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Must-Visit Travel Bucket-List Destinations
Everyone has one. A list of places you’ve promised yourself you’ll see “one day”: the cliffside village from a film, the volcano a friend climbed, the beach that’s been your phone background for three summers running.
This travel bucket list is about turning “one day” into actual dates.
We’ve picked 15 bucket list travel destinations, from Mediterranean islands a short flight from the UK to far-flung places worth every hour in the air. For each, you’ll find what makes it stand out, who it suits and a tip from our team.
Our Bucket List Villa Locations
1. Amalfi Coast, Italy
Pastel houses stacked up the cliffs, lemon groves scenting the breeze and a coast road twisting for around 50km between Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. This is Italy at its most glamorous, and a dream for couples and food lovers (limoncello not optional).
Browse our Amalfi Coast villas, or find more ideas for things to do on the Amalfi Coast.
Solmar's Top Tip
Visit in May, June or September to avoid the peak crowds, and hop between towns by ferry rather than braving the coast road.
2. Kyoto, Japan
Japan's cultural capital is home to around 1,600 Buddhist temples and hundreds of Shinto shrines. Walk beneath the thousands of vermilion torii gates at Fushimi Inari, then wander the lanes of Gion as the lanterns flicker on at dusk.
Solmar's top tip:
Go in spring for cherry blossom or November for autumn colour, and arrive at Fushimi Inari before 8am to have the gates almost to yourself.
3. Madeira, Portugal
Madeira sits out in the Atlantic, closer to Africa than to Lisbon, so it stays warm while the UK turns grey. Expect volcanic peaks, levada walks along old irrigation channels and clifftop vineyards producing the island's famous fortified wine. A brilliant winter sun pick for walkers and couples who'd rather explore than lie by the pool all day (though we won't judge if you do).
Browse our Madeira villas.
Solmar's top tip:
Watch sunrise from Pico do Arieiro, above the clouds at over 1,800m. Pack a jumper.
4. Majorca, Spain
There's a reason Majorca is a villa favourite. Expect turquoise coves like Caló des Moro, honey-coloured towns such as Valldemossa and the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Families love the shallow bays in the north, while couples head for the hill villages and vineyards.
Browse our Majorca villas, or start planning with our guide to discovering Mallorca.
Solmar's top tip:
Ride the vintage wooden train from Palma to Sóller, then hop on the tram to the port for lunch by the water. Spring and autumn are ideal for exploring.
5. Reykjavik, Iceland
Iceland's capital is the gateway to a landscape that looks like another planet. Soak in the milky-blue Blue Lagoon, about 50 minutes away, then drive the Golden Circle to Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss.
Visit between September and March for a chance of the Northern Lights.
Solmar's top tip:
The Blue Lagoon is near the airport, so book it for your arrival or departure day.
6. Dubrovnik, Croatia
Walk the almost 2km of medieval walls around Dubrovnik's old town, and you'll see why it was cast as King's Landing in Game of Thrones. Below, the polished limestone of the Stradun glows at sunset, and the Adriatic is clear enough to see the seabed.
Browse our Dubrovnik villas, or read our top 5 things to do in Dubrovnik.
Solmar's top tip:
Walk the walls as soon as they open, before the crowds and the midday heat. May, June and September are the sweet spot.
7. Sardinia, Italy
Sardinia's beaches could pass for the Caribbean. The Costa Smeralda has powder-soft white sand and water in every shade of blue and green, while inland you'll find thousands of nuraghi, Bronze Age stone towers found nowhere else on earth. Ideal for families and beach-hoppers alike.
Browse our Sardinia villas.
Solmar's top tip:
Heading to La Pelosa near Stintino in summer? Visitor numbers are capped, so book your slot online before you go.
8. The Maldives
Thatched-roof villas on stilts, lagoons so clear you can watch reef fish from your deck, and some of the world's best diving. The Maldives is the classic honeymoon for good reason. Snorkel with manta rays, then watch the sky turn pink over the Indian Ocean.
Solmar's Top Tip
Go between December and April for the driest weather and calmest seas.
9. Tuscany, Italy
Cypress-lined roads, hilltop towns and long lunches that roll into the evening. Tuscany pairs Renaissance art in Florence with the vineyards of Chianti and the rolling hills of the Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's made for food lovers and big family groups gathered around one long table.
Browse our Tuscany villas.
