Where to travel in 2023: The best destinations to visit

Jan 1, 2023 - 14:01 Updated: Jan 1, 2023 - 14:22
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A new year equals a new outlook. Apply this formula liberally to travel planning in 2023.
After nearly three years of travel disruptions and complications, many countries have dropped most of their pandemic restrictions. People are traveling internationally in large numbers, and there's plenty of pent-up demand to spread around the world.
International tourism was expected to reach 65% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, with some areas recently reaching levels closer to 80% or 90% of their 2019 arrivals. And experts are cautiously optimistic about a continued travel rebound.
Many travelers are charging full steam ahead into the new year -- with good reason.
Here are 23 destination ideas from CNN Travel to get you started:

Poland

From the main square in Krakow, pictured, to forests, lakes and mountains, Poland invites exploration.
We could list new openings in Poland -- such as Hotel Verte, the new Autograph Collection property in Warsaw, which threw open its gilded doors (it's in a humongous Baroque palace) in August. But the reason you should visit Poland in 2023 isn't for the chance to stay in a place fit for royalty. It's to show solidarity with a country that has, in turn, show solidarity to the people of Ukraine.
Sharing a 300-plus-mile border with a country under attack has meant that Poland has taken in more Ukrainian refugees than anywhere else. Add to that plummeting tourist numbers (though they're on the rise again), and you have a tricky situation.
So whether you fancy that Warsaw palace, a city break to the likes of Krakow, Gdansk, Wrocław or Poznań -- all hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border -- or to get away from it all in the forests, lakes, and mountains of the countryside -- now's your chance to do some good by taking a vacation. -- Julia Buckley

Western Australia

A full solar eclipse will be visible in April in Exmouth, Western Australia. The landscape is worth a long look, too.
A full solar eclipse will be visible in April in Exmouth, Western Australia. The landscape is worth a long look, too.
Sellwell/Moment RF/Getty Images
On April 20, 2023, a total solar eclipse will be visible over the northwestern edge of Australia.
For an event that will likely last about one minute, the town of Exmouth and the greater Ningaloo Peninsula on which it sits have been planning for more than a year. There will be outdoor viewing platforms where spectators can safely watch the solar miracle (with protective eyewear, of course) as well as musical performances, educational opportunities to learn about science and astronomy, and a three-day Dark Sky Festival. But the state of Western Australia offers much more than some 60 seconds of wonder.
Spanning one-third of the entire continent of Australia, it stretches from the lively, growing state capital of Perth across deserts including the Great Victoria and Great Sandy to the wine country of Margaret River, the dramatic clifftops of the Kimberley and the quokka-covered Rottnest Island. -- Lilit Marcus

Liverpool, England

Mersey paradise: Liverpool.
Mersey paradise: Liverpool.
alpegor/Adobe Stock
England's port city of Liverpool, best known around the world as the birthplace of The Beatles, is adding another chapter to its musical legacy.
In May, it will be the host city of Eurovision vision, the spangly extravaganza of song that brings an influx of thousands of flag-waving fans from across the continent. It's an opportunity for the city to bounce back after the ignonimy of being stripped of its UNESCO World Heritage status in 2021.
In June, the city will celebrate 25 years of the Liverpool biennial contemporary visual arts festival, as more than 30 international artists and collectives take over spaces in the city until September.
England is also marking the Year of The Coast in 2023, with food festivals and beach cleans taking place along the country's shores. Just a half hour from Liverpool city center by train, Crosby Beach is the permanent home of sculptor Antony Gormley's "Another Place" where 100 cast-iron figures stand facing out to sea. -- Maureen O'Hare

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, a city of undeniable refined, historic beauty, is also looking more closely at its troubled past.
Charleston, a city of undeniably refined, historic beauty, is also looking more closely at its troubled past.
Sean Pavone/Adobe Stock
Charleston parades its past like no other US city, but it often glossed over the history of its Black residents. It's been taking steps to fix that.
Enter the International African American Museum, which promises to make an opening announcement "soon" for 2023 after pushing back its January date. The museum will be set on the shoreline of the Cooper River in the spot where many Africans first set foot in North America. It will explore the lives of slaves and their descendants.
Visitors in late May and early June can enjoy the world-renowned Spoleto Festival featuring opera, theater, dance, musical acts, and artist talks. And foodies should mark March 1-5 on the calendar for the Charleston Wine and Food Festival and sample Lowcountry favorites.
Can't make the festival? You'll still be well-fed. For fancier Southern fare, try Magnolias. Opened in 1990, it helped spur the city's culinary renaissance. For something informal, try Bertha's Kitchen in North Charleston, where red rice with sausage, fried chicken, and lima beans rule. The eatery even caught the attention of "Roadfood" author Michael Stern. -- Forrest Brown

Vilnius, Lithuania

Self-effacing Vilnius admitted in an ad campaign this year that nobody really knows where it is. If their brilliant video didn't make you want to book a trip there immediately, perhaps this will: the capital of Lithuania celebrates its 700th anniversary on January 25, 2023.
To mark the milestone, there's a yearlong program, including music festivals and exhibitions. But use the anniversary as a push to visit rather than following a program religiously.
The entire city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- putting it up there with its fellow V-cities, Venice, and Vienna. Vilnius makes it on the list thanks to its Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque buildings, all sitting on a medieval street plan, but it's best known for its Baroque architecture.
Don't miss the frothy bell tower of St. John's church (you can climb it for sweeping city views) or the church of St. Casimir, topped by a giant crown. Got an eye for social media? This is Europe's only capital city that allows hot air balloons to cruise over the city skyline. -- JB

Fiji

Scenes like this await visitors to Fiji.
Scenes like this await visitors to Fiji.
Martin Valigursky/Adobe Stock
Brilliant blue waters, expansive coral reefs, and hundreds of peaceful islands: Fiji is not a hard sell. But why go there in 2023? For one, the country only reopened post-Covid at the end of 2021, meaning that visitor numbers to the South Pacific paradise have yet to fully rebound.
While the country is spoiled for underwater beauty, take an opportunity to explore its above-ground treasures, too. The country's lone UNESCO World Heritage site is the town of Levuka, a former capital, and an important port, which is studded with British colonial-era buildings amid coconut and mango trees.
To learn about the local Indigenous communities, travelers can take part in a kava welcoming ceremony -- named for the traditional drink at its center -- or enjoy a lovo, a meal cooked by hot coals in an underground pit covered with banana leaves.
Fiji Airways now has direct flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco, making it relatively easy to get to the islands. As the Fijians say, bula! -- LM

Manaus, Brazil

As the fate of the Amazon rainforest hangs in the balance, two eco-lodges around Manaus -- the capital of Brazil's Amazonas state, and gateway to the river -- have used their pandemic pause to get even more environmentally friendly.
Juma Amazon Lodge, about 50 miles south of the city, is now fully powered by a new $400,000 solar plant, whose 268 double panels swagger nearly 40 feet into the air above the canopy (meaning no trees had to be cut). They've also built a biogas system to increase the efficiency of organic waste treatment, reducing annual carbon emissions by eight tons.
Meanwhile, Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge, northwest of Manaus on the Rio Negro river, opened an off-grid "advanced base" during the pandemic that's 30 miles from the main lodge and accessible only via the river.
Guests can take long jungle hikes through territory home to jaguars, pumas and giant armadillos in what's one of the Amazon region's most remote hotel facilities, then spend the afternoon in a hammock or by the pool. For 2023, the lodge is planning overnight stays in a creekside tent for small groups.
Don't miss Manaus itself -- eating behemoth Amazonian fish outside the pink 1896 opera house is a bucket list experience. -- JB