The Best Things To Do In The World 2024

Forget’saving money’ in 2024. Do you know what your New Year’s Resolution should be? Get outside more. Do more things. View more of the globe. Life is short, after all, and 2024 promises an abundance of must-see events, art, food, and music. There are openings and reopenings. Brand-new train routes connect countries and continents. Wacky places to celebrate. Even if the cossie lifestyle causes you to tighten your purse strings, there are lots of free and low-cost events on this list.

So, have your booking fingers ready: your 2024 bucket list is waiting. This is our ultimate guide to the most exciting new things to do in the world next year. See ya out there!

1. Cycling trail in Europe

The Trans Dinarica trail, a brand-new cycling route through the Balkans, will be at the top of many people’s 2024 bucket lists, from ardent riders to those who simply enjoy a good view. The route will follow a corridor of national parks, winding along the Adriatic coast, through woods and inland villages, with a stop at the conclusion of each day to eat a substantial local dinner and sleep well. The trip’s focus is on presenting the region’s beauty in a sustainable way, and by the time it opens, there will be a wealth of mapping information and service recommendations along the way.

2.  New museum in New York, USA

Hip-hop may be a worldwide phenomenon, but it all began in New York City, namely the Bronx. DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, KRS-One, D-Nice, and, most recently, Cardi B and Ice Spice all began their careers in the area. New Yorkers have been waiting for a place to honor and celebrate the genre and its many heroes, and it appears that 2024 will be the year they finally get it. The much anticipated The Hip Hop Museum will finally open its doors at the end of the year, offering interactive displays featuring relics, multimedia, AI, VR, and AR to teach visitors all about hip hop’s origins and effects across 53,000 square feet.

3. Hop on a cable car to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland 

You may have hiked to the opposite side of a city for a party before, but have you ever walked to the top of a mountain? While it may seem like a lot of effort for a boogie, Detour Discotheque is well worth the detour. This is an ambitious and one-of-a-kind event that has proven successful in isolated parts of Iceland and Scotland; it will return to the Swiss Alps in 2024. Veteran DJs will perform at a revolving restaurant – yeah, you read it correctly – as well as stays in the valley’s beautiful Alpine villages. Sure, it will take four cable cars to get there, but look at the scenery.

4. Large-scale digital art Tokyo, Japan

When teamLab Borderless launched in Tokyo’s Odaiba neighborhood in 2018, it sparked outrage. The world has never seen digital art on this scale before: immersive, interactive, and simply radical. With its boundary-pushing art, teamLab Borderless set a Guinness World Record in 2021 as the world’s most visited museum dedicated to a single group or artist.

While the old site closed in 2022, the art collective is set to reopen its revolutionary teamLab Borderless museum in a new central Tokyo location in February, with new and never-before-seen digital exhibits making their global debut. Prepare for a next-level experience based on the sneak peek we’ve received thus far.

5. Cruise the Colombian river

The river inspired ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ More than a dozen large cruise companies visit Colombia’s Caribbean coast, but none travel inland along the Magdalena River. This will change when AmaWaterways takes sail on Colombia’s version of the Mississippi River in November 2024. Experience the region’s wildlife and villages from the comfort of a sailing boutique hotel on a seven-night riverboat cruise, inspired by Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’. What’s on the itinerary? A floating village (Nueva Venecia), a UNESCO-designated colonial town (Mompox), and unusual bird-watching opportunities (Magangué).

6. Watch world-class athletes compete in Paris, France

While there will be plenty of fascinating new developments in 2024, this opportunity only comes along once every four years. It’s the French capital’s turn to host the world’s greatest sports event, and you can bet they’ll put on a spectacular display. On July 26, attend the Olympics Opening Ceremony in Paris and watch world-class participants in skateboarding and synchronized swimming. Alternatively, wait until the late-summer start of the Paralympic Games on August 28 to marvel at the talent of Paralympic participants.

7. Dine at a re-opened London, UK 

Simpson’s on the Strand initially founded in 1828 (as a chess club, no less), but this bastion of London elegance has been tragically closed since the epidemic – until now. Thanks to restaurateur Jeremy King, this famous London restaurant, one of the first in the UK to receive a Michelin star, will reopen in 2024.

The refurbished Simpson’s in the Strand, a favorite of Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens, and many other moustachioed men in suits, would be brought ‘completely into the twenty-first century’, according to King. However, they did auction off their dinnerware, chandeliers, and furnishings last summer, so no one knows what the place will look like.

