head up into the mountains on the iconic Glacier Express, enjoying a three-course lunch on board.
Another option for exploring the Swiss Alps is our short break which takes you to Chur, the oldest city in Switzerland, where you'll be staying in a welcoming hotel. Your ride on the Glacier Express takes you from enchanting Chur to the chic Alpine resort town of St Moritz.
An epic journey on one of the world's most famous trains
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is perhaps the world's most famous locomotive and another great choice for lovers of rail travel looking for a dream holiday in 2025. This is luxury train travel at its best, with fine wine and top-class cuisine served on board in meticulously restored 1920s carriages.
The train travels several routes, but a favourite is its overnight journey from Venice to Paris, connecting two of Europe's most elegant cities. Good Housekeeping is offering an exclusive luxury trip on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express with the company of journalist and rail enthusiast Michael Portillo, who'll join you for an evening talk and travel with you on board the train
Explore the Japanese Alps between Tokyo and Osaka
Another brilliant way to discover Japan in 2025 comes with Good Housekeeping's two-week tour of the Japanese Alps. This trip will take you between Tokyo and Osaka, showing you a side of Japan that many visitors miss along the way. There'll be stops in Takayama, Shirakawago and Kanazawa, where you'll learn about local culture and see the unique landscapes and architecture of rural Japan.
Another highlight will be a memorable day trip to see one of the majestic Mount Fuji. You'll take the super-fast bullet train to Odawara, where you'll first enjoy a boat trip on tranquil Lake Ashi before venturing up the Komagatake Ropeway up to the 5th Station and take in the breathtaking views over the Fuji Five Lakes area below.
See Japan during its colourful cherry blossom season
A floral marvel that graces the landscapes for just a few weeks each spring, the Japanese cherry blossom season is a must-have on any nature lover's bucket list. Its famed beauty makes travelling to Japan in the spring months extremely popular, so its worth planning ahead and booking early to make sure you're getting a good deal.
Good Housekeeping has an excellent 17-day cruise of Japan during 2025's cherry blossom season. You won't have to worry about competing for hotel accommodation, as you'll be travelling in style on an award-winning luxury ship. The cruise begins and ends in Yokohama, with stops in Osaka, Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Busan in South Korea.
Discover the beauty of Madeira's flower festival
The Portuguese island of Madeira has been nicknamed 'the floating garden of the Atlantic' and once you arrive here it won't take you long to see why. This fertile North Atlantic island is a paradise for flower enthusiasts, especially if you visit in late spring during the island's annual Flower Festival, when gardens are in full bloom and the streets come alive with parades celebrating the beauty of flowers.
Good Housekeeping has a trip planned for 2025's Flower Festival. As well as enjoying the parades, performances and flower sculptures in the streets of Funchal you’ll also visit several of Madeira's best gardens including the Botanical Gardens and Palheiro Gardens.
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