National Geographic names Cork city on Best of the World 2025 list
National Geographic has included Cork in its picks for Best of The World 2025, the brand’s annual list of the most exciting, meaningful and one-of-a-kind travel experiences for the upcoming year.
Developed in close consultation with Nat Geo’s team of travel experts and international editors, the 2025 list includes a blend of both surprising up-and-coming destinations and timeless locations that have something new and exciting to offer.
Sitting on Ireland’s southern coast, Cork city dates back at least 1,000 years and is a heady mix of the old and new. Its top attractions include a seventeenth-century fort, nineteenth-century gaol, Neo-Gothic cathedral, the world-famous English Market and the highly respected Crawford Art Gallery.
There’s a buzz about the city with its numerous coffee shops, trendy bars and quirky museums and it’s also a city filled with music – as much on the streets as in its many pubs and performance venues.
Cork’s inclusion in the ‘best of’ list owes much to its ambitious plans for improvements to the city’s infrastructure over the next few years. The Cork City Development Plan, part of the Project Ireland initiative, is funding ambitious and innovative improvements to be completed by 2028 that will redevelop the port and docklands, refurbish the Crawford Art Gallery, and enhance the Cork Event Centre so it can host new concerts, festivals, and exhibitions.
The city already hosts a major annual jazz festival, a choral festival and a folk festival as well as numerous small literary and arts festivals.
In September 2025, venues across the city will present Sounds from a Safe Harbour, a biennial, four-day festival of music, dance, literature, theatre and conversation that was cofounded by Oscar-winning Oppenheimer actor and Cork native Cillian Murphy. The unique festival focuses on new works, collaborations, and shared experiences.
Cork city and indeed the whole of County Cork is also considered to be a foodie hotspot with artisan producers and talented chefs making the most of the wonderful range of local ingredients to create traditional and contemporary dishes. A food trail is one of the best ways to get a taste of the city’s epicurean delights while learning about the city itself.
BEST OF THE WORLD 2025 is available online now at NatGeo.com/BestOfTheWorld, where readers can be transported to each destination through spectacular photography and reporting. The January 2025 print issue of National Geographic will also feature a deeper dive into select BEST OF THE WORLD experiences.
