China’s robot restaurant, the challenges of African airspace, plus TIME’s pick of the best places to visit in 2026. Here’s what’s happening in Travel.
TIME’s ‘greatest places’
A heap of shiny new parks, museums, cruises, hotels and attractions have made it into TIME magazine’s 100 “greatest places of 2026,” providing a great excuse to freshen up your bucket list.
Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, which opened in September 2025, is the world’s tallest bridge, rising some 2,050 feet above the Beipan River in southeast China. As well as cutting commuters’ travel time over the canyon from two hours to two minutes, it’s a tourist attraction, too, with a glass walkway, panoramic cafe and bungee jumping among the emerging treats.
The Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza is the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilization. It was two decades in the making, and its budget ballooned to more than $1 billion, but it finally opened in November 2025. The array of treasures on display is a huge leap forward for Egyptology.
Check out CNN’s stories on some of the other selected destinations: Surf Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed National Museum, Reefline Miami, Universal Epic Universe in Orlando, Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab in Dubai, Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and the MSC World America cruise ship. The full TIME list is here.
Samurai treasures, a hidden-gem temple and the world’s youngest Communist capital: here are three CNN Travel picks of where to travel in Asia.
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple has become one of the most recognizable temples in Busan, South Korea, but beyond its beauty, there’s a deep and surprising history.
Japan’s stunning Seto Inland Sea is an excellent destination for island-hopping around the Geiyo archipelago. The six islands are connected by a 43-mile highway and bicycle path, making it both convenient and accessible.
Landlocked Laos gets far fewer tourists than its beach-blessed neighbors Thailand and Vietnam. However, Vientiane, which just marked 50 years as the capital of the Lao People’s Republic, is an easy-going, manageable city with thriving street food and independent music scenes.
Spotlight on Africa
The Great Rift Valley is an epic series of valleys and mountains carving its way 3,000 miles through East Africa and beyond. South African photographer Shem Compion has spent 20 years documenting its landscape, people and wildlife, and gathered it all in a new book, “The Rift: Scar of Africa.”
In Angola in southern Africa, the National Museum of Slavery in Luanda is working to reconnect descendants of enslaved people with their family history and to preserve its collection for future generations.
A digitized version of the archives is in the works, says museum director José António Fazenda. “We want people who are here and want to learn more to have a place where they can,” he says.
African tourism is hampered by lack of connectivity in the continent’s aviation sector, which is in need of more investment in infrastructure, safety oversight and a regional hub. The potential, however, is huge, and unlocking Africa’s airspace could be a multi-billion dollar opportunity.
Robots at the restaurant
Robots chop, stir, and cook more than 100 dishes in this experimental restaurant in China, with noodles ready in just three minutes — and no humans running the kitchen.
