Places you won't be able to visit in 2024

(CNN) — This year it was all about making up for lost time. After the pandemic, visitors flocked to Europe's largest cities and America's national parks as a form of “revenge travel,” heading or returning to some destinations that were inaccessible during the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the world has changed a lot since the beginning of the pandemic. Many businesses closed their doors as people shifted to remote work, and not all tourist attractions survived the period unscathed.
Whether it closes permanently or temporarily, here's a list of places you won't be able to visit in 2024.

Center Pompidou, Paris

Although the Paris museum inside and out still looks remarkably modern, the Center Pompidou is actually in its sixth decade. After the Summer Olympics in the French capital this summer, the Pompidou Hotel will take a break to undergo a 260 million euro ($282 million) modernization program.

The Our Lady of the Bagpipe Museum will remain closed until 2030. Meanwhile, the Pompidou's sister museum is under construction in Brussels, and is scheduled to open in 2025.

Plan B: The biggest problem that art lovers face in Paris is narrowing the options available to them. The Palais de Tokyo also houses a huge collection of modern art, while the Quai Branly Museum opened in 2006 with a diverse historical collection of arts and artifacts from around the world.

Splash Mountain, Orlando, Florida, and Anaheim, California

One of Disney's most popular attractions was the last attraction of 2023: Splash Mountain. The log flume ride was originally inspired by the film “Song of the South,” which had long been criticized for what the NAACP once called “a picture that dangerously glorifies slavery.”

Both Splash Mountains at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida will reopen in modified form as Tiana's Bayou Adventure, inspired by the movie “The Princess and the Frog.”

Plan B: The reopening of Asia makes it an ideal time for big Disney fans to visit the company's parks in Japan and China. The smallest park, Hong Kong Disneyland, will open its first Frozen World in fall 2023.

Noma, Copenhagen

The world's best restaurant has officially hung up its crown.

Noma, the Copenhagen restaurant that popularized New Nordic cuisine, is scheduled to serve its final customers in 2024. However, it will not disappear completely.

In 2025, Noma will reopen its doors as a “pioneering test kitchen dedicated to food innovation work and the development of new flavors,” according to a statement on its website.
Plan B: The best restaurant in the world today is Restaurant Central, in Lima's gastronomic hotspot. Even if you can't get a table, there are plenty of great places in Peru's capital offering quinoa, potatoes, herbs, fish, chili peppers, and other local ingredients.

The Phantom of the Opera, New York

Fans of “The Phantom of the Opera” are known as “orphans.” Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

After 35 years and nearly 14,000 performances, the iconic musical “The Phantom of the Opera” will take its final bow on New York City stages in 2023.

It has retired the honor of being the longest-running show on Broadway, surpassing other popular musicals such as “Cats,” “Les Miserables” and “A Chorus Line.”

Plan B: Even though the Phantom has disappeared into the night, Broadway is still as fun as ever for moviegoers. However, nowadays, getting “Spamalot” or “Kimberly Akimbo” tickets on the TodayTix app is easier than waiting in the popular TKTS line. Once you reserve your seats, you can arrive early to Times Square to see the interesting places that even the most smug New Yorker will want to visit.

Pergamon Museum, Berlin

The Pergamon Museum, home to the world-famous Ishtar Gate, is part of Berlin's Museum Island complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The museum will remain closed until 2027 as part of an ambitious improvement project, which will create a new central pedestrian zone, expand the exhibition halls and more.

Plan B: Travelers who want to experience the Pergamon Museum can visit nearby Das Panorama, where some of the museum's pieces will be on display during renovations. Other Museum Island attractions are also open, including the New Museum (which houses a rich collection of Egyptian art and artifacts).

Elephant Trunk Rock, Taiwan

Before and after views of Elephant Trunk Rock. CNN/Rufang Area Bureau (NTPC)

This famous photography spot in Taiwan, which actually resembled an elephant's trunk, collapsed into the sea on December 15, 2023.

The site on the island's northeast coast has long been at risk due to erosion and has been off-limits to the public since 2010.

Plan B: Travelers eager to experience the beauty of Taiwan have many options. The Lake Coving Loop Trail, the world's first certified “quiet trail,” debuted last year. If you prefer to drive, the Southern Cross-Island Expressway passes through some of the most beautiful scenery in Taiwan.

Park Hyatt, Tokyo

Widely considered the first Western-style luxury hotel in the Japanese capital when it opened in 1994, the Park Hyatt has lived a charmed life.

But to celebrate its 30th anniversary, the hotel will close in May 2024 to undergo what Hyatt calls a “hotel-wide renovation.”

The New York rooftop bar, which movie fans will recognize from the movie “Lost in Translation,” will close early and begin renovations in January. It will reopen in 2025.

Plan B: Consider getting out of Tokyo and spending some time exploring the rest of the country, as well as other great places to stay. Two notable country retreats are Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, a ryokan that happens to be the oldest hotel in the world, and Treeful, a series of handcrafted treehouses deep in the Okinawa forest.

Notre-Dame will reopen to the public at the end of 2024. Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

Notre Dame, Paris

In 2019, the world watched in horror as Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris burned and donations quickly poured in to restore the famous icon.

French President Emmanuel Macron originally backed a more modern rebuilding of the iconic church, but the traditionalists won and the 850-year-old landmark will be restored to its original appearance.

Notre Dame is scheduled to reopen in December 2024.

Plan B: When it comes to churches, France has a lot of riches. Outside the capital, highlights include the majestic Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseille, the pink-hued Strasbourg Cathedral or a more modern design like Le Corbusier's Colline Notre-Dame du Haute in the town of Ronchamp.

Smithsonian Castle, Washington, D.C

The first building to bear the Smithsonian name will take some time to renovate.

The museum complex's main building, often called the Smithsonian Castle, closed in February 2023 and will remain closed for “about five years” to complete repairs and improvements to the structure that opened in 1855. Digital tours, talks and other events will be held. Within.

Plan B: Although the castle is currently off-limits, two major museums in Washington, D.C. are open again after their renovations: the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Honorary Leonardo da Vinci, Milan

It has been a tourist destination for half a century, but a billionaire buyer has turned the remains of Leonardo da Vinci's Italian vineyard into private ownership.

French billionaire Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury conglomerate LVMH, bought the property in Milan in December 2022 and has not made a statement about when or if travelers will be able to visit it again.

Plan B: Even if Da Vinci's former estate is no longer available for public viewing, many of his most famous artworks are still available. The Uffizi Gallery in Florence has several paintings on display, including Self-Portrait, “The Last Supper” in the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan and “The Vitruvian Man” in the Galleria dell'Accademia in Venice.

Star Wars: Galactic Journey, Disney World

A stormtrooper walks through the crowd in Star Wars: Galactic Cruiser. Allen J. Chapin/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Despite a flashy presentation and association with one of the world's most famous pieces of intellectual property, Walt Disney World's Star Wars-themed Galactic Cruise has closed in 2023.

The immersive experience was a full-service hotel but also offered lightsaber training, encounters with robots and movie characters, and drinks at Oga's Cantina. Disney described the decision to close Galactic Cruiser as a “business decision.”

Plan B: Some real-life Star Wars filming locations make great vacation destinations. The Sidi Idriss Hotel in Tunisia played the role of Skywalker's family home on Tatooine, and the black-sand Reynisfjara Beach in Iceland was the planet Edo in “Rogue One.”