“Villages usually have a pub with live folk music and shelves lined with local whisky.”
A picturesque Scottish region has been named one of the world’s best places to visit in 2026 by travel experts. The area, which is described as “Europe’s last wilderness”, was praised for its picturesque lochs and charming villages with bustling pubs.
With the new year beginning, and people across the world thinking about where to head for holidays over the next 12 months, Rough Guides has published a list of the “the 26 best places to travel in 2026”. Coming in at number 22 on the roundup, and the only destination in the UK to be included, is the Scottish Highlands.
Rough Guides praised the Highlands for its peace and quiet and remoteness, stating the region is “one of the few places in Europe where you can drive for miles and barely see another car”. The Highlands were also noted for feeling “unchanged even as the rest of Europe grows busier”.
The travel experts singled out the Highlands’ lochs and castles, with highlights including Loch Ness and the 13th century Eilean Donan Castle. They also praised the many Highlands villages, such as Plockton and Glen Coe, which are home to cosy pubs that stock a wide range of whiskies.
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Rough Guides stated: “Trails lead past glassy lochs and old stone walls, and every so often you’ll find a castle that looks like it’s been watching over the same valley for centuries. Villages usually have a pub with live folk music and shelves lined with local whisky.
“The North Coast 500 is still one of the best road trips in the UK. The roads curve around open glens, with hills that start gently and then rise into sharp ridges and rocky slopes. Lochs run deep and narrow, their surfaces turning dark blue or silver depending on the weather.
“Summer brings long daylight hours, Highland Games, and swimmable beaches if you don’t mind the chill. Winter is for snow-dusted hills, whisky by the fire, and the chance of seeing the Northern Lights. The best time to visit Scotland really depends on what kind of trip you want; just don’t skip lesser-known peninsulas like Ardnamurchan.”
For those looking to head to the Scottish Highlands for a holiday in 2026, there is no shortage of places to stay for a few nights. The Highlands features countless hotels, as well as many self-catered properties for those seeking more independence.
According to Booking.com, one of the top hotels in the Scottish Highlands is Rokeby Manor in Inverness-shire. An overnight stay for two at the hotel, which is situated in Invergarry, is available at a price of £203 through the travel website.
Rooms at the hotel include private bathrooms, bathrobes, fireplaces, and parquet floors, while each room also comes with a work desk, a TV, and free toiletries. Meanwhile, the on-site restaurant serves up Indian, Scottish, and international cuisines with vegan options.
On Booking.com, Rokeby Manor has an overall rating of nine out of 10 based on 1,063 visitor ratings. Guests have praised the hotel’s “fantastic” location and “exceptional” food, though one visitor stated that “the beers are very expensive”.
Elsewhere, one of the highest-rated self-catered properties in the Scottish Highlands on Sykes Holiday Cottages is The Hen House in the small village of Kiltarlity. The accommodation sleeps up to two people, and can be rented for £477 for four nights.
The Hen House includes one king-size bedroom in a studio-style layout, with an open-plan living space that features a kitchen, a dining area, and a sitting area. There is also a bathroom with a tub and shower, as well as an enclosed garden with a log-fired hot tub.
One recent visitor on Sykes Holiday Cottages praised the property’s “gorgeous comfortable bed and linen” and “well appointed kitchen and bathroom”. The Hen House has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, though some holidaymakers may prefer to stay somewhere with more space.
To put together their list of the 26 best places to travel in 2026, Rough Guides analysed more than 30,000 tailor-made trip enquiries and identified patterns in demand. They then combined these insights with detailed input from local experts.
More information and the full list of the best places across the world to travel to in 2026 can be found on the Rough Guides website.