8. New food festival on a remote Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland

Everyone in Iceland is obsessed with food. However, on Vestmannaeyjar (the Westman Islands), a new gourmet hotspot is brewing. Matey Seafood Festival essentially allows top worldwide chefs to take over its restaurants for a weekend, resulting in elaborate and imaginative fine dining using indigenous Icelandic delicacies (such as haddock and cod).

Last year’s roster featured Cúán Greene of Copenhagen’s Noma and Adam Quershi of London’s Kol. The festival’s third edition will take place from September 5-7, 2024, however the Westman Islands are a must-see destination year-round, thanks to the famed Elephant Rock, a plethora of puffins, and a population of only 4000.

9. Take a ride on Italy’s revamped vintage trains

Air travel? It is over. We’re full steam ahead into the era of sustainable and economical rail travel, and Italy’s restored historic tourist trains are a particularly exciting addition to Europe’s roster of new services. Ferrovie dello Stato Italliane, Italy’s national railway network, announced the trains last summer. They will transport passengers from major towns to rural areas and beyond in some absolutely lovely vintage carriages. There will be three sorts of new services: luxury, express, and the more affordable ‘omnibus-regionali’. The first service, a sleeper train from Rome to the Dolomites, begins this month, with the remainder to follow in 2024.

10. Discover the next big thing at a brand-new music weekender Dublin, Ireland

Dublin, home to U2, Sinéad O’Connor, Fontaines DC, and Phil Lynott, is a unique musical destination. It should come as no surprise that the city has a culture of supporting emerging musical artists. Borderline is a freshly announced weekender that will feature ‘forward-facing’ new musicians over two nights in February. These rising performers, including Fat Dog, Spider, and Lambrini Girls (those names alone have won us over), will give it their all on the stages of iconic music venue the Workman’s Club. This is the type of weekend where stars are born, and you can tell everyone you saw them first.

11. Visit a new creative enclave in a former high school Singapore

The stunning brutalist tower on Singapore’s 46 Kim Yam Road has worn many hats. It was originally the headquarters for volunteers during the Japanese occupation, and it is now a girls’ high school. It will debut in 2024 as a blockbuster creative enclave with over 50 Singaporean and international creative and lifestyle firms.

Dine at Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded The Coconut Club, grab a coffee from local specialty coffee pioneers PPP Coffee, and sign up for a lesson at Off Duty Pilates, a boutique pilates studio. Some well-known chefs, such as Keirin Buck of Le Bon Funk, Mirko Febbrile of Fico, and The Trapeze Group, will also debut new concepts here. You can even stay the night in an 86-room serviced apartment.

12. Check out the biggest iteration of Africa’s biggest art fair

The 11th edition of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair takes place in February, cementing South Africa’s ‘Mother City’s’ status as Africa’s cultural capital. Africa’s largest art fair will be bigger than ever in 2024, with 112 exhibitors from 24 countries showcasing the work of over 375 artists across 30 art forms. This year’s theme is ‘Unbound,’ with an emphasis on emerging and ‘unbound’ creative voices from Africa and the diaspora. It’s a theme that will run throughout the three-day event, honoring the role of modern art as a platform for expression and variety.

13. Party in an old airport

It’s no secret that Berliners know how to party, and they’ve even devised new ways to do so. Two of the city’s historic structures have lately been converted into nightclubs: a historical castle now home to the Zita Club, and the disused Tegel Airport, now home to Turbulence TXL.

The airport’s canteen has been transformed into a large new and inclusive party and event area, which began with an appropriately named ‘lift-off’ rave this autumn. The edifice, known for its remarkable brutalist style, can accommodate up to 700 people. According to the nightclub’s Instagram, the venue is ‘planning major things for the open air season next year’. Get your grungiest, stompiest dance shoes.

14. Discover a cultural gem at the heart of Europe

Salt mines may conjure up thoughts of gulag despair, but the Austrian region of Salzkammergut, where Emperor Franz Joseph and composer Gustav Mahler spent their Alpine retreats, is far from gloomy.

This sought-after idyll, designated as the European Capital of Culture for 2024, will fill outstanding cultural sites with music, art, and performance next year. Highlights include an acrobatic version of Mahler, a Bruckner concert in a salt mine, and US artist Bill Fontana’s interpretation of Notre Dame’s bells in Dachstein’s ice caverns.

15. Dance in a pint of beer

It’s just one of the more wacky elements to Copenhagen’s newest attraction, Home of Carlsberg: you can also brew your own beer, pick sides in a family feud, design a beer label, see where Niels Bohr lived, and taste limited-edition beers in its historic cellars. Five years in the making, the ambitious modern museum goes beyond the standard brewery visitors centre with elements showcasing science, collaboration, history, heritage and culture. Rest assured, you are also greeted with alcohol-free beer and the tour ends in the bar.

