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Montreal was dethroned as Canada’s top travel spot for 2025 and it’s worse than you think

<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/a-city-skyline-with-yellowing-trees-in-the-foreground.jpg?id=53846654&width=600&height=600&coordinates=568%2C0%2C568%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>The <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal-ranked-best-cities-in-the-world-cn-traveler-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best cities in the world to visit</a> in 2025 have just been revealed, and one Canadian city made the list — but no, it's not Montreal. </p><p>In fact, it's not <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/coolest-cities-in-canada-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toronto</a> or <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal-ranked-best-cities-in-the-world-cn-traveler-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vancouver</a> or any of our other first 20 guesses. Capital city <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/best-cities-in-canada-work-life-balance-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ottawa</a>? Nope. Charming Victoria Not even close. Up-and-coming <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/canadian-city-best-place-to-live-in-canada-september-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Calgary</a>? No sir. Oceanside Halifax? You're getting colder.</p><p>After snagging the <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal-best-city-lonely-planet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No. 3 spot on last year's Lonely Planet Best in Travel guide</a>, Montreal was unceremoniously dethroned this time around — but the worst part is who dethroned us: <em>Edmonton</em>.</p><p>Yes, you read that right. </p><p>Edmonton might come as a surprise to some, but <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel/cities#edmonton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lonely Planet highlighted</a> its "[long-celebrated] fringe festival and bohemian Old Strathcona district" and the fact that the city is "doubling down on its downtown with the opening of the Ice District, the second-largest sports and entertainment complex in North America" as reasons for its inclusion. </p><p>The 2025 list of best cities is packed with exciting destinations like Toulouse, France, and Osaka, Japan, so you'll have to excuse us for thinking Edmonton looks a little out of place. But hey, at least Canada still made the list — even if snagging a spot over Montreal will definitely cause some side-eye from Quebecers (and probably the rest of the country, too).</p><p>Here's the full list of best cities to visit in 2025, according to Lonely Planet:</p><ol><li>Toulouse, France</li><li>Puducherry (Pondicherry), India</li><li>Bansko, Bulgaria</li><li>Chiang Mai, Thailand</li><li>Genoa, Italy</li><li>Pittsburgh, USA</li><li>Osaka, Japan</li><li>Curitiba, Brazil</li><li>Palma de Mallorca, Spain</li><li>Edmonton, Canada</li></ol><p>Montrealers, if you're feeling the FOMO, maybe it's time to check out what's happening in Edmonton for yourself. Who knows? You might just have the trip of your lifetime — apparently, anything's possible at this point.</p><p><span></span><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em></p><p><em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em></p>