At Time Out, we’re champions of bringing you locally curated guides on the best places to eat, drink, stay and explore across Australia. But it’s always fascinating to see what travellers from around the world have at the top of their Aussie bucket lists. This week, renowned travel magazine TIME dropped its 2025 list of the World’s Greatest Places – and you’ll want to add the three incredible Australian travel experiences included to the top of your hit list.
For the past seven years, TIME has curated a selection of 100 one-of-a-kind destinations to stay and to visit, including hotels, restaurants, attractions and more. The selections are based on nominations from the publication’s global network of correspondents and an application process, with a focus on places that offer new and exciting experiences.
Two Aussie experiences featured on this year’s greatest ‘places to stay’ list, including The Lodge Wadjemup, a newly refurbished $40 million hotel on Rottnest Island. Recently highlighted in our list of the five most anticipated hotel openings for 2025, it’s clear The Lodge is the talk of the town (or island), featuring 63 island-inspired rooms, with 46 more slated for mid-2025.
The greatest ‘places to stay’ list isn’t just made up of hotels. Australia’s most luxurious train journey, The Ghan, also earned a spot on the 2025 list, thanks to its fancy new Gold Premium service. During the three- or four-day expedition from Adelaide to Darwin, guests can relax in the new designer suites and cabins that beautifully reflect the surrounding Australian Outback landscape.
Australia had only one entrant in TIME’s 2025 greatest ‘places to visit’ category: the highly anticipated Bluey’s World attraction in Brisbane. Having opened last November, this immersive experience takes both the young and young at heart on an imaginative journey through life-size replicas of the Heeler family home. We also picked it as one of our 25 best new things to do across Australia in 2025, so don’t be shy – it’s never too late to embrace your inner child.
You can check out TIME’s full list of the World’s Greatest Places of 2025 here.