Lonely Planet lists the top destinations to travel in 2023 – and Manchester is on the list

If you’re looking for destination inspiration for travel in 2023, Lonely Planet has just unveiled its annual list for the year ahead.

But this year, the team has put together its top-rated places across all categories: eat, travel, relax, connect, and learn – all depending on how you like to travel.

Lonely Planet has set six goals for each of these different areas.

“We hope this year’s picks help you navigate the world in ways that make the most sense to you — through recommendations from local voices who know these places best,” the team said on the website.

In the culinary field, Lima leads this category in Peru, with the capital consistently scoring well on the annual list of the world’s 50 best restaurants.

The Italian region of Umbria and the Japanese city of Fukuoka follow a short distance away.

In the travel category, the night train from Istanbul to Sofia made the list, along with Bhutan, Zambia, Western Australia, Nova Scotia and Parque Nacional Naturales in Colombia.

If relaxation is high on your list of vacation priorities, destinations like (perhaps unsurprisingly) Jamaica and Dominica are top picks alongside Raja Ampat, Malta, Halkidiki, and Jordan.

Lonely Planet listed Alaska, Albania, Accra in Ghana, Sydney, Guyana and Boise in the US as the best places to connect with others.

However, if you are hoping to go somewhere to deepen your cultural and historical knowledge, Manchester is one of the best places to visit.

It is listed alongside New Mexico, Dresden in Germany, El Salvador, Scotland, and Marseille in France.