16. Eat your way through a 12-week-long culinary extravaganza

After a pandemic-induced hiatus, one of South Asia’s most well-known cultural festivals, the Galle Literary Festival, will make its long-awaited return to Galle, Sri Lanka in January. To make up for lost time, an interesting culinary spin-off will debut in 2024. Gourmet Galle will offer supper clubs, culinary lessons, and private dinner parties in a variety of boutique venues throughout Sri Lanka’s South Coast over 12 weekends in January and March. All chefs will create dishes using locally sourced products, with locales ranging from beaches to hilltops to coconut farms. Delicious.

17. Celebrate the 25th anniversary of Canada’s coolest festival

Montréal en Lumière is, literally, Canada’s coolest festival. And in 2024, the groundbreaking event will celebrate a quarter-century of creating dazzling ways to play outside and make the best of winter. The downtown celebration will feature free outdoor activities and music, as well as over 25 international chefs, winemakers, and guests of honour from 50 Montreal restaurants. So, if you want to shake off the winter blues, head to Montréal: this glittering festival offers an outstanding treatment.

18. Sleep next to lions in a huge transparent bubble

The accommodation offering at Kent’s Port Lympne Safari Park was already pretty outstanding – where else can you enjoy a bath while being gawped at by tigers? New this year to the reserve’s fleet of unique stays is the Lookout Bubble, a double-domed transparent bubble moments away from the lion pride. You’ll fall asleep under starry skies and wake up to the sounds of wildlife. There’s a complimentary golf cart and all. If you don’t have plans for Valentine’s Day, now’s the time to start dropping hints.

19. Set sail on the world’s first Taylor Swift-themed cruise

There are plenty of themed cruises (Hallmark at Sea, anyone?) but a Taylor Swift-themed cruise? Believe it or not, it has never been done – until next autumn. Starting in Miami on October 21 and cruising around the Bahamas, ‘In My Cruise Era’ takes over Allure of the Seas for a week of Taylor karaoke, friendship bracelet exchanges, Taylor quizzes, Taylor dance parties, and, of course, Taylor-inspired attire. For those who aren’t quite ready for the full Taylor experience, zip lines and water slides are available. Whatever happens, we’re sure it’ll be a great time.

20. Experience a centuries-old nomadic festival

Naadam is one of Mongolia’s most important festivals, a national celebration held in July to commemorate the country’s independence and nomadic heritage. It begins with a magnificent opening ceremony in Ulaanbaatar’s National Sports Stadium, which can only be characterized as a combination of the Olympics and Eurovision fever.

Horses gallop around the race track, accompanied by contortionists, yaks, camels, national costume dancers, wrestlers, archers, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. It’s a suitable start to the festival, which will feature wild horse racing, wrestling, and knuckle bone shooting, a popular traditional activity that involves flinging sheep ankle bones at a target. Locals gather from all over to see the sports, dressed in their finest. In other words, it’s an excellent reason to visit the lonely and lovely country.

21. Witness two major museum reopenings in Lisbon

In 2024, the Portuguese capital will host a plethora of concerts and music events, but the reopening of two major museums is the highlight for Lisbon residents. The Gulbenkian Modern Art Centre (aka the CAM), which houses Portugal’s most recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, will reopen its stunning new edifice to the public in the first part of this year. Meanwhile, the MUDE (Lisbon’s Design and Fashion Museum) is set to reopen in the second quarter of the new year, having been shuttered since 2016.

22. Splash out on a round-the-world luxury train journey

Dreaming of traveling the world? Are you feeling overwhelmed with planning? Got a big wad of cash to spend? You’re in luck: Railbookers will embark on an epic round-the-world luxury train adventure in August of next year.

The trip will take 80 days and include visits to 20 cities in 13 countries across four continents. You’ll travel on seven of the world’s most sumptuous trains, including Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer and the opulent Belmond Venice-Simplon Orient Express. If you don’t have the cash for the entire three-month plan, you can tailor your vacation and book simply one portion.

23. Grab a plate at one of two new Time Out Markets

In 2024, Time Out Market will open in two major Iberian cities: Porto and Barcelona. If you’ve been to the original Lisbon market, the ones that opened lately in Dubai and Cape Town, or any of the four in North America, you’ll know what to anticipate.

We curate a selection of the city’s best cuisine, drink, and culture, allowing both locals and visitors to experience the best of the city in one funky venue. Barcelona’s market will be located on the top floor of the waterfront Maremagnum shopping complex, offering stunning views of the city skyline, while Porto’s market will be held at the historic São Bento train station. Stay tuned for official opening dates.