There are a tonne of exciting celestial spectacles to light up our skies throughout 2025, and you can read about all the ones we’re most looking forward to here. However, sometimes your annual leave doesn’t quite align with the shooting stars, so you’re better off heading to an established stargazing spot that only needs clear skies to twinkle.
Astrotourism has soared in popularity by 263 percent over the last year, and Travel Republic is here to tell us where to head. The package holiday site has analysed global search data to establish which DarkSky International-certified International Dark Sky Parks are the most popular right now.
Topping the list is Elan Valley Estate in Wales, where searches have increased by a staggering 436 percent. It’s a remote location, with the estate making a huge effort to control artificial lighting, which is why it’s such a great spot for visibility.
Two areas in the US claim second and third place: the first of these is Fort Union National Monument in northeastern New Mexico, where searches leapt by 238 percent, and in third place it was Canyonlands National Park in Utah, which closely followed with an increase of 232 percent.
However, spots in South America, Asia and mainland Europe also made the list, so read on if you’re thinking about becoming an astrotourist.
The 10 top trending stargazing destinations for 2025
- Elan Valley Estate, Wales, UK
- Fort Union National Monument, New Mexico, USA
- Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA
- Keweenaw Dark Sky Park, Michigan, USA
- Desengano State Park, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- = Mandø, Denmark
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, USA
- Yeongyang Firefly Eco Park, North Gyeongsang Province, Yeongyang County, South Korea
- = The Headlands, Michigan, USA
- Bodmin Moor Dark Sky Landscape, Cornwall, UK
Astrotourism is just one branch of noctourism (travelling to enjoy nighttime events) – you can read all about the phenomenon in our noctourism guide here.
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