Best Places to Go in Europe in 2026

Located just south of the Arctic Circle in Finland, Oulu has a lot to offer; its remote location, the purest air in Europe, a low-impact Arctic food culture and more than 900 kilometres of walking and cycling paths make it a reliable eco-friendly destination. But in 2026, the city will become one of the northernmost European Capitals of Culture. Under the theme of Cultural Climate Change, a series of events will focus on creative solutions to the challenges facing Europe and beyond in one of the world’s fastest-changing regions.

In winter, northern traditions are on display at Frozen People, an electronic music festival on the icy Gulf of Bothnia, and at Oulu Art Museum’s Sámi contemporary art exhibit, which showcases the resilience of Europe’s only Indigenous people (on view until May 2026). Climate Clock is a new permanent art trail opening in June with thought-provoking work by renowned artists such as the UK’s Rana Begum, set amid Oulu’s forests, and along its rivers and seashores. From May to August, the Solstice Festival will celebrate summer at a 500-metre Arctic fell with views of pine woods and lakes, while the Summer Night’s Dinner will highlight northern ingredients at a communal table stretched along one of Oulu’s main streets.

As Finland’s tech and science centre, Oulu will also play host to several innovative digital art projects throughout the year. These include the year-long Peace Machine – a multidisciplinary installation by the Finnish Ekho Collective that uses AI to brainstorm conflict solutions – and a first-of-its-kind 8,000-square-metre museum and science centre opening in autumn 2026, just in time for aurora borealis viewing in its Deep Space theatre.

Travellers can take a break from culture by leaning into Oulu’s strong sauna culture (choose from wood-smoke saunas, floating river saunas, or luxury saunas). At the summer sauna festival, traditional sauna healers will offer treatments rooted in Finnish folk heritage, such as birch-leaf bathing and sauna chants. Newly renovated Lapland Hotels Oulu will be welcoming guests with design-forward rooms and must-try breakfasts starting in January, and a new Scandic Go hotel will open in late 2026. Yulia Denisyuk

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Go for: World Design Capital 2026, new hotels and a Jewish Academy