The world's best travel destinations for 2025 were revealed — Here's how Montreal stacked up

Planning your travels for 2025? If you live in Montreal, you might want to consider a staycation instead!

Online travel guide Travel Lemming just named Montreal among the world's 50 best places to travel in 2025 — one of just three Canadian destinations to make the cut.

According to a press release, the selections were curated by Travel Lemming's team of travel bloggers — dozens of seasoned explorers who personally visited the chosen locations — as a direct response to the rise of AI travel itinerary tools.

"Our team of real live human travelers loved visiting these 50 places, and we think you will too," Travel Lemming's blog post says.

They continued, "Corporate billionaires like Google CEO Sundar Pichai and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman want to use AI slop to replace not only travel blogs like ours, but also the thing that makes travel truly great: the human experience."

Montreal, described as a city that "exudes European charm with its French-speaking population, world-class dining scene, and abundance of cultural attractions," came in 19th place on Travel Lemming's list, wedged between Juneau, Alaska (#18) and Butte, Montana (#20).

The blog recommends visiting Montreal between May and September and suggests checking out the Museum of Fine Arts, Jean-Talon Market, Bota Bota Spa, Tam-Tams, the Old Port, the Biodôme and Parc La Fontaine, among other attractions.

It also calls Montreal "a foodie's dream," pointing to the city's estimated 5,000 restaurants — the most per capita in North America after New York City.

In terms of the other Canadian cities that were recognized, Yoho National Park in southeastern British Columbia (dubbed a "serene alternative to Banff") beat out Montreal, claiming an impressive fourth place. Meanwhile, Salt Spring Island, also in B.C., landed in 38th place.

Noticeably absent from this year's list is the one and only Canadian destination to snag a spot in 2024: St. John's, Newfoundland. That said, last year's picks were focused on "places perfect for longer trips and embracing a slower — and more sustainable — pace of travel," so if that's the vibe you had in mind, St. John's remains a stand-out domestic travel option.

Here's a closer look at Travel Lemming's top 10 travel destinations for 2025:

1. Lombok, Indonesia
2. El Calafate, Argentina
3. County Kerry, Ireland
4. Yoho National Park, Canada
5. Lalibela, Ethiopia
6. El Nido, Philippines
7. Kazbegi, Georgia
8. Exmouth, Australia
9. Hà Giang, Vietnam
10. Vega Baja, Puerto Rico

For a full rundown of all 50 destinations, visit the Travel Lemming website.

Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your trip.