Solmar's Top Tip
Stay in the countryside rather than Florence. You'll get space, a pool and easy day trips to Siena, San Gimignano and Montepulciano.
10. Crete, Greece
Greece's largest island goes big on history, scenery and hospitality. Explore the Minoan palace of Knossos, hike the 16km Samaria Gorge, then toast your efforts with raki at a village taverna where nobody's in a hurry.
Browse our Crete villas, and save our best sunset spots in Crete for golden hour.
Solmar's top tip
Samaria Gorge is usually open from May to October. Start early and wear proper walking shoes.
11. Bali, Indonesia
Known as the Island of the Gods, Bali is home to thousands of Hindu temples, emerald rice terraces and smoking volcanoes. Watch a kecak fire dance at Uluwatu Temple as the sun sets, explore the rice paddies around Ubud, then unwind on the beaches of the south.
Solmar's top tip:
Hike Mount Batur before dawn to watch the sun rise over the crater lake.
12. Sicily, Italy
Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, towers over the east coast, while the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento holds some of the finest Greek temples outside Greece. Add Roman mosaics and street food like arancini and cannoli, and you've got a feast for history and food lovers alike.
Browse our Sicily villas.
Solmar's top tip:
Take a guided trip up Etna in spring, when the lower slopes are green, and the summit is often still dusted with snow.
13. Tenerife, Spain
Tenerife's spring-like weather makes it a bucket-list pick in any month. Mount Teide, Spain's highest peak at 3,715m, rises above a moonscape of old lava flows, and on a clear night the stargazing is spectacular. Down at sea level, there are black volcanic beaches and the sheer cliffs of Los Gigantes.
Browse our Tenerife villas, and pick up our tips for visiting Tenerife.
Solmar's top tip
To stand on Teide's summit, you'll need a free national park permit, and they go weeks ahead.
14. Cape Town, South Africa
South Africa's Mother City sits beneath the flat top of Table Mountain, with two oceans and the winelands on its doorstep. Ride the cable car to the summit, meet the penguins at Boulders Beach and spend a day tasting wine in Stellenbosch.
Solmar's Top Tip
Visit November to March for long, warm days, and check the cable car before you go, as it closes in high winds.
15. Santorini, Greece
Whitewashed houses and blue domes cling to the rim of a flooded volcanic caldera. Santorini is famous for its sunsets, its black and red volcanic beaches and crisp Assyrtiko wine from vines grown in volcanic soil.
Solmar's Top Tip
Visit in May or late September, and skip the sunset crowds in Oia by watching from Imerovigli instead.
The World Is Waiting... Are You Ready?
Your bucket list won't tick itself off. So pick a place, pencil in some dates and let the excitement build.
For the destinations closer to home, we'd love to help. We've been arranging villa holidays since 1994, and every one of our carefully chosen villas has a private pool and room to spread out. One team looks after you from booking to home, and our villa holiday with flights is ATOL protected, so you can book with confidence.
Fancy something extra special? Browse our Luxe Collection.
All that's left is deciding who gets the sunbed nearest the pool. Explore our villas by destination - we're sure there are one or two on your bucket list, just waiting to be ticked off.
Must-Visit Travel Bucket List Destinations FAQs
There's no official number one, but Santorini, the Amalfi Coast, the Maldives and Kyoto appear on almost every travel bucket list. The right answer is the place that's been on your mind the longest. If sunshine, great food and a pool to come back to top your wish list, the Amalfi Coast is hard to beat.
Start with timing. Some places shine in certain seasons, like Iceland for the Northern Lights or Madeira for winter sun. Then think about who's coming and how long you can get away. Short-haul favourites such as Majorca or Crete are easy to tick off sooner, leaving long-haul trips for when you have more time.
It's a place offering something you can't find anywhere else: a natural wonder, an ancient site, a food culture or a view you've admired in photos for years. The best bucket list travel destinations combine a few of these, which is why they stay with you long after you've unpacked.
The Amalfi Coast, Tuscany, Sicily, Sardinia, and the Dubrovnik region all work brilliantly. Each pairs world-famous sights with countryside or coastline where a private villa gives you space, privacy and a pool to come back to after a day exploring.
A villa gives you room to spread out, a private pool and your own kitchen, so you can sightsee in the morning and relax on your own terms in the afternoon. It's ideal for families and groups. And with us, our local Villa Managers are on hand if you need anything during your stay.