Historic Salisbury - home to the iconic Magna Carta - is the only UK city to make it into a top ten “must-see” places in the world.
It joins a dream list that includes US capital Washington DC, stylish Milan in Italy and skiing paradise Zermatt, Switzerland.
A short hop from awe-inspiring Stonehenge, Salisbury was put on the world map by travel guide Lonely Planet as one of the key destinations for tourists next year.
It was rated above sight-seeing in Vienna, Austria, Chennai, India and Toronto, Canada by experts.
The Wiltshire backwater with a population of just over 40,000 was tipped as one of the world’s travel hotspots as it gets ready to celebrate 800 years as the nation’s keeper of the original 1215 Magna Carta.
Only four copies have survived and historians say the one kept at Salisbury Cathedral is the finest of them all.
Signed at Runnymede near Windsor Castle, Berks by King John the life-changing document which limited the once absolute powers of the monarch became the cornerstone of law, civil rights, and democracy and was used as a model for the US Constitution.
Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2015 guide said: “For too long travellers have considered Salisbury a short stop on the way to Stonehenge.
“But 2015 is set to be the year visitors linger in this quintessentially English city as Salisbury uncorks the champagne for the 800th anniversary of its greatest treasure, the Magna Carta.
“The lightning rod for the celebrations will be Salisbury Cathedral, the neck-straining medieval masterpiece whose Chapter House holds the Magna Carta.
“The cathedral itself boasts a clutch of superlatives, with the tallest spire in Britain, the world’s oldest working clock and Britain’s largest cloister.”
Best in Travel 2015 spokesman Tom Hall added: “We included Salisbury because it deserves to be recognised as one of the UK’s most important destinations for travellers next year.
“Bursting with history, top class restaurants, atmospheric nightlife and a host of festivals planned for 2015, we believe Salisbury is a must-see for domestic and international travellers alike.”
Lonely Planet’s top ten cities to visit in 2015:
1. Washington DC
2. El Chalten, Argentina
3. Milan, Italy
4. Zermatt, Switzerland
5. Valletta, Malta
6. Plovdiv, Bulgaria
7. Salisbury, Wiltshire
8. Vienna, Austria
9. Chennai, India
10.Toronto, Canada