Lonely Planet has named its top cities to visit in 2011, picking New York as the best place in the world to be next year.

The list, compiled as part of the publisher’s Best in Travel 2011 guide, puts the Moroccan city of Tangier in second place and Tel Aviv in third.

New Zealand capital Wellington took fourth place spot, with the book saying that the innovative and inspiring city might just be the ‘Best Little Capital in the World’.

All in all, Lonely Planet’s writers and travelers selected 17 top travel lists, including Best Country (Albania) and Best Experience (“hugging a tree in the Amazon”).

Bangladesh was selected as the world’s best value destination, while the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt was voted the top region to visit next year.

AFPrelaxnews – Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2011 was published November 1.

Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Cities 2011

1. New York City, USA
2. Tangier, Morocco
3. Tel Aviv, Israel
4. Wellington, New Zealand
5. Valencia, Spain
6. Iquitos, Peru
7. Ghent, Belgium
8. Delhi, India
9. Newcastle, Australia
10. Chiang Mai, Thailand

(The Top 10 Countries to visit in 2011: Albania, Brazil, Cape Verde, Panama, Bulgaria, Vanuatu, Italy, Tanzania, Syria and Japan)

(The Top 10 Regions to visit in 2011: Sinai, Istria, Marquesas Islands, Cappadocia, Westfjords, Shetland Islands, Great Barrier Reef, West Coast USA, Chilean Patagonia and Gili Islands)