TikTok has revealed the destinations it says are the most popular among Brits seeking travel inspiration from the platform.
According to user search data, alternatives to classic European city breaks have been catching social media users’ eyes, with destinations like Frankfurt, Bologna and Liechtenstein fascinating TikTokers.
However, some firm favourites remain popular with UK users, like Malaga on the Spanish coast, continuing to inspire sunny getaways, while sought-after family holidays at Disneyland Paris are being spotlighted in viral videos, with search interest seeking to know what the magical theme park looks like during the winter months.
With people starting to plan their holidays for next year, TikTok has revealed that searches for travel-related content on the app are up 131 per cent year-on-year as many start to make preparations for their next trip.
Read on to discover what surprising destinations are among the fastest-growing travel searches on the platform, alongside expert tips and tricks from our travel writers at The Independent about each trending location.
Frankfurt, Germany
Frankfurt– usually known for being Germany's financial hub – is enticing visitors via its wintery Christmas markets, producing some viral TikToks on its gingerbread-style facades and festive stalls.
Travel writer Michael Hodges visited the city at a different time of year, during the summer amid the 2024 Euros, and found the city that is usually branded as boring to be a “cultural marvel”.
“Frankfurt has world-class museums and galleries and the cultural mix that comes from being one of Germany’s most diverse cities,” he wrote.
Liechtenstein
The small European country of Liechtenstein, tucked in between Switzerland and Austria, is attracting travellers on the app to look up videos of its mountainous landscapes, turreted castles and historic villages.
TikTok said Liechtenstein’s popularity has grown due to the rise of the “slow travel” trend, with influencers promoting the alpine region as a place to explore and relax as an alternative to the quick fly and flop holidays.
Copenhagen, Denmark
The slow travel trend has also seen cities like Copenhagen rise in popularity with the TikTok community, with people drawn to explore the city without an overpacked itinerary, such as hopping on a cruise around the capital or simply wandering around its colourful streets.
Robin McKelvie embraced this trend when visiting with his kids earlier this year, taking time out of their city break to get rewarded with freebies around Copenhagen after doing tasks that are good for the environment, with the “Copenpay” scheme.
“Our CopenPay highlight comes at GoBoat,” Robin recalls. “These battery-operated electric boats, which are charged using green electricity, are the best way to explore the city’s impressive maze of waterways. When we vowed to pick up litter en route, we’re rewarded with a free self-guided boat trip.”
Read more: I took my kids to Copenhagen to pick up litter – and they loved it
Budapest, Hungary
Wellness tourism, another trend having its time on TikTok, has also sparked searches for Budapest, especially due to its thermal baths housed in aesthetically pleasing grand buildings.
Budapest expert Jennifer Walker recommends Kempinski Hotel Corvinus as one of the best hotels for a spa experience in the city, which also won Hungary’s Best Hotel Spa in 2024 at the World Spa Award.
While the spa is more modern than some of the traditional baths, she says “the expansive complex offers a heated pool with massage jets, a selection of saunas and steam rooms, and several treatment rooms.”
Read more: The best luxury hotels in Budapest, from old-world grandeur to modern design
Cities in Italy
Another destination rising in TikTok searches is Bologna, a city in northern Italy known for having a rich and decadent culinary culture.
While foodies may be looking to flock there in 2026, Bologna has also been getting attention for its distinct architectural highlights, such as the Portico di San Luca and Piazza Maggiore.
Meanwhile, travelling foodies have also been searching for travel tips in Naples, popular with espresso lovers and Italian pizza. Florence, however, gained TikTok searches for its wealth of Renaissance art and architecture, such as the Duomo complex.
The Independent’s assistant travel editor, Emilee Tombs, found that she fell in love with Florence for exactly this reason when visiting the Italian city last summer.
“Although short, our weekend break perfectly captured the high and low-brow elements of the city,” she said. “Foods rich in flavour and fat, invented for the city’s poor classes, and the even richer tapestry of art, fresco and architecture created for the city’s wealthy elite, and now available for anyone to see, so long as they know where to look for it.”
Read more: I discovered the real Florence through its hidden frescoes
Kent, UK
Elsewhere, UK TikTok users turned their attention to staycations, with destinations such as St Andrews Lakes in Kent seeing a surge in interest.
The lake reserve is known for its bright blue waters that look more like they should belong on a Mediterranean shoreline. Popular activities here include sailing, watersports, sessions on an inflatable aqua park and afternoons at its Nordic-inspired outdoor spa.
While we are yet to visit St Andrews Lakes (and try out the inflatable water slides there), our travel writers have been busy travelling down to Kent over the past year.
For a different type of “adventure”, Rosamund Hall plucked up the courage to travel to the Kent village of Pluckley, the most haunted village in Britain for a ghost hunting tour around Halloween.
“There are allegedly 12 or 13 ghosts in and around the village including the phantom coach and horses that can be seen riding around the village lanes, the ghost of the woman who drowned in a watercress stream outside the village, both the “white” and “red” lady who haunt the churchyard in the centre of the village, and a little white dog who sounds a bit like Tintin’s Snowy who can also be seen wandering in between the graves,” she told our readers.
“These, coupled with ghosts from hangings, clay smotherings at the local brickworks and the violent murder of a highwayman, all make for a very sinister and macabre setting.”
Read more: This is what happened when I visited the most haunted village in Britain
Spanish coast
Despite TikTokers seeking out new places to explore, the platform also revealed that some familiar favourites continue to be popular, such as Spain's Malaga and the Costa Brava, still receiving searches.
While we love a hidden gem or lesser-known destination at The Independent, we also don’t shy away from the classic holiday destinations.
However, Robin McKelvie prompted readers to visit Malaga away from the summertime crowds and visit during the autumn or winter.
“Just a £40 flight away (fares plummet out of season) lie seas you can still swim in... layers of history, epic eats and those big Andalusian skies; all shining strongest without the summer crowds,” he wrote.
Read more: This Spanish coast shines brightest in winter – and flights are just £40
Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is also getting a boost with people searching what it's like to visit the theme park during the Christmas period.
Disneyland Paris’ newest extension, “World of Frozen”, opens in March 2026, so by Christmas next year, families will be able to fully immerse themselves in the wintery world of Anna and Elsa.
Ted Thornhill, US Travel Editor at The Independent, had a sneak peek at the new world last month and said that the park has “nailed” bringing Arendelle to life.
“There are beautifully storybook buildings in various pastel shades, along with an eye-catching snowflake-shaped fountain and a town square complete with a clock tower,” Ted reported.
Read more: I visited the new World of Frozen at Disneyland Paris and these are my honest thoughts
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