(CNN) — It already looks like 2023 is going to be a year of “revenge travel,” with people who were cooped up during the pandemic taking the long-overdue dream vacations they’ve been saving up for.
However, while most of the world is open again and operating like before, not every attraction survived the pandemic unscathed. Some have taken advantage of the pause in tourism to remodel or upgrade infrastructure, while others have said goodbye forever.
Ahead of making your next travel plan, here are the places you need to cross off the list for 2023 — and in some cases beyond. For each spot, we have included a backup destination to explore instead.
Train Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
“Train Street,” the Instagram-beloved road in Vietnam’s capital, had long been a source of controversy. The Old Quarter street became famous for the trains that would shuttle along the tracks just inches away from homes and shops. The spot became popular with tourists who liked the thrill of posing on the industrial tracks with coffee shops in touching distance.
However, despite their vintage look, the tracks are still very much in use. Overtourism on Train Street became not just an annoyance but a legitimate safety issue, as trains sometimes had to re-route at the last minute to avoid people.
The 9/11 Tribute Museum’s digital presence will remain active despite its physical space closing.
Mark Lennihan/AP
The 9/11 Tribute Museum, New York City
Before the National September 11 Memorial & Museum opened at Ground Zero, there was the 9/11 Tribute Museum.
The quieter, more introspective cousin was opened in 2006 by loved ones of those who died in the World Trade Center attacks in 1993 and 2001. The small space in lower Manhattan was a gathering place for those affected by the tragedies and was home to many personal items and objects donated by survivors and by victims’ families.
Plan B: Although the museum’s physical presence is gone, the majority of its holdings are now part of the permanent collection at the New York State Museum in Albany, about 150 miles north of New York City.
TeamLab Borderless and Edo-Tokyo Museum, Tokyo
An immersive new installation by Japanese art collective teamLab envelops visitors in mirrors, soundscapes and over 13,000 living orchids.
Two Japanese museums are both going through periods of transition this year.
Though they’re both in Tokyo, the two museums are wildly different — the Edo-Tokyo Museum is a traditional history museum focusing on Japanese culture, while TeamLab Borderless is an all-digital experience created by self-described “ultra-technologists.”
The Edo-Tokyo Museum has announced that it will be closed for at least three years while going through a renovation. Its riverfront building in the city’s Ryogoku neighborhood opened in 1993 and is best known for its full-size replica kabuki theater.
Representatives for the museum say it will reopen in late 2025 or early 2026.
Meanwhile, TeamLab Borderless — which was crowned the world’s most-visited museum by the Guinness Book of World Records — will be relocating from its home in Odaiba to a new facility in the highly anticipated Toranomon-Azabudai Project, which is due for completion in 2023. No reopening date has been announced yet.
Plan B: Tokyo is a museum lover’s dream, with plenty on offer, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. the Mori Art Museum and the National Museum of Western Art. In Ueno Park, the Tokyo National Museum will scratch your itch for history.
Museum of London, UK
The popular history and culture museum is making a short move with big significance.
The museum, founded in 1912, will move from its current London Wall home into the nearby General Market, a formerly derelict site that will be renovated and preserved.
In addition to the new digs, the destination will rebrand as The London Museum, expand its hours on Fridays and Saturdays and encourage patrons to visit local small businesses nearby.
The Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA
After life as a glamorous transatlantic ocean liner, the Queen Mary retired to southern California in 1967.
Now, the ship is in urgent need of repairs.
On December 12, Long Beach announced that some tours of limited sections of the ship would resume — and, best of all, they’re free. However, most of the on-board amenities, including the hotel and restaurants, are still closed for the time being.
This story was originally published on December 12 and has been updated.
